Republic of Rotuma

The Republic of Rotuma was an unrealized attempt at creating an independent Rotuma starting in September 1987 after the second Fijian coup. A part-Rotuman man named Henry Gibson announced to the New Zealand newspapers that he had declared the independence of Rotuma from Fiji. Gibson proclaimed himself the King of Rotuma and gained a popular following on the island. Aims to create the republic were aborted in 1988, when advocates were tried with sedition.