The British took it in 1796, and after it had exchanged hands twice between the British and Dutch, it was restored finally to the latter in 1814. An important naval base, Ambon was occupied by Japan during World War II. In 1950, after Indonesian independence, the Ambonese—many of whom had been educated in Christian schools and served in the Dutch administration and army—found their new social and economic prospects unpromising; they refused to join the unitary Republic of Indonesia and proclaimed an independent South Moluccan Republic. The movement was suppressed by military action, though guerrilla warfare continued in Ceram for more than a decade, and many Ambonese fled to the Netherlands.