Jakarta. A female participant in a military training program for managers of Indonesia’s Red and White Village Cooperatives (KDMP) has died while undergoing basic military exercises at an army training center in East Kalimantan, prompting an internal investigation by the military.

The trainee, who was sent from East Java, reportedly collapsed during a basic military training program at the Mulawarman Regional Military Training Command in Balikpapan. Military officials said the participant died after suffering an illness, although the exact cause of death has not been disclosed.

Colonel Gatot Waluyo, spokesman for the Mulawarman Military Command, confirmed the death on Tuesday.

“It is true that one female trainee died due to illness,” Gatot said, adding that the case remains under investigation.

The deceased was part of a group of prospective managers for the government’s Red and White Village Cooperatives, a flagship rural development initiative launched by President Prabowo Subianto to establish more than 80,000 cooperatives across Indonesia.

The cooperatives are intended to shorten food supply chains, reduce prices, improve access to financing and stimulate economic activity in rural areas.

Under the program, prospective cooperative managers are required to undergo 45 days of training, including 30 days of basic military instruction under the Defense Ministry’s reserve component (komcad) program, followed by 15 days of managerial and technical training.

The Defense Ministry said about 30,000 prospective managers for village cooperatives and another 5,476 candidates for fishing village cooperatives are participating in the training program at 67 military facilities nationwide.

Brig. Gen. Rico Ricardo Sirait, spokesman at the Defense Ministry, said the training is designed to instill discipline, leadership, teamwork and integrity.

“Participants are equipped with discipline, leadership, teamwork, integrity, a spirit of service and a strong work ethic,” Rico said last week.

The military has not disclosed the trainee’s identity or provided details about the circumstances surrounding her death. Officials said the case is being investigated internally and further information will be released once the inquiry is completed.

The incident has drawn attention to the military component of the cooperative training program, which combines reserve-force instruction with management education for future cooperative leaders.

The Red and White Village Cooperative program is one of the government’s largest rural development initiatives. Authorities aim to establish 80,081 cooperatives nationwide by 2029, with approximately 11,000 units already established and about 1,000 currently operating.

The government estimates the program could eventually create more than 1.4 million jobs across Indonesia’s rural regions.

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