LtCol (Inf) Sukoso
Commander, Battalion 401 (Banteng Raiders), based in Viqueque district
Battalion 401, based in Semarang, Central Java, is an elite unit classified as Independent (Berdiri Sendiri, BS), meaning it can be sent anywhere as a strike force.
LtCol Sukoso was mentioned as the battalion commander in April 2000. His deputy commander at that time was Major (Inf) Dudung. In August 1997 the battalion commander was LtCol (Inf) Setyo Sularso. It is not clear when the handover occurred, or whether Sukoso or Setyo Sularso was in charge in 1999.
Throughout 1999 this battalion was seconded to the territorial command in East Timor. In June 1998 it was listed as a Territorial Combat Battalion (Batalyon Tempur Teritorial, BTT), based at the Viqueque district military headquarters in Venilale (Kodim 1630). The military district commander was LtCol Djoko Soekarsono, but in practice the battalion would have been under the control of the combat Sector A commander, first Col Sunarko then Col Irwan Kusnadi.
Battalion 401 was often in battle. It was in the news in April 1998 over a firefight it had with Falintil guerrillas. It was one of the last to leave East Timor late in September 1999. On its way out, via the port of Laga near Baucau, troops including Battalion 401 reportedly engaged in 'widespread looting and property destruction by fire, as the TNI forces swept through Baucau and Lospalos.' Battalions 406 (commanded by LtCol Sonny Widjaja) and 621 (Maj Dedi Erimpi) were mentioned in the same report.
After a brief period based in neighbouring Flores, where local NGOs protested that its presence seemed to signal a militarisation of the island, it was sent in January 2000 to Halmahera, North Maluku, still with the brigade commanded by Irwan Kusnadi.
