"...and it does pay his personal expenses, including rent on the house he shares with his wife, who used to be known as Elvira Gamboa and now is known simply as Pearlasia. She also is Melchizedek's president."
myturl.com
"BELMONT, Calif. - David Korem, founding father of the Dominion of Melchizedek, says his country has everything a sovereign nation needs: territory - it claims two Pacific islands and a slice of Antarctica - citizens and a functioning government" (G. Bruce Knecht, The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 1999).
"Officials in the U.S. and elsewhere, however, compare Melchizedek to phony universities and fake doctors. They say Melchizedek is the ultimate scam: a 'nation' that exists mostly in cyberspace" (G. Bruce Knecht, The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 1999).
"Mr. Korem says he has been convicted and served time in jail twice for financial crimes. Yet he says Melchizedek, named after a king and priest referred to in the Old Testament, is a 'spiritual entity,' innocent of wrongdoing. Mr. Korem says his compatriots in the Philippines were out of line if they promised that passports would lead to employment, as authorities there allege, because Melchizedek's territories are uninhabited. Still, he says, any money paid for passports rightfully belongs to the dominion. Mr. Korem says he would use it 'to make it a better country'" (G. Bruce Knecht, The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 1999).
Melchizedek does seek to earn money, Mr. Korem says, and it does pay his personal expenses, including rent on the house he shares with his wife, who used to be known as Elvira Gamboa and now is known simply as Pearlasia. She also is Melchizedek's president. Mr. Korem says the dominion has sold more than 300 bank charters for as much as $50,000 each an compares its appeal to that of off-shore tax havens. 'Businessmen are always looking for alternative jurisdictions,' he says" (G. Bruce Knecht, The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 1999).
"His father, he says inspired the idea for the nation. Mr. Korem's first step was to set up an 'embassy' in Washington. It consists of little more than a mailbox and a phone number. A recent call to the number was forwarded to Mr. Korem's home" (G. Bruce Knecht, The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 1999).
"The dominion's Web page does what it can to project a sense of sovereignty: A flag adorned with a symbol combining the Christian cross and the Star of David waves in a cyberbreeze. Melchizedek's official languages are English, Hebrew and 'Ruthenian,' according to the Web page and its official pronunciation is 'mal-khay-tzed-ek.' Among other things posted on the Web page are a 'declaration of war' on France (to protest nuclear tests in the Pacific) and an announcement of diplomatic recognition of Kosovo" (G. Bruce Knecht, The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 1999).
"Displaying his black Melchizedek passport, Mr. Korem says he sometimes travels on it. In fact, it appears to bear an entry stamp to the Philippines dated Sept. 7, 1998, and an exit stamp six days later - putting him there when the three Melchizedek officials were allegedly selling citizenships. Although Mr. Korem says he wasn't involved, he says he did visit his colleagues. Philippine officials said they didn't have enough evidence to press criminal charges, and the three were deported, from the Philippines late last month" (G. Bruce Knecht, The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 1999).
"As for Melchizedek's territories, Mr. Korem says he hasn't ever visited them. He says one of the islands, Karitane, was acquired from the "obscure Kingdom of Polynesia" and is located south of the Cook Islands. 'A few world maps have a small black dot for the island,' Mr. Korem says" (G. Bruce Knecht, The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 1999).
"The U.S. State Department says the Kingdom of Polynesia and Karitane are just like Melchizedek: nonexistent. 'The United States government does not recognize the legal existence of, or consequently, maintain diplomatic relations with, any government known as the Dominion of Melchizedek,' the department says in a statement. A State Department official says Karitane's coordinates, listed on the Web site, 'seem to point to a seamount, an underwater mountain less than 1,000 feet below sea level'" (G. Bruce Knecht, The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 1999). |
