Pro-Government Militias
Wanra (Indonesia)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 314 |
| Country: | Indonesia |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1987 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | Apparently the group was founded in 1987 but one source claims that its origin can be traced back to the 1950s. Wanra was formed during the reign of Suharto as a sub-group of the Ratih with a focus on external enemies. There were longer periods of inactivity (until roughly 2003) but activities are still reported after Suharto’s resignation even though the old Ratih system did not exist anymore. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The last activity of Wanra is reported in 2003, afterwards the group is not mentioned anymore. |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
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: | unclear |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution); military (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | military |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ideology; village/rural |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | East Timor, Aceh |
| Force Strength: | [1200, 15000] |
| Target(s): | unarmed political opposition, government critics; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | protect national borders and integrity; intimidation of civilians; intimidate political opposition; fight insurgents |
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: | The PGM’s name means “people’s resistance”. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The pro-integration group was mainly focused on fighting external threats, national defence, and the independence movement. It was also meant to help the security forces to maintain public order and act as auxiliary forces to the army in times of emergency. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | faster mobilization; deniability of violence; loyalty |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The militia killed civilians, forced them to flee and intimidated the population. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | no |
| Reasons for Membership: | As the group pledged loyalty to the government at a rally, this was a component of an ideological motivation to join the PGM. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | Members received basic military training and weapons from the military, e.g. guns and automatic weapons. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The militia was commanded and sponsored by the armed forces under their territorial hierarchy. It is part of the Ratih as part of the defence and security system. In cases of emergency, the group was meant to come under the control of the army area commander. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.