Marine Sanctuary - Chagos Islands

[hummingway]

I read somewhere a news report recently that stated congress was looking at the costs of keeping so many of these bases going. Not surprising considering the current financial crisis and the fact that the US military expenditures have approached 900 billion.

You might think illegal bases such as Diego Garcia and Guantanamo might be the first to consider letting go since they would give US human rights status a nice boost but Diego Garcia is very strategic and Guantanamo close by and useful for breaking US law.

Noam Chomsky has written very convincingly that he believes the US considers anything they choose to do to be right. Might makes right.

[Peros Banhos]

Gord May has done an excellent job of summarising a complex situation and I agree with all that he says. I have one point I'd like to expand on. The leaked cable says "that the Foreign Office...has been planning to destroy the islanders’ campaign by making their former home a marine sanctuary, in which no one would be allowed to live."

It is true that the US Embassy official in London reported that this is what the BIOT Commissioner told him. But he was lied to. While the Marine Protected Area regulations do prohibit the islanders from resettlement, these regulations can easily be changed by simple administrative action by the regulating official, who just happens to be the same BIOT Commissioner quoted in the leaked cable, Colin Roberts.

And of course Roberts can't just do whatever he wants. He works for the Foreign Minister, William Hague, and Hague is responsible to Parliament.

The hopes of the islanders remain with the European Court of Human Rights, whose decision has been postponed several times and is now expected "soon."

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by Peros Banhos

The truth can be found here:
Protect Chagos | Marine Education Trust

Tried, really, but... ACCESS TO THE TRUTH DENIED ! ! !



"You are not authorized to access this page"

[boatman61]

Speaking as a 'Brit'.. and as a Tory, I hope Hague does the right thing and restores the Islands to the rightful owners... anything less would further stain an already shabby Union Jack...
I know that he spouts a lot about human rights and claims to uphold peoples freedoms but...
I'm also aware that like many UK politicians he'll kiss the USA's ass if he thinks it'll do him or his Party some good... servitude and self interest sadly is not restricted to the Labour Party and Blair & Brown...
You'd think they'd have learnt something from the 'Falklands Affair'

[Peros Banhos]

DoubleWhisky is trying to access the MET page containing an old petition. MET information on the Chagos situation is here:
Chagos Campaign | Marine Education Trust
But much has happened since this was written.

There is considerable confusion between the proponents, who are divided between Mauritian and British sovereignty for the northern atolls, and the pro-Mauritian proponents subdivided on whether to include Diego Garcia.

And there is confusion within the UK coalition government, with the Lib-Dems favouring resettlement and the Tories disagreeing.

Rather than speculate on the outcome, I prefer to await the decision of the court in Strasbourg.