Three SPPI Kopdes Merah Putih Participants Die, Palace Urges Evaluation of Military Basic Training

The Presidential Palace, through Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, has urged an evaluation following the deaths of three participants in the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangun Indonesia (SPPI) programme who were undergoing military basic training. He stated that an evaluation process must be conducted to ascertain whether there was negligence regarding the training programme’s procedures. “Of course there must be an evaluation. We review all processes; if there is a procedural issue, we fix it. And if a procedural error leads to negligence, that is also part of the evaluation,” Prasetyo Hadi told reporters at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday, 26 June 2026. When asked about indications of negligence in the training programme, he said he had not yet received that information but had heard that SPPI participants had died. He also expressed his deepest condolences and sympathies over the incident. “I don’t think so yet, because from the reports we heard, it was only on the first or second day. Of course, we extend our deepest condolences and sympathies,” he said. Previously, the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, confirmed that two participants of the SPPI Kopdes Merah Putih and KNMP programmes died while undergoing military basic training, namely Anisa Muyassaroh and Yonanda Muhammad Taufiq. The Head of the Defence Information Bureau at the Ministry of Defence Secretariat General, Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, said Anisa, who was training at the Satdik Dodikjur Rindam VI/Mulawarman in Balikpapan, died from heat stroke. Meanwhile, Yonanda, who was training at the Satdik Puslatpur Kodiklatad in Baturaja, died after experiencing a decline in physical condition on Monday, 15 June 2026, and had received treatment at a hospital. Based on medical examination results, Yonanda was pronounced dead due to cardiac arrest. According to Rico, all participants had undergone health checks before being declared fit to join the military basic training. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Defence will evaluate the implementation of the training to ensure participants can undergo the programme safely. A day later, on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, the Ministry of Defence confirmed another participant had died, namely Novia Rahmadhani Sihotang, a participant of the SPPI KNMP 2026 programme who was training at the Satdik Pusbahasa Kodiklatau in Jakarta.