For those still in doubt, the deportation of the Chagossians unfortunately benefited from the complicity of the Mauritius government of 1965. This has been shown in several research works and the media as inThe Independent online (South Africa edition) as follows: " "Mauritius now contests sovereignty over the Chagos Islands and has received support from the African Union, which contends that the UK must return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius; that the US military base on Diego Garcia is a threat to Africa and a threat to the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace. "What is little known is the collusion of Mauritius in exiling the entire population of former African slaves from the Chagos Islands. Mauritius received R55 million for its consent to the Chagos islands excision without seeking the consent of the islanders. The Chagossians only discovered that their islands had been “sold” when they were bundled on to a cargo ship and transported under deplorable conditions to Mauritius and Seychelles without any relocation plan in place." SAJ, PB and the dissident Labour movement of H Boodhoo fiercely attacked the Labour Party on that issue. The MMM had initiated the original protest locally and internationally in the 1970s. The money received was never used to resettle the Chagossians. It was 55 million rands according to this article, in British pounds sterling it was 3million plus 650,000 more specifically for resettlement.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 08:37:00 +0000
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