The Freetown Messenger - Congress votes to extend Boliatur sanctions

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

NEUHAFENSTADT - Fifteen including former Newhaven State head held as massive corruption scandal unravels

In the state capitol of Newhaven State, the foundations of the state's political establishment are being shocked after a year-long Confederate investigation exposes what's believed to be one of the biggest corruption scandals in our country's history. Operation Housecleaner, a multi-month joint investigation by Confederate Marshals, the Confederate Protection Police and the Newhaven State Police today reached its zenith as fifteen main suspects of the investigation were taken into custody in simultaneous raids in the Newhaven region.

According to Peter Hamann, Chief Deputy Marshal for Newhaven and head of the investigation, those arrested include the state's former Minister-President and current legistlature member Johan Bergmann, three State Police officers involved with his security, five state capitol officials and others including local businessmen, a prominent local lawyer and a captain of the infamous Three Cities Crime Syndicate. The authorities accuse the ring of extensive corruption said to have taken place under Bergman's 1998-2010 period as the Minister-President of Newhaven, including funneling of state and municipal construction and maintenance contracts to companies owned by businessmen who in return donated money to Bergman's political campaigning using local organized crime as intermediaries. It is also claimed that members of the group had a hand in the 2006 shooting death of Socialist Workers' Party local leader Katerine Sikorsky, previously thought to have been a carjacking gone wrong.

Hamann said that the felonies being investigated included at least bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, extortion, racketeering and (because of the Sikorsky angle) premeditated murder. The arrests immediately drew a reaction both in the newhaven state capitol and Freistadt, as Attorney-General Anton Müller (Con.Rep) called the allegations "shocking" and demanded that a full investigation should take place. Former Minister-President Bergman, now held in investigative custody, released a statement through his lawyer stating his innocence and saying that the investigation was a "politically motivated act of vendetta." Bergmann, a former Confederate Republican, founded his own state-level political group after being ousted as Minister-President by the Confederate Republican majority in Newhaven.



FREISTADT - Liquor industry heads deny transnational bootlegging allegations

Last week, controversial award-winning investigative journalist George Stoneman released an exposé in his popular Internet news blog documenting alleged ties between elements of the Eastern States' liquor industry and the bootlegger rings working to bring banned drinks into our maritime neighbor of Cantignia in violation of that country's prohibition policy. Today, the National Association of Brewers, Liquor Industries and Alcohol Retailers released a press statement commenting Stoneman's claims, calling them "without basis in fact" and announcing that the producer association was considering a libel suit against Stoneman.

Cantignia's alcohol prohibition has recently been a source of international discord, or more specifically the claims of extensive liquor smuggling from Monterrey into the country. In his article How Our Alcohol Industry Teamed up with the Mob, Stoneman claims extensive neglect among liquor producers and wholesalers in the Eastern States as to their dealings with companies that purchase alcoholic products only to deliver them to smugglers who in turn ship them into Cantignia hidden in commercial maritime traffic that traverses the Implarian Ocean. "Our major producers and distributors of alcohol are, either negligent or complicit, in this trade", Stoneman writes.

In addition to the reaction on behalf of the alcohol producers, Stoneman's article release drew in scathing commentary from Confederal Councilman Friedrich Eisenhauer (Con-Rep) who accused Stoneman of "Communist slander attempting to undermine our national economy and good relations with our neighbors, with the aim of stirring unrest and upsetting our national standing in favor of a Marxist agenda." Eisenhauer, representing our leading liquor-producing state of Visaya in the Confederate Council, reminded of several recent arrests against illegal alcohol traffickers.

 

[Thaumantica]

You must be registered for see images

______________________________
VESPER, MONDAY, 25th JUNE 2012​

THE Friendly Confines are cognizant of the dubious nature of the black market, and how the scourge of drugs, alcohol, and firearms will turn honest men in to desperate liars to protect their manifold addictions. This Covenant urges business men and women involved in the sale of the drug known as alcohol to consider their moral impact on humanity, or how their business contributes to the wrecking of homes, the abuse of women and children, and finally the long term health problems suffered by alcoholics.

Although we would not dare accuse any one person, organization, or group of Eastern States - rest assured that Prohibition Investigators will trace evidence back in any direction if its destination was violence here within the Covenant. Those who are in league with murderers and thieves are criminals in their own right, and should at a bare minimum be exposed publicly for their association with crime.

​

Forward

You must be registered for see links

!
Harriet Fauconberg,
Chief Officer​

 

[Serbovia]

Foreign Ministry
Auswärtiges Amt

The Eastern States wish to be in assurance that all allegations of transnational crime, wherein concerning the Confederacy and territories under its protection as a party, shall be duly investigated by Confederate authorities to an appropriate effect. Though exportation of liquor and other alcoholic substances is by no means banned or otherwise controlled by Confederate law, instances that occur with the evasion of tax and other dues or with the involvement of organized crime fall within the jurisdiction of the Confederate Marshals and the Bureau of Controlled Materials and Firearms, and shall be duly dealt with those services.

However, we remind that freedom of speech is held sacred in territories bound by Confederate law and thus citizens and persons living under our protection have the right to make whichever claims they desire regardless of their truthful character.

Regards,
Mr. Robert Hauer,
Foreign Minister
Confederate Eastern States

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

PORT HANSHAN - Security in Cagaya bolstered after insurgent bombing leaves seven dead

Security forces in Cagaya State are in high alert after a car bombing in the state capital Port Hanshan's business district left seven people death and thirteen injured. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Cagaya Revolutionary People's Army, a left-wing insurgent group that has waged a violent terrorist campaign in the island since 1995, calling for independence to be given to the Western neighbor of New Germania Island and its native Cagayan people.

The attack took place in early hours of the morning outside of the regional headquarters of the Westmark-Steiner Paper Company, a major employer in the state where it operates forestries and several major paper plants. A spokesperson of the Port Hanshan City Police named the paper company as the likely target, as it has been the subject of a number of previous CRPA threats and insurgent attacks against its employees and properties. Among the killed were two armed security guards manning a guard post at an entrance to the headquarters compound, as well as five Westmark-Steiner employees arriving to work. The injured, five of whom are in critical condition, have been taken to Port Hanshan's Virgin Mary Metropolitan Hospital.

Immediately after the attack, sections of the city's business district were cordoned off by local and Confederate policemen on the lookout for suspects in the bombing, believed to be attempting to flee the city. Heavily armed police officers have bolstered security in public places in the city, including Port Hanshan's main international airport. In addition, state Minister-President Robert Chen (Agrarian) has ordered the Cagaya State Guard to mobilize in assistance of the police services in maintaining order in the capital. In a statement made at the state legistlature, Chen condemned the attack and woved that "those responsible will be brought to justice, and a high price will be exacted from them on behalf of their misdeeds." He said that he would be holding a video-conference with President Heinrich Steinhauser and Defense Minister Christian Svenson later in the day to discuss a response to the attack.

Sources in the PHCP say that the size of the bomb, concealed in a van reported stolen a day ago, could've resulted in much larger casualties at a busier time of the day and point out that the bomb went off just as first employees of the business district's offices were entering their workplaces. The bomb caused significant material damage to the Westmark-Steiner headquarters compound as well as neighboring buildings.

Analysts believe that Ambeth Diokno, a CRPA commander wanted by the Confederate government for his role in several attacks in Cagaya and the 2002 Schräderhafen subway bombing which resulted in ten casualties, is responsible for the attack. "Diokno's cell of the CRPA is the only one that we've seen to have the capability to execute these kinds of indiscriminate attacks in urban areas", said Georg T. Hausser, a terrorism analyst at the University of Freistadt's Institute of Security Studies. Hausser pointed out that the attack represents the most serious of its kind to have taken place in an urban area in several years.

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

NEWS IN BRIEF

- Cagaya remains on high alert after yesterday's CPRA bombing, investigation underway while authorities promise a swift response to the attack
- Confederal Congress rejects a motion to relax the Eastern States' cannabis laws, "we're not ready for a full legalization yet" comments the Attorney-General
- NG Tel, ImplariaCom and StarCom confirmed to get government funding to expand the national 3G network into rural areas
- Eighteen illegal immigrants from Yujin apply for asylum after being discovered by Customs and Border Service officers from a cargo ship at the Port of New Nuremberg
- 29% of Confederate citizens without health insurance and dependent on charity, says study released by the Ministry of Health, naming churches as the single largest provider of charitable healthcare

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

NEUHAFENSTADT - Prosecutor confirms death penalty sought for ex-Newhaven Minister-President

The Attorney-General's office intends to press murder charges against Newhaven State's former Minister-President Johan Bergman for his suspected involvement in the 2006 death of SWP Newhaven leader Katerine Sikorsky. Marie Weissmüller, the Deputy Attorney-General for Newhaven, said in a press conference held today that "upon the completion of this inquiry and the readiness to submit these findings to courts, it is very likely that the highest punishment will be sought for those involved in the Sikorsky killing." As cases involving organized crime and political corruption fall under the purview of Confederate prosecution, the highest punishment would be execution by lethal injection.

With investigations still underway over the so-called Newhaven corruption scandal, it could be months before the case enters the courts. However, today the Newhaven Confederate Court agreed to remand the fifteen main suspects into investigative custody for an indefinitive period of time until the case is ready to go to courts, with Bergman in house arrest under guard of the Marshals and the rest in Neuhafenstadt Confederate Prison's Investigative Custody Unit. It is believed that further arrests could be on their way as the investigation of the scandal continues.

The unraveling scandal has sent massive shockwaves through Neuhafenstadt's political and business elites as years of foul play in a highest level are beginning to be revealed. Some local politicians, including Confederate Councilman Aaron Hakamada (Centrist) have already gone forward with calls of a full inquiry by the Confederate Council, including the appointment of a special investigative commission to review further implications of the scandal. Some local officials, most notably Newhaven State Police's Deputy Commander Joachim Kaufman have already submitted their letters of resignation. Kaufman was in charge of NSP's Dignitary Protection Unit, to which the three NSP members arrested by Confederate authorities belonged.

With a large list of corruption and racketeering charges forthcoming, the culprits of the corruption scandal are by the very least looking at multiple decades of imprisonment. Unofficial sources have stated that some of the accused could try to attain a lighter sentence by cooperating with the ongoing inquiry.




Occidental holiday seasons prop up the tourist trade

As people in the Occidental countries of Scania and Germania prepare for their annual summer holidays, hotels and other resorts throughout the Eastern States prepare to receive them. Though tourists from countries in Oceania and Touyou, such as Cantigny and Touzen are the most significant group of tourists coming in to the Eastern States, Scanian and Germanian tourists are also a significant group visiting the Eastern States. Especially tourists from Germanian countries find the Eastern States an easy destination for linguistic and cultural reasons.

Most of the tourists entering our country are drawn to the coastal resorts in New Germania, The Twins and the Sunrise Island where tourism provides a significant amount of local income. Especially notable in this is Sunrise Island, the poorest Confederate state up until the 1970s when Confederate funding with local tax benefits and other incentives for resorts saw a major kickstart of international tourism. Today, Sunrise Island offers a number of attractions from luxury hotels to activity tourism, and aircraft of foreign airlines are a common sight at island's main airport Palayan International. In New Germania, the region of Gold Coast fifty kilometers south of Freistadt is equally busy in drawing in tourists.

In addition to beach resorts, historical cities such as Freistadt and New Nuremberg are significant tourist destinations. In total, 6.5 million tourist arrivals were counted by the Ministry of Commerce Tourist Bureau for the last year, and the number is expected to stay at similar levels. In 2011, the five largest tourist countries where Touzen, Cantignia, Franken, Eiffelland and Wiese.

However, not everyone is happy with the flocks of tourists. Each year, complaints come from local residents in major tourist areas over disturbances caused by copious use of alcohol by some travellers, taking up most of the space in beaches and behaving disrespectfully towards locals. As a result, the Tourism Bureau for the fourth year in row is handing out leaflets and educational materials to incoming tourists reminding them about Confederate laws and local habits. In addition, Operation Sun God - an annual deployment of the Confederate Protective Police to support local authorities in tourist areas - is carried out this year as well, also to safeguard tourists from crime.

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

NEWS IN BRIEF

- Two suspected CRPA insurgents captured by State Guard forces outside of Port Hanshan as suspects attempted to flee the city, one wounded in the gunfight which resulted in the confiscation of firearms and a laptop believed to contain insurgent plans
- Reichardt and Magbantay enter men's and women's series for Zulia-Santander Open 2012, both National Tennis Association ranking heads since 2010
- Nine Three Cities syndicate members - three reputed lieutenants and six mob soldiers - arrested in raids by Marshals, Newhaven State Police for racketeering in connection with the unfolding Newhaven corruption scandal
- The Falcon Straits Bridge-Tunnel set to undergo maintenance in July, operating Falcon Straits Transportation Authority warns of possible traffic holdups though a majority of maintenance work is expected to take place at night
- Schräderhafen Industry Group announces new sedan model SIG-Auto Gazelle, designed especially as a low-cost option for personal car markets in Toyou and Himyar, as well as entry-level "first-world" customers

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

FREISTADT/PORT HANSHAN - Steinhauser orders Army to "capture or kill" Ambeth Diokno after evidence of further CRPA attack plans is discovered

After operational plans of the Cagayan Revolutionary People's Army elements in and around Port Hanshan were discovered during an arrest of two suspected CRPA members in the city, President Heinrich Steinhauser today announced that he had ordered the Confederate Army to capture or kill CRPA leader Ambeth Diokno. Diokno, reputed head of the group's "External Front" responsible for special missions as well as all operations outside of Cagaya, is believed to be responsible for this week's bombing in Port Hanshan as well as a number of other terrorist attacks.

Steinhauser met with the National Defense Council today in Freistadt, reviewing evidence recovered from a laptop carried by one of the arrested CRPA suspects. Though defense officials were tight-lipped as to the exact nature of the contents in the laptop, the recovered information has been called "substantial" and "indicative of an imminent terrorist threat in the area of Port Hanshan". "There's clear evidence that Ambeth Diokno possesses operational oversight over the implementation of these plans, and that his operation at large constitutes a clear and present danger to Confederate security", Defense Ministry spokesman Major Pieter Henriksen said in a press conference. Major Henriksen declined to elaborate on this and other sources of intelligence available to the government for what he described as "operational security reasons."

The Justice Ministry has reportedly given a green light for a targeted killing against Diokno, a requirement imposed by the Supreme Court in 2011 after the most recent legal battle concerning the policy. Targeted killing operations against high-value CRPA members have been used by Confederate forces in Cagaya since 2008, when the policy was initiated by the Steinhauser administration. Human rights groups have frequently criticized the policy, calling it a state-sanctioned form of extrajudicial execution and saying that the use of targeted killings is against the right of due process guaranteed by the Confederate Constitution. Meanwhile in Cagaya, the alert status of security forces on the island has been raised in fear of further attacks by the Communist insurgents as the search for those responsible for the Port Hanshan bombing continues.

Analysts believe that the task of eliminating Diokno will be assigned to Task Group 27, an unit formed out of Army Special Reconnaissance and Para-Commando forces as well as Protective Police special units and Military Intelligence operatives for the task of eliminating specific CRPA figures. He is believed to be hiding in the Cagaya Mountains, communicating with his insurgent cells through an elaborate network of messengers and clandestine communication channels.

 

[Thaumantica]

You must be registered for see images

______________________________
VESPER, THURSDAY, 28th JUNE 2012​

THE Covenant has placed Ambeth Diokno on the Internal & Domestic Service Blacklist along with known family members and associates. Should this clandestine criminal be using these friendly confines to evade the justice of the Eastern States, this Government will swiftly eliminate that link to terror.

​

Forward

You must be registered for see links

!
Harriet Fauconberg,
Chief Officer​

 

[Serbovia]

Foreign Ministry
Auswärtiges Amt
Confederate Eastern States

The Eastern States government is satisfied with this move by the Cantignian government, noting that it represents a signal of Vesper's willingness to engage against international terrorism and imploring other European states to likewise demonstrate their opposition to the scourge of terrorism.

Regards
Mr. Robert Hauer,
Foreign Minister,
Confederate Eastern States

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

NEWS IN BRIEF

- Freistadt Metrotransit services cancelled or delayed for hours after a systems malfunction cripples FMT's surface train traffic management, company might have to compensate travellers for delays
- Tribal leaders meet in Freistadt at the commencement of the Council of Confederate Indigenous Peoples, the informal assembly expected to last for two weeks
- University admission results to be released starting with the New Germania University of Technology, all universities to release their admission lists by the end of July
- Anniversary of the Battle of Kansilan Valley - a major victory against Franconians during the 1831 War of Independence - is celebrated by Confederate and Visaya State officials as well as re-enactors at the Kansilan Valley National Memorial

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

FREISTADT - Tribal leaders want more alcohol control for reservations

Tribal leaders and chieftains are calling for the Confederate and state governments to grant them greater authority in regulating alcohol and drug use within tribal territories, in response to growing numbers of alcohol and drug problems among Eastern States' natives. The Confederate Council of Indigenous Peoples, an assembly of Bergsteiger native tribes, is meeting in Freistadt for the following two weeks for its annual meeting.

"Alcohol is a cancer slowly killing our people", said the council's chairman Makisig Sinangtala who is himself the head of the Autonomous Bato Territory and the Bato tribe located in Panga State. Sinangtala noted that currently alcohol regulation is primarily the purview of state-level administrators while drug policy is with some exceptions decided in Freistadt, saying that "for us to effectively mitigate the risks posed by alcoholism to our communities, we need the right to decide for ourselves where we allow their sale and consumption." Sinangtala blamed state admninistrators for their unwillingness in dealing with the problem, and Freistadt for its lack of interest in intervening in what have traditionally been considered affairs between state administrators and the indigenous peoples themselves.

A 2010 study by the Ministry of Regions and Indigenous Tribes identified as much as 30% of adults belonging to indigenous communities as risk consumers of alcohol, as opposed to an estimated 22% in the mainstream population. Alcohol is also attributed as a contributing factor in a significant number of domestic violence incidents, homicides and other violent crimes occurring in tribal territories. In addition, consumption of narcotics is identified as an increasing problem in several tribal communities, particularly in the case of metamphetamine. Indigenous communities also suffer from a high rate of alcohol-related illnesses especially in comparison to the rest of the country.

While tribal communities may pass ordinances such as restrictions on public consumption of alcohol, they are otherwise powerless to deal with the problem. This has occasionally resulted in violent reactions on behalf of tribal anti-alcohol activities, such as a June 2011 incident where twenty tribesmen in the Autonomous Panay Territory of Visaya State armed with hunting rifles and clubs sacked a warehouse belonging to Duesenberg-Steinmann Breweries before setting the warehouse building on fire. Six people identified from CCTV tapes were subsequently arrested by the Confederate Marshals and convicted for hostage-taking and destruction of private property.

The Council of Indigenous Peoples also discussed other social woes, such as the high rate of poverty and unemployment in tribal areas. Young people often emigrate into other sections of the country to seek work or to enlist in the Confederate military, causing tribal elders to worry about the declining rate of population among tribal communities. The Council acts as an informal representative of the 1,77 million people belonging to the Bergsteiger tribes often considered to be the original inhabitants of the territories making up the Eastern States.

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

PALAYAN - Kenzo Uchida becomes Sunrise Island's "casino lord"

Entertainment businessman and celebrity Kenzo Uchida is now the unrecognized king of the gambling business in Sunrise Island's capital of Palayan. The 35-year old entertainment tycoon today announced that he had completed the purchase of the remaining assets of the KT Casino Company, whose owner and Palayan business veteran Reinhard Matthausen recently announced his intent to sell his chain of casinos and hotels and retire. The deal moves Uchida to the position of the single largest owner of casinos and gambling facilities in the resort state and among the "Top Five" of gambling businessmen within the entire Eastern States.

Most significantly, Uchida's company now has ownership over much of the Asul Beach district, Palayan's seaside area of luxurious hotels, casinos and nightclubs that is among the most well-known tourist districts within the Eastern States and annually visited by thousands of travellers from other portions of the Confederacy as well as abroad. Nationally famous Palayan casinos such as Implarian Seaside, The Colonial and Azure Glory now join six casinos and casino-hotels already owned by Uchida within the district. Several nightclubs, restaurants and hotels also transfer from the KTTC to Uchida as a part of the deal.

True to his reputation, Uchida announced that his flagship casino-hotel-nightclub "The Chrysantemum" would host a special celebratory event for the weekend, promising top Eastern States and foreign DJ's to be in attendance. A second-generation immigrant from Touzen and the son of fishery enterpreneur Matsuo Uchida, Kenzo Uchida inherited his father's empire at the age of 25, selling it off and using the proceeds to fund his then- nightclub business. His company Uchida Entertainment has been widely successful, though rumors of ties to Touzen- based organized crime have at times left a stain on his public image. In 2006, Uchida successfully won a libel lawsuit against local newspaper Palaischen Sonne which had involved him in an article concerning organized criminal involvement with Sunrise Island's tourism industries.

- Regions Minister Dominic Kahl (Agrarian) to address Council of Indigenous Peoples today on topics such as native alcohol abuse and social improvement programs
- Suspected CRPA hideout struck by Air Force fighters near Bulazan, Cagaya Mountains overnight - casualty reports unknown but said to include several CRPA members
- Security Advisor Constantin Tännhauser calls Steinhauser Administration's internal security focuses "duly balanced" in wake of criticism expressed by a former Army Colonel claiming "excess interest in Cagayan insurgents"
- Island-to-island barges to be replaced in the archipelago for short distances by bridge construction as part of Transport Ministry's "Interstate 2022" initiative
- Interstate Football League to expand for the 2012-2013 seasons, IFL officials announce with the intent to auction two additional team licenses before the season's September commencement

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

NEWS IN BRIEF

- Congressmen call for election funding transparency in the wake of corruption allegations targeting Newhaven State's former political leadership as investigation of state Minister-President Bergman's activities continues
Observership in the Himyar PFP sought by Steinhauser Administration after Congress grants green light, Freistadt undermines that "application does not mean reneging from the Meinhof Doctrine"
- Trans-Implarian Oil eyes foreign prospects as the company sends a business and prospecting delegation to Karakhstan's northern oil sands regions
- Wargames to be held in Mannerheim Island by the Confederate Army in August, Exercise Monsoon Rain to test amphibious warfare tactics for the eight year in row
- Island League reigning champion FC Palayan announces willingness to enter the auction over one of two IFL team licenses announced to be opened for auction in the 2012-2013 season
- Two killed, two hospitalized in a gangland drive-by in Schräderhafen's North Docklands, victims believed to be members of Vangalan immigrant "Northside Tigers" street gang, perpetrators unknown

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

FREISTADT - Defense Minister Svenson responds to Cantignian press commentary

The Confederate Army's announcement of annual Monsoon Rain exercises was met with alarmed reactions in the Cantignian media last week, with local National Truth newspaper calling the annual wargames "preparations for war." As the comments were brought up by Freistadt journalists during a press conference at Festung Schräder - the Defense Ministry headquarters - Defense Minister Christian Svenson (Con-Rep) addressed Cantignian worries calling the media reaction "grossly exaggerated".

"I think that it's an exaggeration", Defense Minister Svenson said as a reporter of Die Sonne brought up the topic, "Though given the devastating interstate warfare that has been seen globally at the turn of 2011 and 2012, I can understand such a reaction, I'd like to implore that in such a sensitive post-war environment it is also important to aim to maintain international stability and for all parties concerned to avoid upsetting the very, very fragile balance of power. The Steinhauser Administration has this idea in heart in its policy, and stability in the broader Implarian region is in the interests of all nations on its shores and the Confederate government has the utmost willingness to work with all parties concerned to safeguard the peace which has again settled on our shores."

Defense Minister Svenson extended an invitation to the military attachés in Freistadt to accompany Monsoon Rain exercise commander, Northern Command head Colonel-General Friedrich van Buren for a part of the exercise.

Monsoon Rain is set to involve some 20000 active forces from all branches of service and 15000 Land and Marine reservists as well as members of the Schneider and Victory Islands and Mannerheim Island State Guards, representing the mandated annual two-week exercise for the reservists involved. In addition, an associated civil-military cooperation exercise will involve personnel from the Customs and Border Service and the Protective Police. The scenario for the exercise concerns a fictive civil war in the territory of "Goat Island" between two tribal factions and a military junta comprised of members of the majority tribe, involving amphibious and airmobile warfare tactics and counter-insurgency and peacekeeping operations.

The wargames are set to commence on the 5th of August and will continue for the following two weeks.

- Karakhstani foreign minister Katan Kazhkanov meets with Foreign Minister Robert Hauer, meeting agenda to include bilateral ties including trade and political relations
- More Three Cities mobsters rolled up by Marshals in Neuhafenstadt as the massive anti-corruption inquiry in Newhaven State continues on its way
- Estimated 12th century tribal religious sites uncovered outside of Festung Jägerhorn in Dinangat State by archaeologists from the University of Falkenbach as excavations in the area continue
- New charity hospital inaugurated in New Nuremberg by Reformed Church of Jesus Christ after a two-year construction process to an audience including city and South New Germania State leadership
- Self-Defense and Hunting 2012 exhibition to gather thousands of participants at the Schräderhafen Business Exhibition Center between 5th and 8th of July
- CRPA commander Ambeth Diokno "still alive" report Defense Ministry officials, say those killed in last week's airstrike were "junior" CRPA members

 

[Thaumantica]

You must be registered for see images

______________________________
VESPER, THURSDAY, 5th JULY 2012​

THE Grand Covenant of Cantignia possesses no public opinion on the Confederate State military exercise code-named 'Monsoon Rain'. Tabloid services such as 'National Truth' have in the past escalated tension between this Government and other regional and world powers, though we as a Covenant do not actively seek to influence the perception of journalists or pseudo-journalists operating within these friendly confines. We thus offer our regret for any discord these telegrams and tabloids may have caused.

True Peace shall be maintained for The Implaric & Oceanic Realms of Cantignia so long as this Covenant exists; at the expense of pride, cordiality, or cost. We expect that this policy rings true in the North, with the Confederacy of Preuti-Borussian Colonists, and at this time respect that institution's ability to maintain a civilized harmony.

​

Forward

You must be registered for see links

!
Harriet Fauconberg,
Chief Officer​

 

[Serbovia]

Verteidigungsministerium
Defense Ministry

It is my honest belief - and one surely shared by the majority of our people - that Cantigia means the Confederate Eastern States no ill. Indeed, my main intent was to criticize these more ill-advised elements of Cantigian media and there was no intention to cause discord between the relations of our two states. The hope of the Confederate government is that our relations remain as cordial as ever.

Regards,
Mr. Christian Svenson,
Defense Minister,
Confederate Eastern States

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

BELMONT - Violent suppression of opposition demonstrations sparks international row

The Occidental state of Belmont has stirred controversy in an international scale when a demonstration organized by the country's political opposition was violently put down by law enforcement forces in the Belmontien city of Lesmages. 37 opposition activists were arrested by the police as riot policemen attacked the demonstration using tear gas and water cannons, tactics which reportedly caused a mass panic in the crowd resulting in a number of opposition activists sustaining injuries in addition to those received from police use of force. The arrested activists will reportedly face charges which could result in extensive fines being levelled against them by the Belmontien government.

The crackdown sparked numerous international protests from governments including Frescania, Cœurléon, Nicosia, Danmark, Boliatur and Eiffelland. Most notably, the incident has resulted in a major diplomatic row after the Frescanian government recalled its ambassador to Paris, a move which has been followed by the Kingdom of Belmont. Meanwhile in Belmont, according to The Messenger's Paris correspondent Eva Clausen, the events in Lesmages have become a major point of political criticism after objections to the police actions were raised by parliamentary opposition. Belmont's Supreme Court has also characterized the police's use of force as excessive.

Foreign Minister Robert Hauer (Conrep) condemned the police action in Lesmages in an address made during a session of the Confederate Parliament. Hauer expressed his understanding to the Belmontien government's need of maintaining what he described "basic public order and rule of law", but at the same time criticized Belmont for "an attack against its own citizens" and accused the Paris government of disrespect towards the idea of civil liberty.

Other voices were more open in their approach. Groups including the Freedom Watch human rights group expressed vocal condemnations of the incident, with Freedom Watch chairman Martin Steinmann saying in his blog post on the organization's home page that "such actions represent an affront to the idea of democracy and constitutional rule." Steinmann noted that the legal fabric behind the demonstrations' suppression was "a hundred-years old, surely outdated and unsuited to 21st century governance".

- Proposal for an inquiry on political corruption by the Confederate Congress set to be reviewed by the Confederate Congress in a space of two weeks, forwarded by a cross-partisan coalition
- IFL's license auction sparks interest among territorial football league's top teams, six to ten contesants expected for the two licenses to be auctioned on the 20th of July
- Awareness campaign against arranged marriage aimed at immigrant and tribal communities set to be commenced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare
- Fire bomb thrown at a police parking lot in Siayan, Panga State by suspected Panganese National Army members in an attack which resulted in three injuries and the destruction of two parked police cars
- Excavations at 12th century tribal holy sites temporarily ceased near Festung Jägerhorn after protests levelled to the Ministry of Culture by tribal activists over the sites' possible nature as burial grounds

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

NEWS IN BRIEF

- Threat of further CRPA attacks in Cagaya sparks an influx of heavily-armed security contractors to the island in order to provide for security needs of corporations and major businessmen on the island
- Defense Ministry sets up modernization committee to discuss the Confederate Army's reform strategy between 2012 and 2020 "in adaptation of ongoing security requirements"
- TRIOL refutes environmentalist criticism concerning upcoming sand oil project in Karakhstan, executives assure that the company "adheres to all of the legal standards of environment protection"
- Opera version of Kahungu national epic Malyari's Folly premieres at the Freistadt National Opera to a sold out audience as National Opera Company promises national touring
- Socialists, Greens to ally in Presidential elections to be held in October 2012 though no candidate has yet been announced by the coalition

 

[Serbovia]

The Freetown Messenger​

English-language news coverage in the KSO since 1886. ​

FREISTADT - Steinhauser Administration intends to step up maritime security

Meeting with the National Defense Council today, President Heinrich Steinhauser announced that his administration would be commencing an initiative to bring broad improvements into Confederate maritime security. The move follows earlier news from Cantignia that the Eastern States' Southern neighbor was considering independent measures to improve its maritime security in the wake of the seeming failure of the earlier Hirosaki Conference on Maritime Security, agreements of which have been slow to be put into practice.

Then, Foreign Minister Hauer said that the Implarian states should seek "Implarian solutions to Implarian problems." Now, the Steinhauser Administration is considering a similar move. "A comprehensive program to improve the security of our territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zones and security within the entire Implarian region, and consequently, in our homeland, will be put in place by my administration", President Steinhauser said before reporters in the Presidential Palace, "The Eastern States as a nation live from the sea, our fisheries, our oil rigs, and the routes which even now as I am speaking freighters traverse to bring goods to and from our country in the interests of trade. Sea is our lifeblood, and that the sea remains open and safe should be a top priority for this nation."

According to National Defense Council officials, the planned maritime security initiative will involve the Confederate Navy and Confederate Customs and Border Service as well as local law enforcement agencies, but also commercial maritime operators in order to assist them in managing criminal risks to their enterprises. Steinhauser also mentioned an intent to involve other Implarian nations in the venture, saying that "the dangers threatening our seas are transnational in nature and cannot be fought by a single state alone, but with cooperation between the states invested in the seas the same way as we are, we will be able to guarantee their security."

Described as primary maritime security threats were piracy especially in choke points such as the St. Sindh Straits, particularly in the case of shipping to and from Long Sea nations, as well as smuggling of illegal drugs, weapons and humans. The majority of drugs brought to the Eastern States are thought to be smuggled by sea from Touzen and Yujin, while maritime weapon smuggling has frequently been attributed as a source of firearms and explosives for the purposes of Cagayan CRPA insurgents. Illegal immigration also occurs using sealines, orchestrated by criminal groups seeking to take advantage of such arrivals in numerous different ways.

The announced maritime security initiative coincides with the Defense Ministry's earlier announcement of a committee examining Army modernization needs over the next decade, though the extent to which they cross over is unknown.

- Terrorist group list amended as the Attorney-General pushes forward action against the Bolituria-based ABJ Pact for "self-proclaimed affiliation with criminal and insurgent movements"
- Four Army soldiers killed in mortar attack against a military garrison by CRPA insurgents in Northern Cagaya, Para-Commandos deployed to search for the perpetrators
- Motion to ban smoking on state properties passed by the Schneider and Victory State legistlature, exempting state-owned housing and outdoor areas, becoming the first state to enact such laws
- Intensifying summer monsoon rain predicted by meteorologists over the last two weeks of July throughout the country
- Dapitan Minister-President Arthur Sulong (Socialist) announces plans to retire after the 2013 state elections, having presided over two cabinets since the SWP victory in the state in 1995