The police arrested twelve people when rioting broke out at the end of a Moluccan demonstration in the Malieveld in central The Hague on Thursday. About 600 Moluccans took part in the demonstration which was intended to focus attention on the situation in the Moluccas.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International accuse the Indonesian government of human rights violations in the island group which forms part of the Indonesian archipelago.

The demonstration passed off peacefully until large numbers of police officers and police vans approached the protesters at the time the protest was scheduled to end. A group of about 100 young Moluccans then clashed with the police despite calls from the organisers not to respond to provocations.

The demonstration was initially scheduled to coincide with a state visit by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. However, the president cancelled his visit because of summary proceedings filed by the separatist movement RMS (Republic of the South Moluccas).

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