House Commission XIII Pushes for Evaluation of Military Basic Training Without Halting Programme

Deputy Chairman of Commission XIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Sugiat Santoso, has stated that the military basic training (Latsarmil) for participants of the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) programme, which prepares candidates for the Koperasi Desa Merah Putih (KDKMP) and Kampung Nelayan Merah Putih (KNMP) manager roles, must be evaluated. He also urged that the handling of the participants’ deaths be conducted openly, transparently, and accountably.

"The evaluation is to ensure that safety standards, supervision, and programme governance are improved so that similar incidents do not recur," Sugiat said in Jakarta on Tuesday. He noted that improvements should begin with the planning, implementation, and supervision systems of the SPPI Latsarmil programme. He also assessed that there needs to be a record of prospective participants’ health conditions before they join the activities.

Sugiat expressed his condolences over the deaths of the SPPI Latsarmil participants and emphasised that the state must be present to support the victims’ families. Nevertheless, he agreed that the programme should continue because it is a strategic presidential programme to strengthen village economies. "This programme must still be continued because its benefits for the community are enormous," he said.

The Ministry of Defence has halted the Latsarmil programme for SPPI participants and changed it to a State Defence Orientation Training following an evaluation after the deaths of five participants. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the number of deceased SPPI KDKMP 2026 participants had risen to five after Nola Diasari died in Singkawang. Minister of Human Rights Natalius Pigai stressed the importance of character building for prospective Kopdes managers following the deaths. The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has urged the government to immediately stop the Latsarmil programme.