Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads

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The Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads was a micronation in the Spratly Islands established by British naval captain James George Meads in the 1870s.

Video Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads

History

The republic's history begins with Captain Meads, who laid claim to the Islands in the 1870s. Meads was exploring the South China Sea and laid claim to the Spratly Islands. Descendants of Meads have continued to posit legitimacy over the islands, and ownership of the island's resources. However, there is no contemporary evidence of the existence of this state. There is no reliable information available about the life of Meads: his name does not appear in the archives of the British armed forces.

Kingdom of Humanity

A rival entity called the "Kingdom of Humanity" formed in 1914 under the leadership of Franklin M. Meads, the son of James George. The two rival factions continued their claim on the islands during World War II, when they were occupied by Japanese troops. Franklin died in 1945, and his son Josiah took over leadership; Josiah himself died soon after. His son, Morton F. Meads, was to succeed but was deemed too young. The Kingdom of Humanity reunified back into the republic in 1963.

Legal attempts at legitimacy

The Kingdom faded into obscurity over the next decade until 1972, when the then-ruling Morton Meads unsuccessfully petitioned the United Nations, Chiang Kai-shek of the Republic of China, and the Republic of the Philippines to recognise the Kingdom and its claims. Later that year, the remainder of the Kingdom's governing body drowned in a shipwreck, except for Meads.

The Kingdom reappeared in 1985 when Meads sued the United States and others for $25 billion, claiming "unfair competition, harassment, [and] sabotage." The case was not heard.

Maps Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads

See also

• Spratly Islands

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References

src: 1900.ethnia.org

Further reading

• Samuel Pyeatt Menefee, "Republics of the Reefs: Nation-Building on the Continental Shelf and in the World's Oceans", California Western International Law Journal, vol. 25, no. 1, Fall, 1994, pp. 83-85.

Source of the article : Wikipedia