Earlier last week, the planet of Kazarak in the Sertar sector, bore witness to an exceptional act of kindness in the midst of political war and civil unrest. Months after the Hosnian conflict began bombarding the galaxy with reports of high-profile assassinations, unwarranted arrests, and continuous hostilities with the native population, over 4,000 civilian workers that were detained by the New Republic have been transported from Hosnian to Kazarak where they received shelter. The High Ambassador of the New Republic, Gand Xitwa, had this to say during the liberation:
"It is the view of the New Republic that these individuals that were detained during building operations do not and have not posed any lasting risk to the New Republic efforts and as such have been provided both care and transport to facilities that will ensure their safety and security. The New Republic acknowledges that some of these detainees have families, friends, and loved ones that they would like to return to and we will take no action to prevent them the reuniting they may desire. However, the New Republic also acknowledges and sympathizes the fears and concerns that some many have expressed in returning to their Imperial homes due to their status within the Galactic Empire and fear they have long experienced."
The city of Santuario was an altruistic project born out of the mutual interest of the Tion Hegemony and the New Republic for the well being of all living sentients who were stripped of their freedom. The city was built with a fully equipped hospital in preparation to treat any injured refugee with physical or psychological trauma experienced during the siege over Hosnian. Only days after completion of the city’s development, it has now become the home for many outcasts that have chosen to stay in Kazarak in the prospect of a new life; those wishing to stay in the Greater Tionese Cluster, have been greeted with welcoming words of the Lady Hegemon Stephanie Barefoot:
"The Tion Hegemony is, and I hope it will, remain a beacon of neutrality. Therefore we will happily take in and watch over these many thousands of individuals who have been left stranded and far from home. Although displaced, they will receive the best of medical attention from the many doctors and nurses from Athakam MedTech and a generous charity set up on the neighboring planet of Karazak has already led to large donations of food and clothing should they be required. I want to thank the High Ambassador for reaching out to me personally and I can personally guarantee that those wishing to remain on Kazarak will be a very welcome addition to Tionese society."
Although it is true that many have opted to be integrated into Tionese society, some others have taken to the nearby starports to return to Imperial territory and be reunited with the families left behind. Commercial transportation services and private exportation companies, all sanctioned by the Hegemony, joined the philanthropic endeavor to provide a free-of-charge passage from Kazarak to Coruscant, capital of the Galactic Empire, to those looking for a way back to the life they knew before the conflict in Hosnian.
The Galactic Empire, however, has taken a firm stand on the warning placed on Day 197 of the current year, where Emperor Seele reiterated the Empire's governance over the Byblos sector and officially criminalized any unauthorized claim to territories on Hosnian. Many individuals and organizations chose to defy the Empire's warning an expropriated land lots throughout the system, prompting the beginning of the civil conflict. Today, Emperor Seele restated the Galactic Empire's convictions against the illegality of foreign claims on Imperial territory:
"Many of the prisoners taken by the Empire were executed for their crimes and assault on Imperial worlds. The galaxy was explicitly warned, but these people made a conscious choice to intrude upon Imperial claimed territory and to assist the New Republic in their invasion of the Hosnian system. Their active involvement in a military assault by the New Republic on Imperial worlds means they are not, by legal definition, civilians; thus these beings were tried by military tribunals as befits their involvement in the New Republic’s war-machine.
"As for the construction crews of the Imperial Union which were illegally imprisoned and abducted by the New Republic, they have received compensation packages from the Empire and provided with early retirement. We feel deep compassion for those brave construction crews, and their early retirements are a means to protect them from continued exposure to the warmongering of the New Republic."
The Hegemony has communicated that every non-combatant sentient taken prisoner during a political conflict is to be considered an innocent life, and the preservation of their individual rights is of the utmost importance to the Hegemony. The city Santuario in Kazarak will, therefore, remain open to welcome any present or future civilian refugees in need of asylum.
This has been Lianna Corvae for the Greater Tion News Group, wishing for a positive resolution to the Hosnian conflict.
