Celebrating the latest legal victory!
The people of the Chagos Islands could be able to return to their homeland in the Indian Ocean after a victory in the British high court.
The Chagossians were removed from the archipelago more than 40 years ago when Britain granted the US permission to build an air and naval base on the largest atoll, Diego Garcia.
The court dismissed an appeal by the foreign office against their return, saying on Wednesday that the right to go home was “one of the most fundamental liberties known to human beings”.
Diego Garcia has been used in US military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the British government has argued that it would not be right for the Chagossians to be allowed home because of security concerns.
Two thousand Chagossians were forced to leave the islands, and resettled in nearby Mauritius and the Seychelles, in an operation that one US newspaper described at the time as an “act of mass kidnapping”.
The Chagossians won their case in 2000 and Robin Cook, then British Foreign Secretary, promised to get them back home. But, kissing Bush’s butt was more important for Tony Blair. The Brits reneged on their promise and used an “Order in Council” – which forbade parliamentary debate – to keep folks from returning home.
Ain’t it wonderful what bringing democracy to the world really means?
I don’t know where they’re going to live. The island is basically a secure compound.
Maybe they’ll finally get to charge Uncle Sugar rent?
And it is an archipelago, after all. Diego Garcia is just the largest island.
Wasn’t this in a Star Trek movie? I forget which one, but it’s the one where Data was singing Pirates of Penzance.
Shucks, England’s just not as sophisticated as al-Usa.
If the UK had simplyi issued diphtheria toxin laden
‘ Freedom clothing ‘ to them like the blankets that al-Usa gave to the American Indians, there would be far fewer Chagossians alive today to send back to their comandeered homeland.
Allen McDonald, El Galloviejo®
Yup. Degrees of hypocrisy really mean a lot.
#5 Easy… not good…..
Signs,
A Venezuelan who used to love ‘home’
1# I was wondering the same thing.
Although as someone who did two deployments to the atoll, Most of the military facilities are on what is referred to as the “big toe” of the atoll. For the uninitiated, Diego Garcia is referred to as the “Foot Print of Freedom” as it it somewhat shaped like a foot. The majority of the atoll is not used by the military and is actually a natural preserve for the atolls wildlife, feral cats, wild chickens and coconut crabs. LOL BTW if you want to see some of the most inbred, freakiest looking animals around, the cats of Diego are it, inbreeding i was told, since 1700’s.
MY guess would be that they will inhabit the unused part of the atoll, although most of it isnt all that wide.
BTW Diego is a pretty cool place, the amount of sea life around the island is phenominal, really enjoyed what time is spent there.
They’ll be starving within a year of settling there. Most of them never lived there full time in the first place because the, barely, island couldn’t support them.
Uh, since you obviously think there’s only one island – in an archipelago, Milo – have you a legit source for the history of Chagos pre-housecleaning for the US?
Especially since they had successful coconut plantations and a few centuries of recorded history before the security clearances.
Oh, I forgot that Google is part of the plot.
Democracy in America means Mexicans can gain citizenship and amnesty there.
And “optimize” profits.
Democracy in America means Democracy where and when the US government sees fit to grant it.
Jeeze god I’m not saying I enjoy stepping on kittens. In point of fact the CIA World Factbook says:
“no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s;”
http://tinyurl.com/369ltu
Most the archipelago is swamped by the sea a good portion of time and can’t grow grass. The coconut plantations went broke and they have to import fresh water. I wish them well. Reality may not be so kind.
I’ve been to Diego Garcia, it’s a rock. Even if you could get the military base off of the island (NEVER GONNA HAPPEN) there ain’t enough room for 2000 people there. Had to be there 10 days and believe me, it’s about as nowhere as anyplace you could ever go. If it weren’t for the fact that they had beer on the island I might’ve tried to swim home.