Death Toll in Military Training Rises, Defence Ministry Says Participants Joined Voluntarily
The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenhan) has stated that participants in the Basic Military Training (Latsarmil) joined voluntarily. This was conveyed by Kemenhan following the death of four prospective managers for the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative (KDKMP) and Merah Putih Fishermen’s Village (KNMP) programmes while attending the Latsarmil for the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) programme.
Head of the Defence Information Bureau (Karo Infohan) at Kemenhan, Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, claimed the SPPI programme is part of the government’s effort to prepare human resources who possess character, integrity, and leadership spirit to support national development through the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperatives and Merah Putih Fishermen’s Villages. “All participants joined this programme voluntarily through an established selection mechanism,” Rico told Republika on Friday.
Rico also explained the incident involving Muhammad Rifki Renaldi Gunawan, the fourth victim to die during the training. On 25 June, the deceased experienced health complaints in the form of shortness of breath and immediately received initial treatment from the unit’s medical team. After his condition gradually improved, he briefly resumed activities. “However, in the afternoon his condition deteriorated again, so he was immediately referred to RSAU dr. Esnawan Antariksa for further medical treatment,” Rico stated.
After being referred to the hospital, the deceased promptly received intensive medical care from a team of doctors, including treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Despite optimal medical efforts, the deceased was pronounced dead on 26 June 2026 at 00:28 WIB. “Prior to joining the programme, the deceased, Muhammad Rifki Renaldi Gunawan, had undergone the selection stages in accordance with applicable regulations, including a health examination, and was declared eligible to attend the education,” Rico said.
In response to this incident, Rico stated that Kemenhan, together with the education organisers, has provided assistance to the deceased’s family, including the repatriation of the body to his home region. Kemenhan is also assisting in fulfilling the participant’s entitlements according to prevailing regulations. “In connection with this incident, Kemenhan, together with the National Selection Committee and education organisers, is continuously conducting a thorough evaluation of the SPPI Programme implementation,” Rico said.
Rico also detailed the steps being taken, which include strengthening the health selection process, early detection of participants’ medical conditions, and increasing supervision by health personnel during the education. “We are conducting tracing of participants with similar complaints, as well as refining health handling procedures across all education units,” he said.
It was previously reported that three prospective managers for the Village Cooperatives and Merah Putih Fishermen’s Village died while attending the Latsarmil for the SPPI programme organised by Kemenhan. The three participants died due to heat stroke and cardiac arrest.