Table of Contents
Earth News
T72 SSR Navy Commits Piracy on IEN Escorted Vessels
dateline 3208.161
I would like to offer my praise and thanks to the members of the IEN currently protecting the people and government of the newly independent system of Amoss from the bullying tactics of the reactionary, regressive so-called Sirian 'Socialist' Republic.
Sirian Navy Commits Piracy
The ever duplicitous Sirians breached the agreement to remove military forces from within the M25 of Amoss and have engaged in acts of piracy, kidnap and murder. It was to put a stop to this - in the face of inaction by the supposed peace keepers (the GFAN never turned up and the RNVN colluded) - that the IEN re-entered the system at the request of the poplar government.
While escorting commercial vessels through the system the IEN have been subject to provocative and aggressive acts from the piratical Sirians. The restraint of the IEN in these circumstances is highly commendable.
The behaviour of the Sirians is reprehensible and they must stop their regressive action immediately. I call on the GFAN to send appropriate peacekeeping forces to Amoss; to the RNV to act properly in a peacekeeping role and prevent Sirian piracy and inappropriate imperialism; to the SSR, take a long hard look at your actions and then do what is right for everyone rather than standing on your dignity. In the meantime the IEN will continue to escort any non-military vessel requesting it from the M25 into Amoss. Attempts to interfere will be interpreted as piracy.
The IEN approach to piracy is to engage with all weapons. Survivors will be arrested and tried in a court of law. The maximum penalty is mind-wipe and this is almost always applied to the Captain and officers of any vessel convicted of piracy.
~~DISCUSSION~~
Earth Imperium Intervention policy announced
dateline 3208.170, Sol Q0
The Earth Imperium vows only to intervene when invited to do so by the legitimate government in a non-Earth Empire system, or when the local government is unwilling to tackle piracy.
Earth's Intervention Policy
We should only intervene in non Earth Empire systems when one or more of the following holds true:
- the legitimate government in a single-colony system has requested assistance;
- for multi-colony planets where the legitimate government(s) of the majority of the population in the system has asked for assistance;
- a colony government with whom we have a prior agreement that we would intervene to support them;
- where inter-polity agreements require us to assist;
- where not assisting would, on a balance of probability, lead to genocide being committed;
- where not intervening would lead to loss of a strategic asset to humanity (e.g. hyperlinimum production) or would lead to a conflict spilling over into other systems (e.g. piracy);
In all cases the specifics of the individual case would be taken into account alongside the implications of both acting and not acting given existing inter-polity agreements current at the time.
For all practical purposes the legitimate government is whoever currently commands the support of the population in the colony, regardless of how they came to power or their other policies.
Where we are invited to intervene there should be a presumption that we will help. However we want act on behalf of the bulk of the population and we also want to ensure a humane intervention.
We will not intervene to support governments that have committed genocide at any time nor to support those governments that are currently involved in practices that were incompatible with Solar Republic law, particularly as regards human rights.
~~DISCUSSION~~
Senator Lee Zhang Cleared
Senator Lee Zhang and his wife have both been cleared of any wrong-doing following their arrest at the very beginning of the year.
Martian Spies
Some details about the arrest and detention of former First Minister Lee Zhang are now emerging. It seems that several staff of the Zhangs, both domestic and part of their charitable foundation, had been working for some years for Martian Intelligence. No formal charges are to be brought against Lee or madame Zhang, who have both been released, and Lee Zhang remains part of the Grand Council of the Senate
~~DISCUSSION~~
New Foreign Minister - Sebastian Rathbone
3208.110 After discussion with the First Citizen the First Minister has appointed Senator Sebastian Charles Sinclair Farquar Rathbone as the new Imperial Foreign Minister.
background
He is 65 years old and the third son of the First Citizen.
He served 35 years in the Imperial Earth Navy, rising to the rank of Rear Admiral in the Fleet Reserve after commanding a Battleship Squadron in the Earth Defence Force.
Over the last 10 years his rise to the position of Foreign Minister has been meteoric, assisted in no small part by personal relations within the Senate and amongst the Senior Citizenry, some of whom still ruffle his hair in public.
He has made a number of well remembered speeches in the Senate, most notably on issues of Imperial stability and leadership, together with some powerful pronouncements on foreign policy which no doubt influenced his being chosen for this, his first Ministerial post.
He has a powerful group of information and polling analysts who work behind the scenes to provide him with the most up to date and accurate information on all issues on which he is talking.
He is also known to regularly attend the Universal Church and New Vegas, and to have had personal audiences with the Neo-Pope on several occasions.
He is divorced with two children, both of whom live with their mother.
He enjoys card games, wine tasting and long walks.
~~DISCUSSION~~
IEN New Constructions to 3208.149
IEN shipyards complete new 8 more Interstellar Scouts to patrol the outer quadrants.
Colony Support Ships
On completion of the SCI class scouts the shipyards will be building some Colony Support ships and some interplanetary destroyers.
~~DISCUSSION~~
