Government Forms Investigation Team into Deaths of Five Kopdes Merah Putih Trainee Managers

Deputy Minister of Defence Marsekal TNI (HOR) Donny Ermawan announced that the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Health have formed an investigation team to look into the deaths of five prospective managers of the Kopdes Merah Putih programme. “Regarding the deaths of these five individuals, we have established an investigation team,” Donny told reporters at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, 1 July 2026. He stated that the team would seek additional data to determine the cause of the incident. “We have formed it and will follow up to examine or gather more data on why this could have happened,” he said. Donny also referred to an incident at Halim involving lung-related issues, noting that transmission had occurred there and that preventive measures were being taken together with the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Defence had previously expressed its condolences over the deaths of five participants of the 2026 Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) programme, who were undergoing state defence and managerial training for the Kopdes Merah Putih (KDMP) and Kopdes Nelayan Merah Putih (KNMP) programmes. Head of the Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDM) at the Ministry of Defence, Major General TNI Ketut Gede Wetan, conveyed the government’s deepest sympathies to the families of the deceased. “First of all, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia, the national selection committee and all organisers of the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia programme, we express our deepest condolences on the passing of five participants of the 2026 SPPI KDKN PKNP programme who were undergoing state defence and managerial training,” Ketut Gede Wetan said during a press conference on Saturday, 27 June 2026. The statement served as the Ministry of Defence’s official explanation regarding the increasing number of SPPI participants who have died during the training series. Ketut stated that all deceased participants had received medical treatment in accordance with applicable procedures. According to him, each participant had different characteristics and health conditions, so treatment was provided according to medical needs. “The five participants had different characters and conditions; all participants received medical treatment according to procedure at unit health facilities and referral hospitals,” he said.