Jimmy Stevens (1916 or 1920s – 28 February 1994), known as "Moses", was a Ni-

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

nationalist and politician. As leader of the conservative

Nagriamel Nagriamel (sometimes seen as Vemarana, Vemerana or the Nagriamel Customs Union or Nagriamel Movement) is a political party in Vanuatu. History The party was established in January 1966 at a meeting of chiefs in Espiritu Santo convened by Chief B ...

movement, he declared the independence of

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region ...

island as the "State of Vemerana" in June 1980 and referred to himself as "prime minister". After the Republic of Vanuatu was granted independence in July, Prime Minister Walter Lini deployed

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

n troops and the revolt was crushed in August. At Stevens' trial, it was revealed that Stevens and Nagriamel received US$250,000 from the American-based Phoenix Foundation, a

libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's enc ...

group that previously attempted to establish an independent tax-haven state in Abaco Island,

the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the archi ...

in 1973. Stevens was convicted and sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment. In September 1982, Stevens escaped from prison but was recaptured just two days after his escape."South Pacific Rebel Seized"
''

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'', 14 September 1982. Stevens was released from prison on 14 August 1991."A memory of the Coconut War: Rebel Leader Jimmy Stevens Freed", ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econ ...

'', 31 August 1991. Stevens was of part-European, part-

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, V ...

n, and part-

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

n descent. He claimed that his father was Scottish and that his mother was Tongan. He reportedly had 23 wives and fathered four dozen children. He died in

of stomach cancer.

Notes

References

*Obituary. ''

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'' 7 Mar. 1994. * Theroux, Paul. ''The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific''.

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

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, 1992. () 1994 deaths Vanuatuan politicians Vanuatuan rebels People from Sanma Province Deaths from cancer in Vanuatu Deaths from stomach cancer Vanuatuan people of Scottish descent Vanuatuan people of Tongan descent Vanuatuan escapees Escapees from Vanuatuan detention Independence activists 1916 births {{Vanuatu-politician-stub