1962 Antigo–Pretany Incident

On 18 October 1962, a group of 15 tourists were captured by Kuyak border guards and thus arrested for trying to invade the Pretanic Faction State. This started the 1962 Antigo–Pretany Incident, which only ended with 10 of them being sentenced to death and the other five having to serve a life sentence in Antigo's labour camps, despite appeals from the international community to free the group. This incident is the first major border incident between Antigo and Pretany ever since Antigo's de facto independence from Pretany.

Background

The group of tourists were hiking in Rickorack Reserve and decided to hike a path that was dangerously close to the Pretanic Demilitarised Zone separating Antigo from Pretany. On 17 October 1962, the group left their hotel from Low Hill Pass led by a mountain guide Joseph Sapenggi, a former Antigoan living in Pretany. The group made the last contact with the base camp at 7.50 am local time on 18 October where they were about 5 km from the border.

Taken into custody and arrest

At about 9.00 am, Kuyak Border Troops stopped the group for transpassing the PDZ and asked to see their passes. However, the group were forced to follow the guards into Antigo. At 12 pm, Antigo made its announcement that it has captured the group for deliberately trying to enter Antigo and steal state secrets, which the group denied.