Many Moluccan professional soldiers fought on the Dutch side during the war of independence in Indonesia from 1945 to 1949. After this war, the Indonesian government no longer allowed them to return to their native land, the Moluccas archipelago. They were seen as traitors by Indonesians.
From 1951 onwards, the first Moluccan families arrived in Woonoord Schattenberg, the former Camp Westerbork. It mainly concerned former KNIL soldiers and their families. Living conditions in the residential areas were often appalling.
The stay would be temporary. The Dutch government promised to make efforts for a safe return to the Moluccas, where the Republic of the South Moluccas (RMS) was proclaimed in 1950. However, that return never came.
