ABSTRACT
This chapter provides some unique insights into the internal organisation, philosophical background, social engagement, and political nexus of martial arts groups (MAGs). The findings help to comprehend the dynamics of attraction that MAGs exert over thousands of Timorese youth. The chapter suggests that more attention should be paid to the former clandestine operations of the MAGs and to the implications of their current engagement with contemporary politics. It summarises the pitfalls of loyalty, hierarchy, and identity. The national government has tended to address the issue of martial arts through repression and control. A number of researchers, representatives of local and international non-governmental organizations, religious institutions, and martial arts members themselves have criticised the repressive attempts to control martial arts violence. In Timor-Leste, rival MAGs are prominent in the debate on violence and insecurity due to their engagement in street clashes, rock-throwing, ransacking houses, and even a number of brutal murders.
