Pro-Government Militias
Halilintar (Indonesia)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 318 |
| Country: | Indonesia |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1975 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | Halilintar was originally established in 1975, during the time of the Indonesian invasion, by a local ruler of the Atabae sub-district under the instruction of the military. It was disbanded in this form in 1982 and resurrected in the mid-1990s. |
| Date dissolved: | Feb. 25, 2003 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | year |
| Details of Termination: | After 2000 the PGM was relocated to West Timor, where it appears to have been tasked with regulating East Timor refugee camps (last activity reported in 2000). Its existence was denied in connection to an operation in which a bus was attacked in 2003. There is no mention of the militia after this. |
| 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: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | military |
| Government Link(s): | sub-national government; military (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | unclear |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; plunder and loot; military |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ideology; adolescents |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Bobonaro (East Timor) |
| Force Strength: | [120, 2400] |
| Target(s): | civilians; unarmed political opposition, government critics; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; journalists |
| Purpose(s): | protect national borders and integrity; 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 name of the group is usually translated as “thunderbolt”. The group did not exist between 1989 and 1994. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group was used as an armed pro-integration force, which for instance assisted the army in operations with this goal and fought against Falintil. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The group repressed pro-independence supporters and killed, detained and threatened civilians, also looting their houses. It attacked UN observers and prevented the free movement of refugees. There were allegations that the group attacked a bus in East Timor. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | Members were paid to join, according to one source, which suggests a material incentive to become a part of the group. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | Members were armed with guns, machetes, spears, arrows and knives. There were also plans by the army to provide M16 assault rifles to Halilintar. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | As one of many district-level pro-integration militias, the group was funded by the military. It was controlled by the army and cooperated with it in joint operations. Head of the group was João Tavares. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.