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Throughout history, states (countries) have broken away from other states to become independent, usually against the will of the parent state. But has there ever been a case of a parent state forcibly expelling part of its own territory against the will of the people who live there?

To be clear, I'm not asking about territory given away to resolve territorial disputes, territory sold, or states created from crumbling empires. I'm specifically looking for examples of a state basically saying to part of its territory, "We don't like you. You're on your own."

I suspect the answer is no, because most states would probably expel the people and keep the territory...

Kevin Krumwiede
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  • I would guess that some former British colonies might qualify, especially Hong Kong. And of course you have the problem that "the people" are seldom unanimous. As for instance Puerto Rico's relation to the US: last I looked, it was about 1/3 for independence, 1/3 for statehood, 1/3 to keep the status quo. – jamesqf Dec 08 '17 at 04:49
  • Will you accept an answer describing a state that rejected unpopulated territory? – Aaron Brick Dec 08 '17 at 05:09
  • The various north and south countries come to mind. North Korea vs South Korea, North Jemen vs South Jemen, north Vietnam vs South Vietnam, etc. – Jos Dec 08 '17 at 06:08
  • Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Kirgystan, etc... wanted to continue to be in Soviet Union, but were kicked out by Russia. – Bregalad Dec 08 '17 at 07:11
  • Good question but (as andejons noted) someone already asked it I think. – Lars Bosteen Dec 08 '17 at 07:24
  • @Bregalad: That's odd. I seem to remember from the news at the time that they were rather found of no longer being under the direct rule of Moscow. – Denis de Bernardy Dec 08 '17 at 08:04

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