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TNI accused of hiring civilians in fatal disposal of expired munitions
Villagers said the TNI had been disposing of expired ammunition near their village for more than 30 years, with the military hiring around 20 residents for each disposal operation.
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An officer from the West Java Police collects antemortem data and DNA samples from families of the victims of the blast during a disposal of expired military ammunition, at the Pameungpeuk Hospital in Garut on May 12, 2025. (Antara/Raisan Al Farisi)
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esidents of Sagara village in Garut regency, West Java, have alleged that the Indonesian Military (TNI) frequently employed civilian workers to assist in the disposal of expired ammunition.
The claims came to light following a deadly explosion during an ammunition disposal operation on Monday, which killed 13 people, including nine local residents.
Villagers said the TNI had been disposing of expired ammunition near their village for more than 30 years, with the military hiring around 20 residents for each disposal operation, Kompas reported.
The residents were tasked with transporting the ammunition to the disposal site, opening the cartridge cases, digging holes for detonation and placing the ammunition inside.
They learned the process on their own and never received any formal safety training.
"These disposal operations have been going on for years, but this is the first time they’ve resulted in fatalities," said 30-year-old Dede Nurdiana on Tuesday as quoted by Kompas.
He explained that many residents regularly visited the site on days when the ammunition was detonated, collecting copper and iron scrap from the exploded shells.
