TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform has called for a thorough investigation by an independent team from outside the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) to uncover the facts behind the ammunition explosion in Garut, West Java. The ammunition destruction activity in mid-May resulted in the deaths of four military personnel and nine civilians.
Dimas Bagus Arya, the Coordinator of the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), who is one of the representatives of the Civil Society Coalition, stated that the investigation by the Indonesian Army into the incident has not addressed several crucial questions. "The Indonesian Army's investigation revealed to the media does not mention who the senior officer above the Chief of Gapusmus responsible for the case is," Dimas said in his written statement on Sunday, June 1, 2025.
Furthermore, Dimas pointed out that the investigation results do not mention the legal accountability of high-ranking officers at the command level related to the incident. Therefore, he said, the Civil Society Coalition has identified facts that still need to be thoroughly examined. Without an independent investigation team, he believes that this incident confirms the embedded impunity within the TNI.
"The coalition urges legal accountability for those at the command level who are responsible for the tragedy in Garut," he stated.
Previously, the Head of Information Service of the Indonesian Army, Brigadier General Wahyu Yudhayana, stated that civilians were involved in the ammunition destruction process in Garut. Wahyu stated that civilian involvement in the disposal activity was only for administrative purposes and was light in nature. "For example, assisting in cooking, preparing logistics, digging holes, and cleaning up residue after the explosion," he said at the Parliamentary Complex, Senayan, Jakarta on Monday, May 26, 2025.
Based on the Indonesian Army's investigation findings, he said that the involvement of civilians in the technical activities that should have been conducted by experts led to casualties among the civilian population. "So, the civilians helped lift the detonator material into the destruction hole," he said.
He speculated that technical errors were made by civilians, resulting in the explosion of expired ammunition. According to him, the position of the expired detonator that was brought was not handled properly.
Meanwhile, according to the findings of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), there were 21 civilians involved in the destruction of expired ammunition. Dozens of civilians were employed as daily laborers, receiving a daily wage of Rp 150,000 per person.
Commissioner of Komnas HAM, Uli Parulian Sihombing, stated that the civilian workers were not equipped with special equipment or protective gear. "When found, the victims suffered severe burns, and some of them were found in a state of dismemberment due to the explosion," Uli said at a press conference in his office on Friday, May 23, 2025.
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