On Friday, February 4th, a night of comedy featuring some of Melbourne's top comedians was held in Hutt River, the independent province in the Australian state of Western Australia. The idea was to fly over there for one night, do the gig, entertain the constituency of Hutt River, and return home the next day.

The gig itself was a good one, but at some point, new young comic Tommy Dassalo got himself into an argument with some of the Hutt River people and was detained.

Despite the other comedians protesting at what had happened, Tommy has not yet been released. He is still there.

Apparently, Tommy broke Hutt River's laws, which the comedians were all briefed on upon arrival. We, the undersigned, are not questioning or attempting to undermine the rule of HRH Prince Leonard in any way. However, we feel after nearly a week's incarceration, that Tommy has learnt his lesson, and would like to see him released as soon as possible.