Banned outlaw bikie club Satudarah resurfaces in Melbourne

The Melbourne boss of a globally banned bikie gang says they’re a clean club that just wants to ride, with no interest in money. But police fear defections from warring outlaw motorcycle gangs will lead to a turf war.

A globally banned Outlaw Motorcycle Gang has now set up chapters in every state in Australia in what authorities fear could lead to a turf war with other established criminal bikie groups.

But the Melbourne-based national president of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG) Satudarah says authorities had nothing to fear.

President Ricky, who declined to give his surname, said the group just wanted to ride bikes and be a home for ethnic minorities and others looking for a clean club.

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Ricky, who works in the construction industry in Melbourne, said most members would not use their colours but must be able to ride a bike and have a full time job.

“Within the last year we turned down an Australian club, barred them, when they wanted to join us and they had more than 100 members … we don’t want clubhouses or money we are a family club,” the 35-year-old claimed.

Footage from Satudarah Maluku MC Indonesia’s anniversary video. Picture: Supplied Source: YouTube

HISTORY OF THE HELLS ANGELS

Five years ago, police famously declared the feared Satudarah had been successfully ejected from Australia before it could get a foothold in the country.

There was a high-profile NSW raid and arrests and senior members were questioned at Gold Coast airport and in South Australia as Dutch police formally warned Australian Federal Police of the group’s global expansion plan.

But not only has the group returned, it has flourished, apparently setting up chapters in every state in Australia, attracting disaffected bikies looking to defect from other warring bikie groups.

In an exclusive interview, Ricky said Satudarah’s ethnic traditions based on persecuted Indonesian migrants to the Netherlands had struck a note with multicultural Australia looking for a culture club.

“You look at our track record we have never been in trouble in Queensland but out of nowhere we got banned and in NSW there was misinformation from police, they didn’t shut us down, they went on about shutting this and that but effectively they came down and made two arrests,” Ricky said.

Satudarah Australia bikies hit the road.

The Satudarah motif.

“We have a presence in all states including Tasmania. Canberra is fairly new for us, a new development and that came about from a patch over from another club … I don’t know why all the big fuss.

“A majority of our members come from other clubs and we have grown significantly in the last couple of years but you don’t hear about us, only now and then when little guys start f---ing up but you don’t hear about us.”

The AFP confirmed Satudarah had re-emerged and were concerned how more well established OMCG groups would respond.

AFP Federal Agent Brendan O’Hearn said Satudarah had been selling itself as more accepting of different groups of people wanting to join which may have proved attractive for some.

Members of Satudarah say they are not “typical” bikies, but value tradition and are hard workers.

Satudarah had been selling itself as more accepting of different groups of people. Picture Youtube

“They are trying to establish themselves in Australia no doubt, Queensland yes, but not all the states but certainly trying to establish themselves in most of the states with varying degrees of success,” he said.

“One blood is what Satudarah stands for (in Malay) and I guess the acceptance of all ethnicities of all people where as other motorcycle gangs have been more an ethnic based club — I won’t say white supremacist but certainly the origins were for example Hells Angels basically banned any non-white people joining the club and that’s why the Mongols formed in contrast to that.

“Where as Satudarah sells themselves as more accepting of different groups of people which may be attractive for some wanting to join a club.

MAJOR FIGURES IN THE BANDIDOS

Satudarah’s membership in Australia includes a lot of Pacific Islanders and indigenous Australians as well as Eastern Europeans and Dutch.

Just how many members they have is unknown but believed to be in the low one hundreds.

According to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Australia has 40 recognised OMCGs with fully patched membership of 4700 members, 4500 associates and 957 “prospects” or junior members still seeking induction.

THE STORY BEHIND REBELS BIKIE GANG

The club failed on its first bid to set up in Australia but has flourished overseas and now returned. Picture: YouTube.

In June last year Satudarah, which started in 1990 in Moordrecht in South Holland by Moluccan migrants, was banned by Dutch authorities in the Netherlands.

“We have a different way of thinking when you think of a typical bikie it is not us, us we don’t believe in their things,” Ricky said.

“We have very big values of tradition and we carry on those traditions of Satudarah which is based on unity and diversity. We have within our club full active serving members of the military we have medics, people who work within government bodies and most of these guys you will not see a patch on them. They are members but won’t wear a patch except when we have national meetings and that’s what makes us different we don’t parade about in colours.”

He added: “We’re different, nobody will understand us and we don’t expect them to but we’d like a voice because most of the public will be shocked to know 99 per cent of us are hard working people.”