[url="http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagossian"]Diego Garcia[/url]
The Chagossian people's ancestry is mostly of African heritage, particularly coming from Madagascar, Mozambique and other African nations including (Mauritius). There is also a significant proportion of Indian ancestry. The French brought them over as slaves from Mauritius in 1786. Others arrived as fishermen, farmers, and coconut plantation workers during the 19th century.
The Chagossians speak Chagossian Creole, a mix of Indigenous language and French-based creole language and part of the Bourbonnais Creole family. Chagossian Creole is still spoken by some of their descendents in Mauritius and the Seychelles.
The Archipelago later passed to the control of the United Kingdom and came to form part of the Colony of Mauritius.
Contents [hide]
1 Exile from homeland
2 Right to return
3 Return frustrated
4 New developments
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
[edit] Exile from homeland
In 1965, as part of a deal to grant Mauritian independence, the Chagos Archipelago was split off from the Colony and came to form the British Indian Ocean Territory. The territory's new constitution was set out in a statutory instrument imposed unilaterally without any referendum or consultation with the Chagossians and it envisaged no democratic institutions. The constitution prohibited anyone from residing in the islands without a permit.
In the following years from 1967 and 1973, the Chagossians, then numbering some 2,000 people, were expelled by the British government, first to the island of Peros Banhos, 100 miles away from their homeland, and then, in 1973, to Mauritius (For the relationship between the Chagos Archipelago and Mauritius, see Chagos Archipelago). Their forced (and, according to some authorities, illegal) expulsion and dispossession was for the purpose of establishing a United States air and naval base on Diego Garcia, where a small contingent of UK military personnel is stationed as well.
[edit] Right to return
In 1983, the United Kingdom gave the Mauritian government ã4 million, of which the Mauritian government transferred ã1 million to those deported Chagossians dwelling in that country as refugees.[citation needed]
Later, some 30 years after their deportation, the Chagossians demanded the right to return to their homeland. Their case was brought to the High Court of Justice in London by a British firm of solicitors, Sheridans, and on November 3, 2000 the High Court ruled in their favour, stipulating that they should be allowed to return to their homeland.[citation needed]
From November 5 to November 23, 2001, over two hundred Chagossians maintained a vigil outside the British High Commission in Port Louis, Mauritius. On May 21, 2002, the British Foreign Affairs Secretary Jack Straw signed a document conferring British citizenship upon the Chagossians,[citation needed] later implemented in "Section 6: The Chagossians: Citizenship" of the British Overseas Territories Act 2002.
[edit] Return frustrated
Flag of the Chagossian community.Despite the court judgement recognising the Chagossians' rights, the islands were uninhabited and there were no civilian transportation links. Most of the Chagossians remained in impoverished conditions, unable to facilitate their own return. Promises of the British Government to assist in resettlement failed to materialise.[citation needed]
On October 9, 2003, in a controversial judgement, Justice Ousley of the High Court decreed that the Chagossians had no right to any compensation from the British Government. Then, in June 2004, the British Government effectively overruled the 2000 court decision in favour of the Chagossians by an order-in-council.[citation needed] The Chagossians and their advocates appealed this move to the High Court of England and Wales and the European Court of Human Rights.[citation needed]
[edit] New developments
In early April 2006, a group of around 100 Chagossians were permitted to visit the British Indian Ocean Territory for the first time in over 30 years in a trip. The trip was organised and financed by the British Foreign Office and the government of Mauritius.[1]
On May 11, 2006, the Chagossians won their case before the High Court, which ruled that they are entitled to return to the Chagos Archipelago. It remains to be seen whether when or how the judgement might be implemented in practice.[2] The UK government launched an appeal at the Court of Appeal against the May 11 ruling in June 2006. The Foreign office has put forward an argument based on the treatment of the Japanese Canadians following the attacks on Pearl Harbor.[3]
On May 23, 2007, the Court of Appeal dismissed the UK Government's appeal saying that the methods used to stop the Chagos families to return to the islands were "unlawful" and "an abuse of power". The Government was refused leave to appeal to the House of Lords, but have stated an intention to appeal to the Lords against that refusal. The Government launched an appeal to the Law Lords in November 2007.
On October 22, 2008, the Law Lords reached a decision on the appeal made by the Secretary of State For Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the UK, David Milliband. They found in favour of the Government in a 3-2 verdict, ending the legal process in the UK and dashing the islanders hopes of return. The judgement was published on the UK parliament website[4].
The United State lease on the naval base at Diego Garcia is due to expire in 2016.[citation needed]
If China can take back Hong Kong from the British why has India not been able to take back Diego Garcia from the Americans? Until we have politicians like cangrassi, lallo etc. we will never be able to even talk about it by our bought and paid for media forget taking it back
The Chagossian people's ancestry is mostly of African heritage, particularly coming from Madagascar, Mozambique and other African nations including (Mauritius). There is also a significant proportion of Indian ancestry. The French brought them over as slaves from Mauritius in 1786. Others arrived as fishermen, farmers, and coconut plantation workers during the 19th century.
The Chagossians speak Chagossian Creole, a mix of Indigenous language and French-based creole language and part of the Bourbonnais Creole family. Chagossian Creole is still spoken by some of their descendents in Mauritius and the Seychelles.
The Archipelago later passed to the control of the United Kingdom and came to form part of the Colony of Mauritius.
Contents [hide]
1 Exile from homeland
2 Right to return
3 Return frustrated
4 New developments
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
[edit] Exile from homeland
In 1965, as part of a deal to grant Mauritian independence, the Chagos Archipelago was split off from the Colony and came to form the British Indian Ocean Territory. The territory's new constitution was set out in a statutory instrument imposed unilaterally without any referendum or consultation with the Chagossians and it envisaged no democratic institutions. The constitution prohibited anyone from residing in the islands without a permit.
In the following years from 1967 and 1973, the Chagossians, then numbering some 2,000 people, were expelled by the British government, first to the island of Peros Banhos, 100 miles away from their homeland, and then, in 1973, to Mauritius (For the relationship between the Chagos Archipelago and Mauritius, see Chagos Archipelago). Their forced (and, according to some authorities, illegal) expulsion and dispossession was for the purpose of establishing a United States air and naval base on Diego Garcia, where a small contingent of UK military personnel is stationed as well.
[edit] Right to return
In 1983, the United Kingdom gave the Mauritian government ã4 million, of which the Mauritian government transferred ã1 million to those deported Chagossians dwelling in that country as refugees.[citation needed]
Later, some 30 years after their deportation, the Chagossians demanded the right to return to their homeland. Their case was brought to the High Court of Justice in London by a British firm of solicitors, Sheridans, and on November 3, 2000 the High Court ruled in their favour, stipulating that they should be allowed to return to their homeland.[citation needed]
From November 5 to November 23, 2001, over two hundred Chagossians maintained a vigil outside the British High Commission in Port Louis, Mauritius. On May 21, 2002, the British Foreign Affairs Secretary Jack Straw signed a document conferring British citizenship upon the Chagossians,[citation needed] later implemented in "Section 6: The Chagossians: Citizenship" of the British Overseas Territories Act 2002.
[edit] Return frustrated
Flag of the Chagossian community.Despite the court judgement recognising the Chagossians' rights, the islands were uninhabited and there were no civilian transportation links. Most of the Chagossians remained in impoverished conditions, unable to facilitate their own return. Promises of the British Government to assist in resettlement failed to materialise.[citation needed]
On October 9, 2003, in a controversial judgement, Justice Ousley of the High Court decreed that the Chagossians had no right to any compensation from the British Government. Then, in June 2004, the British Government effectively overruled the 2000 court decision in favour of the Chagossians by an order-in-council.[citation needed] The Chagossians and their advocates appealed this move to the High Court of England and Wales and the European Court of Human Rights.[citation needed]
[edit] New developments
In early April 2006, a group of around 100 Chagossians were permitted to visit the British Indian Ocean Territory for the first time in over 30 years in a trip. The trip was organised and financed by the British Foreign Office and the government of Mauritius.[1]
On May 11, 2006, the Chagossians won their case before the High Court, which ruled that they are entitled to return to the Chagos Archipelago. It remains to be seen whether when or how the judgement might be implemented in practice.[2] The UK government launched an appeal at the Court of Appeal against the May 11 ruling in June 2006. The Foreign office has put forward an argument based on the treatment of the Japanese Canadians following the attacks on Pearl Harbor.[3]
On May 23, 2007, the Court of Appeal dismissed the UK Government's appeal saying that the methods used to stop the Chagos families to return to the islands were "unlawful" and "an abuse of power". The Government was refused leave to appeal to the House of Lords, but have stated an intention to appeal to the Lords against that refusal. The Government launched an appeal to the Law Lords in November 2007.
On October 22, 2008, the Law Lords reached a decision on the appeal made by the Secretary of State For Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the UK, David Milliband. They found in favour of the Government in a 3-2 verdict, ending the legal process in the UK and dashing the islanders hopes of return. The judgement was published on the UK parliament website[4].
The United State lease on the naval base at Diego Garcia is due to expire in 2016.[citation needed]
If China can take back Hong Kong from the British why has India not been able to take back Diego Garcia from the Americans? Until we have politicians like cangrassi, lallo etc. we will never be able to even talk about it by our bought and paid for media forget taking it back