Diponegoro Youth (Indonesia)

Country: Indonesia
Details of Formation: The group was established in the 1970s by Ali Murtopo with the aim of supporting Golkar’s victory and fight against student demonstrations. Cf Siliwangi Youth.
Details of Termination: The coded termination refers to the change in government, when Wahid became president. This date is taken from Archigos. No more activities of the group after 1999.
Purpose: The government used the PGM to consolidate the Golkar party’s victory and to suppress student demonstrations when local riots broke out between the military and the population. The group supported the army in these incidents and took part in so-called “counter-demonstrations”.
Organisation: The group was broadly under the command of the military and in particular the 4th Military Region.
Weapons and Training: The group was trained and armed by the army, specifically the 4th Military Region. It is not clear what kind of weapons members were armed with, since this can only be based on allegations that they occasionally carried guns.
Size: --
Reason for Membership: It is reported that thugs were members of this PGM, who may have started conflicts with other local thugs.
Treatment of Civilians: The group violently suppressed demonstrations with the aim of using physical violence against opposition demonstrators. This may be illustrated by the allegation that members carried guns in preparation for this type of reaction.
Other Information: The name originated from the military region it was subordinated to, i.e. the 4th Military region, code-named Diponegoro. Cf Siliwangi Youth.
References: Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD.