Pro-Government Militias
Task Force 80 (Thailand)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 250 |
| Country: | Thailand |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1980 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The group was set up in 1980 to guard the border and to run the refugee camps on the Thai-Cambodia frontier |
| Date dissolved: | Nov. 28, 1988 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | year |
| Details of Termination: | The group was dissolved and replaced in 1988 by the Displaced Persons Protection Unit, which was supposed to be a specially trained police force. The exact date when the unit was dissolved is unclear because it is only reported that during summer time it should be replaced. There is one source (November 1988) that indicates that the PGM has actually been replaced. |
| Termination Type(s): | government defects |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | semi-official (type 2) |
| Created by the Government?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | military |
| Government Link(s): | military (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | no information |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; plunder and loot; crime |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | unemployed; adolescents |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Thai-Cambodia border |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | civilians; foreigners |
| Purpose(s): | protect national borders and integrity; self-defense and security |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | To protect the border from attack by Vietnamese and to organize and "protect" Cambodian refugees in camps on the border. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The main task of the group was the supervision and control of refugee camps at the Cambodian border, as well as patrolling and protecting the border from attacks. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | According to news sources, the group was characterized by arbitrary abuse of refugees and was responsible for murder, physical assault, torture, rape, extortion and robbery/plunder. Overall, the PGM was not effective at protecting civilians, particularly their target group, refugees. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing; torture; sexual violence |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | As members were able to extort and plunder refugees (collecting “taxes” or “fees”, stealing money and goods, etc.), this could have been an incentive to join, especially considering those individuals who were recruited from unemployed youths. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: |
Organisation
| Organisation: | While there is no information on the group’s leadership, it has been reported that the group is responsible to the Supreme Command, rather than the regular army. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.