President Survilla is probably nicer than President Lukashenko, but nevertheless...

(Chris W here)

It's the world's oldest government in exile - heading for its centenary.

The basic aim and responsibility of the BNR Rada are the maintenance and execution of the will of the Belarusan people as declared in the Act of March 25, 1918; namely, the re-establishment of independent Belarusan statehood on all Belarusan lands, using all possible and available means and ways

You have to admire them up to a point. And that previous sentence is as fine an illustration of the importance of good punctuation as I've managed all week.

Comments

[ajay]

This always reminds me of the fact that when John Le Carre was writing Smiley's People in 1979, and wanted the archetypal Cold War lost cause for the General to support, he picked Latvian independence. Because, you know, Latvian independence - what are the chances of that ever happening?

[Richard j]

Worth remembering that 'all Byelorussian lands' includes large chunks of Lithuania (particularly Vilnius), Ukraine, Poland and Russia.

[Chris Williams]

Yes, that's why I didn't put a comma into that sentence.

[ajay]

True. All the way past Smolensk, no less.
http://www.belarusguide.com/as/map_text/mapBNR.html