Pro-Government Militias
Sakunar (Indonesia)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 339 |
| Country: | Indonesia |
| Date formed: | April 12, 1999 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | month |
| Details of Formation: | Apparently the group was already active in 1998 but it was formally inaugurated on May 1 in 1999. A major increase in activity was recorded in April and May 1999 after Sakunar received financial resources and organizational benefits. |
| Date dissolved: | Feb. 7, 2000 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The group’s leader was arrested on 7 February 2000. After this time there are no more operations reported and all sources after that date speak of the group in the past tense. The leader was sentenced to jail on 2 April 2000 and together with other group members indicted before court. |
| 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: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | yes |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | plunder and loot; military |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ideology; adolescents |
| Primary Membership: | nationalist |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Oecussi (East Timor), Atambua (West Timor) |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | civilians; unarmed political opposition, government critics; international peacekeeping force |
| Purpose(s): | protect national borders and integrity; intimidation of civilians |
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: | For more information see book “Masters of Terror – Indonesia’s Military and Violence in East Timor”. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group was used to perpetrate attacks in East Timor. It also manipulated elections by intimidating public employees to vote for Indonesia in the 1999 referendum. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | loyalty |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | Sakunar was responsible for human rights violations including the killing of civilians and looting. It also attacked and harassed East Timorese and was responsible for a massacre there. At its inauguration people in favour of independence were beaten and threatened. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | Looting provided opportunities to materially benefit from membership which may have been an incentive to join. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group was armed by the military (Kopassus) and is described as trained. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The PGM was subordinated to the military and supported by the armed forces, the police and civilian authorities. It received financial assistance from various individuals linked to the military. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.