Two Cooperative and Fishing Village Training Participants Die, Amnesty International Demands Independent Investigation
Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid has urged the government to conduct an independent investigation into the deaths of two civilians during the Basic Military Training (Latsarmil) programme run by the Ministry of Defence. Amnesty International Indonesia also demanded that military involvement in the Undergraduate Programme for Drivers of Indonesian Development (SPPI) for the Red and White Village/Subdistrict Cooperatives (KDKMP) and Red and White Fishing Villages (KNMP) be halted immediately.
The call came after two civilian participants, identified as Anisa Muyassaroh (AM) and Yonanda Muhammad Taufiq (YMT), died while attending Latsarmil for prospective village cooperative managers at Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) educational units.
“We mourn the deaths of two citizens while attending basic military training for prospective managers of the Red and White Village/Subdistrict Cooperatives (KDKMP) and Red and White Fishing Villages (KNMP). It is deeply regrettable that citizens had to lose their lives merely for participating in a government programme that has been problematic from the outset,” Usman said in a written statement on Wednesday (24/6).
Usman noted irregularities in the handling of the incident. He questioned the Ministry of Defence’s decision to only disclose the deaths to the public on Tuesday (23/6), several days after the victims had been buried.
Usman stressed that the victims’ families and the public have an absolute right to know the exact cause of death transparently. He argued that an independent investigation is urgently needed, especially since the Ministry of Defence claimed all participants had passed health checks before undergoing training.
“This is a tragedy and there must be an independent investigation into their deaths. Moreover, the Ministry of Defence claims both had undergone medical examinations which declared them fit to undergo the training,” Usman asserted.
Furthermore, Usman criticised the mandatory military-style training for 35,000 prospective cooperative managers as misguided and irrelevant to business management. According to Usman, an approach heavily laden with physical exertion, discipline, and a hierarchical chain of command contradicts the fundamental democratic principles of cooperatives.
The embedding of military culture into civilian societal structures is feared to blur the strict boundaries between the domain of national defence and civilian affairs, and risks reviving the spectre of the dual-function doctrine of the New Order era.
“This heartbreaking tragedy is a grim portrait of the dangers of rising militarism for civilians. What is needed is training in business management skills and dialogical communication, not military training based on physical strength and monological communication,” Usman explained.
Previously, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that two participants died during the orientation programme which began on Wednesday, 17 June 2026.
Participant AM, who was undergoing training at the Satdik Dodikjur Rindam VI/Mulawarman in Balikpapan, experienced health problems on 18 June and was pronounced dead due to heat stroke. Meanwhile, participant YMT, who was attending training at Satdik Puslatpur Kodiklatad in Baturaja, suffered a decline in physical condition on 17 June and died due to cardiac arrest.
According to the Ministry of Defence’s programme blueprint, a total of 35,000 KDKMP and KNMP managers are required to undergo 45 days of training. The training consists of 30 days focused on discipline and semi-military-based national defence, followed by 15 days of managerial training.