How would you feel if...
...you were ordered to leave your home by your government, moved to some place 800 miles away that you've never been before, and told you could never return?
Pretty upset I'll bet, annoyed even. So here's a question: who do you reckon did this to a community 35 years ago. China, perhaps? North Korea?
Guess again. The community in question are the Chagos islanders and the government responsible is the British Government.
During the late 60's the British Government leased the island of Diego Garcia to the Americans for use as an airbase. Diego Garcia was part of the Crown Colony of Mauritius at the time. The people living on the islands to the north of Diego Garcia were served eviction orders and moved. Some ended up dumped in Mauritius or the Seychelles, others resettled in the UK. They have never been allowed to return, until last week. And then only for a short visit.
Diego Garcia is now part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, one of 13 remaining territories belonging to the UK.
The Americans refuse to allow repatriation of the northern islands for security reasons, despite their distance from the air base. A few hundred islanders are deemed more of a threat than the 2000 contract workers from the Philippines who work at the base. Security, my arse.
This is an appalling episode in the modern history of the UK and one that does not seem destined for an early, satisfactory conclusion. The current lease runs until 2016 with an option to extend for a further 20 years. Diego Garcia is a key player in the "War on Terror" as it is a base for B52 bombers to drop things on the Middle East.
In addition, the British Government believes repatriation is uneconomic and the islanders would require substantial financial support to survive there. The government seem to forget that these people managed on these islands very nicely before they were evicted, and that the amount of money required to resettle the islands would probably be dwarfed by the amount being spent on assisting other countries around the world. Sad that the British Government ponces around the globe with peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts, lapping up the feel-good media coverage - but won't get off its fat arse and right an atrocious wrong relating to its own people.
Makes you proud to be british doesn't it.
See also:
The Ilois Trust
UK Chagos Support Association
BBC News
UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, BIOT Country Profile
FCO humanitarian visit, April 2006
US Navy, Diego Garcia - background
US Navy Support Facility, Diego Garcia - homepage
Pretty upset I'll bet, annoyed even. So here's a question: who do you reckon did this to a community 35 years ago. China, perhaps? North Korea?
Guess again. The community in question are the Chagos islanders and the government responsible is the British Government.
During the late 60's the British Government leased the island of Diego Garcia to the Americans for use as an airbase. Diego Garcia was part of the Crown Colony of Mauritius at the time. The people living on the islands to the north of Diego Garcia were served eviction orders and moved. Some ended up dumped in Mauritius or the Seychelles, others resettled in the UK. They have never been allowed to return, until last week. And then only for a short visit.
Diego Garcia is now part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, one of 13 remaining territories belonging to the UK.
The Americans refuse to allow repatriation of the northern islands for security reasons, despite their distance from the air base. A few hundred islanders are deemed more of a threat than the 2000 contract workers from the Philippines who work at the base. Security, my arse.
This is an appalling episode in the modern history of the UK and one that does not seem destined for an early, satisfactory conclusion. The current lease runs until 2016 with an option to extend for a further 20 years. Diego Garcia is a key player in the "War on Terror" as it is a base for B52 bombers to drop things on the Middle East.
In addition, the British Government believes repatriation is uneconomic and the islanders would require substantial financial support to survive there. The government seem to forget that these people managed on these islands very nicely before they were evicted, and that the amount of money required to resettle the islands would probably be dwarfed by the amount being spent on assisting other countries around the world. Sad that the British Government ponces around the globe with peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts, lapping up the feel-good media coverage - but won't get off its fat arse and right an atrocious wrong relating to its own people.
Makes you proud to be british doesn't it.
See also:
The Ilois Trust
UK Chagos Support Association
BBC News
UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, BIOT Country Profile
FCO humanitarian visit, April 2006
US Navy, Diego Garcia - background
US Navy Support Facility, Diego Garcia - homepage
Comments
It just seems bizarre, I don't see that any of their arguments stand up to scrutiny...