Alison Dellit
On June 16, the British government made a mockery of any claim of avowing its colonial exploitation, with a decision to reject the right of return of thousands of Mauritians forced out of their homes 30 years ago.
The story goes back nearly 30 years, to 1965, when the British Labour government decided to cut a piece out of Mauritius before granting it independence. The Chagos islands, whose largest island is Diego Garcia, became a new mini-colony.
The British government made this outrageous decision as a favour to the United States, which wanted a "depopulated" island for a military base to help in the Cold War. The whole islander population was forced onto boats, and dumped in Port Louis in an act of mass kidnapping that can scarcely be believed.
The British government leased the island to the US, which established a military base there. Meanwhile, the dispossessed struggled to survive on the streets of Mauritius, and many failed. Since then, they have been fighting to go home, and to get the poisonous base off their land.
In 2000, a case before the British court decided that the islanders could not be barred from returning, and ordered the foreign office to arrange for their return. At the time, the foreign office agreed. However, the June 16 decision overturnsed that judgement. According to the June 17 British Guardian, foreign minister Bill Rammell said that it was "not feasible" for the islanders to go back because US "defence needs" had increased since 9/11.
The decision has been greeted with much anger, and some disbelief. The Mauritian Prime Minister Paul Berenger has finally threatened to go to the International Court at the Hague in order to challenge the illegal dismemberment of Mauritius.
The socialist organisation Lalit has welcomed Berenger's decision. Lalit has been organising a flotilla to Diego Garcia, to take refugees back. While a June 21 Lalit statement conceded the British government's decision makes the flotilla "a little bit complicated", the organisation has decided to attempt it anyway.
The statement explained: "It becomes more important than ever that we all call for the closure of this military base. The Mauritian government should give the USA and Britain notice to close down the military base, and return the whole of Chagos to the people of the islands. This way we can move towards the re-unification of Mauritius.
"It is even more important today, now that we know that Diego Garcia military base, and the sea around Diego Garcia, is now known to be used for keeping prisoners. Diego Garcia is one of the 'unspecified locations' used for prisoners and for 'rendition' of prisoners. We, in Mauritius, object to all these hideous infringements of human rights being perpetrated on our land."
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, June 30, 2004.
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