Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DIEGO GARCIA & THE CHAGOSSIAN BETRAYAL
One of the most prolonged betrayals in British colonial history is that surrounding the secret exile of the Chagos
Islanders from their homeland in the 1960s and 1970s, in order to lease the main island, Diego Garcia, to the
USA for use as a military base.
The Chagos Islands were excised from Mauritian territory by the British prior to independence in 1965 and
Mauritius and the UK continue to dispute sovereignty. The islanders were 'resettled' in Mauritius and the
Seychelles between 1965 and 1973. Some 5000 now live in abject poverty in the slums of Port Louis, where they
continue to fight for their right to return home. The islanders won derisory compensation of £4 million from the
British in 1982, which was paid out to the poverty-stricken islanders in return for them signing away their rights -
many of them not realising at the time what the legal documents they were signing meant.
In 2000 the High Court in London ruled that the Chagossians had been evicted illegally and upheld their right
to be repatriated. Nothing happened, so the Chagossians went back to court. In October 2003 the judge rejected
their claim for further compensation, though he acknowledged that the British government had treated the is-
landers 'shamefully' and that the compensation had been inadequate. In May 2007 the Chagossians won a further
case at the Court of Appeal in London, in which the government's behaviour was condemned as unlawful and an
abuse of power. The judges in the case also refused to place a stay on the ruling, meaning the Chagossians were
free to return to all islands (with the exception of Diego Garcia itself) with immediate effect. In 2008 the case was
overturned. The Chagos Archipelago has now been ceded to the US military until 2016, while the islanders con-
tinue to pursue their rights through the European Court of Human Rights.
John Pilger gives his angle on the story in his documentary
Stealing a Nation
(2004). You can watch it online
at
www.jonhs.net/freemovies/stealing_a_nation.htm
. Further information and ways to help the Chagossians can
be found here:
www.chagossupport.org.uk
. For additional information on the Chagos Islanders, check out David
Vine's book
Island of Shame
.
Religion
There is a close link between religion and race in Mauritius and a remarkable degree of
religious tolerance. Mosques, churches and Hindu temples can be found within a stone's
throw of each other in many parts of the country and we know of one case in Floréal
where they are separated only by a shared wall.
Official figures put the number of Hindus at 48% of the population, and all of these are
Indian in origin or ethnicity. Festivals play a central role in the Hindu faith and the calen-
dar's packed with colourful celebrations.
There's a certain amount of resentment against the Hindus in Mauritius, not for reli-
gious reasons but because the Hindu majority dominates the country's political life and its
administration. Up until now, with the economy in full swing, this has merely resulted in
grumbling about discrimination and 'jobs for the boys', but there's a fear this might
change if the economy really begins to falter.
Around one-quarter of the population is Roman Catholic. Catholicism is practised by
most Creoles, and it has picked up a few voodoo overtones over the years. Most Franco-
