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UK Chagossians asked for views on Support Package

Sep 25, 2019
2 min

UK Chagossians asked for views on Support Package

The UK government is asking Chagossians living in the UK for their views on two proposed uses of the £40m Support Package promised to Chagossians in 2016. The Support Package, which had the stated aim of "addressing the most pressing needs of the community" was announced in November 2016, as the UK government confirmed they would not support a Chagossian return programme or restore Chagossians right to live in their homeland. Below are the two Foreign Office proposals on how

Chagossians call for more support and right to return as visits go ahead

Jun 5, 2018
2 min

Chagossians call for more support and right to return as visits go ahead

Chagossians in the Seychelles have joined Chagos Refugees Group in boycotting 'heritage visits' to the Chagos Islands planned for later this year. Chagossians wishing to go on the trips have been encouraged to apply before the 8th June 2018. Pierre Prosper, Chair of the Association of Chagossians in the Seychelles, argues that the £40m 'support package' announced in 2016, at the same time as a UK government decision not to support a Chagossian return programme, should not b

Chagossians to challenge UK in the Courts to win their right to return home

Dec 23, 2017
1 min

Chagossians to challenge UK in the Courts to win their right to return home

On 14 May 2018, the High Court will begin to hear a judicial Review of the decision taken last November that the UK will not facilitate the return of Chagossians to their homeland. The decision was unexpected since it followed two Feasibility Studies which finally concluded there was no practical or legal obstacle to providing for resettlement of the Chagossian population which has lived in Exile since the deportations in the 1965-1973 period. Chagossians from Mauritius, led

Chagossian visit to Chagos Islands: Boycotts by several Chagossian groups

Deena and Stefan

Sep 10, 2017
1 min

Chagossian visit to Chagos Islands: Boycotts by several Chagossian groups

The latest UK government organised visit to the Chagos Islands will be going ahead at the end of October. The 12 day trip will be funded from the £40m support package announced last November when the UK government decided not to proceed with a Chagossian return programme. The visit, however, has been boycotted by several Chagossian groups, including the Chagos Refugees Group and the Seychelles Chagossian Committee. This is in protest that the UK will not allow Chagossians to

UK Labour Party back Chagossian return in Manifesto

May 17, 2017
2 min

UK Labour Party back Chagossian return in Manifesto

The UK Labour Party have confirmed that, if they form the next government, they will restore Chagossians right to return to their homeland. This would reverse a decision taken by the previous Conservative government not to support a return programme, after the conclusion of a three-year policy review. This is the first time a major UK party has formally backed Chagossians right to return to their homeland. Not all party manifestos have yet been published, and we hope other pa

Guest Blog: 20 Chagos Myths & why they are wrong

Jan 8, 2017
7 min

Guest Blog: 20 Chagos Myths & why they are wrong

In this Guest Blog Chagos All-Party Parliamentary Group Coordinator David Snoxell, also a former High Commissioner to Mauritius, explores 20 "myths, mantras and platitudes" which British government officials and others have used to oppose Chagossians' right to return to their homeland over the years. As with all guest blogs, Mr Snoxell's views are his own and aren't necessarily the view of UK Chagos Support Association. Chagos myths, mantras and platitudes, 1966-2016 1. The I

Chagossian natives meet to discuss future

Dec 26, 2016
2 min

Chagossian natives meet to discuss future

A few weeks before Christmas saw a group of native-born Chagossians meet in Crawley with the media to provide their thoughts and concerns in relation to the recent statement released by the government deciding against their return home. The event occurred at the home of Joseph Bertrand, one of the natives from Peros Banhos where guests were warmly welcomed as his daughter in law Jane was making Seraz Patate for them. Other native Chagossians to attend were France Bertrand, th

Chagossians to protest at 10 Downing Street Thursday 15 December

Dec 14, 2016
2 min

Chagossians to protest at 10 Downing Street Thursday 15 December

50 years ago the Chagossian Community were forced into exile by the UK Government to enable the construction of a US airbase on Diego Garcia. The 50 year agreement between the US and UK comes to its end on December 30 of this year. However, on Wednesday 16 November, the Government made the decision not to go ahead with a resettlement scheme that would have allowed a number Chagossians to return to their islands. The agreement will roll on for another 20 years without the pres

Chagos Islands All-Party Group Statement on failure to end Chagossian exile

Nov 19, 2016
4 min

Chagos Islands All-Party Group Statement on failure to end Chagossian exile

The Chagos Islands All-Party Parliamentary Group has issued a statement following the government's failure to support Chagossians to return to their homeland this week. The All-party Group issued the statement after meeting with the Defence, Foreign Office and International Development Ministers to discuss resettlement. The meeting took place after the sudden annoucement that the government would not back resettlement earlier that day. The following day several group members

UK Government fails to end Chagossian exile

Nov 16, 2016
3 min

UK Government fails to end Chagossian exile

Two years of waiting today came to end. The Government announced that they will not be going ahead with a pilot resettlement scheme that would have allowed two hundred Chagossians to return to their islands for a trial period of two years. The decision has truly rocked the Chagossian community. Many were too stunned to comment, others made clear that the fight is not over. In a written statement, Sir Alan Duncan MP said the decision was made “on the grounds of feasibility, de

Ben Fogle launches Chagos Return petition this Chagos Day

Nov 3, 2016
2 min

Ben Fogle launches Chagos Return petition this Chagos Day

Today is Chagos day - an annual celebration in which the exiled people of the Chagos Islands celebrate their unique culture and heritage. And this Chagos Day TV Presenter and Explorer Ben Fogle has launched a public petition calling on Ministers to end Chagossian exile now. Last week in a Parliamentary debate Ministers announced that a decision on Chagossian return was due to be made before the Christmas recess. The Islanders, British citizens, were forced from their homeland

Ministers pressed on Chagossian return as Government decision looms

Oct 28, 2016
4 min

Ministers pressed on Chagossian return as Government decision looms

You can read the full debate on Theyworkforyou.comTo back Chagossian return, sign up for our free 'Thunderclap,' where over 100 people will be able to post to social media at once. Thunderclap is a great way to make the government take notice of the growing demand for Chagossian return. Tobias Ellwood, a Government Foreign Office Minister, has pledged that a decision on Chagossian return was expected “before the end of the year,” during a well-attended Westminster Hall debate

Chagossian return to be debated in Parliament

Oct 19, 2016
2 min

Chagossian return to be debated in Parliament

Next Tuesday on 25th October between 2:30 and 4PM, British MPs will question Foreign Office Ministers about British policy in the Chagos Islands. This Westminster Hall debate, secured and led by All-Party Parliamentary Group Chairperson Andrew Rosindell MP, comes at a critical time with the UK government expected to announce whether it will end 50 years of Chagossian exile in the coming weeks. For more information about this debate and the issues which will be discussed, plea

Fernand Mandarin, long-time Chagossian community leader, dies

Oct 16, 2016
2 min

Fernand Mandarin, long-time Chagossian community leader, dies

On 13 October 2016 the Chagossian movement lost one of its leading figures, with the death of Fernand Mandarin, long-time leader of the Chagossian Social Committee (Comité social chagossien). Born in 1943 on Peros Banhos, an archipelago some 100 miles north of Diego Garcia, Mr Mandarin was forced to leave his homeland in 1966. Within the next seven years, all Chagossians would be forced to leave. Mr Mandarin though never stopped fighting gallantly for his exiled community rig

Chagos Islands All-Party Parliamentary Group: Coordinator's Summary

Oct 13, 2016
3 min

Chagos Islands All-Party Parliamentary Group: Coordinator's Summary

Below is a summary of the latest meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Chagos Islands, provided as usual by the group's voluntary coordiantor David Snoxell. Our thanks to him and the group members for their continued work holding the government to account on their responsibilities to the Chagossian people. Coordinator's Summary of 12 October meeting of the Chagos Islands All-Party Parliamentary Group The Chagos Islands (BIOT) All-Party Parliamentary Group held i

President Allen Vincatassin: Chagossian return needs to happen soon

Sep 28, 2016
1 min

President Allen Vincatassin: Chagossian return needs to happen soon

Allen Vincatassin, a Chagossian community leader elected President-in-exile in 2011, has spoken with 24 hour news channel RT about the community's ongoing struggle to win return to their homeland. He encourages British citizens to lobby their MPs to tell them its time to back a Chagossian return programme. Speaking on the current affairs programme Going Underground, Mr Vincatassin explained the history of how Chagossians came to be exiled and his hopes that, with UK governmen

Chagos Refugee Group leader Oliver Bancoult meets UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson

Robin Sooklall and Stefan Donnelly

Sep 26, 2016
1 min

Chagos Refugee Group leader Oliver Bancoult meets UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson

Chagos Refugee Group leader Oliver Bancoult attended a meeting of senior Mauritian officials and politicians with UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. This was a historic meeting, as it was the first time Mr Johnson had met with anyone from the Chagossian community, and came ahead of a decision on whether to support Chagossian return to their homeland, expected in the next few months. Olivier Bancoult expressed the pride the Chagossain community feels to be involved in discuss

Bishops call for Chagossian return now

Peri and Stefan

Sep 21, 2016
2 min

Bishops call for Chagossian return now

Bishops from across the Indian Ocean have come together to call for Chagossians to be allowed to return to their homeland. In a major and powerful intervention, the Bishops condemn the "brutality" of their removal and call for the authorities who deported them to facilitate their return. Referencing Pope Francis' declaration that this is the "year of mercy," they call for an end to Chagossians' years of suffering and exile. The backing of the Bishops is a big boost for Chagos

Government pressed on UN call for Chagossian return

Sep 18, 2016
2 min

Government pressed on UN call for Chagossian return

Following the influential UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) report calling on the UK government to back Chagossian return, Ministers have this week faced fresh pressure in Parliament to comply with the committee's recommendation. A few weeks ago the Committee released a report which called on the UK government to act now to “facilitate Chagossians return to their islands.” The report also criticised the ongoing “discriminatory restrictions” which mea

Guest Blog: Returning Home 10 years on, and a few steps closer

Sep 14, 2016
5 min

Guest Blog: Returning Home 10 years on, and a few steps closer

In the latest in our Guest Blog series, John Howell, former director of the Overseas Development Institute, looks back at the Returning Home report on resettlement of the Chagos Islands he worked on. His report explored how the Outer Islands (that is, not including Diego Garcia) could be resettled. Looking at the situation in 2016, now the UK government has admitted return is "practically feasible" based on a KPMG report, he reassesses what he learned producing his rpeort and