Expulsion of the Chagossians

Quick Facts: Who was Expulsion of the Chagossians?

Subject:

Expulsion of the Chagossians

Known for:

Forced removal of Chagossian people from the Chagos Archipelago for a US military base.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Between 1967 and 1973 the United Kingdom removed the entire population of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, or prevented its members from returning, to make way for a United States military base on Diego Garcia. The islanders, then known as the Ilois and now generally as Chagossians, were taken to Mauritius and Seychelles. The archipelago had been detached from the colony of Mauritius in 1965 to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), and in December 1966 the United Kingdom agreed with the United States to take the "administrative measures" needed to make the islands available for defence purposes, including "resettling any inhabitants". Those who had left the islands for Mauritius in 1967 and 1968 were refused passage home. The population of Diego Garcia was moved in 1971, mainly to the other atolls of the archipelago and to Seychelles and Mauritius, and the last inhabitants left Peros Banhos in May 1973.

Career & Major Achievements

In Mauritius most lived in severe poverty, and no resettlement scheme awaited them. The United Kingdom paid £650,000 to Mauritius in 1973 and a further £4 million under a 1982 agreement, in return for which most recipients signed or thumbprinted forms renouncing further claims. From 2000 the Chagossians brought a series of cases in the English courts. In that year the High Court quashed the 1971 ordinance that barred them from the territory, but in 2004 the government restored the ban by Orders in Council, which the House of Lords upheld by three votes to two in 2008. Claims for compensation failed in the English courts and in the European Court of Human Rights.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The British government has accepted that the removal was carried out "with a callous disregard of their interests" and has called it "shameful and wrong". In 2016 it decided against resettlement on grounds of feasibility, defence and cost. In its 2019 advisory opinion the International Court of Justice described the resettlement of Chagossians as an issue of human rights to be addressed by the United Nations General Assembly in completing the decolonisation of Mauritius. In the early nineteenth century several hundred people were brought to the Chagos Archipelago from Mozambique and Madagascar as slaves to work on coconut plantations owned by residents of Mauritius; they were freed in the 1830s along with the other enslaved people of Mauritius. In the twentieth century the islands were run by plantation companies "in a somewhat feudal manner", and the company was the sole employer.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1965: 1965 Milestone — The archipelago had been detached from the colony of Mauritius in 1965 to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), and in December 1966 the United Kingdom agreed with the United States to take the "administrative measures" needed to make the islands available for defence purposes, including "resettling any inhabitants".
2. 1967: 1967 Milestone — Between 1967 and 1973 the United Kingdom removed the entire population of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, or prevented its members from returning, to make way for a United States military base on Diego Garcia.
3. 1971: 1971 Milestone — The population of Diego Garcia was moved in 1971, mainly to the other atolls of the archipelago and to Seychelles and Mauritius, and the last inhabitants left Peros Banhos in May 1973.
4. 1973: 1973 Milestone — The United Kingdom paid £650,000 to Mauritius in 1973 and a further £4 million under a 1982 agreement, in return for which most recipients signed or thumbprinted forms renouncing further claims.
5. 2000: 2000 Milestone — From 2000 the Chagossians brought a series of cases in the English courts.
6. 2016: 2016 Milestone — In 2016 it decided against resettlement on grounds of feasibility, defence and cost.
7. 2019: 2019 Milestone — In its 2019 advisory opinion the International Court of Justice described the resettlement of Chagossians as an issue of human rights to be addressed by the United Nations General Assembly in completing the decolonisation of Mauritius.

Notable Quotes by Expulsion of the Chagossians

“The British government has accepted that the removal was carried out "with a callous disregard of their interests"”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Expulsion of the Chagossians

True or False: “Did the initial detachment of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius occur before 1965?”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The archipelago was detached from the colony of Mauritius in 1965.

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