In 1975, Bates introduced a constitution for Sealand, followed by a national flag, a national anthem, a currency, passports, and an immigration stamp, all the features of an independent country.....
I bet most of you have not heard about Sealand. It’s
considered to be the tiniest country on Earth. The Principality of Sealand is a
micronation on HM Fort Roughs, an offshore platform in the North Sea
approximately 12 kilometers off the coast of Suffolk, England. Roughs Tower was occupied in February and August 1965
by Jack Moore and his daughter Jane, squatting on behalf of the pirate station
Wonderful Radio London.
On 2 September 1967, the fort was occupied by Major
Paddy Roy Bates, a British citizen who was the owner of a pirate radio, who
ejected the competing group of pirate broadcasters. Bates intended to broadcast
his pirate radio station, called Radio Essex, from the platform. Despite having
the necessary equipment, he never began broadcasting. Bates declared the
independence of Roughs Tower and deemed it the Principality of Sealand, an
independent entity.
In 1968, British workmen entered what Bates claimed to
be his territorial waters to service a navigational buoy near the platform.
Michael Bates (son of Paddy Roy Bates) tried to scare the workmen off by firing
warning shots from the fort. As Bates was a British subject at the time, he was
summoned to court in England on firearms charges following the incident. The
court ruled that the platform (which Bates was now calling Sealand) was outside
British territorial limits, being beyond the 3-nautical-mile (6 km) limit which
then applied to the country's waters. As a result, the case could not proceed
as it was not within British jurisdiction. Bates considers this Sealand's first
instance of de facto recognition.
In 1975, Bates introduced a constitution for Sealand,
followed by a national flag, a national anthem, a currency, passports, and an
immigration stamp, all the features required for an independent country. Sealand, is the smallest nation in the world. It is
located 12 kilometers off the eastern shore of Britain. As the name suggests,
this platform nation is surrounded by water on all sides. Officially known as
the Principality of Sealand, the nation is spread across 550 square meters and
home to merely 27 people.
During World War II, the British government built
several fortress islands in the North Sea to defend its coasts from German
invaders, and among these islands was Roughs Tower, now known as the
Principality of Sealand. In the early 1960s, a British army official, Roy
Bates, established a radio station, situated offshore on an abandoned ex-naval
fort named Knock John, in an attempt to bypass the broadcasting restrictions of
the BBC. However, he was soon embroiled in a legal battle with the UK
government that questioned the legality of the occupation of the fort. Bates
lost the case against the British government, as it was ruled that Knock John
fell under UK jurisdiction.
Learning from the ruling, Bates occupied Roughs Tower,
which was identical to Knock John, but fell outside of the 3-mile limit to
which the UK jurisdiction extended. He then declared it an independent state of
Sealand. The statehood of the smallest nation has faced challenges posed by the
UK forces, the Germans, and even the Dutch, but the small nation has emerged
victorious in protecting itself each time. In 1975, Prince Roy proclaimed the Constitution of the
Principality of Sealand. Gradually, other national treasures were also
developed, like its national anthem, stamps, and gold and silver coins.
Principality of Sealand passports were also produced and issued to many of
those who contributed to the formation of the nation.
Sealand claims to have achieved the status of being
one of the most environmentally friendly countries on Earth. It states that
99.9% of its electricity is from renewables, using a combination of wind
turbines and solar panels. It was more or less self-sufficient and they believed in being an independent principality. Bates and his associates have repelled incursions from
vessels from rival pirate radio stations and the U.K.'s royal navy using
firearms and petrol bombs. In 1987, the United Kingdom extended its territorial
waters to 12 nautical miles, which places the platform in British territory.
I went to meet my friend Gomes, whom we in fun would call - Go
Patrao. He was enjoying his evening peg, feni as usual. He invited me to join.
Didn't want to disappoint him, and agreed for a peg.
During our casual talk about mundane subjects, the talk veered to
politics and rain. I told him, Goa is still riddled with potholes and some
areas have been dug up since long. He immediately smiled and said, it's a sign
of progress and prosperity.
I didn't understand, he quickly added, Goa will be richer than
Dubai. You and me will be richer. Everyone knows it, how come you're not aware.
I gave him a surprised look. He said, some time ago, an expert said, underneath
Goa there's oil. So, you have holes and potholes with people desperately
looking for the oil.
Another expert said, there's a lost civilization underneath. Hence
all the digging to find them. All want to know who were those guys who taught
Goans, take it easy and chalta hai!
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