British colonialism after Hong Kong
Adolfo Gily, Helena Hirata, Carlos M. Vilas and the PRT (Argentina) 140 pages]
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* Africa Alain Ah-Vee* The 65 island British Indian Ocean Territories (BIOT) was separated from Mauritius in 1965, as an illegal condition for the main island's independence.' The islands were cruelly "depopulated" by the British State. An editorial in The Washington Post ' called it an "act of mass kidnapping".
Recently de-classified British documents? reveal the 1964 Anglo-American survey, and the United States insistence on getting "the whole Chagos Archipelago. " These "defence" documents also reveal the price of the islands. Three million pounds "compensation", and a US guarantee of a quota of Mauritian sugar being allowed into the US market!
Britain rents the BIOT to the United States Armed Forces. They, in turn, use Diego Garcia island not as a "communications station" as the British government at the time pretended, but as a huge, full-scale military base, literally bristling with nuclear installations. Demilitarisation campaigns
One of the relative gains of the international peace movement has been the Treaty of Pelindaba, signed in June, 1995, which declares the Indian Ocean to be "nuclearweapon-free". However, because of the occupation of Diego Garcia, the British and USA insisted that dotted lines be drawn around the Chagos Archipelago, which is
Mauritius for the first time (outside alliances) since 1982. Back in pre-independence days, it was a Mauritian Labour Party "Government" which made the illegal "deal" for the detachment of the 65 islands. This kind of agreement is specifically outlawed by international law, because a colony (or any preIndependence government) is not a separate entity, and is therefore unable to enter into any type of contract or treaty. In fact, what this kind of "deal" amounts to is the British state making a deal with a part of itself, its pre-independence Mauritian Cabinet.
Those on both sides of the illicit agreement are thus in power at the moment and are thus in a position to make historic amends.
As if to make the demand for re-unification of Mauritius all the more poignant, a Mauritian worker, Louis Cherry Anneea, is in prison in London, after having been tried in a BIOT court on Diego Garcia. He was working as a contract worker at the US base, and got into a fight with someone. Instead of being tried in Mauritius, he was tried by BIOT, and sent to prison in London. Economic value
The Cold War was at best a weak pretext for the dismembering of a nation state, for the exiling of a people and for a savage militarisation of the Chagos. And any case, the Cold War is over. The USA is closing down many bases, and plans to close down still more bases. Recently Subic Bay and Pearl Harbour bases have been down-graded.
But Britain and the USA want to hold on to the BIOT for economic reasons, as well as military. This beautiful coral island, described by an Englishman shipwrecked on it in 1786 as "one of the wonderful phenomena of the globe" is now an Anglo-American military enterprise. The vast banks and shelves around the Chagos are probably a source of great riches. Riches which should not belong to the multinationals of the UK and USA but to the people who live here. * * This article is based on an open letter to British Premier Tony Blair which the author signed on behalf of the Lalit group, 153 Main Road, Grand River North West, Port Louis, Mauritius Tel/Fax: 230-208-2132. email: <lalmel@bow.intnet.mu> Notes 1. The "excision" of 1965 was null and void because of being contrary to UN General Assembly resolutions 1514 (XXV) and 2066, the Constitution of Mauritius reads as follows: (Sec. 111): "Mauritius includes - (a) the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues, Agalega, Tromelin, Cargados Carajos and the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia and any other island comprised in the State of Mauritius" 2. The Washington Post, 11 September, 1975 3. file number FO 371/184523, as reported in the Mauritian magazine Week End