Defence Ministry Reveals Causes of Death for Two Cooperative Manager Trainees During Military Training

Two participants of the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) programme for the Red and White Village Cooperatives and Red and White Fishing Villages have died during basic military training conducted by the Ministry of Defence. The deceased were identified as Anisa Muyassaroh, who was training at the Dodikjur Rindam VI/Mulawarman Education Unit in Balikpapan, and Yonanda Muhammad Taufik, who was training at the Kodiklat Combat Training Centre in Baturaja, South Sumatra. The deaths were initially revealed by netizens on social media around 19 June 2026, and later confirmed by the Head of the Defence Information Bureau at the Ministry of Defence’s Secretariat General, Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, on 23 June 2026. According to Rico, Anisa Muyassaroh experienced health problems on 18 June 2026, two days after the training commenced on 17 June 2026. She received medical treatment at the unit’s health facility before being referred to a hospital, but could not be saved. ‘Based on medical reports, Anisa Muyassaroh was declared dead due to heat stroke,’ Rico stated in an official release on Tuesday, 23 June 2026. Meanwhile, Yonanda Muhammad Taufik’s health deteriorated on 17 June 2026. He was taken to a hospital but later died from cardiac arrest. Rico stated that the Ministry of Defence and the Indonesian National Armed Forces have provided support to the families of both victims and ensured that all procedures were followed. He also claimed that the selection stages for both participants were carried out according to regulations, including health examinations that declared them fit to undergo basic military training. Nevertheless, Rico announced that the ministry, together with the national selection committee and training organisers, will evaluate all aspects of the programme’s implementation. This evaluation will cover health selection mechanisms, medical supervision, handling of participants with special health conditions, and communication and reporting systems. The basic military training is a mandatory phase for prospective managers of the Red and White Village Cooperatives and the Red and White Fishing Villages. Participants are required to undergo 45 days of training at military training centres, consisting of 30 days of discipline, national defence, and basic military skills, followed by 15 days of managerial training. A total of 35,476 prospective managers are undergoing basic military training at TNI education units, comprising 30,000 candidates for village cooperatives and 5,476 for fishing village programmes.