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MINISTER OF DEFENCE URGES NO ATTACKS AGAINST THE "PRINCIPALITY" The nations Minister of Defence Martja Larsson is the only government representative in the world to have visited the so called "Principality of Northern Borland" today she has issued caution in dealing with the entity and urged that it should not be attacked. The former Air Force helicopter pilot visited the "Principality" a self proclaimed but not recognised sovereign state completely land locked within Zimalia two years ago to oversee a measure of disarmament by the Borlander terrorist group. As such she has a unique insight into the settlement.
"I visited the Principality unannounced, our observation teams where scheduled to arrive and I just tagged along, the people there had no idea a representative of our government was coming. What I saw there was odd to say the least. There were very few white people, people I'd assume where Borlanders and those people were mainly families. They were involved heavily with helping the settlement grow. For example one was a doctor providing health care to the people. I saw others helping construct new homes, they were using old metal shipping containers and they had the most basic sanitary and electrical connections. The majority of people where Zimalians and when I spoke with them it was clear that many had moved there to simply take advantage of a free home and the chances provided. I mean in Zimalia they have to pay for education, yet here was someone running schooling for free, yes that schooling was primitive, classes were overcrowded and lacked resources but education of any sort is better than none. I even tried to teach some maths, it was tough and the utmost respect goes to those teachers there trying to make a better life for people. I've visited Zimalia a time or two, what you always see is society split along tribal lines but here that had gone. We had people of all tribes who wished to escape that chaos of Zimalian society living side by side in peace. It was a great example of what a society could be. I heard no mention of terror, I saw no outward hatred of Morelanders and I saw no high ranking Borlander living there. I did see Kyle Barren on the day that the weapons where destroyed by our teams but as soon as the job was done he disappeared. Speaking to the people there they knew he was making many of the laws that existed there, laws that essentially mimic those you'd expect in any civilised society but beyond that he had little daily input into the settlement. I was devastated to hear that weeks later the Morelanders had destroyed the settlement with an air strike. I understand they'd given 24 hours notice of the attack and so loss of life was kept to a minimum, yet still I felt grief that a small piece of Zimalia that was trying to raise itself above the day to day mayhem that exists there was knocked down. I actually rejoice in the fact the "Principality" has regrown, and from what I have seen and read about it has mirrored the first incarnation. We as a world should be encouraging that little settlement and I fully intend to revisit, take with me school resources to support the education there. For example do you know that only 15% of Zimalian girls access education beyond the age of 10? While in the Principality that figure is 100%. These are efforts worthy of commendation, were this any other place on Mundus we would be hailing it a great success, a moral victory and nations would be standing applauding, yet we now have Rokkenjima making statements that "Zimalia shall have before it two choices: dismantle the so-called "Principality" of its own volition or dismantle it with the assistance of the international community" Well I will be recommending to the Riksdag later today a series of proposals to ensure that the place is not dismantled, that it is not faced by the " military tools of the international community". The "Principality" may bare the name of shame in having the word Borland associated with it, a name associated with hate and destruction, yet all I found there was love and a hope to build something great. I urge the world to not cut down once more this sapling of hope in the wilderness of chaos" (OOC-Speech heavily edited by Libby)
Late that day the Minister of Defence presented a bill to the Riksdag that called on the following.
1. The Air Force to dispatch a squadron of aircraft to support the Zimalian Air Force against "Incursions outlawed under international law"
2. The Ministry of Education to send 25 teachers to the "Principality" for two months to help establish an educational programme.
3. The Ministry of Health to send 10 doctors and 20 nurses to help establish a health care programme.
4. Education and awareness about the spread of HIV/AIDS to be set up to try and combat the higher than average levels there.
5. The establishment of an Odinic Rite "Outpost" there to support cultural programmes within the Principality.
6. $5million in vouchers to be given to the settlement to allow them to buy resources from companies based within Nya Åland.