The Astyrian Network

by **Noordenstaat** » Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:55 am

Woensdag 21 februari 2018
© 2018 Jacobina Rutten, Koninstad Herald

RODE PROVINCIE BLOCKED BY SNOW
Most of southeastern part of Noordenstaat blocked by severe snowfall. Mass vehicle pileup on H1 near Karelstad

Mass vehicle pileup, Karelstad, Rode Provincie

Karelstad, Rode Provincie| The goverment of the Rode province has declared a state of emergency in the entire province after a severe snowfall caused the entire province to grind to a halt. According to the Royal Noordenstaat Hydrometeorological Institute in the last 24h on average 60cm of snow fell across the province's territory.
The snow storm caused discrepancies in electric power delivery in Oostenburg and nearby villages, causing blackouts that lasted for several hours.
By latest reports, 45 people were rescued and 2 persons lost their lives in the cold. The Red Cross of Noordenstaat, tightly cooperating with the Rode provincie Emergency Services are delivering much needed aid to the cut-out villages in the mountainous areas close to the Fyngaria and Nidwalden borders. Karelstad and Oostenburg city authorities have instructed their citizens to avoid going out, and only if they must, to operate their vehicles with great caution.
Later this day on H1 motorway between Karelstad and the border with Fyngaria, a mass accident occurred where more than 40 vehicles slammed into each others. Emergency services arrived briefly to the scene of the accident and evacuated more than 70 people from the wrecks. 15 people were injured, and they were quickly transferred to Karelstad for treatment.
This section of the motorway is now closed in both directions and the citizens are instructed to use alternative routes.

Across the border in Fyngaria, similar situation. According to the Fyngarian Central News Agency, the snow caused major traffic blockages and all the services, together with the army are working under full capacity to clear out major routes between the cities. Lorecian Community's Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation - Lorcontrol has instructed closure of international airports in Rode Provincie in Noordenstaat, and the airports in Fyngaria's capital - Kijmaforsz and Szafnaklisz, and all flights are redirected to areas not affected by the snow storm.
We will bring more information as the situation unveils.

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by **Hindia Belanda** » Wed Mar 21, 2018 1:14 pm

Dewan Deputi Votes to Ban Foreign Funding of Hindia Belandan Mosques

Emilio Marsali | Politics correspondent
^{21 March 2018 | Jakarta, Hindia Belanda}

JAKARTA — Members of the Dewan Deputi, the Hindia Belandan lower house of Parliament (Staten-Generaal), this noon voted by 736 to 54 to prohibit mosques within the Commonwealth from receiving foreign funding in a renewed bid to minimise, if not put an end to, foreign extremist influence over the island country’s faithful. The bill will be sent to and laid before the unelected upper house—the Dewan Bangsawan—on the 23rd of March for further considerations, before it is voted on by the native royals and life peers who make up the chamber.

The bill came after a February report of the anti-radicalisation institute Sadarlah Kalian found that one in sixteen mosques in the Commonwealth has received a donation or funding that can be traced back to Islamist organisations abroad. The report sparked a renewed debate on the radicalisation of mosques and external factors that helped accelerate the rise of radical Islam in the Commonwealth.

Under the proposed legislation, Hindia Belandan mosques would have to declare any donation or funding that they receive to the Nationale Veiligheidsdienst (the domestic intelligence agency of Hindia Belanda) and, from time to time, file a detailed summary of their expenditures to the Hindia Belandan authorities. In addition, mosques would no longer be able to hire foreign preachers and deliver sermons in any language except English, Dutch or Indonesian.

The bill was drafted by the Rt. Hon. Zahra Djaja Koesoemadihardja, the Lib Dem MP and member of the Raad van State, whose constituency Pulu Hantu North suffered terribly from Islamic radicalisation and terrorism in the last few years. The recent stabbing sprees on the streets of Pulu Hantu, which claimed four innocent lives last January alone, galvanised her and a score of other MPs from across the political divide to action.

Co-sponsors who helped Koesoemadihardja draft the bill include Thomas Dijkstra, leader of the right-wing Orange Banner League and MP for Pulu Hantu Cove who is a staunch critic of Wahhabi Islam, and Raden Mas Poernama, the Social Democratic MP for Duizendeilanden XVI.

STAUNCH SUPPORTERS OF THE BILL, from left to right: The Rt. Hon. Zahra Djaja Koesoemadihardja MP (Lib Dem), Thomas Dijkstra MP (Orange Banner League), Raden Mas Poernama MP (SDP) and Imam Ismael Hakim (head of the Commonwealth Shia Convocation).

During the bill’s committee stage, the lower house took evidence from a variety of experts and public personalities, including Imam Ismael Hakim, the newly-appointed head of the Commonwealth Shia Convocation and one of the most vocal supporters of the bill. Imam Hakim argued before the committee that the bill would pave the way for a “Commonwealth free from radical Islam”.

The Imam went on further to propose to the Select Committee on Counter-Terrorism that additional provisions be added to the bill to ban the distribution of the Ahadith, a collection of narrations of the supposed actions and statements of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, in all its forms. His proposal was later rejected by the committee for fear of creating further division in Hindia Belandan society, although some Orange Banner League MPs promised Imam Hakim to revisit his proposal after the passage of this bill.

Scheduled public protests
Already, the controversial Islamist activist Hamida Sarsour has denounced the bill and delivered a fierce critique of MPs who voted in favour of it, calling them a group of “puerile, islamophobe bigots”. Sarsour, now generally reviled by the greater part of the Hindia Belandan populace for siding with the Islamists in the wake of the 2016 Burqa and Niqab ban, is affiliated with the South Senjani Muslim Association which was founded as an off-shoot organisation of the now-proscribed Islamist group Jamah As-Salafiya.

Sarsour plans to stage a protest outside the Parliamentary estates in Groot Rijstveld, Jakarta, this Friday when the bill is scheduled to be laid before the upper house of the Staten-Generaal. Her protest will be met with a counter-protest from the Orange Banner League, according to the Capital Police spokesman.

The Orange Banner League (OBL), a right-wing political party which promises to protect the “unique creole society of Hindia Belanda”, is known for its large street marches to defend native and Indisch cultures from what they deem as “Islamic cultural supremacy”.

Both the OBL and Sarsour’s supporters routinely interrupt one another’s public events and such encounters frequently end in violent clashes between the two groups. Capital Police has taken precautions to prevent such clashes by erecting police steel cordon outside the Parliamentary estates to separate them when their supporters are set to hold demonstrations this Friday.

Dissenting nobles
In the lower house—the Dewan Deputi—the bill enjoyed overwhelming support from cross-party MPs in the wake of rising influence of radical Islam within the archipelagic country. It remains unclear, however, whether the bill would perform well in the upper house—the Dewan Bangsawan—where a small number of life peers and native royals hold a more sympathetic stance towards Islamist organisations, some of which, they believe, were unjustly placed under public suspicion following the passage of Terrorism (supplementary) Act 2017.

His Princely Highness the Kandjeng Ratu Mas of Keagungan, who currently holds a hereditary seat in the upper house as head of one of the Commonwealth’s native princely families, is one of the few hereditary peers who object to the passage of the bill. He has urged a number of fellow peers to form a voting bloc against other hereditary and life peers who support the bill. His Princely Highness has managed to garner the support of 29 peers but he still has to convince at least 39 more fellow peers to join his voting bloc in order to defeat the bill.

If defeated in the Dewan Bangsawan, the bill will return to the lower house to be reconsidered by MPs. Should the bill pass, it would become the most successful Private Member’s Bill to date, with regard to its immense approval in the Dewan Deputi and, possibly, the Dewan Bangsawan as well.

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by **British Hifax** » Thu Mar 22, 2018 10:23 am

Princess Letizia announced the opening of a branch of the Cologne University in Princetown
As one of the firsts programs of the Hifax Foundation the International University of Princetown will work in partnership with the University of Cologne.

HSH Princess Letizia during the announcement in the International University of Princetown.

Princetown, Hifax - A month ago we were seeing the Princess Letizia in the Giusti Forum inaugurating the Hifax Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. The project which is catalogued as a semi-private chartered, non-profit organization whose aim is ‘to support Hifax on its journey to a knowledge economy by unlocking human potential’ is presided by Her Serene Highness The Princess Letizia and today, signed the first partnership with the University of Cologne, Nidwalden to open a branch in the city-state and work in conjunction with the International University of Princetown offering courses related with architecture and design.

The prestigious University of Cologne, famous by its 262 years of work and its varied programs had already showed their interest in opening a branch in the city-state during the visit of Christopher Freimut (president of IUP) to the nidwaldester university in 2017.

The Foundation has shown an incredible work concluding partnerships and investments in the area of education of the Principality bringing the attention of several universities to the tiny city-state. According to the Princess, ‘...behind the University of Cologne there are more universities waiting to sign partnerships and open branches in Princetown (...) a very special offer that will bring not only more movement to the Principality but also a new generation of young people that will take Hifax to an ‘economy of knowledge’’.

The nidwaldester university will have selected courses related with the architecture and design in Princetown and those will be imparted in the new building of the International University of Princetown, however, their president recognised that the University of Cologne doesn’t dismiss to start new courses in other areas of study.

Other news:
•State of emergency in Noordenstaat, Royal Air take precautions
•Hindia Belanda: government wants to ban foreign founding of mosques
•A billionaire candidate for presidential elections in Ord Caprica

Vanities by The Princetown Insider
•All the looks of the Hifax Foundation inauguration ceremony
•Once again Maryam Rahmadisoerja surprise us with her look in Jakarta
•Princess Letizia and Juan Cantú, a Royal Wedding coming soon?

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El Día 2018

by **Nova Deseret** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 8:26 pm

DEFENDING THE HOMELAND REQUIRES TOUGHER STANCE;
NAVY EVICTS MESO VESSELS FROM GULF OF SAQUI WITH LIVE FIRE

After months of diplomatic pleading having failed, the resulting modifications to the Rules of Engagement for Naval Forces of the Grand Republic led to a situation today, as they fired almost 250 rounds of ammunition from machine guns & other weapons during a confrontation with dozens of Meso fishing vessels in an effort to demonstrate a stronger stance against the Mesoland Government. It was late Friday morning in Nova Deseret territorial waters when it was confirmed that more than 40 illegal boats had crossed our share of the border in the Gulf of Saqui, off the southwest coast of the country. Although some were quickly intercepted & demanded to leave without harm prior to the incident, sailors were forced to fire "warning shots at bows of ships which failed to comply" including rounds from deck mounted machine guns capable of disabling smaller military crafts and almost 50 rounds were fired from assault rifles or shotguns during boarding parties on those which further disobeyed commands the Department of Defense said in a statement.

"Nova Deseret has always attached great importance to the management of these fleets as a tool of the Meso Agenda & has actively taken effective measures in relevant waters to disbar their encroachment upon our sovereignty in this manner. Following these events, we hope the opposing side will handle the relevant issue properly, as to avoid such instances which require the taking of excessive actions that could easily jeopardize the lives of our service members, who's only mission is the safety and legitimate rights of Novan fishermen & business's within our own borders."

In questions following the statement on Friday afternoon, a Department of Defense spokesman said several Meso ships attempted to crash into some NLNF vessels, prompting the escalation of force. "These 'Meso fishing trawlers' are equipped with steel bars and wire mesh upon their bows, they ignored the initial eviction warning broadcasts from our navy and rushed towards the patrol boats during an attempt to establish communication" the spokesman continued. The resulting effort led to the destruction of various Meso ships while at sea & their crews interned, destined for the infamous Zumbuga Detention Facility in the city of Saqui. Completing his statement, the official cited our country's Maritime Security Act saying "if a ship or person of any origin uses a dangerous object such as a crafts hull or weapons on board that craft, or other such items to intrude upon or attempt to attack Nova Deseret land based or maritime possessions, we will respond with our own weapons to deter such measures" & that "the escalation has encouraged the continued deployment of larger support means to combat against illegal Meso activity."

by **British Hifax** » Thu Apr 19, 2018 5:26 pm

by **Aswick** » Sun May 06, 2018 5:50 am

by **British Hifax** » Sat May 26, 2018 11:08 am

by **Nildwalden** » Wed Jun 13, 2018 7:36 pm

by **British Hifax** » Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:13 pm

by **British Hifax** » Fri Jun 29, 2018 3:21 pm

OOC: Dated 15 June

by **British Hifax** » Sun Aug 19, 2018 3:09 pm

by **Hindia Belanda** » Wed Sep 12, 2018 1:57 pm

Saira Wong | Palace Correspondent
^{12 September 2018 | Buitenzorg, Hindia Belanda}

As the sighting of the new moon over Hindia Belanda marks the arrival of the Islamic New Year, Shia and Sunni Muslims across the Commonwealth celebrate the first day of Muharram, but for starkly different reasons. The majority of Muslims in Hindia Belanda who are Batini Shias belong to two different branches: the Twelvers, who believe in a line of twelve successive Imams, the twelfth of which is believed to have disappeared in 941, and the Ismailis, whose current and living Imam is the Aga Khan IV. Shias don the robe of mourning at sunset and continue to honour the first ten days of the new year in solemn remembrance. It was on this month in 680 that Husayn, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the third Shia Imam, was killed along with his family by order of the Caliph Yazid at the Battle of Karbala, for which Shia Muslims mourn every year.

On the contrary, for the minority Sunni Muslims, the Islamic New Year is a cultural holiday with some religious significance, marking the story of the Exodus, the liberation of the Israelites from the land of Egypt. Hosting a dinner during such period has always been a challenge for Buitenzorg Palace, one which necessitates sensitivity to both Shia and Sunni Muslims and a poised balance between mourning and celebration. This is reflected in the palace's choice of muted decors and subdued entertainment in lieu of the pomp and pageantry usually seen at the Governor-General's official residence. The Queen's representative has decided on a theme for this year's dinner: "Reconciliation with Nature."

On the fifth of September, I accompanied Buitenzorg Palace's Head Florist Bagus Kartasoetardjo and his team to the highlands of Eastern Java, in search of green gladioluses and red honeysuckles, both fragrant flowers which represent, according to a Shia tradition, the favourite colours of Hasan and Husayn, the second and third Shia Imams respectively. After driving for nearly two hours along the narrow, meandering road that runs from the city of Matalima to the Puncak Hyang Highlands, we pulled up to the side and continued the rest of the journey by foot. There were eleven of us, including Emma de Vries, the Chief Botanist of the Buitenzorg Palace Botanical Gardens, and a local ranger. Equipped with gardening tools and a mandate to bring those plants back to the palace, we walked for a few kilometres, scouring the wilderness, before arriving in a forest clearing where a specimen of red honeysuckle was found gloriously blooming.

At the sight of the scarlet flower, Kartasoetardjo reminded me that I could not help him uproot the plant. "As much as I'd like an extra hand, you legally can't," he told me, laughing. He explained that he and his team are, in fact, the only persons in Hindia Belanda, apart from authorised researchers and gardeners working for a public body, "who can legally uproot any plants growing wild in public land". I sat on a nearby tree stump, as the team carefully dug a circle around the plant, lifted it off the ground and put it into a special container with relative ease.

As Head Florist of Buitenzorg Palace, Kartasoetardjo is responsible for making sure virtually every spot throughout the palace complex, all one hundred eighty three rooms of it, has a floral arrangement. His flower shop, a small neoclassical cottage on the palace grounds, is supplied year-round with flowers from the adjacent botanical gardens and manned by twenty two assistants. For this year's Muharram Memorial Dinner, he wanted something different, something that the botanical gardens did not yet have in its sprawling, eighty seven hectares of lush manicured expanse. "I want to revive the memory of the two Imams through the red honeysuckle and the green gladiolus," Kartasoetardjo told me one afternoon as we stood by the Little Mermaid statue near the palace pond. "They're quite rare in these parts, but I've been told they're out there, somewhere." Emma de Vries, the Chief Botanist at the botanical gardens, quickly lit up with excitement when Kartasoetardjo told her of his plans late last August. Bringing a rare specimen to the gardens is something that any Chief Botanist dreams of accomplishing whilst in office and so she agreed, with permission from Governor-General Rahmadisoerja, to start the expedition.

Indeed, de Vries seemed to have intimate knowledge of the region, where more than a century ago the likes of naturalist Russel Wallace first began their surveys of the verdant land. She pointed the way to another forest clearing, where we found yet another red honeysuckle, and again to the next. Already there were six freshly uprooted honeysuckle plants in our containers by the time the sun reached its zenith. As we moved through the forest, de Vries spied, through the leaves, the fragrant green gladiolus. "For Imam Hasan!" De Vries shouted, jubilant, and immediately the team started their labour. After walking for another hour, we finally laid our eyes on our sixth and final green gladiolus. This time, it was a very young specimen and the team looked satisfied with what they had found. We retraced our path back to our wranglers on the side of the road, put the containers in the backseat to take to the nearest airstrip where a cargo plane was waiting to fly us back to Buitenzorg.

The Red Javan Honeysuckle, blooming in the wilderness of Eastern Java

On arriving at the palace in the evening, the team hauled the plants to an area of the botanical gardens beside the tomb of Olivia Mariamne Raffles, wife of Lieutenant-Governor Raffles, and planted them carefully with the help of gardeners on the palace's payroll. From the distance, we could see Governor-General Rahmadisoerja walking with a guest, followed by what seemed to be their entourages. "Must be someone important," one gardener commented, as she covered the roots of the flowers with soil, their emerald bulbs and scarlet basking in the orange sunset of Jakarta's satellite city.

The morning of the Muharram Memorial Dinner, yesterday, Kartasoetardjo stood in the middle of his busy flower shop, cutting the green and red flowers, mixing them with jasmine and tuberoses. Around him was a ballet of activity, all twenty two of his assistants and his daughter Nadia, who volunteered for the occasion, occupied with the same repetitive task. It was hypnotising to see the way these flowers were cut, trimmed, sprayed and then arranged ever so carefully in large black porcelain vases carrying the Hindia Belandan coat of arms in gold. At one point, the Governor-General even dropped by, offering words of encouragement to Kartasoetardjo's team. "Just take your time," the Queen's representative said to her Head Florist.

Two hours before the first guests would arrive, Kartasoetardjo carried the final arrangement and placed it in front of a wooden podium, where dignitaries would take turn speaking later that night. He smiled, looking jubilant, as servers around him rushed back and forth with silverwares in their hands. "When I started working here, this was an entirely different place," the Head Florist, now forty, recalled his first day on the job in 2003, when his position was created by then-Governor-General Salim. "This palace paid no attention to detail. Before, they just bought whatever flowers were available in the market as long as they fit the budget. This palace was soulless." A few months into his job as Head Florist, in 2006, one of his floral arrangements made the headlines. It was a centrepiece for Koninginnedag, a towering floral bouquet at the top of which were chrysanthemum flowers in the shape of a sun. From then on, Kartasoetardjo became a household name in the florist world.

Finally at eight o'clock, amongst a sea of Kartasoetardjo's green and red flowers, the Governor-General in her black dress opened the dinner with a recital of what Esoteric Shias believe to be God's own monologue to humankind, as captured in the poetry of a Sufi Saint: "I have made Myself fragrance so often, but still you have not smelt Me," Governor-General Rahmadisoerja said from the podium to a multitude of guests in similarly dark attire. "Others love you for their own sakes, but I love you for yourself," she continued. "So love Me. Love Me alone."

Prime Minister Antje Moeljani was teary and so was Marcus Overstraten, now Leader of the Opposition, who I caught looking up at the foliage-covered ceiling - also courtesy of the Head Florist. The guests, like me, were visibly lost in the moment as if pondering, perhaps, over the question of existence itself. Or was it something else? It was hard to tell, but everyone, surrounded by flora of green and red, seemed prayerful in their contemplation, and Kartasoetardjo took that as a success. Outside, the palace is lit in the two Imams' favourite colours; everything was well thought out.

What came out of his work over the past week, from the wilderness of Eastern Java to the State Dining Room at Buitenzorg Palace, was a series of meticulous floral arrangements of different strains, fragrant yet unpretentious, mashed up together into an assemblage worthy of honouring the two Shia Imams. Their omnipresence at the sedate, candlelit dinner reminded all who attended of the passion of Hasan, the sorrowful fate that awaited Husayn and his family in the plains of Karbala and the hope for a world born anew, at peace with our many differences. "We're all different, just as the flowers in my arrangements are different," Kartasoetardjo told me. "But they do complement each other in their own, equally beautiful ways. And that's enough for me."

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by **British Hifax** » Sat Nov 10, 2018 8:44 pm

by **Hindia Belanda** » Fri Dec 14, 2018 7:16 am

Briefings for Friday, 14 December 2018

Antje Moeljani, the Prime Minister, and her cabinet are on their way to Koninstad to meet their Noordenstaatian counterparts at the biannual Royal Union conference of ministers. By tradition, the Prime Minister carries the Governor-General's Christmas Greetings for Her Majesty the Queen and will return to Hindia Belanda with the monarch's reciprocal Christmas Message for the Queen's representative. 72-year old Antara Soeparta, former CEO of Halvestör Group, was arrested in Bandar Kunti on charges of financial fraud. He served as the financial adviser to Marcus Overstraten, the former Prime Minister and current Leader of the Opposition. Mr Overstraten refused to comment on the matter when asked by journalists outside his Upper Menteng townhouse, as he left for Parliament this morning. In Southeastern Malaya, tensions rise as anti-government protesters swarmed the streets demanding a second independence referendum. Antje Moeljani, the Prime Minister, has ruled out any possibility of a future independence referendum for the autonomous province. Southeastern Malayan Police has so far arrested 84 protesters on charges of vandalism and arson. Moehammad Hoemajoen Soedjadi, the Undersecretary of State for Interior and Kingdom Affairs, wrote in the Weltevreden Review that he would give total support for another round of raids on Islamists and terrorist sympathisers across the Commonwealth. Mr Soedjadi argued that it is in the national interest for Prime Minister Antje Moeljani to continue this controversial practice, which was started by the ousted Liberal Democratic government of Marcus Overstraten.

Although still in the red, Air Nederlands Indië shows a twenty-eight percent improvement in revenue (Q4) since its restructuring early February this year. The Hindia Belandan flag carrier has been cutting down expenses and discontinuing unprofitable routes, after losing hundreds of millions in profit in Q3 last year. Over twenty-six million customers of OranjeHB across Hindia Belanda are still without internet access after the service stopped working on Wednesday night, leaving them unable to access the essential Negaraku App on the go. OranjeHB CEO has apologised to customers and promised to get the service back up and running by tomorrow morning. Halvestör is to cut eight hundred jobs, mostly from its management positions. Finance Minister Louis Wouters announced yesterday evening that television licence in the Commonwealth will be abolished starting next fiscal year. This morning, Mr Wouters told the Dewan Deputi, the lower house of Parliament, that the Treasury would no longer levy the licence fee to fund the NI4, the Hindia Belandan public service broadcaster. The NI4 will start receiving direct grant from the Commonwealth Government starting April next year.

Covert, the hip beach club in Tanau known to host some of Astyria’s most lively nightlife scenes, was closed yesterday evening after patrons reported being sick. Tanau Police Commissioner said this morning that the venue will remain closed as investigation is underway. Governor-General Maryam Rahmadisoerja and husband Darius Rahmadisoerja received the Buitenzorg Palace Christmas trees, of the Dacrydium kind which grow abundantly in the highlands of Java, early this morning. The Viceregal Couple invited local residents to the small photo-op on the palace grounds, as the trees are hauled by a team led by Emma de Vries and Bagus Kartasoetardjo, respectively the palace’s Chief Botanist and Head Florist. Two men and three women were arrested in the resort town of Bandar Kunti for spraying graffiti next to the private residence of the Queen’s Commissioner for Bali. In Ohellno, Papoua, thirty-two Melanesians were arrested for raising the secessionist Papouan flag.

The Museum of Astyrian Art in Princetown, Hifax celebrates one hundred and thirty four years of Hifaxian artist Pedro Garré with an exhibition of his canvas works, some of which are being revealed for the first time before the public’s eyes. The exhibition runs until 7 January next year, after which it will travel to a number of Astyrian countries, including Hindia Belanda, in a bid to promote Hifaxian culture region-wide.

The Conference of the Birds will once again return to the Hindia Belandan stage, artist Maya Utami announced on Wednesday. The musical performance, which received numerous accolades for its excellent rendition of the twelfth century poem and novel use of theatrical techniques, will open for its nineteenth run on New Year’s Day at the Jakarta Opera House.

by **Hindia Belanda** » Tue Dec 18, 2018 1:09 am

Briefings for Tuesday, 18 December 2018

Speaking from a lectern at Fort Prins Frederik this morning, Alissa Moerdiana Hakim, the Commissioner of the Capital Territory Police, announced that a new face recognition technology will be tested in and around Weltevreden District, Jakarta, for three days. The announcement was met with concerns around privacy and a firm criticism by the Hindia Belandan advocacy group Privasi Untuk Semua. Antje Moeljani, the Prime Minister, and her cabinet took off from Koninstad early this morning after the biannual Royal Union conference of ministers to travel home. In the Dewan Deputi, the lower house of Parliament, Undersecretaries of State deputise their senior Ministers of the Crown who are flying home from Koninstad today. Laura Soedarmo, the Deputy Prime Minister and Undersecretary of State for General Affairs, said outside Nusantara Palace this morning that the Commonwealth Government would publish a white paper detailing its plans to develop border towns along the Maqtajeri-Hindia Belandan border. Ms Soedarmo said she would table the white paper in the Dewan Deputi tomorrow for a general debate. Anti-government protesters demanding a second independence referendum for Southeastern Malaya dispersed after an announcement was made by the Commonwealth Government that it was considering giving the autonomous territory more devolution. Thomas Dijkstra left the Orange Banner League after serving as its leader for three years, becoming an independent until the next General Elections.

Despite projections of slowing restaurant sales, Hindia Belandans are eating out more frequently than they did a year ago, a new study revealed. Almost half of the Commonwealth said that dining out is still preferable to preparing meals at home because of practical reasons. New ‘healthy restaurants’ are springing up in major cities of Hindia Belanda as clean eating fad takes hold across the Commonwealth. Hindia Belandan chef Yorgos Dremawan, writing in the Epicuria, warned of the 'cultish tones' to this clean eating fad. Halvestör Group was put under investigation following the arrest of Antara Soeparta, its former CEO and former adviser to the previous Hindia Belandan government, on charges of financial fraud. Hamida Sjahbaana, the Minister for Social Welfare, Public Health and Sports, said that she would mandate communes to collect household food waste separately in an attempt to reduce methane discharge. Shoppers began to storm the high-streets across the Commonwealth in time for Christmas, suggesting a surge in consumer confidence. Trading is set to open later this morning with a 0.2% rise of Hindia Belandan shares.

Tanjung Keindahan Provincial Police are taking over the investigation of last Thursday’s incident at Covert, the hip beach club in Tanau, from Tanau Police. The beach club was closed Thursday evening after clubgoers reported being sick, with three of them taken to the nearby St Ignatius Hospital. Gde Agung, the Queen’s Commissioner for Bali, said he would not seek reelection in the upcoming Provincial Elections when his tenure ends in February, joining five other Queen’s Commissioners who are retiring from provincial politics in the coming year. Two terrorist plots had been foiled in the Province of Papoea in the last ten months, Poernomo Sugih, the Director-General of the Nationale Veiligheidsdienst, told Undersecretaries of State in Cabinet last night. Governor-General Maryam Rahmadisoerja and her family left Buitenzorg Palace this morning for Pulau Alba Island off the coast of Jakarta, where they will spend the next four days at Istana Menara Setan, one of six official residences at her disposal. Making her way to a helicopter on the grounds of Buitenzorg Palace this morning, the Governor-General told journalists she would give audience to members of the public at Buitenzorg Palace on Christmas Day, before hosting a dinner for dignitaries in the evening. She confirmed that she would not attend any church service and would give instead private audience to faith leaders at the Palace.

Story from across the sea
The City Corporation of Lendert said it would restore parts of Halton Street, which passes the Hindia Belandan Embassy to the Court of St Michael'sgate, that are in disrepair next Spring, the Regal Post reported.

by **Hindia Belanda** » Mon Dec 24, 2018 12:10 pm

24 December 2018

The Yang Mulia Seri Paduka Yang Dipertuan Besar, Maryam Rahmadisoerja, has delivered her televised Christmas Message to the Commonwealth from Buitenzorg Palace. Read the full transcript below:

Almost ninety years ago, many Hindia Belandans celebrated their first Christmas as a free and independent nation. It was a year of immense joy, not only because of the great gift of freedom our forefathers were bestowed with on that August day, after having struggled resolutely for it, but also because it was the year our nation came together as one family, united at last in purpose and destiny.

That spirit of unity still rings true to this very day. From the easternmost to the westernmost reaches of the Commonwealth, Hindia Belandans of all faiths and ethnicities walk together on the streets tonight, as they do each year, to take part in the Christmas Eve Candlelit March, a very Hindia Belandan tradition which presses home the fact that we are but one people. But it was never an easy task to get where we are today and the path forward is still very long and challenging. For Hindia Belandans and Christians the world over, this is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and his effulgent light of hope which shone into a world of gloom over two millennia ago. Today, that light continues to radiate within us all and beckon this nation towards a better future.

Throughout this grand journey, we have shaped ourselves as a nation proud of its heritage, culture and national identity, as a nation that looks to the future with hope and optimism, remembering always the many valuable lessons that our past has taught us.

We find in the figure of Christ an exemplar of perseverance and forgiveness. It is important that we reflect on these qualities as we move forward together and greet the challenges which lie ahead with open arms, with the safe knowledge that this nation will forever remain as one. I hope that, in the coming year, we will also have time to reflect on what it means to be Hindia Belandans who call these beautiful islands our home. We have a duty to look after this land so that future generations can also enjoy it, so I call on us all to honour that sacred duty.

I feel grateful to be surrounded by family and friends at this time of year, but I know that service to this Commonwealth comes first for some of you. I pay especial tribute to all Hindia Belandans who, in their duty, cannot be at home with loved ones this Christmas. I wish them safety, warmth and company wherever they are.

From Buitenzorg, my family, my husband and I wish you all a very happy Christmas, wherever you are. Peace on earth and to all across the world.

Selamat Hari Natal! Vrolijk Natal!

by **Noordenstaat** » Tue Jan 01, 2019 5:38 pm

URGENT: EXPLOSIONS ON PALEISPLEIN ON NEW YEARS EVE
Several detonations were heard on Paleisplein in Koninstad. Several persons injured. Emergency services flock the scene, Koninstad on Police lockdown. More information to follow.

Members of the special police unit guard the area of Paleisplein

Koninstad | At around 23:10 Koninstad time, several detonations were reported on Paleisplein during the New Year concert of the popular rock band "Kozmos". Several dozen Police vehicles were seen making a perimeter around the Paleisplein followed by a number of ambulances and firetrucks.

23:34 | Citizens report that the detonations happened near the Prince Willem bridge at the security checkpoint. More than two dozen people were seen covered in blood. People also report that DSI (Special Operations Unit) units are on the scene.

23:51 | Commissioner Rijder of the Koninstad Police department has given a statement for the press about the ongoing situation on Paleisplein: "The two suicide-bombers detonated themselves at exactly 23:11 at the Police security checkpoint number 6 near the Prince Willem bridge. The police officers at the security checkpoint attempted to further examine these individuals, when they activated the explosive vests. At that moment, 4 police officers and 14 nearby civilians died on the spot and more than 40 other persons are seriously injured and are currently in hospitals. It is still not known who these terrorists were, nor their motives, but we will work to find that out soon. I would like to advise all Koninstaders to remain calm."

00:12 | Death count of the terrorist attack on Paleisplein has risen to 25 as 5 more persons died of their injuries in hospital, so far 51 injured persons were admitted in hospitals and additional 12 are reported missing. The Koninstad Police is on the look for a white Renault Kangoo, newer build, Fyngarian registration plates - [3666 JFC]. If anyone has any information about the searched vehicle, please immediately call 051-132-224 or 122.

00:55 | Her Majesty the Queen Anne-Charlotte II has given a speech from the Royal Palace in Koninstad. She said: "I am deeply saddened by this tragedy that happened to our people and my sincere condolences go to families and friends of the killed. In these horrible times, we must stay together and not let the perpetrators think that they have broke the Noordenstaatian people. The Noordenstaatian institutions will work harder than ever to investigate and bring to justice all persons connected to this horrible terrorist attack on our people."
Meanwhile, the Koninstad Police has issued a statement that they received several reports from the citizens pertaining to the white van. Namely, the vehicle entered Noordenstaat 3 days ago via Karelstad border crossing and was last seen yesterday entering Koninstad from the south. If you have any information about the vehicle, please inform the Koninstad Police.

01:24 | The Koninstad Police reported that the vehicle matching the description was found abandoned in Northern Koninstad some 3 kilometers from the Paleisplein. The officers found a copy of Quran and a black headband with Shadada, an Islamic creed.
The final death count has reached 28, meanwhile 58 people are injured, many of them with life-threatening injuries. The city remains under police blockage as it is believed that the persons that abandoned the vehicle are still in the city.

We will bring more information as the situation unveils.

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by **Nildwalden** » Fri Jan 04, 2019 11:42 am

by **Hindia Belanda** » Thu Jan 10, 2019 6:06 am

Samuel Rex | Editor-in-Chief
^{7 January 2019 | Koninstad, Noordenstaat}

What happens the day after a terrorist attack? I pondered the question as I left my friend’s red-brick townhouse on Balistraat for Paleisplein, the site upon which two Hindia Belandan terrorists visited slaughter the night before. The motivation was made clear, that theirs was a battle against the ‘crusader states of Hindia Belanda and Noordenstaat’. “This is for the Caliphate”, the men shouted seconds before they detonated themselves on New Year’s Eve, offering a strange paean for a state that does not exist.

The eminent Hindia Belandan author Angga du Perron, writer of The Long And Faithful Nights and scion of the du Perron family, offered me an explanation that Islamic terrorism of the past two decades is rooted in a nihilistic worldview, not solely in the precepts of a strain of Islam, namely Wahhabism, as we sat over coffee on Boxing Day last year. “That nowadays Islamic terrorism almost always employs suicide attacks rather than a carefully-planned escape, a formerly feature of Islamic terrorism in the 1980s, suggests that something had shifted in the past twenty years,” du Perron explained to me. The 1984 bombing of the Borobudur Sacred Complex in Java resulted in no casualties, with the perpetrators arrested alive the next day. But the same could not be said eighteen years later, and indeed ever since, when a terrorist detonated a suicide bomb killing two hundred innocent pubgoers on the island of Bali. “A new form of terrorism is surfacing,” he warned me, “and terror for them is not a means, but rather an end in itself”.

Five days after my discussion with du Perron, two Hindia Belandan men affiliated with the proscribed terror group Ansar Al-Salafi arrived on Paleisplein at 11:10 before midnight. At the press of a button, they let loose unspeakable carnage at the Queen’s front door, killing eighteen on the spot, four of whom police officers. “I ran as fast as I could towards the square and then a narrow street nearby. There was blood on my face. I didn’t know whose was it,” Vincent, twenty-five, recounted to me at a bar near Balistraat. “I followed other people in front of me and just kept running. I noticed that almost nobody said anything. We were running, but there was an uncanny silence.” His friend Ellen, twenty-four, remembered that one of the attacker “was grinning as the other held the detonator”. Vincent and Ellen had just began walking with a group of friends near Prince Willem Bridge towards the concert of the rock band Kozmos when the bombs exploded. “The two men stood for a moment that felt like minutes—it was mere seconds in reality—and, still smiling, shouted ‘this is for the Caliphate’. The bomb exploded right after. I jumped onto the ground, crawled for a moment, then stood up and started running with everyone else,” Ellen recounted shakily.

When I reached Paleisplein in front of the Queen’s residence the morning after the attacks, makeshift shrines with flowers and tributes had manifested themselves on the cobblestones, surrounded by sudden pilgrims in quiet remembrance. Not far from there, the Prince Willem Bridge, still cordoned off with a police line that said ‘niet betreden’, looked terribly bereft of life. A couple wept at one corner of the square, with bouquets in their hands. Aside from these anomalies, the citizenry appeared hopeful and stoic, and there was relative calm in Koninstad.

That morning, a few blocks north of Paleisplein, Halima Koesoemaningraat, the Hindia Belandan High Commissioner in Koninstad, tweeted with total abandon from her office. “Monitor mosques and arrest radical Wahhabi preachers,” she wrote on twitter, urging Noordenstaat to follow in the footsteps of Hindia Belanda. “Islamic radicalism must be obliterated,” she went on, before making an appearance at an impromptu memorial on Paleisplein later that day. It was chiefly Hindia Belandans, not Noordenstaaters, who were irate the morning after the attacks in a seeming consensus that the only logical consequence of any terrorist attack are surveillance and mass arrests, such that we have witnessed for the past few years across the Commonwealth. But what does it say about us Hindia Belandans?

We have faced many a terrorist attacks of varying ideologies and, as a horrible consequence, our lawmakers are now more than willing to respond to such evil at the expense of our civil liberties than their Noordenstaater counterparts. It is only understandable that Noordenstaaters are reluctant to act in the same manner that we have during such crises which so often threaten a populace’s way of life and their ability to stay true to it; it is only rational.

In the last few years, battle against terrorism has become less sanguinary in Hindia Belanda and more of a seemingly perennial dilemma, between infringing on people’s privacy in the name of national security and letting the evil that visited on Koninstaders a week ago reemerge on these islands of ours. In the aftermath of the 2016 attacks in Jakarta, the Liberal Democratic government unleashed a wave of retaliations, arresting hundreds of individuals alleged to have shown sympathy for proscribed organisations and deploying a series of surveillance programmes on our streets. From 2015 until early 2018, Hindia Belandan society was so consumed with a climate of vengeance and rage towards the Islamists that, for a reason that can only be attributed to irrationality, we obliged without question to surrender our civil liberties. Marcus Overstraten, now Leader of the Opposition, paid the price for his reactionary leadership in June of last year, ousted en masse by Antje Moeljani and the National Indies Party in a humiliating motion of no-confidence.

On the night of the attacks, Prime Minister Moeljani was at Koningsplein, immediately in front of Nusantara Palace, the headquarters of the Commonwealth Government in Jakarta. Standing on an isthmus between the crowd, a teary Mme Moeljani delivered her condolences to Noordenstaat shortly after the clock struck twelve, during what should have been her first televised New Year’s greetings as Prime Minister amidst revellers who gathered for a celebration that never was. Still, fireworks were launched into the clear Jakarta sky and kisses exchanged, but accompanied by a chilling premonition of what is possibly to come in this new year.

In December, 2008, an Islamist preacher by the name of Umar Bashir travelled to Kingsgate, ViZion from Bras Kering in Malaya Province—his home of seven years—to be initiated into the militant Islamist network Al-Irhab fi Al-Alam, a splinter cell of the widely known Terror of the World. On his arrival in ViZion, Bashir completely disappeared from Hindia Belandan surveillance. It was only in 2015 that authorities learnt that an offshoot organisation named Ansar Al-Salafi had been called into existence during his bout of disappearance in 2009, that Bashir had been recruiting, mostly young men, to join his abhorrent cause with help from his terrorist friends in ViZion.

In November, 2009, the ardent preacher suddenly reemerged from a flight out of Fyngaria at Srikunti Airport in Malaya Province, where an immigration officer took a glance at his passport and returned it to him with little fuss. As he entered Hindia Belandan territory, Bashir was picked up by Provincial Police for a questioning that lasted two days but, for lack of evidence that linked him to a terror organisation, a requirement for a successful prosecution, was released without charges. A terror mastermind in the making was now free to propagate the Islamist ideology.

Indeed, by early 2012, Ansar Al-Salafi, the offshoot organisation, had taken roots in the peripheries of Malaya Province which borders Maqtajer. A considerable following had gathered around Bashir who, according to local townspeople, regularly preached on the squares of Bras Kering, Malaya, his base in the back of beyond of Hindia Belanda. He went the extra mile to ensure that his sermons, despicable as they were, did not violate the meagre anti-terrorism laws that were in force at the time. This was a period when Hindia Belandan police could not even stop and search people in public without first obtaining warrant.

Whereas his mentors from Terror of the World have a clear end goal, that of retaliations for foreign aggressions and hostilities towards their allies, Bashir’s Ansar Al-Salafi has none. Analysts from the Nationale Veiligheidsdienst, the Hindia Belandan national intelligence agency, concluded in a little known 2016 report to the Interior Affairs Select Committee of the Hindia Belandan Parliament that Ansar Al-Salafi “is a departure from the average Islamist terror groups, in that they terrorise for terror’s sake”.

Come last September, the two Ansar Al-Salafi suicide bombers indoctrinated in the militant Islamist cause travelled to Fyngaria, where they stayed completely under the radar of authorities for nearly three months. Kíjmafőrsz Police later ascertained that the two men had rented a car, a Renault Kangoo, in the Fyngarian capital in preparation for the attacks on New Year’s Eve under the name of their Fyngarian associates. The day after Boxing Day, the two Hindia Belandan bombers and their Fyngarian friends drove to Koninstad. In the Noordenstaater capital, they hunkered down at a residence of their affiliates—all Noordenstaat citizens—who briefed the two bombers of the situation surrounding the area which enabled them to unleash indescribable terror unto merrymakers as they bid farewell to another year and, ultimately and most tragically, their fellow Koninstaders.

The attacks in Koninstad are a reminder that the Islamist threat is truly a universal problem, requiring a coordinated and level-headed response from countries affected by this evil. Antje Moeljani and her government are similarly faced with the difficult task of formulating a correct course of action, perhaps one aimed at reversing the self-destructive path we Hindia Belandans have somehow chosen to take following the wave of terrorism in 2015 under the premiership of Mr Overstraten. She must also, as Prime Minister who inherited a country so obsessed with turning on itself in the fight against the Islamist menace, remind her Noordenstaater counterpart that celebrating life in the face of terrorists who love only death, in staying strong without caving in to paranoid solitude, is always the better option than living our fears, for the latter shows that terrorism has really succeeded its goal to terrorise.

After the attacks in 2015, it took a painfully long time for cities across Hindia Belanda to reclaim their lively spirit, for people to once again populate the street cafés and bars under parasols and the tropical sun, for the citizenry to walk down the streets without a care or the music to resonate again on sun-kissed beaches. Koninstad does not have to go through the same, overly-lengthy recovery process, marked with distrust and fear that we experienced firsthand on these islands.

On New Year’s Day evening, I joined Koninstaders in a street vigil for the twenty-eight victims of the attacks the night before. There I saw a beautiful sight, of a populace united on the streets under flame-coloured sky, the orange of the Kingdom’s flag, in an outpouring of affection for one another and solidarity with the bereaved. A bar down the street began to fill with people, buzzing with activity. A group of cyclists sped by, in defiance of terror. By going back to their lives as soon as possible, Koninstaders are choosing not to let this evil win.

by **Albeinland** » Sat Jan 12, 2019 1:14 pm

Explosion at the Port of Lenderpool leaves three dead
Smoke causes city population to be evacuated

Leonard Spencer (@leospencer)
Jan 10, 2019 | Castelby

LENDERPOOL - According to the National Emergency Service and the Lenderpool Metropolitan Guard, about 85 tanks with 10,000 cubic metres each of petrol and diesel oil that were in the portuary area of the city exploded at the dawn today (January 10), causing a fire that spreaded out to the entire southern zone of the port, which has the largest flow in the country. Tremors and the sound of the blast were heard by workers and local citizens at 4:32 am. At the time of the explosion, two employees and a security guard were in the vicinity and were immediately killed. With the blast, the Lenderpool Fire Brigade and two other neighboring towns - Westhan and Olivershire - had all of their units redirected to the fire site, beginning preparations to put out the fire still at 5:12 am.

The impact of the explosion made the remnants of tank structures to stop within 50 metres of their location, as well as the flammable liquid spreaded to the surrounding area, damaging another 15 nearby tanks and invading a path inside the harbor. Despite this, the biggest danger is a power station that supplies energy for the whole of the port region, which is compromised and runs a serious risk of another explosion. Earlier this morning, the Fort Duncan Fire Brigade also had all of its units shipped to the scene of the blast, but by noon, due to the lack of infrastructure to contain a fire of this size, little was done.

The toxic, dark, dense smoke spread throughout the city in a matter of minutes. At noon, it was impossible to walk the streets of the city centre, which made that no merchant open their stores today. Hospitals and medical clinics have started receiving mass cases of health problems due to the inhalation of smoke. The smoke also caused several residents to seek shelters in other cities even before the emergency services ordered the same, which caught several road authorities unsuspecting. The M4 - which connects Lenderpool to Bedford in the northwest - had a 57-kilometre peak of congestion at 11:37 am.

The Lenderpool Mayor Douglas Shadstone made an official communiqué for the media in Westhan, declaring a state of emergency in the town and stating that he will do "everything possible to get the city back to normal business". Twelve regional airports have their flights canceled and the fire caused the loss of millions of Sterlings in damages or by the closure of the port. The Royal Maritime Authority of Albeinland, the Parliamentary Committee on Maritime Affairs and the Royal Navy issued notes and decrees diverting the freighters route from the Port of Lenderpool to the Port of Forest. At Castelby, the Chancellor Vincent Lloyd has not talked about it yet, but the First Lord of the Admiralty the Sir Alex Jones has already demonstrated "full compassion" and, if the Mayor Shadstone accepts, he will be able to send ships to contain the fire. The National Emergency Service has already issued a statement stating that everyone in the region should "get out and avoid Lenderpool as much as possible". It is not known if the Albish Army and Royal Air Force will participate in the fire-extinguishing operation, with the Royal Navy being the only military branch that had shown support.

A catastrophe that was about to happen

The fuel tanks and other flammable materials were owned by the A&G Palmerston, a Lenderpool-based company responsible for the storage and distribution of this fuel, acting as a third-party company of other foreign companies or private nationals in the oil sector, in which the extracted/from other countries oil was transported to the tanks and thus to continue its course. Currently, the A&G had contracts with about another five foreign companies from several countries, but none with the Albish Government. Palmerston is a company little known in the market, but that has been in the same branch since 1966, with the company being founded by Lord Palmerston as Palmerston OD. In 1988, the family sold the company for £3,200,000.00 to the A&G Group based in Bedford. Even with the purchase by the group, large parts of the company's operations were not entirely the responsibility of the corporation, acting as an "autonomous company".

Although only today that all the attention of security authorities has returned to Lenderpool, many other authorities and port employees have already notified and sent several reports to the town hall stating that "a catastrophe could happen at any time". The first complaints came two months after the company's purchase by the A&G Group, with the Security Officer of the Port of Lenderpool and now the Aidenburgh University Professor Edward Cambridge sending an extensive 200-page report to the Administrative Board but without any success. In 1996, Cambridge retired from the office and and his successor is Martha Collins, who also sent three times several attempts that the place where the tanks would be fit with modern safety molds, but no success. After two principles of fire in 1998 and 2001, Mrs. Collins resigned, with responsibility for security being administered by an outsourced and authorized company. Both Mr. Cambridge and Mrs. Collins refused to speak to the press.

It is unknown what will happen to the company now, however, according to what is prescribed by law, the company and the corporation will be prosecuted for at least three crimes, which may lead to the arrest of all those directly and indirectly responsible for the crime. Even A&G Palmerston and the A&G Group did not comment about the fire.

So far, the incident is being classified as a "catastrophe" and has no forecast of the fire to end.

by **British Hifax** » Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:44 pm

by **Mizialand** » Mon Feb 18, 2019 10:44 am

NO HOLIDAY ON DURGA PUJA, EID

Referendum to recognize them as public holiday rejected

Heleventia: The result of the referendum regarding recognition of the sixth day of Durga Puja and Eid-ul-Fitr, the last day of Ramadan was declared here on Sunday. This nation wide referendum recorded a turnout of 40,4% with 65,5% votes for 'No' 34,2% votes for 'Yes' and 0,3% votes declared as 'Invalid'. This referendum was held after the representatives from the Bengali and the Muslim communities in Mizialand, which form the largest migrant community (after excluding migrants from Lorecia), gathered enough signatures for a 'National Referendum'.

In Mizialand, referendum are held at three levels - Communal, Municipal and National. According to Article 3.2 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1996 any citizen aged 18 years and above of sound legal and mental capacity can initiate a referendum which can be voted upon once it attains 200,000 signatures. The signatures are verified at the Commune and the Commune, through their Provincial Representative sends the signature to La Frachiere (the Parliament) which assents it (the Parliament cannot refute any referendum which has required signatures) and puts it to vote. All citizens aged 18 and above of sound legal and mental capacity can vote on the referendum. Mizia citizens residing abroad can also vote at the Mizia embassies and/or consulates.

The referendum was initiated by Mizia Hoichoi, an organisation representing the Bengali Community here. The Bengali Community forms 0,9% of Mizialand's population, 64% of whom are Hindu, 33% Muslims and rest identify as 'Atheists'. Durga Puja is a major festival of the Shaktism sect of Hinduism which marks the victory of the shape shifting Goddess Durga against the demon Mahisasura. Since 2006, celebrations for Durga Puja have taken place at major cities such as Heleventia, St. Louis, Dakota, Bonn, and Amersfoort. It is especially celebrated with great enthusiasm in 'Litte Bengal' neighbourhood of Heleventia.

Eid ul Fitr marks the end of the month of Ramadan, the month of fasting in Islamic traditions. Though initiated by the Mizia Hoichoi, this festival is celebrated by almost all of the Muslims in Mizialand which form 3,5% of the population. It is an expression of the communal aspects of Islam such as giving alms to poor, charity, worship, patience etc. Usually most Muslims take a day of work on that day and pray at mosques.

Business and public holidays allow a day off for religious observance as a tradition rather than a rule. Many small and locally owned businesses however do not give a day off to their employees for these reasons; thus the Community felt for the proposal to be introduced at the National Level. Moreover the laws regarding 'personal and religious observances' vary from Commune to Commune and the Community felt that a uniformity was necessary. The referendum was opposed by the right wing 'Alternative Party', currently the largest party in opposition in the Parliament. "For every minority we cannot give a holiday. Then we will have so many holidays and consequent loss to business and productivity." said Janis de Laang, spokesperson for the party. The party had also campaigned against this referendum.

As is the current trend, this referendum saw a low voter turnout. "It did not concern us. I wonder how they managed enough signatures." said Thomas Sahin, who had recently turned 18 and is looking forward to other referendum "worthy of our time". Similar sentiments were expressed by Lola Gaël, a school principal in St. Louis,"We already had 3 national referendum and 10 communal referendum so far this year. Next year, I'm going to be a member of the Communal Council. I suppose there's something like too much democracy." The trend of decreased public participation was observed in 2018 Mizia Voter Report on the occasion of the Third Anniversary of General Elections. According to it "35% of the respondents were tried of the political participation."

Khondakar Abu Naseer, a member of the Hoichoi expressed his regret that the proposal was rejected. "I am disappointed, but at least these days can be taken as observance." The Community campaigned and tried to raise awareness regarding the issue but unfortunately their efforts did not bear fruits. "We did not get a positive response from many Communes. Also we are only limited to largely urban Communes." said Mr. Naseer. It seems, for now, that people will have to depend on the whims of their employers for holiday on these days.

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