Paraguay Senior Official Sacked After Deal With Non-Existent Country

Facts

• Arnaldo Chamorro, the chief of staff at Paraguay's Agriculture Ministry, was replaced on Wednesday after admitting to signing a memorandum of understanding with purported representatives from a non-existent Hindu island nation located in South America.¹
• He revealed in a radio interview on Thursday that self-proclaimed officials of the so-called 'United States of Kailasa' had met with him and Agriculture Minister Carlos Giménez, offering to help Paraguay with several issues, including irrigation.²
• According to a copy of the agreement posted online, the government of Paraguay had expressed its willingness to actively seek the establishment of diplomatic relations with Kailasa and support its admission in international organizations, including the United Nations. The municipalities of Maria Antonia and Karpai also signed deals with Kailasa.³
• Self-described as the 'revival of the ancient enlightened Hindu civilizational nation,' Kailasa has never been a sovereign nation. Though its leader Swami Nithyananda, a guru who has been on the run from rape and assault charges in India since 2019, has stated he has established his 'cosmic' republic on a private island off the Ecuadorian coast, Quito has long denied such claims.⁴
• This international scandal, which sparked lots of social media mockery, was likened to a meeting between former Paraguayan Pres. Mario Abdo Benítez with a fake CEO of a Lamborghini car factory.⁵
• However, this isn't the first time that authorities have been convinced that Kailasa was a real country. The American city of Newark (New Jersey) had signed a sister-city agreement with the fictional nation, and two Kailasa representatives attended an event in Geneva organized by a UN committee in February.⁶

Sources: ¹DW, ²The Guardian, ³Associated Press, ⁴The Telegraph, ⁵MercoPress and ⁶The Wire.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Ticker TV News. The embarrassing nature of Chamorro's lack of due diligence concerning Kailasa highlights a plethora of underlying security problems that undermine Paraguay's politics. The event has led to widespread ridicule, underpinning the necessity for thorough background checks when dealing with foreign entities. Paraguay must learn its lesson and ensure it does due diligence on its governance dealings.
• Narrative B, as provided by Kailaasa. Kailasa has continued to expand its diplomatic network across the world based on good intentions. Examples of success in Africa and South Asia highlight the entity's future potential. International actors who share similar values such as religious freedom, the eradication of hunger, and holistic health and education continue to recognize Kailasa for its true commitment to a positive future — no matter how its sovereignty is classified by others.