The ammunition disposal activity on May 12 “involved 21 civilians hired as daily contract workers,” Komnas HAM commissioner Uli Parulian Sihombing said at a live streamed press briefing on Friday.

The civilians, working under the coordination of another civilian identified as Rustiawan who was also killed during the incident, were paid Rp 150,000 (US$9.22). They were assigned tasks such as driving trucks carrying the ammunition, digging disposal pits, dismantling the munitions and cooking food for all workers.

Komnas HAM found that this group of civilian workers had been employed for such jobs in various locations across the country, such as Maluku and Makassar in South Sulawesi.

“However, the workers were self-taught without certified education or proper training. They were also not equipped with personal protective gear,” Uli said.

Komnas HAM also highlighted the unusual method to dispose of the expired ammunition.

Detonators for explosive materials are usually disposed of by dumping them in the sea to render them quickly inoperable. But prior to the disposal in Garut, authorities decided to bury them using urea fertilizer following a dispute between the military’s disposal unit commander and Rustiawan as the civilian workers’ coordinator.