Indonesia's president has cancelled a trip to the Netherlands, citing a court case launched by Malukan separatists who want him arrested over human rights abuses.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says the Dutch court has been asked to order his arrest and the proceedings put the dignity of his country at stake.

Supporters of independence in the province of South Maluku have filed a case based on agreements made when the Netherlands was forced to end its colonial rule over Indonesia after World War II.

The activists accuse Indonesian soldiers and police of serious human rights abuses.

The cancellation of the trip also coincides with the formation of a Dutch minority government that relies on the support of Geert Wilders, a politician who campaigned against Muslim immigration and the burka.

Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population and Mr Wilders is currently on trial in the Netherlands, accused of promoting hatred of Islam.