History of Chuuk independence proposals

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

1. 1.

   Claim: The Chuuk Political Status Commission (CPSC), the official body established to study Chuuk State's potential secession from the Federated States of Micronesia, recommended in 2014 that Chuuk pursue independence with a separate Compact of Free Association (CFA) with the United States; the United States has stated that a similar compact would not be offered to an independent Chuuk.

   • Proposed Chuukese independence referendum (Wikipedia) link, CPSC 2014 recommendation section. Source record
2. 2.

   Claim: A Chuuk independence referendum, originally scheduled for March 2015, was postponed for lack of public awareness and preparedness; rescheduled to March 2019, it was delayed a further year to assess constitutional validity amid opponents' arguments that Chuuk's secession from the FSM would be unconstitutional; the Chuuk State Legislature suspended the CPSC in 2019; a February 2020 decision postponed the referendum to 2022; and the referendum did not take place in 2022.

   • Proposed Chuukese independence referendum (Wikipedia) link, Repeated postponements section. Source record
   • Chuuk independence referendum delayed again (Islands Business) link, 2020 postponement and CPSC suspension section. Source record
3. 3.

   Claim: The CPSC's work reportedly ended in 2022, with no referendum held or rescheduled as of the sources reviewed; underlying grievances cited for the independence movement include high unemployment in Chuuk (the FSM's most populous state) and long-standing disputes over the distribution of FSM federal funding, political power within the federation, and preservation of cultural identity.

   • An abandoned dream? (Pacific Island Times) link, CPSC end and grievances section. Source record