Raffore Islands

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Revision as of 07:47, 10 August 2008

Raffore Islands, officially the Republic of Raffore Islands, is an island country located in the South China Sea east of the Peninsular Malaysia. It lies southeast of Tioman Island, southwest of Anambas archipelago, northeast of Singapore and Bintan, and west of Bangorai'. At 707.1 km², Raffore Islands is one of four remaining true city-states in the world. It is the smallest nation in Southeast Asia, overtaking Singapore.

Raffore Islands is a totally reclamed group of islands, being created under the British South China Sea Island Reclamation Project. The reclamation officially started on 5 April 1955, two days before Winston Churchill retired its position as British Prime Minister. As the reclamation progressed on, it appears to take the shape of mainland Singapore and three of its island - Pulau Ubin, Sentosa and Pualau Brani. On 1 January 1957, the island was offically named the British Isle of Raffore, a portmanteau of Raffles and Singapore, by the UK Government. However, the project was handed over to the US Government under the Treaty of Singapore 1957 when Harold Macmillan, UK's Prime Minister at that time, discovered that Eden's Government in UK secretly took some cash from the Project's funds to help in the funding for the UK Army during the Suez Crisis which result in insufficient funds for the Reclamation Project.

On January 1959, the reclamation has been completed and it was renamed to the Island of Raffore, or Raffore for short. Construction then began on the the first town on Raffore, North Raffore Town. In December later that year, the island was renamed to State of Raffore Islands and was officially the 51st state of the United States of America. An international port was then built to the left of North Raffore Town and, within a few months, the new international port proved to be successful and the US Government quickly earned a huge sum of money from Raffore Islands. Also, Raffore's first state government was formed, with Carlson MacLewis being the first Governor of Raffore Islands. Through the MacLewis Plan, towns were expanded and an international airport was built. However, the international airport was closed down just after a few months of opening, leading to unhappiness amongst the Rafforians. MacLewis then steps down and was replaced by David Gomez, which created the Immigration Act in 1972. Due to high taxes imposed on the Chiness and Russians living on Raffore Islands, a Raffore Racial Riot took place between the Rafforians and the Raffore Police.

The Communist countries heard of this Act and the unequal treatment towards the Chinese and Russians. This resulted in the Raffore War at that same year, leading to a high casualty rate on both civilians and military personnels. Raffore Islands then falls into the Communism rule in 1974 and Li Heping, a local Chinese Rafforian, was then appointed as the Leader of Raffore Islands. However, Heping knew about the casualty rate resulted from the War and cut all ties with every country of the world except Japan and the Southeast Asia countries. Raffore Islands was then renamed to the People's Republic of Raffore Islands and gave incentives to his people. With the people's increase in demand for hosuing, education, healthcare and jobs, Heping approached to Singapore for help on 26 June 1974. A Treaty was then signed on the following day, which states that Singapore will help Raffore Islands in country management until Raffore Islands is stable enough to run on its own without the help of Singapore. Both Raffore Islands and Singapore then merged in January 1985 as the Republic of Singapore and signed the Declaration of the Merger of Singapore and Raffore Islands on 15 January 1985, which overwrites the Treaty of Singapore 1974. On 1 June 1993, exactly 25 years after the first batch of immigrant arrived on Raffore Islands, and after Raffore Islands is both financially and economically stable, the State of Raffore Islands was officially separated from Singapore amidst much fanfare and become an independent city-state of the Republics of Raffore Islands.

Since independence, Raffore Islands' standard of living has continually been on the rise. Foreign direct investment and a state-led drive to industrialization have created a modern economy focused on electronics manufacturing, petrochemicals, tourism and financial services alongside traditional entrepôt trade. The Constitution of the Republic of Raffore Islands established the nation's political system as a representative democracy, while the country is recognized as a parliamentary republic. The only party on Raffore Islands, Raffore United Party (RUP), was the only party to ever control the Parliament.