Kopassus Declares Rumour of Slap at Palace as Hoax

The Indonesian Army’s Special Forces Command (Kopassus) has refuted rumours that Kopassus Commander Lieutenant General TNI Djon Afriandi slapped one individual at the State Palace, as circulated on social media in recent days. On its official Instagram account, Kopassus emphasised that the issue is untrue or a hoax. Kopassus attached the viral post and labelled it as a hoax and fake news. “Be wary, false information is circulating that drags the names of high-ranking TNI officials and the palace environment; this narrative claims a commotion involving the Kopassus Commander and protocol personnel,” stated the @penkopassus Instagram account, quoted on Tuesday (21/4). Kopassus assessed that the hoax information was allegedly spread intentionally by certain parties to divide the nation. Additionally, Kopassus affirmed there is no valid evidence supporting the wild rumour. “In fact, this is merely a fabrication without valid evidence; this information is deliberately spread to create unrest and fracture the internal solidarity of state institutions,” it clarified. Previously, social media circulated information alleging that Kopassus Commander Lieutenant General Djon Afriandi slapped a palace protocol figure. The incident was said to have occurred when Djon was about to meet Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the State Palace some time ago. To date, no official statement has been received from the palace regarding the alleged incident.