Solkope
Encyclopedia
Solkope is a small and densely wooded island off the southern coast of Rotuma
in the Fiji Islands, at the edge of the fringing coral reef. It is separated from the main island of Rotuma by a channel that is between 50 and 200 meters wide, and lies immediately southeast of the village of Kalvaka in the district of Noa'tau. It 765 meters long east-west, and up to 515 meters wide, and rises to a height of 128 meters. Its area is 0.3 km². From the sea, it cannot be recognized as a separate island.
. According to documents tendered in court http://www.paclii.org/cgi-bin/disp.pl/fj/cases/FJHC/2001/61.html?query=apao pertaining to the case, the native landowner of Solkope Island, Hiagi Apao and Melchizedek's "Head of House of Elders", Tzemach "Ben" David Netzer Korem, concluded a "99 year sovereign master lease agreement", under which control of Solkope was ceded to the "government" of Melchizedek.
As at June 2008 the DOM website still lists the island as one of its territories, although Korem is banned from entering Fiji, and there is no Melchizedek presence of any sort on the island.
Rotuma
Rotuma is a Fijian dependency, consisting of Rotuma Island and nearby islets. The island group is home to a small but unique indigenous ethnic group which constitutes a recognizable minority within the population of Fiji, known as "Rotumans"...
in the Fiji Islands, at the edge of the fringing coral reef. It is separated from the main island of Rotuma by a channel that is between 50 and 200 meters wide, and lies immediately southeast of the village of Kalvaka in the district of Noa'tau. It 765 meters long east-west, and up to 515 meters wide, and rises to a height of 128 meters. Its area is 0.3 km². From the sea, it cannot be recognized as a separate island.
Secessionist movement
In 2000 Solkope was the subject of a land ownership dispute, as a consequence of an attempted secession of Rotuma from Fiji which was jointly orchestrated by the Molmahao Clan of Noa'tau district, and unrecognized micronation Dominion of MelchizedekDominion of Melchizedek
The Dominion of Melchizedek is a micronation known for facilitating large scale banking fraud in many parts of the world. The president was Pearlasia Gamboa, wife of vice-president David Korem...
. According to documents tendered in court http://www.paclii.org/cgi-bin/disp.pl/fj/cases/FJHC/2001/61.html?query=apao pertaining to the case, the native landowner of Solkope Island, Hiagi Apao and Melchizedek's "Head of House of Elders", Tzemach "Ben" David Netzer Korem, concluded a "99 year sovereign master lease agreement", under which control of Solkope was ceded to the "government" of Melchizedek.
As at June 2008 the DOM website still lists the island as one of its territories, although Korem is banned from entering Fiji, and there is no Melchizedek presence of any sort on the island.