How often have the Chagos Islanders been betrayed?"The Chagos Islanders have been repeatedly betrayed by the UK government, beginning with their forced removal in the 1960s and 1970s and continuing through decades of broken promises and disregarded legal rulings. Their systematic dispossession and neglect have been decried as a "national disgrace". Key instances of betrayal include:Forced eviction (1968–1973): The UK forcibly removed approximately 2,000 islanders from the Chagos Archipelago to establish a joint military base with the U.S. on Diego Garcia. The government secretly reclassified the population as temporary contract workers to justify the removal and avoid UN decolonisation scrutiny.The "seagulls" cable (1966): Internal UK communications exposed extreme disregard for the islanders. A Foreign Office official wrote that the UK needed to "be very tough" and that "there will be no indigenous population except the seagulls".Minimal compensation (1982): Exiled islanders were coerced into accepting a meager £3,000 compensation package in exchange for signing away their right to return.Judicial reversals (2008): After the Chagossians won a High Court ruling that declared their expulsion illegal, the House of Lords overturned the decision.Marine Protected Area (2010): The Labour government established a marine reserve around the islands. A leaked U.S. embassy cable confirmed this was an excuse to make resettlement for the islanders impossible.Denial of return (2016): The British government officially denied the islanders' right to return to their homeland, despite a feasibility study suggesting otherwise.Exclusion from citizenship and integration support: Even after gaining British Overseas Territories citizenship in 2002, many Chagossians who moved to the UK received no state assistance for housing or integration and faced social marginalisation.2024 sovereignty deal: In May 2025, the UK finalised a deal to transfer sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius, while retaining the military base on Diego Garcia. Many Chagossians felt "betrayed again" because they were not consulted and still cannot resettle on Diego Garcia, their ancestral home. Some community members see the deal as a way for the UK to pass off responsibility for the islanders to Mauritius. As of the most recent agreement, many Chagossians feel they have been betrayed for the final time. The accumulated effect of these actions—from forced removal and deception to decades of neglect and the recent deal—has left many feeling that successive UK governments have consistently ignored their rights and desires." (AI)Not the first people that Britain has parted from their ownland.
David Ainsworth ● 22d