South Moluccas: Activists Arrested
On 25 April, a group of 19 members of the South Maluku Republic (RMS) were arrested by Indonesian police. The group was arrested during an independence rally when raising the unrecognised republics flag.
Below is an article published by ucanews
Indonesian police have arrested and detained more than a dozen members of a Christian separatis group for staging a pro-independence rally in the country’s Maluku province.
At least 19 members of the South Maluku Republic (RMS) group were arrested on April 25 at the event to mark its 70th anniversary.
The group has been calling for independence since Indonesian forces defeated the group’s bid to wrest the Maluku Islands from Jakarta’s control in 1950.
The pro-separatists have maintained a Republic of South Malaku government in exile in the Netherlands ever since.
Each year the RMS group has staged independence rallies which involve raising the non-recognized republic’s “rainbow” flag across the province.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
