# New country established by fugitive guru from India. How is this going to play out? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2019, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421 "2019-12-05T18:48:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nansbread1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/1 "2019-12-05T18:48:34Z")
Nithyananda is a nutcase swami from India. His youtube videos are so stupid that you will be astonished that a person like this can exist and have a following of all nationalities, not just Indian. He escaped India when the law started investigating him and he has purchased an island off Ecuador and calls it Kailasa a Hindu nation. > **[Fugitive Indian guru establishes 'cosmic country off Ecuador'](https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/05/fugitive-indian-guru-establishes-island-nation-off-ecuador)** > > Nithyananda, who faces charges of rape and abduction, trumpets ‘world’s purest Hindu nation’ How is this going to play out? My prediction is that the Colombian drug runners are going to rob him soon and and tear him limb for limb. He picked the wrong part of the planet to display his wealth. ---
**Author:** ![Nansbread1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/2 "2019-12-05T18:54:39Z")
Here is the new countrys website [https://kailaasa.org/](https://kailaasa.org/) ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/3 "2019-12-05T18:55:09Z")
> [@Nansbread1](#): > > My prediction is that the Colombian drug runners are going to rob him soon and and tear him limb for limb. He picked the wrong part of the planet to display his wealth. I suppose there’s a slim chance he could convince the drug runners he’s more valuable as a steady source of relatively small but reliable payoffs instead of one massive payday. You know, get them to think about the long term cumulative value of years of protection money. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/4 "2019-12-05T18:56:18Z")
Since the OP is asking for opinions, let’s move this to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/5 "2019-12-05T19:11:52Z")
My prediction is that, the guru will scam some money out of gullible followers; he may even go so far as to create playtime ‘passports’ and other documents that no country will recognize as valid (including Ecuador if anyone tries to use them to enter the country). There’s a pretty small chance anyone actually moves to the island, but if they do then at some point Ecuador will probably need to remind them that Ecuador still considers the island part of their country, perhaps mentioning the particular political science definition of a State that includes the words “monopoly on violence”. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/6 "2019-12-05T19:20:11Z")
Your “country” is a country when other countries agree you’re a country. Exhibit 1: “[The Principality of Sealand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand)”. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/7 "2019-12-05T19:38:45Z")
> [@Nansbread1](#): > > Here is the new countrys website > > [https://kailaasa.org/](https://kailaasa.org/) It’s not a country if it doesn’t have its own [top level domain](https://www.worldstandards.eu/other/tlds/). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/8 "2019-12-05T20:02:36Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > There’s a pretty small chance anyone actually moves to the island, but if they do then at some point Ecuador will probably need to remind them that Ecuador still considers the island part of their country, perhaps mentioning the particular political science definition of a State that includes the words “monopoly on violence”. I agree. The only issue here is whether Ecuador is willing to assert its sovereignty over the island. I feel that’s a near certainty. And as soon as Ecuador chooses to do so, any pretense of Kailasan sovereignty will be swept aside. I could declare my backyard an independent nation. But the United States would not recognize my declaration and would still consider my backyard to be part of the United States. And I’m going to lose in any conflict I have with the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Nansbread1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/9 "2019-12-05T20:49:00Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I agree. The only issue here is whether Ecuador is willing to assert its sovereignty over the island. I feel that’s a near certainty. And as soon as Ecuador chooses to do so, any pretense of Kailasan sovereignty will be swept aside. > > I could declare my backyard an independent nation. But the United States would not recognize my declaration and would still consider my backyard to be part of the United States. And I’m going to lose in any conflict I have with the United States. But nutcase has purchased the Island. Doesnt that change Ecuadors claim on it? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/10 "2019-12-05T21:14:42Z")
> [@Nansbread1](#): > > But nutcase has purchased the Island. Doesnt that change Ecuadors claim on it? No, not from a sovereign standpoint. By buying a house in the US do you establish a separate country? The island is still part of Ecuador no matter who holds the deed to the land. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/11 "2019-12-05T21:36:18Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > There’s a pretty small chance anyone actually moves to the island, but if they do then at some point Ecuador will probably need to remind them that Ecuador still considers the island part of their country, perhaps mentioning the particular political science definition of a State that includes the words “monopoly on violence”. Yes. This sort of thing has happened a fair number of times before, and such “micronations” last pretty much only as long as the _actual_ nation that claims the territory in question doesn’t care enough to step in and squash them. [Looking him up](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nithyananda), I expect he’ll make enough of an irritant of himself that he’ll get squashed sooner rather than later. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/12 "2019-12-05T21:45:26Z")
WTF is he even talking about in that video? Can anyone else figure it out? Maybe my non-veg brain just isn’t capable. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/13 "2019-12-05T21:50:45Z")
> [@Nansbread1](#): > > But nutcase has purchased the Island. Doesnt that change Ecuadors claim on it? Nope. He, as the new owner, is still going to have to pay property taxes to Ecuador. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/14 "2019-12-05T22:42:30Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Your “country” is a country when other countries agree you’re a country. > > Exhibit 1: “[The Principality of Sealand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand)”. You’re country when other countries won’t or can’t stop you from acting like a country. Agreement is a bonus. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/15 "2019-12-05T22:51:59Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > You’re country when other countries won’t or can’t stop you from acting like a country. Agreement is a bonus. Yup. ISIS was, for a period, a country carved out of portions of Iraq and Syria through brute force. They weren’t going to get UN recognition or anything, but for the people living within their borders, UN recognition wasn’t really a factor. They were effectively being governed by ISIS. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/16 "2019-12-05T23:23:38Z")
“You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.” - Frank Zappa ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/17 "2019-12-05T23:28:00Z")
That “country” will last until the Ecuadorian Navy needs some target practice. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/18 "2019-12-06T00:03:02Z")
The whole thing sounds pretty bogus to me. In particular, the [location of the supposed island is pretty confused:](https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/is-nithyanandas-kailaasa-a-territory-or-a-state-of-mind-6150786/) > [@](#): > > News reports have mentioned that Nithyananda has “bought an island” close to Trinidad and Tobago from Ecuador. The geography of this is rather confusing. Ecuador borders the Pacific Ocean, and Trinidad and Tobago is between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. So it is not clear how Ecuador managed to sell off an island close to Trinidad and Tobago. > > Also, Republic TV says the island was “bought from Vladi islands from Ecuador”. But Vladi Islands seems to be a webiste that sells private islands from across the world. It is not clear how authentic the website is, and if Nithyananda shopped online for the island. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/19 "2019-12-06T00:58:45Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The whole thing sounds pretty bogus to me. In particular, the [location of the supposed island is pretty confused:](https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/is-nithyanandas-kailaasa-a-territory-or-a-state-of-mind-6150786/) Then I suppose the next question is… did whoever he bought that island from sell him a bridge to get to it, too? Just curious to see if he might be in the market for one is all. Naturally, I’d love to help. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421/20 "2019-12-06T01:39:52Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I could declare my backyard an independent nation. But the United States would not recognize my declaration and would still consider my backyard to be part of the United States. And I’m going to lose in any conflict I have with the United States. The Principality of Hutt River wishes to disagree with you (although Australia supports your position). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-country-established-by-fugitive-guru-from-india-how-is-this-going-to-play-out/844421.md?page=2)