Komnas HAM member Uli Parulian Sihombing said that, based on United Nations guidelines, other parties can be involved in activities like ammunition disposal—on the condition that they have the specific skills or competence.
"Meanwhile, the workers in the ammunition blast case in Garut were taught or learnt independently for years, not from a certified training process," he pointed out at a press conference here on Friday.
Therefore, he expressed the hope that the TNI commander and Polri chief would carry out a thorough evaluation to ensure against the involvement of civilians to prevent such incidents from recurring.
He also asked the community not to take part in high-risk military activities without certified skills and personal protection.
The TNI earlier confirmed that 13 people, including four military officers, were killed in the explosion during the disposal of expired ammunition in Cibalong, Garut district, West Java, on May 12, 2025.
Based on Komnas HAM findings, during the incident, 21 workers were employed to help in the ammunition disposal process at an average wage of Rp150 thousand (around US$9.23) per day.
Those workers were coordinated by Rustiawan, who has more than 10 years of experience working in the ammunition destruction process, both with the TNI and Polri.
Sihombing explained that the civilian workers had their own roles, including as truck drivers, hole diggers, ammunition disassemblers, and cooks.
However, it was found that the workers were not equipped with special equipment or personal protective equipment for carrying out their tasks.
Therefore, he asked the TNI commander and the Polri chief to take evaluative steps regarding the ammunition disposal mechanism by prioritizing work safety, both for TNI and Polri personnel and other certified parties.
He expressed the hope that the TNI would guarantee long-term recovery for the victims' families and take preventive measures to prevent such incidents.
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Translator: Agatha Olivia, Raka Adji
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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