Pro-Government Militias
Team Sera (Indonesia)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 333 |
| Country: | Indonesia |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1990 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | decade |
| Details of Formation: | Team Sera was set up in the early or mid-1990s by the military as part of a first generation of militias in East Timor. No activities are reported until 1998. Other sources also mention the militia’s formation in the 1980s. This earlier date of formation was not chosen as activity didn’t follow until the end of 1990 and one source claims that Sera was the last of the early generation of militias. It was granted legal standing by the authorities in 1999. |
| Date dissolved: | Oct. 25, 1999 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | On 25 October 1999, the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) was established by resolution 1272 passed by the UN Security Council. The UNTAET was responsible for administration, security, and maintaining law in the transition period for an independent state of East Timor which was officially created in May 2002. The group is coded as terminated with the establishment of UNTAET. |
| Termination Type(s): | border change |
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: | 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 |
| Primary Membership: | nationalist |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Manatuto (East Timor), Baucau (East Timor) |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | unarmed political opposition, government critics; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| 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 group is often just called Sera, or Tim Sera. It was sometimes confounded with Team Saka (cf.), to which it had a close relation and both were active in Baucau. In comparison to Team Saka, Team Sera was smaller and less active. For more information see book “Masters of Terror – Indonesia’s Military and Violence in East Timor”. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The pro-integration militia was involved in various military tasks such as surveillance, reconnaissance, special operations and combat. It fought pro-independence rebels, particularly Falintil, and their suspected supporters. The group was meant to destabilise East Timor if people voted for independence and it was used because it could carry out military operations quickly (see relative benefit). |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | faster mobilization; use of violence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The group was involved in a range of human rights violations, such as illegal detentions, extra-judicial killings, rape and torture. It was also one of the militias responsible for an escalation of the terror campaign in East Timor. Its actions mainly targeted rebels’ families and suspected independence supporters. |
| 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: | The group was formed based on an aversion to the “ideology of independence”, therefore ideological orientations could have been an incentive for membership. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The militia was armed by the military, reportedly with modern weapons. It is also described as trained. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The PGM was sponsored by the military and cooperated with Kopassus. It was commanded by the military at the level of the District Military Command. Its leader was Agostino Freitas Boavida, (aka Sera Malik). |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.