Grand Yarphese Republic

The Grand Yarphese Republic, commonly referred to as Yarphei IPA: [jáɽfǝ̂ĭ], is a military junta in Southeast Asia.

Before Yarphei
The land today known as Yarphei began as several Asian kingdoms. In these times, it was necessary to have a manageable compact domain. The area's ports were very prosperous, and several major ports formed along the coasts. By the late 20th century, the area containing Yarphei was split into the countries of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Preparation for Formation
In 1995, a group of Vietnamese radicals formed in Western Australia. They called themselves the VLA, the Vietnamese Liberation Army. Their goal was to "liberate" the land along the Gulf of Thailand and take it over. The major ports would produce large amounts of revenue, and they could be exploited using high tariffs. Each city would be conquered by force. Their political scientists planned the empire to stretch from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore. The empire, in modern times, would not necessarily have to be a strategic, compact shape. The group membered approximately 114,000 by early 1999.

Invasion of Ho Chi Minh City
The mayor of Ho Chi Minh City in 1999 was corrupt, and the VLA quickly tricked him into agreeing to hand over Ho Chi Minh City. In August 1999, VLA forces swept through Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnamese army reacted, but the mayor of Ho Chi Minh City was quick to hand over the city. An enemy of Vietnam, the mayor then went into hiding among the VLA. A month of fighting ensued, and Ho Chi Minh was cut off from the rest of the world physically until the city's and Vietnam's government surrendered the city. On 30 September 1999, the VLA flag was raised over Ho Chi Minh City, and the name was reverted to Saigon.

Formation of the Grand Yarphese Republic
After gaining independence, the VLA found they had many duties of which to take care. They elected Aaron Tran, at age 41, to the position of premier. Tran worked immensely for two months after independence. He gave himself the name Tranh Chup-yar and conlanged Yarphese within two days. He worked for a week on writing the national anthem "The Yarphese Pledge" and two weekson a book of the same name. He spent one week creating several propaganda posters. The rest of the time he planned out an extremely complex pentacameral government system for Saigon as well as the entire Yarphese Republic.

The Beginning of the Yarphese March
In 2000, with an army of about 550,000, Tranh sent troops in a march directly towards the highlands. He cut off much of Southern Vietnam, and sent other troops on a coastal march south to the Mui Bung Bac. His troops took each city until they converged near Cambodia. From there, he ordered the troops on. They entered Cambodia, and easily took the port cities. They attempted to take over Phnom Penh, but were stopped by the Cambodian government. The empire continued to grow until approximately one-third of coastal Cambodia was owned by the Yarphese Republic.

Invasion of Thailand and Malaysia
Although the formerly inexperienced soldiers gained military skill, the fight for Thailand was extremely difficult. It involved taking over the capital in Bangkok. The army marched into Thailand and were immediately met with resistance by Thai soldiers as well as United Nations soldiers. The fighting continued for two months before the army, now numbering one million, reached Bangkok. The fighting there lasted for eighteen days until all eighty thousand Yarphese soldiers were taken prisoners in Bangkok. Tranh ordered four hundred thousand soldiers to Bangkok, and this army was successful using guerilla tactics. The Thai government fled to Chiang Mai, and the Yarphese army continued the Yarphese march. The army spread Yarphei to the point that it landlocked Thailand's mainland, although the army was not able to take control of Phuket. At the same time, another Yarphese military invasion was taking place in Malaysia. The coastal ports were claimed, but this did little damage since these ports were largely lightly populated. The final battle of the Yarphese March was at Johor Bahru.

Annexation of Singapore
Weakened by the 1997 East Asian Financial Crisis, Singapore quickly surrendered to Yarphei on 31 March 2002. The empire was complete, and Yarphei had already become one of Asia's most prosperous countries. Yarphei's nominal GDP quickly rose to about 492 billion.

Socialist Era
In late 2002, Tranh and the former VLA established a Maoist regime. He initiated the Grand Yarphese Plan, eliminating private property, and imposing strict regulations. Approximately eight million died as a result of this, and the plan was abandoned in 2007. In the mean time, propaganda was plentiful and Tranh had created a cult of personality through his musical and literary works.

Conversion to Military Junta
In 2007, Tranh devoted himself to the teachings of Buddhism, denouncing his atheism. He set up a military government, but encouraged privacy within one's own home. The United Nations, nevertheless, did not support this idea. In 2008, Tranh ordered a capital city to be built to replace Saigon. The site was an old village along the coast of former Thailand between Songkhla and Surat Thani. The city was renamed after him, and he moved to his palace here on 18 November 2009.

Government
The government has been ruled by the VLA since founding, and is a unique specimen of a pentacameral legislature. Every VLA member except premier Tranh Chup-yar and other close officials and relatives. The VLA is split into five groups, including the Chamber of Council, the Chamber of Commerce, the Upper Chamber, the Lower Chamber, and the Periphery. The first four are chamber of the legislature, and collectively they form a fifth chamber.

The Chamber of Council
The Chamber of Council is composed of the top Yarphese military officials. It has twenty-two members, led by Tranh Chup-yar. The military decisions are made and executed in this chamber. The requirements are that a member must be a top military official, twenty years of age, a Yarphese citizen, and having lived in Yarphei or on official international government work for fifteen years (or else have participated in the Yarphese March). This chamber meets in the Reunification Palace in Saigon. It meets once every second and last Monday in times of peace, and once every four days in times of war (not including weekends).

The Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber of Commerce is composed of ninety members of the VLA. Like the Chamber of Council, it is led by Tranh Chup-yar. Most economic decisions are made in this chamber. To join, one must be twenty-four years of age, having lived in Yarphei for eighteen years (or else have participated in the Yarphese March), and being a Yarphese citizen. To join, one must apply and be selected by Tranh. This chamber meets on the third Friday of each month in the Chamber of Commerce in Bangkok.

The Upper Chamber
The Upper Chamber, with its two-hundred eighty members, approves the decisions made by the Chamber of Council, Chamber of Commerce, and Lower Chamber. However, their decisions are not effective upon the Chamber of Council in times of war. It is led by Tranh's wife Si Ro-ngaw. It meets in Kuala Terengganu the Wednesday after every second and last Monday of each month. One must be thirty-five to join, and must have lived in Yarphei for five consecutive years (or else have participated in the Yarphese March). The members are elected by the VLA.

The Lower Chamber
The Lower Chamber makes miscellaneous decisions not delegated to the Chamber of Council or Chamber of Commerce. It is led by Tranh Chup-yar. It members fifty who meet in the Lower Chamber in Singapore the same days as the Chamber of Commerce. There is one representative from each province elected by VLA members living in that province, and the rest are appointed by Tranh.

The Periphery
The periphery includes all six million VLA members except those in chambers. They are allowed to vote in all elections collectively with the chamber members. To be a member of the VLA, one must be in the armed forces and have shown to be loyal to Yarphei. Votes for VLA members are cast online.

The Premier
The premier is the supreme ruler of Yarphei, currently Tranh Chup-yar. The premier is the final decision-maker in Yarphei. He lives in Tranh Chup-yar City. His wife holds the position of leader of the Upper Chamber.

The Judicial Branch
The Judicial Branch in Yarphei is the Supreme Court. It is composed of forty-eight members appointed by the premier. They are split into six groups so they can handle eight cases at once. It handles approximately two-thousand one-hundred cases a year.

The Military
The Yarphese military includes the army, navy, and air force. The VLA are distributed equally among each of the three. The chief of military is the premier. The armed forces also act as the police, and closely monitor public activity.

Economy
Yarphei's economy is currently growing to become the largest economy in Asia. However, it was affected by the East Asia Financial Crisis in 1997, and then the Grand Yarphese Plan was financially destruction. Third, high protectionism and trade embargoes have further damaged the trade industry. Nevertheless, the Yarphese GDP is extremely high due to the large amounts of industrial and agricultural technology devised by scientists. The currency of Yarphei is the Yarphese Huo, which is worth approximately EV$ 0.064, US$ 0.128. The value is tied to a combination of wood, certain spices, and certain precious metals. In 2002, when the Grand Yarphese Plan was put into effect, almost all industries were nationalized. However, when the government converted to a military junta, Tranh Chup-yar allowed privatization, although he closely monitored all businesses.

Agriculture
Yarphei is the world's largest user of vertical agriculture, with food raised in multistory buildings. This was developed in order to overcome the small space and trade embargoes. Vertical farms are plentiful in almost all major cities in Yarphei. In the highland areas of Yarphei, traditional, terraced agriculture is more common. Throughout Yarphei, the most common crops grown are rice, fruits, and spices. In vertical farms, foreign plants such as corn and wheat are grown.

Industry
Industry is Yarphei's largest source of income and largest employer. Almost all major cities in Yarphei have large industrial complexes. There are a variety of productions, varying by cities. Due to the trade embargoes, Yarphei has been forced to be self-sufficient in productions. During the socialist era, the VLA sent the cities' population to work in factories. However, as the government became more conservative, people were encouraged into the services. Now, industry only slightly prevails over the services.

The power in Yarphei comes mainly from the eleven nuclear reactors throughout Yarphei. However, the energy consumption per person is much lower than most countries.

Tourism
Tourism has dwindled considerably since the VLA took power, but it is still a large source of income. Yarphese officials have several directed tours throughout Yarphei, visiting many of the temples and city sights. They are the only allowed form of tourism in Yarphei, but have been rated overall satisfactory by their two-million tourists every year.

Taxes
Taxes are equal for all in the Yarphese work force. Every member of the work force must pay 100,000 Huo per year to the government. Taxpaying is strictly enforced, and those with a debt of larger than 250,000 accused of tax evasion are sent to forced labor camps.

Culture
The culture before the Grand Yarphese Republic was extremely varied, from the Muslim and Indonesian areas near Singapore to the Christian areas in Vietnam. Tranh Chup-yar decided to implement a unified Yarphese culture. The culture began as a communist, secular one, but in 2007, this changed. All were required to convert to Buddhism, or at least go through the motions. Several who refused were exiled to nations outside Yarphei. Tranh introduced a new style of music based on that of Vietnam, Thailand, and China, mixed with western influences, which is now broadcasted on all Yarphese music radio stations. Each region of Yarphei would be allowed to keep its own art styles (as long as they were of no religion other than Buddhism). However, the "official" style of art is a fusion of traditional Vietnamese and Buddhist art.

Holidays
There are several holidays that were created by the premier Tran Chup-yar after independence. Some are traditional Buddhist holidays and others celebrate Yarphei. Regions are allowed their own official holidays, although they cannot hold a religion other than Buddhism.

Interesting Facts

 * Yarphei uses the Metric system, but uses a calendar based on the day Tranh Chup-yar became Buddhist.
 * Measurements are almost always given in dekameters, regardless of how long or short they are.
 * There are over six million members of the Vietnamese Liberation Army, making up 11% of the population.
 * Only VLA members and their families are allowed to use the Internet.
 * 87% of Yarphese households own a television.
 * Telephone is the largest form of communication in Yarphei, and is closely monitored.
 * Yarphei does not use paper money.

Foreign Relations
Yarphei's foreign relations are overall choppy, but it has had some success in trading.

United States
The United States highly discourages the lack of human rights in Yarphei. Many of its companies have boycotted Yarphese products. There is also a trade embargo on some products from Yarphei due to the high protectionism. During the Maoist era in Yarphei, the United States almost sent troops to Saigon to depose the government. However, the rise of the military junta caused the United States to discard plans to do so. Under the Obama administration, an invasion was completely out of sight. Yarphei, nevertheless, is a major trading partner with the United States.

Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia
Yarphei's relations with these countries are quite choppy, for each of these countries lost land to Yarphei. Thailand and Cambodia were both landlocked (although Thailand was able to keep the port at Phuket) as a result of the Yarphese invasion, and Malaysia lost a coastline. Vietnam lost all of its southern coast as well as much of the Southern Vietnam gained via the Vietnam War. All of these countries have considered reclaiming their lost land, but none have succeeded due to the strict border control.

China, North Korea, Laos, Cuba
During the Maoist era, Yarphei was in generally good standing with these communist countries. However, the transformation to Buddhist government seriously harmed the relationships with North Korea, Laos, and Cuba. China, however, is Yarphei's largest trading partner. It has greatly assisted Yarphei financially, despite their differences in ideologies.

Myanmar
Yarphei has relatively good relations with its neighbor, Myanmar. Both being military juntas in Buddhist countries, they have assisted each other as trading partners. Pachuan Port began construction along the western coast near Myanmar in late 2009 for trade with Myanmar's nearby port at Tavoy.