Democratic Republic of Ubizieten

The **Democratic Republic of Ubizieten** (ຊະຖະລະນະລະດ ປະຊະຖິປະຕະິ ໂຝ ູນິzິເຕເນ), or the DRU. The DRU, located in Northern Osho along to border of Zhonghan and the Social Republic of Ubizieten. Formed during the Ubizieten civil war, the DRU is a Marxist Leninist state deeply integrated within the Safingrad Pact, and Second Workers' International.

With a stable one party democracy, and slowly growing economy, the DRU has secured it's place within the continent of Osho, and continues to mantain it's internationally recognized soviergnty as a United Nations member state.

## History

Although the history of Ubizieten is long and expansive, the history of the Democratic Republic's is quite modern. For decades, Ubizieten had remained strapped under the colonial domination of the Corusconian Imperial rule, only gaining independence in 1973.

The newly established government however would not last long, only until 1974 when socialist's over turned the government. Despite being socialist, the new government took a staunchly agressive stance against the established socialist world of Elparia, regularly inciting tensions and disputes with the neighboring Zhonghan, while activly putting preassure on the neighboring Geurighaven.

Constantly paranoid over capitalist infultration, as well as communist disloyalty due to their anti Zhonghanian stance, mass, nation wide purges were common, often random, and often brutal. Many were executed based off of assumed ideological leanings, while others were executed based off of race.

Tensions came to a head after the Ubizieten government prompted an undeclared border skirmish along Zhonghan's north eastern border, and being repullsed. As diplomatic talks broke down, Zhonghan officially declared war in 1976.

### Founding the State 1976-1979:

Zhonghan and Ubizietens tensions had been running high for the span of 2 years. With the wide spread purges came a mass flow of refugees into Zhonghan, many of which were government officials fleeing out of fear of execution from the increasingly paranoid home regime.

With a high influx of Ubizieten government officials seeking refuge in Zhonghan, and the now decleration of war, Zhonghan in 1976 officially organized an official, temporary "Government in Exile" within it's own borders, with many Zhonghanian officials seeing this as an oportunity to solidify Zhonghan's influence in Northern Osho.

The Government in Exile would not have to wait long to return to Ubizieten, with the Zhonghanian Armed Forces making rapid advancments against the heavily purged, demoralized and under equipped Ubizieten forces, setting up the government in exile officially in the recently captured southern stronghold city of Vinaeti, formally announcing the creation of the "Democratic Reoublic of Ubizieten". Although it's formation was disputed internationally, many influential states, such as Konzask saught to immedeatly recognizing it's legitimacy. Konzask in particular, sympathizing with the struggle of a new communist state, began to send limited armed support.

Thew new governments rapid sucsess would soon meet a major road block, as other rivaling factions siezed the oportunity to rise up in the wake of heavily weakened and ever powerless regime. Capitalist forces in the north east, with the extensive aid from Geurighaven, Thule, Essotori and Entaria had sucsesfully overthrown the local regional administration, claiming their own right as the legitimat power of Ubizieten. The final blow to the old Ubizieten regime came when the final remnants of it's administration had revolted in it's North Western territories, officially estableshing an entirely seperate, independent state, which saught positive relations with the final two Ubizieten governments, seeking to preserve their neutrality and independence.

Despite the destruction of the old regime, the fighting would rage on for another 3 years between the northern capitalists, and southern communists, with the south recieving extensive aid from Zhonghan, as well as increasing aid from Konzask, with Konzask even officially deploying troops in Osho to aid the DRU.

As the fighting raged on, in 1979, seeing as the war was going no where, and each side growing increasingly weary of conflict, begrugingly signed a peace treaty, dividing the north and south along the Ubiz river, as well as forcing the foriegn powers involved to recognize both the north and the south. With the war concluded, the Democratic Republic of Ubizieten finally had peace for the first time since it's foundation.

### Entrenchment of the State 1979-1990

With the war over, and the DRU entering it's first stages in it's life span, little time was wasted in the states solidification. With the extensive aid from both Zhonghan and Konzask, as well as the added stress of having a new, rival, northern neighbore, a One Party Democracy system was propped up within the DRU, topped with extensive propaganda campaigns centered around the "Immortalization of the Party". The one party system, although bringing with it more political rights then the previous government, mantained the rather hands on approach of the DRU government, using it's new centeralized control to begin enacting mass reforms across the country, along the pretext of the parties Marxist Leninist ideological line.

The DRU in this time had enacted it's self proclaimed "2 year plan", with the intent to rapidly recover from the brutal civil war, and repare what was damaged from the initial Zhonghanian invasion. The plan itself was deemed relativly sucsesfull, with substancial financial aid from Konzask, and extensive industrial aid from Zhonghan, the reconstruction of the DRU's countryside was both rapid, and efficient. Furthermore, in order to speed up the process, and aid with the countries future development, Zhonghan introduced a joint infustructure policy, permanently linking the two states rail lines, highways and roads. A policy still mantained to this day.

##### Purge of the Northern Communists 1979

With the civil war at an end, and the solidification of the new government under way, many questions remained to be answers, one of which was what to do with northern difectors and communists who fought for the south, as well as those from the north exiled south by the old pre civil war government.

Under recomendation of Zhonghan, and fear of potential northern espionage, a wide spread purge of government, and military personal who once had ties to Northern Ubizieten had gone underway, leading to mass executions and a death toll of over 2,000. The Purge was concluded later in the year, with no purge nearly to the same scale having taken place since.

##### The Domestic Faction 1982

With the extensive aid from the Elparian socialist world, the DRU over the proceeding years had been able to not only recover from the civil war, but line itself up for future economic, and industrial growth. However, this growth did not come cheap. Although on paper, the DRU was, and still is an officially independent state, due to the massive role Zhonghan played in the civil war, the ties much of the parties higher ranking members leading directly to Zhonghan, as well as Zhonghan's extensive influence and control over the DRU's economic development, in practice, the DRU had turned into a Zhonghanian client state.

Zhonghans extensive influence did not come unchallenged, esspecially in the lower echelons of the party. Lead by the parties younger members, and reformists alike, the self proclaimed "Domestic Faction" was formed. Initially tollerated by the party, as well as Zhonghan, as all they did was quitly push for greater autonomy, and argue for more local control. However in march of 1982, large political rallies advocating for the empowerment of the Domestic Faction broke out in the countries western costal regions. The peaceful rallies soon turned into wide spread regional riots after the police tride, and failed to disperse the crowds and break up the rallies. With the situation continueing to devolve, the military was eventually deployed to regain control of the situation, leading to over 32 civillian cassualties, and the arrests of an estimated 300 people, with the government heavily censoring the event outside of Ubizieten. Having enough, the Domestic Faction, and it's leader, Makani Thammasith, were arrested, and tried on the account of high treason. The trials ended with the imprisonment of the factions lower members, and execution of Makani, and organization leaders.

##### UN Membership 1984

With the country stable, threats of the North neutered, and it's growing participation within Elparia's socialist world, under the recomendation of Zhonghan, the DRU officially applied for membership into the United Nations, eventually gaining membership in 1984. Within the UN, the DRU has been known to consistently vote along the same lines as Zhonghan, and other socialist countries.

#### Push for Industry 1985-1990

Despite the newly found stability, security, and international recognition obtained by both north and south, the DRU still found itself heavily agrarian, and falling behind it's northern neighbore, the DRU had officially begun it's first 5 year plan, with the intent to modernize it's agriculture, urbanization, and modernize it's industry.

With extensive financial, mechanical, technelogical and industrial aid from across the socialist world from both Konzask and Zhonghan, the plan itself saw relative sucsess. Many cities saw rapid modernization, new tools, tractors and technologies began to enter the DRU from foriegn countries, as well as the rapid expansion of the DRU's trade relations. Seeing the sucsess of the first plan, a new plan was put in the works from 1990-1995 and so on, with the DRU entering a period of slow, but stable economic growth and financial stability.

### **Information Age 2000-Today**

As the DRU entered the information stage, so did it's policy, and active participation in international affairs. The early 2000's saw the DRU fallow Zhonghan's example, and open it's borders to foriegn citizens and tourists. Allowing foriegners into the country however, forced the DRU to adress a long put off issue, that being the status of northerners in the south.

As the borders of the DRU were opened to foriegners, that meant the borders with Northern Ubizieten were opened as well, leading to a mutually shared refugee crisis. Many northerners trying to escape to the south seeking a better life, living conditions and to escape the increasing authoritarian government, while many southerners fled north hoping for their own better living conditions, and promises of a western style democracy (a promise many southerners heading north soon found to be false).

To adress the growing refugee crisis, rather then close the border again, the DRU inacted a more formalized, stringent border control program, as well as the creation of the "Northern Relocation Committee" in 2005. The committee's purposed was to organize refugees from Northern Ubizieten, and distribute them across southern cities accordingly, as well as responsible for providing northern refugee's with housing, and work, a move often critisized by capitalist countries as a blatant propaganda campaign, while the move is activly endorsed by others.

The Committee also had the secondary role of conducting live interviews with Northern refugee's in order to give them a platform to discuss their expirences, stories, and detiorating situation northern Ubizieten finds itself in. The legitimacy, and genuinity of these interviews is hotly disputed internationally between the Elparian powers. However they served their purpose in providing a less restrictive means of demotivating potential southerners from heading north, as well as being able to technically leave the border restricted, but open for internal, and international propaganda purposes, or so they are accused of.

#### The International and the Safingrad Pact 2020-2021

As the early 2000's came and went, Konzask's focus had begun directing further abroad. Esspecially in 2020, with the formation of the Second Workers International, as well as the Safingrad Pact. Zhonghan, Konzask's closest ally, inevetably joined both organizations, leading to DRU into joining as well. The move greatly increased the diplomatic presence of the DRU across Elparia, as well as it's trade ties within the socialist world. With it's increase presence, and trade, soon too came a rapid increase in investment from states like Konzask, and especially Zhonghan.

The DRU's ties soon would greatly expand in 2021, with Kemets membership into the Safingrad Pact, granting the DRU trade ties, diplomatic ties, as well as military ties to the largest country in Salerian soil, which was greatly epmphasized in internal propaganda efforts.

#### The Berinsky War

As tensions in Berinsky exploded into open warfare between Konzask and Quangsuh, Zhonghan inevetably found itself joining the conflict, and with Zhonghan's entry into the war, so too did the DRU. Although officially a participant in the war, the DRU did not activly contribute much to the fighting, only contributing non combatant auxileries, and expanded logistical support.

However, the DRU's stand offish tone soon changed after the humilation the Zhonghanian navy faced, the DRU openly denounced Quangsuh, and began making preperations to mobilize it's armed forces, and send them directly to the frontline. These plans were reportedly scrapped after Quangsuh's retreat off the mainland, and Konzask's proclemation of victory.

The DRU found itself further enraged with the Zhonghanian acceptance of a ceasfire, feeling Zhonghan had "Submitted to defeat", the DRU refused to sign any form of ceasfire, out right cutting all diplomatic ties to Quangsuh that it had left, fallowing the Konzaskan line toward's Quangsuh, in not activly engaging in open combat, but refusing to negotiate under any terms other then their own.

#### The Silent Purge 2021

Still inbittered by the Zhonghanian humiliation, seeking the approval of Konzask in supporting their position, as well as fearing potential negative reprocussion from Zhonghan itself, the DRU had begun a silent purge of pro Haoist elements within it's party. Posing many of the deaths as suicides for higher ranking officials with Haoist leanings, while lower ranking ones were secretly "persuaded" to publicly resign. The death toll of the silent purge is estimated to be around 15, with a further 20 reported resignations.

## Geography

Most of the northern border of the UDR is demarcated by the Ubiz river, which divides the borders between north and south Ubizieten. Prior to the twentieth century, Ubizieten kingdoms and principalities, as well as the Corusconian colonial administration encompassed areas on both sides of the Ubiz. As the Ubiz was established as a border by the end of the civil war, travel from one side to the other has been significantly limited.

The southern border with Zhonghan, mostly along the crest of the Annamite Mountain Chain, serves as a physical barrier between the Zhonghan and Ubizieten, historically serving as a cultural barrier between the two states. These mountains are sparsely populated and their barrier broken with the construction of multiple new rail systems connectng the two countries. Southern Ubizieten also shares a short north western border with a splinter state, seperating entirely from Ubizieten during the civil war.

The topography of the UDR is largely mountainous with extensive jungles, with the Annamite Range in the southeast and east and the Luang Prabang Range in the southwest, among other ranges typically characterized by steep terrain. Elevations are typically above 500 metres with narrow river valleys. This mountainous landscape extends across most of the south of the country, except for the plain of Vinaeti and the Plain of Jars in the Xiangkhoang Plateau. With flatter, jungle lands populating the northern regions of the country, where the majority of the countries agriculture is located.

The north eastern part of the country contains large level areas in the local provinces provinces that are well suited for extensive paddy rice cultivation and livestock raising. The north east also contains the bulk of the DRU's maratime industries, and in tern, sea life, due to it's various north eastern islands, and island cities.

The natural resources of DRU include timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, and gemstones. The DRU is expected to potentially run into future enviromental problems, as the demands for exotic wood continues to rise, and the DRU's exports continue to rise to meet the demands.

## Demographics

The demographic makeup of the population is uncertain as the government divides the people into three groups according to the altitude at which they live, rather than according to ethnic origin. The lowland Ubizieten (Ubiz Loum) account for 68%, upland ubizieten (Ubiz Theung) for 22%, and the highland Ubizieten (Ubiz Soung) for 9%.

Ethnic Ubizietens, the principal lowland inhabitants and politically and culturally dominant group, make up the bulk of the Ubiz Loum and around 60% of the total population. The Ubiz Theung are a branch of the people who began migrating northward from the north eastern borderstate in the first millennium A.D. In the south, there are mountain tribes of Mia–Yo, Astri-Oshiatic, Yo, Aka, and Ubhu, who migrated into the region in the 19th century. Collectively, they are known as Ubiz Soung or highland Ubizieten.

Although proclaiming to be a Secular nation, he predominant religion of the Southern Ubizieten people is Theravada Buddhism. Animism is common among the mountain tribes. Buddhism and spirit worship coexist easily. There is a small number of Christians and Muslims, assumed to have come from the Corusconian colonial era.

The official and dominant language is Ubizieten, a tonal language of the unique Ubiz linguistic group. Midslope and highland Ubizieten speak tribal languages. Corusconian, once common in government and commerce, has declined in use, while knowledge of both Zhonghanian, and Konzaskan — the language of which the DRU deals with the most — has slowly increased in recent years.

With a median age of 19.3, Southern Ubizieten has one of Osho's youngest populations.

## Government

The Democratic Republic of Ubizieten is a Marxist Leninist, one party democracy. As such, it's political system is governed by the princinple in which the rule of the population by directly elected councils is exercised. The councils are directly responsible to their electors and bound by their instructions using a delegate model of representation. Such an imperative mandate is in contrast to a free mandate, in which the elected delegates are only responsible to their conscience. Delegates may accordingly be dismissed from their post at any time or be voted out (recall).

In the DRU, voters are organized in basic units, for example the workers of a company, the inhabitants of a district, or the soldiers of a barracks. They directly send the delegates as public functionaries, which act as legislators, government and courts in one. The councils are elected on several levels: At the residential and business level, delegates are sent to the local councils in plenary assemblies. In turn, these can delegate members to the next level. The system of delegation continues to the National Assembly at the state level. The electoral processes thus take place from the bottom upwards. The levels are usually tied to administrative levels.

This system, being a one party democracy, although allows considerable amounts of freedom to it's people, bind representatives to the one singular vangaurd party, as such, function under party principles, and make proposals and debate under the principles and doctrine of the party.

#### Foriegn Relations and Military

The DRU officially, is an internationally recognized, United Nations memberstate, which directly associates, and has membership within the Second Workers International, Spartikade, and the Safingrad Pact. The foriegn policy, and relations it shares outside these three organizations is generally influenced, and dictated by Zhonghan.

Militarily, the DRU recieves extensive military subsidies, and support from bouth Zhonghan and Konzask, allowing it to mantain a moderatly sized armed force, while paying a fraction of the cost themselves, a measure deemed nessicary due to the precieved "precarious" situation it finds itself in with in Osho. Ontop of the ongoing war with Quangsuh, despite never having activly engaged Quangsuh in battle thus far.

## Economy

With a slowly growing industrial sector, and drive for industrialization, currently the largest economic sectors within the UDR come from collectivized agriculture, maratime industries and it's extensive trade ties. With a Centerally Planned economy along similar lines to Zhonghan and Konzask, Southern Ubizieten has seen slow, but steady economic growth over the years, and continues to see such.

Trying to fallow in the same footsteps as Zhonghan, the DRU has also made small pushes for computerization, recieving extensive technical aid from Konzask and Zhonghan to do so, with long term goals to one day overshine their northern counterpart.

## Culture

DRU social status places an emphasis on respect for elders; family and village authority; and the Buddhist concept of dharma, which emphasizes personal moral duty. Buddhist principles encourage stoic indifference and quiet reserve in dealing with disagreements. However, DRU people also have a strong concept of muan or “happy contentment” which encourages actions to not be taken too seriously or too quickly.

The family unit is the basis of much social interaction, as such it is common for Southerners to refer to each other using familiar cognates such as “sister, brother, aunt or uncle” without an actual family tie to that person. Friendship falls between two categories, moo linh “play friends” are acquaintances and moo tai “die friends” who are considered as family. It is not uncommon or even considered rude for moo tai to show up unannounced for an extended stay, or to share personal possessions. Personal face-to-face contact is considered the most polite, and Western notions of invitations, letters and emails are viewed as foreign.

Traditional South Ubizietens are conservative about their appearance and personal space. South Ubiz people are also generally sensitive about physical contact. In keeping with social status it is expected that younger people slightly bow or keep their heads lower than elders. Except among a parent child relationship it is considered condescending to touch a south ubiz person's head. Pointing with the hands or fingers is also insulting especially during a disagreement. Positioning of feet is highly important. Feet should never be pointed toward a Buddha image, or elders. Shoes should always be removed when entering a temple or an Ubiz home or it will give serious offence.

The typical south ubiz greeting is the nop. In a nop the hands are clasped together upright in a prayerful position, with fingertips below the nose and a slight downward gaze. The nop is often accompanied with the greeting "Sabaidee" or “good health (to you)” and is considered the polite and proper address.

Special social attention is paid to monks and religious items. Touching a Buddha image or animist shrine is always offensive. South Ubiz people will generally nop and kneel when approached by passing monks. However, compassion is the guiding principle in such interactions and the exception is up to the monk to determine.

South Ubiz social etiquette is extremely complex, and much of it may go unnoticed by even a northern Ubizieten. In the past it was not uncommon for rule books (dtumla) which thoroughly explained social interactions, timing, and which activities which should be undertaken at key times to be used.

##### Baci Soukhuan

The baci is the national folk ritual of the DRU and the Ubiz Loum. The animist ceremony is part of satsana phi, and is used for all major social and life events. The Ubiz believe the soul has 32 components which can become imbalanced. The baci reinforces the soul and the community, and involves all the gathered into making prayers and well-wishes symbolized by silk or cotton threads which are tied around the wrists.

## Infastructure

The DRU infustructure and road system is heavily relient, and intirely connected with Zhonghan's. As such although there are a substantial amount of modernized highways under the Zhonghanian road standards, the majority of transport is done via rail, with an extensive metro, and bullet train system spanning across the country, and directly connecting to Zhonghans.

### Energy

Traditionally, primarily burning fossil feuls, since the 1980's, due to the extensive river systems, and push for electrical and energy modernization, an increasing amount of the DRU's energy has become relient on hydroelectricity, with solar power slowly gaining traction due to the DRU's geographical positioning near the equator.