On Forced Expulsions [OPEN, ATTN ALL]

[Knootoss]

From the Knootian Prime Minister:

Office of the Prime Minister
"Libertate Unanimus"

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Office of the Prime Minister of Knootoss
Binnenhof 20
P.O. Box 10001
2500 BJ HARTSTAD
http://www.nationaleoverheid.kn

From: Countess Femke Vologdov of Pereslavl, Prime Minister, Dutch Democratic Republic of Knootoss
To: The Democratic Governments of the World
CC: Atlantic International Organisation
Subject: Forced Expulsions
Security Classification: Public

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Governments of the world,

Today I would like to ask you to consider your actions in the international arena, and to allow your hearts to warm to a cause that has touched my own. The fate of the forcibly expulsed peoples is often overlooked in this world of nation states, and I believe that we can find better ways of dealing with this issue.

The ethnic and political cleansing that involves the forcible expulsion of great numbers of people from a nation is, in some ways, the last acceptable crime against humanity. Using force to remove people from their homes and lives is a horrible thing in itself, and the act often involves heinous crimes. As a direct result of forcible expulsion, families are robbed of their their homes, their livelihoods, their property and their dignity. Along the way, families may be separated, and individuals may be humiliated, raped or murdered. In their new homes, individuals often start at the bottom of the social ladder, foreigners in an alien land.

Unfortunately, population transfer is still considered by some to be an acceptable solution to the problems of ethnic or political conflict. Some countries have chosen to deport entire segments of their population because of their religion, belief, political opinion, race, sex, disability or sexual orientation. These helpless peoples are either "offered up" to other countries or, worse, taken on by outsiders while they are under the threat of imminent death.

Offering to take on foreign populations may seem to be an equitable, even noble thing to do. After all, your nation offers a new life to people who might otherwise have faced an uncertain future. Some nations have even gone so far as to actively solicit other nations to send their "unwanted" peoples over to them. Active collaboration with mass expulsions, rather than addressing the root causes behind such crimes, has gradually become the modus operandi of many civilised powers.

This is wrong. Offering to collaborate with an expulsion provides the violators of human rights with an easy way out of their political troubles. Actively lobbying to receive the victims of such expulsions is even worse, as it may inspire rather than just perpetuate such crimes against humanity. Forced Expulsions should be prohibited, regardless of the motives of the sending and receiving parties. No nation should transfer parts of its own civilian population out of the country, and no democratic state can, in good conscience, collaborate with such transfers. For the transfer to comply with basic human rights standards, prospective transferees should always have a viable option to remain in their homes, if they prefer.

The next time a tin-pot dictatorship threatens to kill or expell all communists, capitalists, elves, jews or ponies, please don't just ask when and where your ships can pick up these downtrodden peoples. Insist on a better, more humane solution.

Thank you for your consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Femke Vologdov

This government communication has been printed on biodegradable paper. All carbon emissions associated with the creation of this government communication have been off-set with new plantings in Colombia, using the Pink Bunny Tree™ Carbon Offset Scheme, sponsored by the Pink Bunny Cola Corporation and the Global Hell Group. For more information about the Pink Bunny Tree™ Carbon Offset Scheme, consult http://www.futureproof.kn.

[Patricant]

From the Knootian Prime Minister:

(Image)

Office of the Prime Minister
"Libertate Unanimus"

---

Office of the Prime Minister of Knootoss
Binnenhof 20
P.O. Box 10001
2500 BJ HARTSTAD
http://www.nationaleoverheid.kn

From: Countess Femke Vologdov of Pereslavl, Prime Minister, Dutch Democratic Republic of Knootoss
To: The Democratic Governments of the World
CC: Atlantic International Organisation
Subject: Forced Expulsions
Security Classification: Public

---

Governments of the world,

Today I would like to ask you to consider your actions in the international arena, and to allow your hearts to warm to a cause that has touched my own. The fate of the forcibly expulsed peoples is often overlooked in this world of nation states, and I believe that we can find better ways of dealing with this issue.

The ethnic and political cleansing that involves the forcible expulsion of great numbers of people from a nation is, in some ways, the last acceptable crime against humanity. Using force to remove people from their homes and lives is a horrible thing in itself, and the act often involves heinous crimes. As a direct result of forcible expulsion, families are robbed of their their homes, their livelihoods, their property and their dignity. Along the way, families may be separated, and individuals may be humiliated, raped or murdered. In their new homes, individuals often start at the bottom of the social ladder, foreigners in an alien land.

Unfortunately, population transfer is still considered by some to be an acceptable solution to the problems of ethnic or political conflict. Some countries have chosen to deport entire segments of their population because of their religion, belief, political opinion, race, sex, disability or sexual orientation. These helpless peoples are either "offered up" to other countries or, worse, taken on by outsiders while they are under the threat of imminent death.

Offering to take on foreign populations may seem to be an equitable, even noble thing to do. After all, your nation offers a new life to people who might otherwise have faced an uncertain future. Some nations have even gone so far as to actively solicit other nations to send their "unwanted" peoples over to them. Active collaboration with mass expulsions, rather than addressing the root causes behind such crimes, has gradually become the modus operandi of many civilised powers.

This is wrong. Offering to collaborate with an expulsion provides the violators of human rights with an easy way out of their political troubles. Actively lobbying to receive the victims of such expulsions is even worse, as it may inspire rather than just perpetuate such crimes against humanity. Forced Expulsions should be prohibited, regardless of the motives of the sending and receiving parties. No nation should transfer parts of its own civilian population out of the country, and no democratic state can, in good conscience, collaborate with such transfers. For the transfer to comply with basic human rights standards, prospective transferees should always have a viable option to remain in their homes, if they prefer.

The next time a tin-pot dictatorship threatens to kill or expell all communists, capitalists, elves, jews or ponies, please don't just ask when and where your ships can pick up these downtrodden peoples. Insist on a better, more humane solution.

Thank you for your consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Femke Vologdov

This government communication has been printed on biodegradable paper. All carbon emissions associated with the creation of this government communication have been off-set with new plantings in Colombia, using the Pink Bunny Tree™ Carbon Offset Scheme, sponsored by the Pink Bunny Cola Corporation and the Global Hell Group. For more information about the Pink Bunny Tree™ Carbon Offset Scheme, consult http://www.futureproof.kn.

I support all of your statements, and am interested in joining a "Coalition against expulsion", to combat nation states who choose the diaspora path.

[Embolalia]

The United Commonwealth of Embolalia
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
mfa.gov.emb
5 LLwyd Blvd., Caridd

It has been, and will remain, the policy of the United Commonwealth to accept refugees. Our nations strive to protect those whom others neglect, and will continue to accommodate them to the best of our ability. Nevertheless, we understand the Dutch Democratic Republic's call for an end to the practice of forced expulsion. While it has always been our policy to attempt diplomatic solutions as a first step in any conflict, we agree with the Knootian position that a stronger effort must be made to bring an end to the problem entirely. We hope that the world will collaborate with our nations in a joint effort to penalize those states which are inhumane to their citizens. Through our cooperation, we hope that we all may one day see a world where all people are granted equal access to their fundamental civil rights.


Gwynefŷr Prŷn
Minister of Foreign Affairs
The United Commonwealth of Embolalia
minister@mfa.gov.emb

[Tarasovka]

[OOC: Taken from this here thread because relevant.]

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From Rainy Sunday:

PONY GOVERNMENTS SNUB KNOOTIAN PLEA AGAINST EXPULSIONS

An initiative by the Prime Minister of Knootoss to raise awareness about the unacceptable nature of forced population exchanges and expulsions of entire ethnic groups has so far not had the success Hartstad surely wanted it to be. The appeal, which called upon all democratic governments to no longer accept forced expulsions as a legitimate tool of solving international disputes has fallen on deaf ears. The history of using forced population transfers as a means to avoid active warfare is a long and ancient one. Amongst the main proponents of such doctrines in the past (and in a lesser sense in the present, too) has been the Triumvirate of Yut, which often used its formidable war machine as a means to “convince” tin pot banana dictators to stop massacring some random ethnic group and instead allow their relocation to Yut countries. Historically, Elvish governments have also been keen to use this tool in order to assist kinsmen in far away countries that were being hunted down due to the pointidness of their ears.

The current trend, it appears, is the massacre/oppression/suppression/molestation/abuse (strike terms not required) of sapient equines, known colloquially as “Ponies”. Ever since the sudden appearance of “Ponies” in the multiverse and their arrival to power, most often through simply overthrowing the previous human government through the use of brainwashed mobs and means similar to military coups, there has been an upsurge in the “discovery” of “Ponies” in various tin pot backwater countries. And, similarly, there has been an upsurge of “Pony” governments going around waving their military might around, trying to impress banana dictators and force them to allow “Ponies” to be relocated to “Pony” countries. Banana dictators have had a pattern of deliberately trolling “Pony” governments with the refusal of the forced expulsions, even when such a solution (“Pony” governments offering to cover the expenses) was obviously the most profitable to those same banana dictators. Just think of it: you need man-hours and bullets (or other means) to exterminate living beings, which in turn costs money. However, nobody ever said that self-proclaimed Presidents For Life and other Eternal Emperors could align more than two neurons in a line.

The Knootian plea, calling upon the democratic governments of the world to not fall into the trap of forced expulsions, however, seems to have fallen on deaf ears. “Pony” governments, which are implicitly considered to be the main recipients of the message (the Knootians even had the good manners and politely called them democratic!) have simply failed to react. Maybe, despite the best intentions of the Knootian Prime Minister, “Pony” governments did not receive her letter, specifically because it was addressed to “democratic governments of the world”?

The question remains open.

[Knootoss]

Q: "I'd like to ask about the official statement on Forced Expulsions, actually. Some time before Christmas, Countess Vologdov pleaded for countries cease collaboration with forced expulsions. The response was... shall we say... minimal. A diplomatic failure?"

A: "Not at all, Clive. It is true only a few countries put out statements in response to the Prime Ministers' call. But for many of our good allies, the idea that you should not collaborate with crimes against humanity goes without saying. When the Western Atlantic turned against slavery, we didn't get a standing ovation either. International politics don't work like that."

Q: "That may be true for traditional Knootian allies. But... Knootoss is also with the International Union of Equality and Freedom, and they didn't seem very receptive either. Isn't that the audience that the Prime Minister was trying to reach? The activist nations?"

A: "I'll point out that Knootoss is only an observer at the Union, and that it neither subscribes to the entirety of its charter, nor abides by it's decisions. Is it disappointing? Well yes, it is. Knootoss' traditional allies aren't the problem, the activist powers are. It would have been nice if these powers had chosen to address the issue, but the Prime Minister still believes it was worth the stamp fees."

As released by,

Lucas L. Maurhoffer

Press Secretary for the government of the Dutch Democratic Republic of Knootoss



OOC: Foreign reporters may follow up with questions.