Key facts
- Five participants died during basic military training for President Prabowo Subianto's cooperative program.
- Causes of death included cardiac arrest, heat stroke, tuberculosis, and pneumonia.
- The training program has been restructured to reduce physical intensity and remove military tactics.
- The program aims to establish 80,000 village cooperatives to create jobs and boost economic growth.
- Indonesia's human rights commission called for an end to the military training.
Indonesia has scaled back its basic military training for prospective managers of President Prabowo Subianto's village cooperative program after five participants died within the first two weeks of the 45-day course. The deaths, attributed to causes including cardiac arrest, heat stroke, tuberculosis, and pneumonia, prompted an evaluation and restructuring of the training. A defense ministry spokesperson stated that technical material, military tactics, and shooting activities have been removed, and the physical intensity has been reduced. The focus will now be on character, discipline, leadership, and partnerships. The "Red and White Cooperatives" program, launched last July, aims to establish approximately 80,000 village cooperatives to create jobs and support the government's economic growth targets. Indonesia's human rights commission has called for the termination of the military training component.