CHAGOS ISLANDERS DEALT COURT BLOW
COMMENTARY ARCHIVES, 22 Oct 2008
The British government has won its appeal over court rulings that allowed displaced Chagos Islands inhabitants to return to their homes in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
The decision by the House of Lords, the UK’s upper house of parliament, on Wednesday, overturns earlier rulings that said the method used to block the return of the islanders was unlawful.
About 2,000 Chagos inhabitants were forced off their homes by Britain in the 1960s and ’70s when the UK granted permission for a US air and naval base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago.
"There are a lot of Chagossian people in front of the court today and we are very sad about this decision," Hengride Permel, from the Chagos Islands community association, told Al Jazeera.
"It was a chance for the British government to right a wrong … it is a shameful day for the government."
Permel said campaigners planned to "take a letter to Downing Street", the prime minister’s residence, asking for the government decision to be overturned.
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.
Many of the islanders were moved to Mauritius.
Right to return
The Chagos islanders originally won the right to return home in 2000.
Robin Cook, the UK’s then foreign secretary, said the government would arrange for the Chagossians to return to the outer islands after a court victory.
But in 2004 the government changed its mind and forbade anyone from having a right of abode on the islands.
In 2007, the British high court ruled the Chagos islanders had been illegally expelled and should be allowed to return, but the British government appealed and the House of Lords ruling has upheld that appeal.
"The government has had the original ruling overturned," Nadim Baba, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in London, said.
"There’s a lot of anger over the decision, but for the time being it’s a victory for the British government."
DISCLAIMER: The statements, views and opinions expressed in pieces republished here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TMS. In accordance with title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. TMS has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is TMS endorsed or sponsored by the originator. “GO TO ORIGINAL” links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the “GO TO ORIGINAL” links. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Read more
Click here to go to the current weekly digest or pick another article:
COMMENTARY ARCHIVES: