The Moluccas (light green)
John Wattilete has been appointed the new president of the Moluccan community in the Netherlands.
Mr Wattilete was installed as the new president of the Republic of the South Moluccas (RMS) - the South Moluccan government in exile – in the village of Bemmel in Gelderland province on Saturday. With his appointment, the leadership of the RMS is now completely in the hands of second-generation Moluccans.
Mr Wattilete, who was born in Bemmel in 1955, believes the Moluccan population should be able to discuss the issue of self-determinism. However, he said that if it should become apparent Moluccans no longer want to strive for their own state, he would be prepared to accept the implications. The statement reveals that an independent Moluccan republic is no longer a necessity for the RMS.
The struggle for such a republic gained international visibility in the 1970s with a series of violent actions. Most notable were probably the hijacking of trains near the northern Dutch villages of Wijster and De Punt in 1975 and 1977 respectively. Three hostages were killed in the Wijster hijacking; two hostages and six hijackers died in the De Punt hijacking.
