Separatism in the Faichuk Islands

In 1944 the Carolines Islands came under the control of the United States, which administered them as a Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under a UN mandate received in 1947. A desire for sovereignty and autonomy had been claimed with varying intensity since 1959 by the Faichuk Islands, i.e. the islands and atolls of Paata, Polle, Tol, Wonei, Eot, Fala-Beguets, Romanum and Udot (an area covering 73 km²). Its origins lie in traditional rivalries between clans and chiefs in the Chuuk Lagoon. The reasons were also economic. The islanders criticized the leaders of the district of Chuuk, the future state of Chuuk, for paying too much attention to the capital Weno and not enough to the problems of the outlying islands, the Faichuk Islands in particular. An autonomous district would benefit from more goods, services, medical treatment and facility improvement projects. == 1979–1981 ==

The years 1979–1981 were critical in the history of the Federated States of Micronesia, with strong territorial antagonisms that conditioned and still condition its survival. As part of the gradual formation of the Federated States of Micronesia towards independence, the granting of statehood to Kosrae in 1977, for no other reason than to ensure ratification of the future country's constitution in a referendum on July 12, 1978, reinforced the idea of autonomy. In 1979, a referendum showed that over 80% of the inhabitants wanted a separate state to be formed. On June 6, 1980 the Chuuk Legislative Assembly passed a resolution urging the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia to pass legislation granting statehood to the Faichuk Islands. A second attempt a few months later also failed. The result was a surprise, according to political scientists Austin Ranney and Howard R. Penniman. The law passed by Congress did not determine whether funding for the new state would be half of that currently received by the State of Chuuk, or one-fifth of the total budget of the Federated States of Micronesia, which would considerably reduce the level of funding for the other states. The Yapais joined the Pohnpeians at a later stage. == 2001: a renewal of demands ==

. For many years, the Faichuk district's demands were not supported by any major political movement, although the issue was regularly raised. But on November 28, 2000, a Faichuk constitution explicitly declaring independence was voted on by plebiscite, and approved by 91.1% of the 6,167 eligible voters – residents of the district and expatriates from Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Numerous leaders, mayors, speakers and traditional chiefs signed the Faichuk Declaration of Self-Determination, unilateral declaration of independence transmitted to the President of the Federated States of Micronesia Leo Falcam. The Faichuk State Commission claimed that independence would bring an influx of foreign aid, for example from Japan and Australia. According to this body, the creation of a new state within the Federated States of Micronesia would create more opportunities in the Faichuk district, from industry, agriculture and fishing to private sector development and services managed by the new government. The situation would also be favorable for Chuukois, as Faichuk islanders who had left to work in the Chuuk lagoon would return home, providing opportunities for unemployed Chuukois. If autonomy were not voted through Congress, independence would be sought. After a first failure during the year, when the presentation of the law on the status of these islands was not accepted by Congress, a second attempt was made in October. In early 2001 Tiwiter Aritos, Senator for the Faichuk District in the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia, convinced the members of the Faichuk State Commission to suspend the implementation of the independence project until a new draft law could be presented. In the course of 2001, the Faichuk State Commission sent Alan Short, chief American negotiator, a social and economic program based on the claims of the Declaration, with an infrastructure budget. Valued at US$288 million, it included a power plant, a coastal road on each island, water and wastewater treatment facilities, an administrative complex, educational facilities, health services, an airport, a port, telecommunications networks, housing construction and the establishment of a revolving fund to finance economic activities. On October 1, 2001, an interim government was formed. In December the Chuuk State Legislative Assembly passed a resolution supporting the granting of autonomous status to the islanders, so that they could enjoy the same rights as all other citizens. It encouraged Leo Falcam, President of the Federated States of Micronesia, and Congress to support the will of the people of the Faichuk Islands by submitting bills and voting for statehood. == 2011: a political attempt to force the issue ==

In February 2005 a draft law was submitted to the Federal Congress. In 2011, Senator Tiwiter Aritos' objective was still to promote autonomy as a state, not independence. However, many Faichuk leaders were actively implementing the demands of the 2000 declaration, as requests for talks had never received a response from the federal government. In August, the head of the Faichuk State Commission, Kachutosy Paulus, who lived in Guam, claimed to be "Acting President of the Republic of Faichuk" in an e-mail to the press. At the same time, Pohnpei Senator Dohsis Halbert, Chairman of the Congressional Ways and Means Committee, expressed surprise at the disappearance of millions of dollars earmarked by the federal government for the Faichuk Islands. . In an article published in 2011 Pohnpei journalist Bill Jaynes questioned the motivations of the separatists and wondered whether they were the work of a few determined men who acted according to their desires rather than those of the locals. The situation prompted caution on the part of President Emanuel Mori, who doubted the legality of the commission and questioned Kachutosy Paulus's choice of where to live. == A possible transformation of demands ==

In 2014, according to Micronesian President Emanuel Mori, the Chuuk state political status commission (CPSC), created in 2012, was made up of former leaders of separatism in the Faichuk Islands who were now campaigning for Chuuk state independence, a view shared by Vid Raatior, one of the opponents of Chuuk independence. According to Emanuel Mori, these Chuuk leaders were using the idea of secession to further their own interests. == See also ==