Saint Alban Islands
Coat of arms
| |
| Motto: "Strength through unity" | |
| Anthem: United we stand | |
 | |
| Capital | Tutabanoa (Alban's Landing) |
| Official languages | English, Alemannic, Gagana Sin'abanoa |
| Ethnic groups (2018) |
|
| Demonym(s) | English: Saint Albanese
German: Sankt-Albanese/St.Albanesin Polynesian: Tagata Sin'abanoa |
| Government | Federal dominant party socialist republic |
• President | George Taua'alo |
• Prime Minister | Talia Maivia |
| Legislature | Federal Convention |
| Independence from WIP2 | |
| 1 January 1720 | |
• Treaty of WIP/Colonisation by WIP2 | 1 January 1760 |
• Semi-autonomous Colony of WIP2 | 1 January 1820 |
• Crown Colony | 1 January 1939 |
• Declaration of independence | 1 January 1949 |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,306 km2 (890 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2015 census | 307,190 |
• Density | 133.2/km2 (345.0/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2014 estimate |
• Total | 2.106 billion ₮ |
• Per capita | 6.857 ₮ |
| GDP (nominal) | 2014 estimate |
• Total | 1.459 billion ₮ |
• Per capita | 4.749 ₮ |
| Gini (2016) | 24.3 low |
| HDI (2015) | 0.689 medium |
| Currency | Saint Alban tālā (₮) (SAT) |
| Time zone | UTC+10 |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +93 |
| Internet TLD | .sa |
WIP Introduction
Etymology
WIP
History
Antiquity
WIP
Colonial history
The ? missionary Alban was sent to region by King/ Queen ... in order to "civilize" and convert the local population to religion1. Together with the crew of the Carrack Seeadler and its captain ... they landed on today's Eagle's Landing on the westernmost island in October 1674. Ten men left the carrack together with the missionary and built a small station where they were first met by a local tribe, what happened next can only be speculated about. When ... returned to the islands in July 1675 all traces of the priest and his men were gone.
TBD
A bit less than half a century later in 1720 ... "conquistadores" arrived proclaiming the islands a part of the new colony of Saint Alban, named after the first missionary to arrive there.
TBD
In 1760 the colony was given/sold to ?? in the Treaty of .... At that time King/Queen ... didn't see the islands as too valuable because of the constant infighting between rivaling tribes and occasional attacks on colonial settlements. In 1762 ?? began arming the warriors of King Ata'mōri I. who soon after gained control of the biggest island Motu Oketi, while ?? began forcefully occupying the smaller surrounding islands and converting the local tribes. Appreciating ??'s help Ata'mōri I. converted to religion2 and granting settlers more coastal land.
TBD
Between 1783 and 1835 the islands were flooded by several waves of white immigrants when massive pearl beds were found in the reefs surrounding the islands. Many of these early settlers were able to make a decent living. A new white middle- and upper class established itself much to the disappointment of the (aristocratic) indigenous population which has been subjected to corvée labour even after religious conversion. Settlers who failed in business or didn't make enough profit to reinvest in plantations, farms, shipping companies or other enterprises dropped in their societal status all the way down to the indigenous people. Many of these impoverished whites went back to their home countries, still, a fair amount of them stayed and merged with the locals living at the brink of society thus forming a multiracial lower class group which exists until today.
The Pearl-Boom slowly died down and finally ended in 1837 with the migration of the first pearl-diving businessmen and the following exodus of lower class opportunists who only came for quick business.
The middle class was still able to make a reasonable living with small farms with imported goods like cattle and sugar cain as well as taro and yams. The upper class sustained itself by large scale plantations of Cocoa, Kopra and Tobacco. The lower class consisting of impoverished white colonists, "Mestizos" and indigenous People lived from subsistence farming and fishing.
WIP
After independence(/Apartheid)
The Saint Albanese Parties were disbanded and replaced by a non-partisan Loyalist Gouvernement during the Great War. Reacting against the temporary dissolution of the self-government of the Islands and the associated loss of confidence ex-officials formed the Partei der Reaktion/Reactionary Party (PdR/RP). At first their views were conservative and separatist, after their victory in the 1948 elections and the following independence in 1949 they changed to a more reactionary and later even segregationist/nationalist view. Their counter pole was the (in the same week formed) Progressive Aktionspartei/Progressive Action Party (PAP), which stayed true to its liberal principles. During the “reactionary period” the PAP was (with some exceptions) the only allowed opposition party.
The PdR/RP-Regime governed the country in an authoritarian style since their coming to power and cemented their more or less absolute rule with the “Stabilised-Government-Act” which granted the winner of an election an extra 30% share of MP’s in parliament, thus giving the RP the two-thirds share needed for constitutional changes. The ongoing suppression of the opposition as well as the oppression of minorities helped keeping the majority permanently in the RP’s hand. Socialist and communist parties were outlawed, and the opposition was prohibited from advocating further rights for minorities with the threat of ban from politics and prison.
The predecessor of the current ruling party, the Kommunistische Bewegung zur Albanesischen Befreiung-Communist Movement for Albanese Liberation (COMALI), was founded 1969 on the 20th date of independence, being declared unconstitutional and banned immediately. The founders who were sought after by warrant went into exile the following days, but the secret Service (…) refrained from tracking them due to them not being considered a threat, which in the end was a fatal mistake by officials. Following the foundation of the COMALI, small resistance cells were established on all islands that somewhat effectively kept government troops in check.
WIP
1st free elections/Crisis/Insurgency
After his election victory in January 1992 President Erwin von Hinterfeldt surprisingly declared the old reactionary regime antiquated and announced free elections without repressions for 1994. The party officials held this act against him and seek to commence his impeachment in parliament. During the vote in March 1992 about a third of reactionary MPs refused to vote in favour of the impeachment, thus preventing the required threshold of two thirds. Von Hinterfeldt legalised political parties from across the spectrum with a decree and even called out state-emergency on the 23rd November 1993 to annul the “Stabilised Government Act” legalising communist and socialist parties, as well as lifting the 30% extra share for the RP. In addition, exiles and COMALI-guerrillas were granted a general amnesty, provided they renounce armed combat. Many COMALI accepted the terms and founded the civil branch of their guerrilla, the Social Reformers (SOREF). The ex-fighters who did not accept von Hinterfeldt’s terms stayed in exile and founded the Social Radical Revolutionaries (SRR, later just known as SR), which wanted the violent overthrowing of the oppressive democracy and the instalment of a socialist revolutionary government. In the 1994 elections SOREF became the largest party in parliament, Reactionaries have barely even gotten five seats. General mood in the population was at an all-time high until von Hinterfeldt was assassinated on the 19th of February 1994, only two days before the official inauguration of the first native president Vincent Lo’uti. It only turned out during the military terror that von Hinterfeldt was killed by the white nationalist Carl Mueller.
Six days after the assassination, four days after Lo’uti’s inauguration, militaries under Brigadier-General Franz Ulrich conducted a coup d’état against the new government, stating it came into being through an illegal way and declaring von Hinterfeldt’s actions illegal retrospectively. Ulrich suspended the parliament and declared martial law in the night of the 25th February. Leading (non-white) SOREF key-figures were sentenced to life in prison after short show trials, while white oppositionists were exiled. Some (alleged) ex-guerrillas were killed openly on the streets by death squads. Sadly known became the Massacre of ? on Nuuasoa on the 2nd March, in which several ex-COMALI fighters as well as their families were slaughtered. In total 27 men, 31 women and 23 children died. After the bloodbath, SRR-leader David Sin’o’ala declared in an emotional appeal on several short-wave transmitters, that the time for revenge has come. Ex-COMALI general Roswita Mata’afa demanded the mobilisation of every former fighter and recruitment of new men and women for the upcoming war of liberation. SRR, COMALI and deserters coming from the national armed forces merged under the United Socialist Liberation Army of Sin’abanoa (USLASA) and coordinated attacks on military facilities. This party too, was not free of war crimes: Autonomous SRR fighters repeatedly attacked residences of nationalist soldiers and burned them down, occasionally killing women and children. After the brutal murder of three military wives and their children, retaliatory acts of torture and murders were committed against 48 POWs in Halstead Prison.
In general, the morale of USLASA fighters was higher, which was mostly explained by them fighting for their bare survival and the fight for freedom. Nationalist troops fought, at least in the lower ranks, mostly not out of personal conviction and became increasingly insecure about the arbitrary killings of families, as opposed to the soldiers whose families were killed. These soldiers were later on grouped in the feared “Hurricane Squadron”, a brigade that was responsible for most acts of terrorism during the conflict.
The USLASA short-wave transmitters published withheld evidence by an anonymous source, proving that the murder of von Hinterfeldt was not committed by an SSR member, but the right-wing extremist Carl Mueller, public and international opinion shifted drastically towards the USLASA. On the night of the 15th of October 1994 two out of three barracks on Penina and the barracks on Nuuasoa fell victim to incendiary attacks and heavy assaults by USLASA forces. The next day USLASA declared these two islands “freed from terror”. Some SRR soldiers separated from the official resistance command and began terrorising the white population who were placed under general suspicion of supporting nationalist forces. USLASA military police forces suppressed the violence against the civil populace after a few days and General Mata’afa called for moderation.
Grand Oteki nationalist forces were suspected to high amounts of desertions, even within medium to high ranking officers. The collapse of the chain of command was imminent. On Christmas 1994 the whole 2nd Brigade under Brigadier-General Markus Keller defected, the 4th under BGr. Oliver Warburton put their weapons down and almost all transport crew refused orders. From the nationalist’s side reconquering the freed islands and holding Grand Oteki became impossible. General Ulrich capitulated unconditionally on the 27th of December and underwent imprisonment. The national army was completely beaten.
Infighting
SRR forces seceded from USLASA, gathered on Grand Oteki and stormed parliament on the 14th of January 1995 in a clandestine operation, again proclaiming martial law and declaring themselves the only ruling party on all islands, even though the SRR effectively controlled only the capital city and some suburban districts. High-ranking military officials, among them Keller and Warburton, were imprisoned and sentenced to prison for an indefinite period (which during the reactionary regime commonly meant that one would not have much longer to live). Officers responsible for massacres and members of the Hurricane Squadron who did not flee in prior, fell victim to summary executions and families of fallen nationalist soldiers were murdered as a “coup de grace”. Ulrich hanged himself in prison, after hearing of the coup since SRR was known for their brutality.
Since SSR forces left the other islands for Grand Oteki prior to their coup these were under USLASA control. Free elections for every island were held under the supervision of USLASA, which is now commonly known as the beginning of the extensive autonomy of the islands and communes respectively. In every election SOREF became the largest party and in a following referendum the islands were formally united and the new name Socialist Federation Saint Albany was chosen (the new founding was necessary as the SRR represented the official government and the international community saw USLASA controlled islands as disputed territory). The SRR government on Grand Oteki, which then went by the name of Free Saint Albanese Republic, requested the annexation of the SFSS and only hesitantly began to rebuild infrastructure as the international community was reluctant about sending aid funds to the radicals, especially because they didn’t even effectively control the whole island.
Widespread demonstrations hit Grand Oteki after the promised increase of quality of life, especially for low-income families, failed to come to fruition. The FSAR government was forced to take peaceful measures, since many moderate SRR-fighters refused a violent approach. Democratic elections were promised, but these were held without complying with international standards. During the 6 months SRR reign many radicalised USLASA-fighters left the official SRR government and joined the SYMOLI (Syndicalist Movement for Oteki Liberation) which was founded by ex-USLASA-fighters in disputed Oteki territories. SYMOLI closely worked together with the SFSA. Many of their fighters enjoyed extensive military training overseas, just like their COMALI predecessors, which made Operation Dowry possible: On the 29th of July 1995 combined SYMOLI and USLASA forces attacked the capital in a joint operation and won the Battle of Tutabanoa after 8 hours. After the capitulation of the FSAR, SYMOLI once again announced their union with USLASA forces and the administration was handed over to the SFSA, which, in turn announced free elections and a referendum about the inclusion of Grand Oteki into the union.
Modern
WIP
Geography
WIP
Climate
WIP
Environment
WIP
Politics
Government
WIP
Human rights
WIP
Administrative divisons
WIP
Foreign relations
| Country | Status | Current state of relations | Mutual Embassies | Visa Requirement | Saint Albanese Ambassador | Country's Ambassador to SAI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feel free to add our mutual relations | Ambassador SAI | Ambassador Country | ||||
| WIP | WIP |
Law and justice
WIP
Military
WIP
Economy
WIP
Tourism
WIP
Transport
WIP
Energy
WIP
Infrastructure
WIP
Demographics
WIP
Ethnic groups
WIP
Languages
WIP
Religion
WIP
Education
WIP
Culture
WIP
Media
WIP
Sport
WIP