copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-07-12): The Minerva Reefs (Template:Lang-to) are a group of two submerged atolls located in the Pacific Ocean south of Fiji and Tonga. The islands are the subject of a territorial dispute between both nations, and in addition were briefly claimed by American Libertarians as the centre of a micronation, the Republic of Minerva. [...] In 2005, Fiji declared that it did not recognize any maritime water claims by Tonga to the Minerva Reefs under the UNCLOS agreements. In November 2005, Fiji lodged a complaint with the International Seabed Authority concerning Tonga's maritime waters claims surrounding Minerva. Tonga lodged a counter claim. In 2010 the Fijian Navy destroyed navigation lights at the entrance to the lagoon. In late May 2011, they again destroyed navigational equipment installed by Tongans. In early June 2011, two Royal Tongan Navy ships were sent to the reef to replace the equipment, and to reassert Tonga's claim to the territory. Fijian Navy ships in the vicinity reportedly withdrew as the Tongans approached.[16][17][18] [...] - ↑ Has Minerva got a king or a president? Pacific Islands Monthly, August 1972, p13 - ↑ Song, Lili (2019). "The Curious History of the Minerva Reefs: Tracing the Origin of Tongan and Fijian Claims over the Minerva Reefs". The Journal of Pacific History. 54 (3): 417–430. doi:10.1080/00223344.2019.1573664. S2CID 166321414.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-05-21): The Minerva reefs are two atolls in the Pacific Ocean and are located south of Fiji and Tonga. They lie below sea level and were discovered when the Rosalia shipwrecked there in 1807. Another shipwreck, the whaleship Minerva, gave its name to the reefs. In the early 1970s libertarian millionaire Michael J. Oliver erected the Ocean Life Research Foundation and reclaimed the reefs from the sea with tons of sand shipped in from Australia, he planned to build a resort there, Sea City, based upon libertarian principles: ‘no taxation, welfare, subsidies, or any form of economic interventionism’. He declared the independence of the Republic of Minerva in 1972, but this was not accepted by Tonga, the rightful owner of the reefs according to the South Pacific Forum. Ten years later another group of Americans made another attempt to claim the reefs but they were forced off by Tongan forces. Now the reefs are ‘more or less reclaimed by the sea’.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-02-22): The Curious History of the Minerva Reefs: Tracing the Origin of Tongan and Fijian Claims Over the Minerva Reefs @article{Song2019TheCH, title={The Curious History of the Minerva Reefs: Tracing the Origin of Tongan and Fijian Claims Over the Minerva Reefs}, author={Lili Song}, journal={The Journal of Pacific History}, year={2019}, volume={54}, pages={417 - 430}, url={https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:166321414} [...] ABSTRACT This article explores the historical events relating to the competing claims over the Minerva Reefs by Tonga and Fiji. Tonga’s sovereign claim over the Minerva Reefs was prompted by a private group’s laying claim to a 'Republic of Minerva' in 1972. At that time, Fiji, as well as the South Pacific Forum, recognized Tonga as the only possible owner of the Minerva Reefs, but did not explicitly recognize Tonga's claimed sovereign title. Such a position reflected the legal uncertainty in…
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-07-12): In 1972, the "utopian" Republic of Minerva made its first appearance in the New York Times in a story headlined "South Sea Reef Proclaimed a Republic by 3 Americans." Michael Oliver, one of the three founders, explained that he wanted to create an "escape from high taxes, riots, drugs, and crime" and did it through an old-fashioned colonial land grab. Oliver and his partners chose the Minerva Reef—named after a ship that was wrecked on it in the 1820s—which is about 450 miles south of Fiji and 260 miles east of Tonga. During low tide, it’s only partially submerged. They intended to build a 400-acre artificial island over the reef and turn it into a resort that would "sparkle like a jewel in the blue South Pacific," according to one of the Republic of Minerva’s self-published newspapers. They hoped to attract tens of thousands of residents and base their governance structure on zero taxes, no welfare, no subsidies, and no economic intervention. [...] According to some accounts, the Tongan government retaliated by dropping a box of emergency supplies labeled "supplied and maintained by the Tongan government" to establish ownership of the reefs. The Republic of Minerva’s founders showed no signs of backing off, so in June of 1972, the King of Tonga proclaimed that the reefs were part of his country and planted a Tongan flag on the reef.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2011-06-21): The rescue of Colonel David Mara from Fiji water first of all demonstrated to Fiji that Tonga will use force to protect its sovereignty over Minerva aka Teleki Tonga and Teleki Tokelau, and Tonga is quiet capable of protecting its own territory. The Tongan official stand on the Minerva Reef is: [...] j. Minerva has been recognised by international organisations as under the Tongan sovereignty since 1972 as shown by the two maps from [the] International Atlas contrary to some Fijian claims of recognition. k. The Fiji illegal government's willingness to talk about the claim of Minerva should not be recognized by Tonga, unless Fiji returns to democracy and elects a legitimate government and in the meantime Tonga has submitted its territorial and EEZ claims to the UN.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2016-09-15): Situated 250 miles from Tonga, the Republic of Minerva was conceived by wealthy Nevada real estate mogul Michael Oliver. According to Oliver, his organization the Ocean Life Research Foundation had raised $100 million to create a utopian society on Pacific reefs. Oliver’s plan was to create a micro-nation without taxes, welfare or economic intervention, that lived chiefly off of tourism and fishing. In 1971, Minerva’s construction began by bringing barges of sand to the reefs to raise them out of the ocean. Oliver then led a conference of neighboring states in which he delcared his intentions, only to find out that Tonga had issued a claim over the land. At that point, Oliver and his organization jumped the gun a little bit. Ignoring other claims to Minerva, Oliver issued a declaration of independence and created a coin currency for his new nation and was all set to launch into his experiment in nation building. [...] Since that time, a few other groups have tried to set up shop on the islands of Minerva, only to be rebuffed once again by the Tongan government. Almost all of the land brought to the reefs has since been reclaimed by the Pacific Ocean.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-01-27): The North and South Minerva Reefs are two submerged atolls between Tonga and Fiji to the north, and New Zealand to the south. [...] History [edit]Both Tonga and Fiji claim the Minervas. The dispute has yet to be resolved. [...] Flora and fauna [edit]Climate [edit]Get in [edit]The only way to visit them is by boat or seaplane. Both North and South Minerva have wide passes through their reefs allowing entry for deep draft sailboats. However, South Minerva has coral heads in the pass and in the anchorage area as well. The coral heads are not difficult to avoid in good seeing conditions, however in rough seas and squally, cloudy weather it can be dicey. North Minerva's pass and lagoon are both clear of coral heads
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-03-17): About Minerva Reef Retreat Where does the name, Minerva Reef Retreat, come from? The actual Minerva Reef consists of two reefs: North and South Minerva, the two reefs lay within close proximity of each other and are situated halfway between New Zealand and Tonga around 400 nm from either country in the South Pacific Ocean. North Minerva reef is in the shape of a circle with a small inlet while South Minerva forms the shape of the infinity symbol. The Minerva Reefs are in the territory of Tonga and named after one of the most important Greek Goddesses, originally a Goddess of war she fought on behalf of just causes and is seen as a civilising influence.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-07-04): An American sailing yacht that was denied entry to Tonga is heading to Tongan territory anyway, expecting to anchor at Minerva Reef (Tele ki Tonga and Tele ki Tokelau) tomorrow, Sunday July 5. Tonga's patrol boat VOEA Neiafu is currently at Minerva Reef, the HMAF Navy confirmed today. [...] Minerva, named Teleki Tonga and Teleki Tokelau, is part of the HMAF regular patrol operations, and Tonga regards the reefs as part of its territory even though they are outside the official EEZ. HMAF maintains a navigational beacon there. [...] Interested to see that Tongan Coast Guard forced a NZ yacht to leave Minerva Reef. The Zatara was permitted to stay. The real question is why the Tongan Coast Guard believes they have authority to have flagged ships of other nations leave what is at best Exclusive Economic Zone ("EEZ"), when these ships are not heading to Tonga, or engaging in economic activity. Minerva Reef isn't an island (disappears at high tide) isn't withing Tongan territorial waters (12 mile limit), and taking these actions in an EEZ appears to be a violation of the UN Convention?
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-10-26): MINERVA REEFS 🇳🇿 NEW ZEALAND 🏝 2 31 39+ [...] MINERVA REEFS 2022-05-24 |In NATURE, FIJI |By southpacificposse A group of two submerged atolls located in the Pacific Ocean south of Fiji and Tonga. The islands are the subject of a territorial dispute between both nations, and in addition were briefly claimed by American Libertarians as the center of a micronation, the Republic of Minerva.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-07-06): Nuku'alofa, TONGA — An American sailing yacht that was denied entry to Tonga is heading to Tongan territory anyway, expecting to anchor at Minerva Reef (Tele ki Tonga and Tele ki Tokelau). Tonga's patrol boat VOEA Neiafu is currently at Minerva Reef, the HMAF Navy confirmed today. [...] Lt. Commander Siua ‘Ika, at HMAF Touliki Navy Base told Matangi Tonga this afternoon that the patrol boat VOEA Neiafu was currently at Minerva Reef, and they had not sighted the yacht today. [...] Minerva, named Teleki Tonga and Teleki Tokelau, is part of the HMAF regular patrol operations, and Tonga regards the reefs as part of its territory even though they are outside the official EEZ. HMAF maintains a navigational beacon there.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-01-01): Tonga has an Interpol National Central Bureau and a Drug Enforcement Taskforce to combat the transnational trade of drugs. However, the country relies on neighbouring countries for infrastructure resources and training. Even though the police department's budget was increased almost tenfold to address the methamphetamine epidemic, the military force continues to be more prominent and efficient compared to law enforcement in the country due to the international support it receives. Tonga maintains its territorial integrity but islands further from the central Tongan islands might be more vulnerable to criminal markets due to the lack of support and resources. Effective border controls are difficult because of the country’s geography and size. Tonga faces challenges in protecting its fishing zones but not to the same extent as other nations in the southwestern Pacific. Tonga is also a side to the ongoing territorial dispute of Minerva Reef with Fiji.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-05-02): The Republic of Minerva had done little to warrant the four-hundred-pound sovereign’s considerable wrath. It lay outside of Tongan territorial waters; it had been in existence for less than six months and, other than crustaceans and limpets, it had no inhabitants. Indeed, seeing as the Republic was situated upon the hazardous Minerva reefs, whose surface was completely submerged at high tide, it hardly seemed conducive to sustaining any human population whatsoever. Yet the Republic was not entirely lacking the impress of humanity. Some of the reefs had been piled high with sand, and a small stone platform jutted through the waves. From this edifice flew the flag of the Republic of Minerva—a white torch on a blue background—clearly signaling dominion over the amphibious territory. But while this lone construction had survived the attentions of the tides, it could not hold out against the attentions of its new visitors. As the brass band played the Tongan national anthem (rough translation: "Hear our prayer, for though unseen / We know that Thou hast blessed our land. / Grant our earnest supplication, / and save Tupou our King"), King Tupou himself tore the scurrilous flag down and read a proclamation of sovereignty over the reefs. Within a few hours the platform had been dismantled, and the Republic of Minerva had been annexed without so much as a whimper.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2011-06-06): The declaration of independence, however, was greeted with great suspicion by other countries in the area. A conference of the neighboring states (Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Nauru, Samoa, and territory of Cook Islandss) met on 24 February 1972 at which Tonga made a claim over the Minerva Reefs and the rest of the states recognized its claim. [...] His Majesty King Taufaahau Tupou IV in Council DOES HEREBY PROCLAIM: WHEREAS the Reefs known as North Minerva Reef and South Minerva Reef have long served as fishing grounds for the Tongan people and have long been regarded as belonging to the Kingdom of Tonga has now created on these Reefs islands known as Teleki Tokelau and Teleki Tonga; AND WHEREAS it is expedient that we should now confirm the rights of the Kingdom of Tonga to these islands; THEREFORE we do hereby AFFIRM and PROCLAIM that the islands, rocks, reefs, foreshores and waters lying within a radius of twelve miles [19.31 km] thereof are part of our Kingdom of Tonga. [...] In 1982, a group of Americans led again by Morris C. "Bud" Davis tried to occupy the reefs, but were forced off by Tongan troops after three weeks. In recent years several groups have allegedly sought to re-establish Minerva. No claimant group has to date made any attempt to take possession of the Minerva Reefs territory.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-11): On 24 February 1972 Tonga made a claim over the Minerva Reefs, which was backed by Australia, New Zealand (including the Cook Islands), Fiji, Nauru and Samoa. A Tongan expedition was sent to enforce the claim, arriving on 18 June 1972. In 1982 a group of Americans led again by Davis tried to occupy the reefs, but were forced off by Tongan troops after three weeks.[2] No known claimant group since 1982 has made any attempt to take possession of the Minerva Reefs. According to Reason, Minerva has today been "more or less reclaimed by the sea".[3] [...] Prior to 1972, Tonga had not claimed sovereignty over the Minerva Reefs. In 1887, when King George Tupou I of Tonga first proclaimed Tonga’s territory, the Minerva Reefs were not included. When asked about the Minervan's project, the King of Tonga, Taufaʻahau Tupou IV, denied rumors that Tonga meant to claim sovereignty over it, yet said "it was in the best interest of Tonga not to allow a group of people, whose objects were to make money and whose activities could be harmful, to become established on the reefs." Neighboring countries agreed; Fiji’s Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, claimed the actions of the Minervans set a dangerous precedent: "If these people can claim Minerva, what would stop them from doing it here?"[9]
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-01): The ownership of Minerva Reefs (23°40'S., 179°00'E.) has been an unresolved issue between Fiji and Tonga for quite a while. Tonga is one of Fiji's closest friends and they hope to resolve the issue through peaceful dialogue. [...] Tonga's claim to the Minerva Reefs, situated south of Fiji's archipelago, may complicate Tongan-Fijian maritime boundary negotiations. In 1972, King Taufaahau Tupou IV made a royal proclamation that Minerva belongs to Tonga, the two atolls were named Teleki Tokelau (North) and Teleki Tonga (South). Tonga constructed two structures in each of the reefs where beacons were placed. [...] In Fijian history the reef is regarded as the fishing ground of the ancestors of the people of Ono-i-Lau. Tonga's claim is founded on a Royal Declaration by the late King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV - when he declared the reef as Tongan territory in 1972. In July 2014 Tonga's's Lands Minister Lord Ma'afu revealed a proposal for the island kingdom to give up the disputed Minerva Reef to Fiji in exchange for the Lau Group. But the government of Fiji would lose a major portion of their country for some uninhabited reef.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2014-07-04): Tonga's land minister Lord Ma'afu suggests ceding the Minerva Reefs in return for Fiji's Lau Islands group. He told the Tonga Daily News, external, "We have a lot of our own people with Lauan ancestry and a lot of Lauans with Tongan ancestry... our history dates back a long, long time. So in good faith I will propose to Fiji's foreign minister that they can have Minerva Reef and we get Lau in return". Lord Ma'afu is named after a Tongan prince who tried to conquer Lau in the 19th century. Possession of Minerva Reefs grants rights to possibly lucrative undersea minerals. Tonga annexed the atolls in 1972 to forestall attempts by US, Australian and other prospectors to develop it. Fiji does not recognise Tonga's claim to maritime waters around the reefs, and filed a complaint with the International Seabed Authority in 2005.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-09-15): - O’Connell, supra note 37, p. 197. The King of Tonga personally visited the Minerva Reefs together with ministers and other personnel, and officially declared Tonga’s sovereignty over all islands, rocks, reefs, and water areas within a radius of 12 nautical miles from these two reefs, which are within the Kingdom of Tonga’s fishery area. S. Menefee, "‘Republics of the Reefs:’ Nation-Building on the Continental Shelf and in the World’s Oceans," California Western International Law Journal, vol. 25 (1994), p. 100. Tonga subsequently set an EEZ surrounding "the territorial sea of Tonga" of 200 nautical miles from the baseline. The Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone Act, Act No. 30 of 23 October 1978, as amended by Act No. 19 of 1989. http://www.un.org/Septs/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/PDFFILES/TON_1989_Act.pdf, accessed February 16, 2007.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-02-20): Fiji wants talks over Minerva Reef territorial dispute [...] The Fijian Ministry for Foreign Affairs may invite Tongan counterparts to have talks over a long standing territorial dispute over the Tele ki Tonga and Tele ki Tokelau Reefs, also known as Minerva Reef. Tonga says it is a "misunderstanding". - Read more about Fiji wants talks over Minerva Reef territorial dispute - Log in or register to post comments
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Tonga (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2016-08-08): By June, the occupiers forced the hand of Tonga’s King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV. He annexed Minerva—claiming the reefs as traditional fishing grounds—scribed a 12-mile territorial limit around them, then visited in ships with 100 troops to dismantle the republic’s structures, and a four-piece brass band to play the obligatory national anthem. Oliver’s brief reign was over, though he would later attempt to establish libertarian states in the Bahamas and Vanuatu. Both failed. Tonga, too, would have its share of trials, facing challenges for the territory that still rage today. When the kingdom claimed the seabed 200 nautical miles from its coast under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Minerva Reefs suddenly became politically relevant, overlapping with Fiji’s claim under the same treaty. Within the disputed region lies thousands of square kilometres of ocean and mineral deposits on the seabed potentially worth hundreds of millions in mining licences. This led to a naval stand-off, with the Tongans erecting a navigational beacon, and the Fijians tearing it down. Last year, Tonga suggested a land swap—Minerva Reefs for the Lau Group, which represents about half of Fiji’s territorial sea and would almost treble that of Tonga. The suggestion wasn’t taken seriously, and did little to settle international relations.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Fiji (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-07-06): The Minerva Reefs (Tongan: Ongo Teleki) are a group of two submerged atolls located in the Pacific Ocean between Fiji, Niue and Tonga. The islands are the subject of a territorial dispute between Fiji and Tonga, and in addition were briefly claimed by American Libertarians as the centre of a micronation, the Republic of Minerva. [...] Territorial dispute [edit]In 2005, Fiji declared that it did not recognize any maritime water claims by Tonga to the Minerva Reefs under the UNCLOS agreements. In November 2005, Fiji lodged a complaint with the International Seabed Authority concerning Tonga's maritime waters claims surrounding Minerva. Tonga lodged a counter claim. In 2010 the Fijian Navy destroyed navigation lights at the entrance to the lagoon. In late May 2011, they again destroyed navigational equipment installed by Tongans. In early June 2011, two Royal Tongan Navy ships were sent to the reef to replace the equipment, and to reassert Tonga's claim to the territory. Fijian Navy ships in the vicinity reportedly withdrew as the Tongans approached.[16][17][18] [...] - ^ Has Minerva got a king or a president? Pacific Islands Monthly, August 1972, p13 - ^ Song, Lili (2019). "The Curious History of the Minerva Reefs: Tracing the Origin of Tongan and Fijian Claims over the Minerva Reefs". The Journal of Pacific History. 54 (3): 417–430. doi:10.1080/00223344.2019.1573664. hdl:10523/12395. S2CID 166321414.
Claim: Minerva Reefs is a territory of Fiji (Minerva Reefs, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-01-27): The North and South Minerva Reefs are two submerged atolls between Tonga and Fiji to the north, and New Zealand to the south. [...] History [edit]Both Tonga and Fiji claim the Minervas. The dispute has yet to be resolved. [...] Flora and fauna [edit]Climate [edit]Get in [edit]The only way to visit them is by boat or seaplane. Both North and South Minerva have wide passes through their reefs allowing entry for deep draft sailboats. However, South Minerva has coral heads in the pass and in the anchorage area as well. The coral heads are not difficult to avoid in good seeing conditions, however in rough seas and squally, cloudy weather it can be dicey. North Minerva's pass and lagoon are both clear of coral heads