More on the Diaoyu / Senkaku Islands
Having rather telegraphed their intentions, I suppose the Hong Kong Chinese voyagers intent on planting the red flag on the islands should not be overly surprised that they were intercepted by the Japanese Coast Guard.
If they are actually serious about this venture, maybe they would be better off keeping quiet about their aims and then approaching the islands rather more stealthily, rather than in broad daylight.
However, this dispute is as nothing compared to the Spratly Islands, to which the 'People's Republic' of China, Vietnam, the Phillipines, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia all lay claim to in whole or in part.
And just to confuse matters further, the Germans had their beady eyes on them back in the C19th but were scared off by that military powerhouse Vietnam. Naturally none of the islands are inhabited, although there are sundry grunts stationed here and there. Doubtless the world's least desirable military posting after Thule, Greenland although my mate who served with the USAF tells me that Minot, North Dakota takes some beating ("Why not Minot? Freezin's the reason"). Apart from seeking an international virility symbol, the sundry claimants are interested in the oil reserves, and to a lesser degree the fishing rights.
If they are actually serious about this venture, maybe they would be better off keeping quiet about their aims and then approaching the islands rather more stealthily, rather than in broad daylight.
However, this dispute is as nothing compared to the Spratly Islands, to which the 'People's Republic' of China, Vietnam, the Phillipines, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia all lay claim to in whole or in part.
And just to confuse matters further, the Germans had their beady eyes on them back in the C19th but were scared off by that military powerhouse Vietnam. Naturally none of the islands are inhabited, although there are sundry grunts stationed here and there. Doubtless the world's least desirable military posting after Thule, Greenland although my mate who served with the USAF tells me that Minot, North Dakota takes some beating ("Why not Minot? Freezin's the reason"). Apart from seeking an international virility symbol, the sundry claimants are interested in the oil reserves, and to a lesser degree the fishing rights.
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on Saturday, October 28, 2006 at 1:55 pm.
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Right, truth or not time.
These islands are erroneously listed as the Spratly's. They should in fact be called the Mariveles islands.
The UN recognition for these Islands lies with the Kingdom of Colonia. This recognition stretches back to their discovery and claiming by a dutch explorer.
The Islands are on top of a massive oil deposit. However the weather is so bad in this region of the sea that to date it has been beyond reasonable cost to claim. However, with the increase in oil price this may be changing. The chinese who claim these islands, along with everyone else, have occupied some of these islands.
This is in itself dangerous as they are full of pirates who have been known to steal passing ships. Pirates these days been armed with AK47's and RPG's.
Finally, quite a few Vietnamese boat people live are marooned there too.
Anyway, they belong to my family and are for sale at the right price. We did send Harold Wilson over to China to sell them, but they insisted they already own them. Malaysia offered to make them the 13th state in 1984, but we all would have had to convert to Islam in order to become royalty for 5 years (Malaysia has a rotating constitutional monarchy).
Anyway, anyone fancy buying themselves a country? (Our diplomatic passports are recognised in most of the world)
CU - Mariveles, eh? A much better name than the Spratlys. Not sure I've got sufficient funds to stump up for the reserve price, plus it is a pretty bad neighbourhood, oil deposits notwithstanding.
How dare they? These islands are part of the the historic homeland of the Republic of Argentina. Only the invasion by British pirates in .... zzzz....
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