Military Commander Denies TNI Demolished School in Ende for Cooperative Project

Korem 161/Wira Sakti Kupang Commander, Brigadier General Hendro Cahyono, has insisted that his soldiers did not demolish SDN Wolomoni, a state primary school in Niowula Village, Detusoko District, Ende, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), for the construction of the Red and White Village Cooperative (KDMP). “It was not a demolition. The village head in Ende has confirmed this, I saw it. Apologies, I am currently on a helicopter from Labuan Bajo,” Hendro said briefly when contacted via WhatsApp on Tuesday (9/6/2026). Previously, a video showing TNI personnel demolishing SDN Wolomoni went viral on social media. The footage showed several fully uniformed TNI members carrying out the demolition using heavy equipment such as excavators. The Head of the Cooperatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (UMKM) Office of NTT, Linus Lusi, stressed that the construction of the Kopdes Merah Putih must not conflict with the authority of other institutions, let alone sacrifice educational facilities. “The local government’s duty, in this case the regent, is to facilitate. If that educational facility cannot be disturbed, then the regent is tasked with finding other locations for the establishment of the Red and White Village Cooperative gallery, which is ultimately for the benefit of the community,” Linus emphasised when interviewed at the NTT Governor’s Office on Monday (8/6/2026).