South Moluccas
The South Moluccas, or Republik Maluku Selatan (RMS), was a self-proclaimed republic in the Maluku Islands, founded May 25, 1950. The state was declared as a response to the clear intent of the Javanese general Sukarno to consolidate the proposed United States of Indonesia under the control of a unitary government, which the Moluccans expected would be dominated by the Javanese, and particulary the Javanese leader Sukarno. The territory was reintegrated into Indonesia in November 1950. An occupation by Indonesian troops lasting several years resulted in the flight of the RMS government from the islands, and the formation of a government in exile in the Netherlands. The president in exile was Prof. Manusama. The government-in-exile continues to exist. The South Moluccas consists of about 150 islands in the Banda Sea. The main islands are Ceram, Ambon and Buru. The people of the South Moluccas are mainly Melanesians, numbering about one million. The South Moluccan people are predominantly Christian, unlike the rest of Indonesia which is overwhelmingly Muslim.
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