Dishonour Among Thieves
The scandal of the Anglo-American treatment of the population of the Chagos Archipelago is little known, a testament, perhaps, to the servility of the dominant media in both countries. Fortunately there are some who are prepared to speak up about the story. Among them is veteran investigative journalist and perennial irritant of the powerful John Pilger who’s recent documentary “Stealing A Nation,” which was shown on ITV1, will hopefully help to bring the issue to people’s attention.
Whatever one’s opinions on the base’s role within US foreign policy, few will fail to be horrified by the story which lies behind its existence. A “shocking, almost incredible story,” as Pilger notes, which involves the forced exile of the island’s indigenous population.
The Chagos Archipelago belongs to the UK and was retained when Mauritius became independent, by its incorporation into the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). This was done, because of an agreement between the US and UK that Diego Garcia would be made available to the US for a base. Additionally the US wanted the island and the archipelago “swept and sanitised”, which meant that the 2,000 people living there had to be forced from their homes. Some found themselves unable to return to the islands after making visits to Mauritius, others were told that they might be bombed, others were simply loaded onto ships and taken to a prison on the Seychelles, now demolished. Pilger focuses particular attention on the fate of the 1,000 pet dogs who were gassed using exhaust fumes from military vehicles in order to encourage the islanders to leave.
Alongside the removal of the population, there were also extensive machinations on the part of Foreign Office mandarins to ensure the whole affair was kept secret. Much of this effort was centred around promulgating the idea that the Chagossians were not a settled population, but rather transient labourers, which they knew to be untrue. Lawyer for the islanders Richard Gifford opines that all they were concerned about was that they might be caught, the effect on the people who they had exiled was essentially irrelevant. One former official, interviewed by Pilger, seeks to defend a (now deceased) colleague who described the islanders in a memo as “a few Tarzans and Man Fridays,” by explaining that he would not have written such a thing if he had known it would enter the public domain.
Most of the population ended up living in Mauritius where many died as a result of the poverty which they found themselves in, or because of “sadness”. Rates of suicide, alcoholism and drug use were chronic and conditions have improved little in the years since their exile began. Pilger visited a family who had been filmed in 1982 living in abject poverty with 25 sleeping in shifts in one room. Twenty-two years later he finds them in the same house, in much the same conditions.
Despite their dire situation, the Chagossians have not given up and continue to fight for the right to return to their homes. In November 2000 they won a major victory in the High Court, which ruled that the expulsion of the islanders was illegal. The case also brought to light many files revealing the truth behind the expulsions. As a result of the ruling, the order expelling them from their homes had to be rewritten, allowing the islanders the right to resettle on the islands. The UK Government, however, insisted that treaty obligations with the US meant that Diego Garcia itself had to be excluded from resettlement
In June of this year, the government went even further, introducing two Orders in Council which prevented anyone from setting foot on the Chagos Islands. Orders in Council are a crown power which allow the government to enact law without any democratic oversight. Pilger comments that dictatorships operate in a similar fashion, albeit without the “quaint ritual”.
Overall the programme does a good job of dealing with the scandal and will hopefully go some way to countering the widespread ignorance about the plight of the Chagossians. It might be criticised, like much of Pilger’s work, for being a little didactic. The programme book-ended by shots of Pilger talking straight to camera in which he explains its significance, seemingly in case anyone might have missed the point. This, however, is a minor criticism of an important programme.
The largest island in the archipelago, Diego Garcia, is the site of an extensive US military base. Pilger reveals that the island is home to 2,000 troops, 30 warships, 2 nuclear cleared berths, 2 bomber runways and a satellite spy station. The US describes the base as an “indispensable platform for policing the world” and it played a central role in the assault on Afghanistan and the wars against Iraq in 1991 and 2003. He does not mention, however, worrying reports that the island is also the site of a secretive Guantanamo Bay-style detention facility.
Whatever one’s opinions on the base’s role within US foreign policy, few will fail to be horrified by the story which lies behind its existence. A “shocking, almost incredible story,” as Pilger notes, which involves the forced exile of the island’s indigenous population.
The Chagos Archipelago belongs to the UK and was retained when Mauritius became independent, by its incorporation into the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). This was done, because of an agreement between the US and UK that Diego Garcia would be made available to the US for a base. Additionally the US wanted the island and the archipelago “swept and sanitised”, which meant that the 2,000 people living there had to be forced from their homes. Some found themselves unable to return to the islands after making visits to Mauritius, others were told that they might be bombed, others were simply loaded onto ships and taken to a prison on the Seychelles, now demolished. Pilger focuses particular attention on the fate of the 1,000 pet dogs who were gassed using exhaust fumes from military vehicles in order to encourage the islanders to leave.
Alongside the removal of the population, there were also extensive machinations on the part of Foreign Office mandarins to ensure the whole affair was kept secret. Much of this effort was centred around promulgating the idea that the Chagossians were not a settled population, but rather transient labourers, which they knew to be untrue. Lawyer for the islanders Richard Gifford opines that all they were concerned about was that they might be caught, the effect on the people who they had exiled was essentially irrelevant. One former official, interviewed by Pilger, seeks to defend a (now deceased) colleague who described the islanders in a memo as “a few Tarzans and Man Fridays,” by explaining that he would not have written such a thing if he had known it would enter the public domain.
Most of the population ended up living in Mauritius where many died as a result of the poverty which they found themselves in, or because of “sadness”. Rates of suicide, alcoholism and drug use were chronic and conditions have improved little in the years since their exile began. Pilger visited a family who had been filmed in 1982 living in abject poverty with 25 sleeping in shifts in one room. Twenty-two years later he finds them in the same house, in much the same conditions.
Despite their dire situation, the Chagossians have not given up and continue to fight for the right to return to their homes. In November 2000 they won a major victory in the High Court, which ruled that the expulsion of the islanders was illegal. The case also brought to light many files revealing the truth behind the expulsions. As a result of the ruling, the order expelling them from their homes had to be rewritten, allowing the islanders the right to resettle on the islands. The UK Government, however, insisted that treaty obligations with the US meant that Diego Garcia itself had to be excluded from resettlement
In June of this year, the government went even further, introducing two Orders in Council which prevented anyone from setting foot on the Chagos Islands. Orders in Council are a crown power which allow the government to enact law without any democratic oversight. Pilger comments that dictatorships operate in a similar fashion, albeit without the “quaint ritual”.
Overall the programme does a good job of dealing with the scandal and will hopefully go some way to countering the widespread ignorance about the plight of the Chagossians. It might be criticised, like much of Pilger’s work, for being a little didactic. The programme book-ended by shots of Pilger talking straight to camera in which he explains its significance, seemingly in case anyone might have missed the point. This, however, is a minor criticism of an important programme.
The Peace Movement will probably have a video showing of the documentary in the near-future for anyone that missed it. In the meantime, booklets looking at the issues dealt with in the programme are available for £2.50 from 08708303481. Further information can be gleaned for free from the website of the UK Chagos Support Association, which has links to various other good resources. Anyone interested in getting involved around the issue should start there as well, but might also be interested in the newly established Student Friends of Chagos email discussion group.
posted by Disillusioned kid at 9:27 pm
2 Comments:
The documentary was very well done and very emotional.
Lets mobilise awareness in the world.
The package is called Paradise 873
http://www.geocities.com/paradise_8_7_3/
And lets secure the islands for Ilois and rout out a military base through an Internet coup.
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