The Faciliteitenwet (English: Facilities Act), also known as the "Act on the Position of Moluccans", regulates the position of Moluccans living in the Netherlands who do not hold Dutch nationality. [1]
The Faciliteitenwet (English: Facilities Act), also known as the "Act on the Position of Moluccans", regulates the position of Moluccans living in the Netherlands who do not hold Dutch nationality. [1]
In 1951, more than 4,000 Moluccans from the KNIL came to the Netherlands on the basis of a military order. Together with their families, they were housed in residential locations throughout the Netherlands. In total around 12,500 people. The KNIL was abolished in 1950 and the soldiers were demobilized shortly after arrival in the Netherlands. It was in the Dutch government's best interest to have the Moluccans return to the Moluccas as quickly as possible. When it turned out that no return was possible in the long term, it took decades for the Moluccans to gain a clear legal position in the Netherlands.
Upon arrival, all Moluccans were granted 'foreign status' because they rejected Dutch nationality and insisted on a return to the independent Republic of the South Moluccas. As a result of the Indonesian Nationality Act of 1958. [2] most Moluccans in the Netherlands lost Indonesian citizenship and became stateless. In the 1970s, the number of Moluccans in the Netherlands had grown to 30,000 persons. Most of them still believed in an independent Moluccan Republic, and did not wish to obtain Dutch citizenship. After the 1975 Dutch train hostage crisis and other violent actions, the Dutch government decided to improve the situation of the Moluccans. It offered the Moluccans (almost) equal rights to Dutch citizens, without making them Dutch citizens. the Dutch government met the Moluccans in 1976 with a special law (the so-called Wet betreffende de positie van Molukkers) to equate the legal position of Moluccans residing in the Netherlands with Dutch citizens. Moluccans who fall under this law have no right to participate in elections, national and European. The third generation of Moluccans should get Dutch nationality by law. [3]
The Moluccans, who were staying in the Netherlands, only received a facility passport. The words: 'Dutch nationality' was crossed out and it was specifically indicated that those involved were treated as Dutch nationals. Due to many problems with traveling abroad, it was decided in 1991 to also offer the possibility of applying for a Dutch passport with the mention of Dutch nationality. Unlike the mention of Dutch nationality in the Dutch travel document, the persons involved do not actually have Dutch nationality but are legally stateless. [4] [5] Today only a small number of Moluccan inhabitants of the Netherlands still have this status, probably less than 1000 persons.
Nationality is the status of belonging to a particular nation, defined as a group of people organized in one country, under one legal jurisdiction, or as a group of people who are united on the basis of culture.
Naturalization is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the United Nations excludes citizenship that is automatically acquired or is acquired by declaration. Naturalization usually involves an application or a motion and approval by legal authorities. The rules of naturalization vary from country to country but typically include a promise to obey and uphold that country's laws and taking and subscribing to an oath of allegiance, and may specify other requirements such as a minimum legal residency and adequate knowledge of the national dominant language or culture. To counter multiple citizenship, some countries require that applicants for naturalization renounce any other citizenship that they currently hold, but whether this renunciation actually causes loss of original citizenship, as seen by the host country and by the original country, will depend on the laws of the countries involved.
Jus soli, meaning 'right of the soil', is the right of anyone born in the territory of a state to nationality or citizenship, also commonly referred to as birthright citizenship in some Anglophone countries, is a rule defining a person's nationality based on their birth in the territory of the country. Jus soli was part of the English common law, in contrast to jus sanguinis, which derives from the Roman law that influenced the civil-law systems of mainland Europe.
In international law, a stateless person is someone who is "not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law". Some stateless people are also refugees. However, not all refugees are stateless, and many people who are stateless have never crossed an international border. At the end of 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated 4.4 million people worldwide as either stateless or of undetermined nationality, 90,800 (+2%) more than at the end of 2021.
South Maluku, also South Moluccas, officially the Republic of South Maluku, is an unrecognised secessionist republic that originally claimed the islands of Ambon, Buru, and Seram, which currently make up the Indonesian province of Maluku.
British nationality law as it pertains to Hong Kong has been unusual ever since Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842. From its beginning as a sparsely populated trading port to today's cosmopolitan international financial centre and world city of over seven million people, the territory has attracted refugees, immigrants and expatriates alike searching for a new life.
This article concerns the history of British nationality law.
South Korean nationality law (Korean: 국적법) details the conditions in which an individual is a national of the Republic of Korea (ROK), commonly known as South Korea. Foreign nationals may naturalize after living in the country for at least five years and showing proficiency in the Korean language. All male citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 who are able-bodied and mentally competent are required to perform at least 18 months of compulsory military service or alternative civilian service.
Dutch nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds Dutch nationality. The primary law governing these requirements is the Dutch Nationality Act, which came into force on 1 January 1985. Regulations apply to the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands, which includes the country of the Netherlands itself, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten.
Belarusian nationality law regulates the manner in which one acquires, or is eligible to acquire, Belarusian nationality, citizenship. Belarusian citizenship is membership in the political community of the Republic of Belarus.
The nationality law of Bangladesh governs the issues of citizenship and nationality of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The law regulates the nationality and citizenship status of all people who live in Bangladesh as well as all people who are of Bangladeshi descent. It allows the children of expatriates, foreigners as well as residents in Bangladesh to examine their citizenship status and if necessary, apply for and obtain citizenship of Bangladesh.
Azerbaijani nationality law is regulated by the Constitution of Azerbaijan, as amended; the Citizenship Law of Azerbaijan and its revisions; and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, an Azerbaijani national.
Moluccans are the Austronesian-speaking and Papuan-speaking ethnic groups indigenous to the Maluku Islands, Eastern Indonesia. The region was historically known as the Spice Islands, and today consists of two Indonesian provinces of Maluku and North Maluku. As such, "Moluccans" is used as a blanket term for the various ethnic and linguistic groups native to the islands.
Indonesian nationality law is regulated by the 1945 Constitution, as amended; various statutes on nationality, as revised over time; as well as international agreements to which Indonesia has been a signatory. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Indonesia. The legal means to acquire nationality and formal membership in a nation differ from the relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as citizenship. Indonesian nationality is typically obtained either on the principle of Jus sanguinis, i.e. by birth abroad to at least one parent with Indonesian nationality; or under Restricted Jus soli, i.e. by birth in Indonesia. It can also be granted to a permanent resident who has lived in Indonesia for a given period of time through naturalization, as long as the parents are stateless, or unknown.
Indos are a Eurasian people of mixed Indonesian and European descent. The earliest evidence of Eurasian communities in the East Indies coincides with the arrival of Portuguese traders in the 16th century. Eurasian communities, often with distinct, specific names, also appeared following the arrival of Dutch (VOC) traders in the 17th and 18th century.
Multiple citizenship is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one country under its nationality and citizenship law as a national or citizen of that country. There is no international convention that determines the nationality or citizenship status of a person, which is consequently determined exclusively under national laws, that often conflict with each other, thus allowing for multiple citizenship situations to arise.
The Moluccan diaspora refers to overseas Indonesians of Moluccan birth or descent living outside Indonesia. The most significant Moluccan diaspora community lives in the Netherlands, where it numbers c. 70,000 people as of 2018.
The Invasion of Ambon was a combined Indonesian military operation which aimed to seize and annex the self proclaimed Republic of South Maluku.
John Wattilete is the fifth and incumbent president in exile of the Republic of South Maluku and has been in office since 2010. He was preceded by Frans Tutuhatunewa.
Surinamese nationality law is regulated by the 1987 Constitution, the Allocation Agreement of 1975, and the 2014 Surinamese Nationality Law. It is highly influenced by Dutch law. These statutes determine who is, or is eligible to be, a citizen of Suriname. The legal means to acquire nationality, formal membership in a nation, differ from the relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as citizenship. Surinamese nationality is typically obtained either under the rules of jus sanguinis, i.e. birth to at least one parent with Surinamese nationality; or on the principle of jus soli, i.e. by birth in Suriname. It can also be granted to a permanent resident who has lived in Suriname for a given period of time or by presidential decree through naturalization.
