Country: | Thailand |
Details of Formation: | The “Village Defence Volunteers”, created by the Ministry of Interior, are first mentioned in an article in 1981 (unclear if pro-government). The government itself announced that the group was formed in 1985 when they replaced a group called "Village Security Teams". However, there is evidence that the group was pro-government and active in 1984. |
Details of Termination: | PGM was still active by the end of 2014. |
Purpose: | The group was intended to fight communist insurgents and other opposition groups and to protect the population and provide security in villages in the south. Members also assisted officials with law-enforcement activities, such as patrolling, guard duties and information gathering. Some sources report that the group was used against refugees from Laos. |
Organisation: | The group carried out joint operations with security forces, such as (border) patrol duties, and was controlled by the Ministry of Interior. The Department of Provincial Administration is responsible for training and the Chief District Officer for the appointment of members. |
Weapons and Training: | News sources state that training was initially provided by the military, but then simply by trained members to untrained ones. There are various statements on how long it lasted, from a few days up to one month. Training was controlled by the Department of Provincial Administration. It is reported that the training did not prepare members of the group effectively to use their weapons. The weapons provided to the group by the government included shotguns, automatic weapons, bullets and hand grenades. |
Size: | According to a report, the group was expanded after 2004, resulting in 47,000 members. |
Reason for Membership: | -- |
Treatment of Civilians: | The group has been accused of shooting civilians. News sources indicate that the PGM was not successful at protecting civilians from insurgents. |
Other Information: | The PGM consists of local, small groups of each village that receive training by the military in the beginning. It is one of the three main militias (Volunteers Defence Corps, Village Defence Volunteers, Village Protection Volunteers) that operate in the south of Thailand and are similar in their function and structure. According to news sources, members were sometimes reluctant to perform their intended duties or use their weapons. The group was accused of using children to fulfil their own tasks. |
References: | Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD. |