Korean Job Discussion Forums

seoulunitarian · Joined: 06 Jul 2004

Now, I know that according to most regulars here on Dave's, I am no stranger to craziness. But I've had a dream (in the sense of something I desire to do) for a long time to buy a large island for the specific purpose of giving a home to political refugees. Sounds crazy, huh?

I have no idea of logistics of doing such a thing, but I've heard that it is possible to purchase land that is under no existing governmental controls. How awesome would it be to be able to provide a safe place for refugee families to live and make their lives however they see fit?

My dreams are usually too big to realize, but how would one even begin going about such a thing? Anyway, just thought I'd share since that is the first step to realizing any dream.

Peace

seoulunitarian · Joined: 06 Jul 2004

It's actually doable in the form of a micronation or principality (search those terms on google). Sponsors are the key I suppose.

Peace

Junior · Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Location: the eye

its called the USA.
The UK is another one.
And Liberia.

korea is another, but most of the refugees are running from lack of employment Laughing

seoulunitarian · Joined: 06 Jul 2004

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

I remember the Philippines was selling off an island for a six-figure amount. Most micro-nations are afloat on the sea in international waters. In fact, isn't Sealand for sale?

Junior · Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Location: the eye

swetepete · Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Location: a limp little burg

An interesting idea...how about a massive floating barge, made of millions of tiny vessels all tied together, like in Neal Stephenson's novel 'Snow Crash?'

There is talk of a multinational tax-haven megaship for the ultra-rich...a big Titanic looking thing that never leaves international waters, and is thus not subject to the laws of any one state, nor obliged to pay taxes. Is that the 'Sealand' somebody mentioned?

I'm going to rain on the parade a bit here...It's a good idea, but aside from logistics, there are some other issues.
1) Will your new land allow clitorectomies, honor killings, polygamy, Branch Davidism, Children of God (you know, those guys who figured banging their kids was a good idea), Nazism, arranged marriages, MANBLA, or, say, Scientology?
2) Will you police it? If so, how?
3) Will it be tax free? Will it be a welfare state? Universal free health-care? 4) Will all the refugees be nice to each other, and to their kids?

seoulunitarian · Joined: 06 Jul 2004

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Well it could be worse. You could live in Fort MacMurray.

Here's the Wiki entry on Sealand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealand

There are several other similar micronations but I think Sealand is the best known.

swetepete · Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Location: a limp little burg

I'm a little worried about the economics of it, frankly. How are the people going to support themselves? If there were any places with significant natural resources, they'd've been snapped up a couple hundred years ago; if the refugees had marketable skills, they'd've probably been able to emigrate to Canada or Sweden or New Zealand or some place like that.
The whole mission here seems to be, 'offer a safe haven to the truly desperate;' by definition, almost, they'd hardly be in a position to support themselves. A massive retraining program, perhaps, so the people could maybe take some of the Bangalore data-entry and call-centre jobs?
Or maybe some kind of highly profitable data-haven? (Sealand does that, and so did the fictional country in Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon." But the logistics of fiber optic undersea cabling are pretty cost-prohibitive too, unfortunately.)
Otherwise...I'd have to say the best bet would be to work towards legislating a more immigrant-friendly policy in your own home country, wherever that may be. An uphill battle to be sure, but it's much more likely to achieve success.
I'm not taking the pisz here, either. I think you're probably pretty genuine about all this. Me too actually...my great-grandparents were basically refugees to the US, and in a sense, my mom and dad were refugees to Canada. Things have changed rather a lot over the past ten or fifteen years though, and the pendulum seems to have swung pretty far away from the relatively 'open-door' policies those countries have had in the past.
But if you get into it, maybe you can help that pendulum swing back the other way.