What Changes Are Being Made to the Training for Cooperative Managers

The Ministry of Defence has expressed its condolences over the deaths of five prospective managers of the village/sub-district ‘Merah Putih’ cooperatives (KDMP) during a basic military training (latsarmil) activity some time ago. Deputy Minister of Defence Donny Ermawan Taufanto stated that his institution has formed an investigation team to probe the exact cause of the fatalities. The investigation team comprises members from within the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Health. “This includes the incident in Halim related to lung issues, because there was transmission there, we are carrying out prevention together with the Ministry of Health,” Donny said at the DPR, MPR, and DPD Complex on Wednesday, 1 July 2026. Based on the interim investigation results, he continued, the suspected cause of death for the five latsarmil participants can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, according to Donny, there was a factor of exhaustion experienced by the participants due to having to undergo a different lifestyle, namely following the routine of life in a military barracks as a discipline exercise. “There is also the weather factor,” said Donny. He added that another suspected contributing factor was pre-existing medical conditions in the participants’ bodies. He acknowledged that during the health assessment process, these conditions were detected. However, according to Donny, the detection of the illnesses was still within reasonable limits and not potentially fatal. Instead, he suspects that the exhaustion factor resulting from the significant change in lifestyle and weather drove this incident. The Ministry of Defence, he said, has also evaluated the implementation of the latsarmil by changing both the nomenclature and the curriculum. Participants will no longer receive training material on weapons or military tactics. The participants will only receive material and lessons related to nationalism, patriotism, and discipline according to a set daily schedule. Regarding the duration of the education, Donny said this provision has also been evaluated, with a reduction in training time from the previous one month to two weeks. “That is roughly what we have implemented and have conveyed to Commission I of the DPR,” said Donny. Previously, the implementation of latsarmil for prospective KDMP and ‘Merah Putih’ fishermen cooperative managers came under scrutiny after five participants were declared dead during the activity. The five participants were Nola Dya Sari, Novia Rahmadhani Sihotang, Anisa Muyassaroh, Yonanda, Muhammad Taufiq, and Muhammad Rifki Renaldi Gunawan.