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INFORMATION |
"We think Playland is an excellent way to introduce international concepts..."
Principality of Sealand
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This page was last updated on 11th October 2006
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Mr John Williams
Bureau of Internal Affairs
Principality of Sealand
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SEALAND PLAYLAND
CHAT
6th October 2006 |
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Andreas Teacher MP
Prime Minister & Lord Protector
Kingdom of Playland |
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Sealandgov: |
| hello to you all from Sealand |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| Good morning to you, may I begin by saying what an honour it is to have you join us on the Playland chat today. Thank you for your time, you must be a very busy person. |
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Sealandgov: |
| Many thanks. It is a pleasure to be with you |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| We have compiled a list of questions but if you feel that any are inappropriate and prefer not to comment we will of course respect this. |
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Sealandgov: |
| let us do what we can. We will try to be helpful |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| May I ask if you are at this moment in Sealand? |
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Sealandgov: |
| yes. I could not be anywhere else; I live here |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| I have visited Sealand once, in 2002, and wonder if perhaps we have met |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| I remember meeting three very friendly and hospitable people besides of course HRH Prince Michael |
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Sealandgov: |
| I do not remember that name but we have many visitors; maybe 10 or so per month mostly filming or writing articles |
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Sealandgov: |
| I am pleased you were able to visit us here. |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| yes it was a very enjoyable visit |
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Sealandgov: |
| why did you visit? was there some special reason? |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| at the time I was a budding journalist but my story was never published |
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Sealandgov: |
| ah. well it is great that your were able to visit. |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| Mr Williams, you mention that you live on Sealand, one student here in Portugal was very keen to know how many people live there now? |
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Sealandgov: |
| Well there are quite a lot of people here now; since our fire we have had a large number of people repairing the damage |
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Sealandgov: |
| so maybe 30 at this time. |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| yes, I was very sorry to hear about the fire |
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Sealandgov: |
| People come and go daily on our service boat and they are always bringing materials and welder people and carpenters etc so it is difficult to know at any time how many are here |
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Sealandgov: |
| Some of our government offices had to be evacuated and we expect to move back in to the normal places maybe next month |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| I wish your nation a speedy recovery |
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Sealandgov: |
| Thank you for your wishes |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| What work is there to be done? |
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Sealandgov: |
| We have had to re-build the Northern end of the fort. This means replacing the main generator hall and two flats and two of the state offices. |
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Sealandgov: |
| But the work is going well. |
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Sealandgov: |
| The rest of the fort was not affected except for smoke damage which meant we all had to spend some time washing down the walls and so on |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| I remember the generator hall well, I think you were using a tractor engine at the time to supply Sealand's power? |
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Sealandgov: |
| we had three generators in the main generator area; we swapped them over every day so to keep all ready |
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Sealandgov: |
| not sure which one might have been working at the time of course. |
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Sealandgov: |
| We are installing a wind turbine also |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| a wind turbine? Will that change the profile of Sealand somewhat? |
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Sealandgov: |
| We are arranging to install the propellor bit on one of the corners so that it is out of the way. |
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Sealandgov: |
| I think it is not too large |
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Sealandgov: |
| maybe a 5m diameter or something like that |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| I grew up in a town called Woodbridge in Suffolk, this meant I often visited Felixstowe and saw Sealand from a distance. |
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Sealandgov: |
| how interesting that you lived in Woodbridge |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| yes, not far away from you at all |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| I remember meeting one Sealander who lived there, he gave me a lift back to my parents' house |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
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Sealandgov: |
| How interesting. I guess that would have been one of our security staff? |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
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Sealandgov: |
| The person you referred to had a stroke...really bad one...and now is in a home in Suffolk |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| I'm very sorry to hear that, I really liked him, a great character as I remember |
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Sealandgov: |
| Well I hope you are comfortable there in Portugal. |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| yes I am thanks, it's a good place. Right now I'm at the Playland Embassy to Portugal in a little city called Coimbra |
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Sealandgov: |
| Interesting. What sort of school? |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| the Embassy is in a language school, part of the International House Organisation |
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Sealandgov: |
| This would be I guess a private school |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| it's a language school... we teach all ages and levels English as well as some Spanish and Italian |
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Sealandgov: |
| How interesting. Well I hope all is going well. |
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Sealandgov: |
| Are there any questions we can help with at this time or did you wish to schedule another time for us when more students are there or ??? |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| I'm sorry... I will list the questions |
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Sealandgov: |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| "Why does such a country as Sealand exist?" |
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Sealandgov: |
| It was started by our founder Prince Roy; he wanted a place where he and others would be treated equally and where their private interests and dignity were respected |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
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Sealandgov: |
| Today we have a population of persons who value their life here. Several are retired; we have 7 or 8 students, several security staff, and three working companies with their staff. The gym is often booked! |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| "Are you familiar with the Kingdom of Playland?" |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| "what do you think of our Kingdom?" |
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Sealandgov: |
| We have had it explained by you and the Bureau Chief has requested from the Office of the Head of State that a special certificate be prepared |
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Sealandgov: |
| We think Playland is an excellent way to introduce international concepts |
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Sealandgov: |
| yes, we are very much looking forward to receiving that |
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Sealandgov: |
| The Office of the Head of State is v. busy with all sorts of things and some extra ones to do with our rebuilding but I am sure it will arrive |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| "Is there a hospital, school..." |
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Sealandgov: |
| I wonder if you have been sent a copy of our National Statistics summary...it is in World FactBook format |
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Sealandgov: |
| Hospital: we have a first-aid facility but anything serious must be dealt with abroad. Sometimes UK sometimes NL hospitals are used |
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Sealandgov: |
| School: all the school-age children are at boarding schools during term time and often outside of school terms they are on holiday |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| how many Sealanders under the age of 16 are there? |
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Sealandgov: |
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Sealandgov: |
| youngest is....mmmm.....now 8 |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| thought: would any of them be interested in having a Playland penfriend? |
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Sealandgov: |
| that is a bit difficult; it is not possible to work out when they are here and have spare time. Mostly when they are here they are busy with their families and of course they go on holiday during term time so they move about so to say. But we can post the request on our notice board |
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Sealandgov: |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| I think that would be great... most Playlanders live abroad in Portugal, Lithuania and the UK |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| "is Sealand considered an island?" |
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Sealandgov: |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| there was once mention of annexing other platforms or extending Sealand's territory... is this still one of your intentions? |
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Sealandgov: |
| We have plans for expansion when that is required. We would not be annexing other 'platforms' |
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Sealandgov: |
| but we are not a platform. As you may remember our fort is upon and part of the sea bed |
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Sealandgov: |
| platforms usually have legs to the sea bed |
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Sealandgov: |
| we are a permanent part of the sea bed |
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Sealandgov: |
| platforms usually just have legs to the sea bed |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| I understand that Sealand is not a platform but seem to remember reading about joining floating platforms to the island |
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Sealandgov: |
| there have been many schemes put forward by 'dreamers'....of course there are many possibilities one can imagine |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| next question "what is Sealand's view of prostitution, gambling on the internet etc?' |
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Sealandgov: |
| We have a constitutional requirement to respect anyone's wishes and interests SO LONG AS those do not harm others. |
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Sealandgov: |
| We do not allow any drugs alcohol or weapons |
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Sealandgov: |
| so there would be no views about specific details such as prostitution or gambling;;;it is just whether what is done harms others. |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| and the last question... "if we visit Sealand, where do we eat, is there cabel TV?" |
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Sealandgov: |
| We have a communal restaurant (you may have remembered it as a sort-of kitchen but now it has been revamped into a continental sort of brasserie) and a lounge but alas no cabel tv. |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| Mr Williams, I thank you for this opportunity to speak to you and hope that at a later date we may be more successful in linking up more people here. I know that for one, HM King Nicholas of the Copeman Empire expressed a wish to join us but had problems logging on |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| are you familiar with the Copeman Empire? |
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Sealandgov: |
| ok please let us know when would be a good time, give us some notice, and we would be glad to meet you and your students again |
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Sealandgov: |
| We do not know of the Copeman Empire |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| it is a tiny nation, near Sheringham in Norfolk which I believe was listed in the new 'Lonely Planet' guide to Micronations |
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Sealandgov: |
| We will see if we can discover something about it |
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Sealandgov: |
| OK many thanks then and we hope to link up again soon |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| yes that would be fantastic. |
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Sealandgov: |
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Andreas Teacher MP: |
| bye and have a nice weekend |
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without written permission from the Playland Government is prohibited. © 2006 The Kingdom of Playland, All rights reserved. |
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