JAKARTA - The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has asked the Indonesian National Army (TNI) and the National Police to ensure that they no longer involve civilians in TNI/Polri activities that have a high risk, including in ammunition destruction activities.
Komnas HAM member Uli Parulian Sihombing said that based on United Nations (UN) guidelines related to civil involvement in matters of handling and destroying ammunition, there is indeed room for the involvement of other parties in similar activities by destroying ammunition, but with certain skills or competencies.
"Meanwhile, workers in the case of ammunition explosions in Garut were taught or self-taught for years, not through certified education or training processes," Uli said in a press conference reported by ANTARA, Friday, May 23.
Komnas HAM hopes that the TNI Commander and the National Police Chief can take overall evaluative steps to ensure that there is no more involvement of civil society so that the explosion of ammunition that resulted in dozens of casualties, including civilians, such as happening in Garut Regency, West Java, Monday (12/5), does not happen again.
In addition, Komnas HAM also asked the public not to be involved in military activities that are at high risk of self-security without special certified expertise and guarantees of self-protection in the activity, especially with activities related to the military defense equipment (main weapon system).
Based on Komnas HAM's findings, in this incident a total of 21 people were employed to assist the process of destroying TNI's fuel ammunition with an average wage of IDR 150 thousand per day.
The coordinated workers under the leadership of Rustiawan, who have had more than 10 years of experience working in the process of destroying ammunition, both with the TNI and Polri.
Uli explained that the casual civilian workers or daily workers had their respective roles and duties in the extermination activities, including as truck drivers, hole diggers, to ammunition unloaders and cooks.
"Senior workers have even done this work to various regions in Indonesia such as Makassar and Maluku," he said.
However, in carrying out their work, it was stated that the workers were not equipped with special equipment or personal protective equipment.
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He asked the TNI Commander and the National Police Chief to take evaluative steps towards the mechanism for destroying ammunition by prioritizing work safety, both for TNI/Polri personnel and other certified parties.
The explosion at the TNI AD Ammunition Center III Warehouse in Sagara Village has resulted in 13 deaths, with four of them members of the TNI and seven other civilian victims.
Uli hopes that the TNI can guarantee a long-term recovery for the victims' families, both physically, psychologically, and socially-economically and make various early prevention efforts to ensure similar incidents do not repeat themselves in the future.
"We also ask the TNI-AD to convey the results of the investigation of the incident to the public as part of transparency and accountability," he said.
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