Parliamentary Questions re: Visits to Chagos Islands

13th January 2015 

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North, Labour)

"To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps are being taken to ensure that the Chagossians are taken to the Chagos Islands as soon as possible, since the cancellation by his Department of their scheduled annual trip in November 2014."

Hugo Swire (The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; East Devon, Conservative)

We are committed to the Chagossians visiting the British Indian Ocean Territory in April 2015. BIOT Administration officials judge that this is the earliest time that safety concerns caused by mechanical problems on board the BIOT Administration's vessel will be satisfactorily addressed, and the logistics of such a complex trip completed. Additionally, the community leaders are working with us to reallocate the funds set aside for the postponed 2014 visit to community projects.

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North, Labour)

"To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when and for what reasons permission was given to representatives of the Zoological Society of London to travel to the Chagos Islands."


Hugo Swire (The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; East Devon, Conservative)

"On 14 October 2014, the Administration of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) granted permission for a consortium of scientists, led by representatives of the Zoological Society of London, to undertake an expedition to BIOT (which includes the Chagos Archipelago) in January 2015. 

The purpose of this expedition, now underway, is to conduct observations on the pelagic ecology within BIOT’s marine protected area. The BIOT Administration is committed to promoting research that increases scientific understanding and informs global conservation efforts, and has identified the documentation of pelagic ecosystems as a priority."

Chagos Day Celebration: Sunday 2nd November

To mark Chagos Day 2014, the UK branch of the Chagos Refugees Group (CRG) are hosting a celebration for Chagossians and supporters.  This will take place at the Broadfield Centre in Crawley, West Sussex and be staged on the eve of Chagos Day itself which this year will fall on a Monday.  Entry is free and the event will be an opportunity to celebrate a significant day in the calendar for the Chagossian community in the UK.

Chagos Day commemorates the day in November 2000 when the leader of the CRG, Olivier Bancoult, secured a historic High Court victory over the British Government paving the way for a right of return to the Chagos Islands.  The victory was subsequently superseded by the undemocratic procedure of enacting two Orders in Council in June 2004- the day of the European Elections and a good day to bury bad news as the story was unsurprisingly missed by the media whose attention was focused elsewhere.

Broadfield Centre,
Broadfield Place,
Crawley, West Sussex
RH11 9BA

4.30-10pm

Commons debate on Chagos Resettlement (28/10/14)

Henry Smith (Crawley, Conservative)

What progress his Department has made with the British Indian Ocean Territory Chagossian resettlement feasibility study; and if he will make a statement.


Hugo Swire (The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; East Devon, Conservative)

The independent feasibility study on resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory is on track to report by January 2015. Ongoing consultations with interested parties, including Chagossians, are taking place so that all relevant facts are considered in the analysis of the practical costs and risks of resettlement.


Henry Smith (Crawley, Conservative)

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that answer. Given upcoming negotiations on extending the military base on Diego Garcia with the United States, may I have assurances from the Department that the interests of the Chagos islands people will be very much part of those discussions with Washington?


Hugo Swire (The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; East Devon, Conservative)

That is precisely why we have commissioned the KPMG report. The way that the Chagossians were treated following their removal in the ’60s and ’70s was clearly wrong, and substantial compensation was rightly paid. We welcome the US presence in Diego Garcia. It is an increasingly important asset for both our Governments, but there have been no formal discussions with the US about the possibility of extending the exchange of notes to date.


Mike Kane (Wythenshawe and Sale East, Labour)

I met 60 members of the Chagos community in my constituency on Friday—a faithful people but without the right to return they once again feel that will not adequately mourn their dead as they approach All Hallows next week. Their elders are passing away without having recorded their stories of displacement, and their young are finding it increasingly difficult to find salaried employment or to visit their friends in Crawley and other places across the country. They also worry about us ceding sovereignty. Does the Minister agree that we should be doing more for those people, rather than less?


Hugo Swire (The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; East Devon, Conservative)

I assure the hon. Gentleman that there are no issues of any sort about ceding sovereignty—we should deal with that point straight away. The draft KPMG report, which we were not obliged to undertake, will be out on 17 November, and thereafter there will be time for all those who have been consulted to make such points before the final report early next year. That is why we have included the Chagossians in the testimony.

Peter Tapsell (Father of the House of Commons; Louth and Horncastle, Conservative)

A previous Father of the House and great friend of mine, Sir Bernard Braine, was a passionate advocate of the rights of the inhabitants of Diego Garcia when the whole idea of turning it into a base was launched. In his memory, may I say that I very much hope that the guarantees that he received from the British Government of the time about looking after those people will be fulfilled?



Hugo Swire (The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; East Devon, Conservative)

My right hon. Friend is right to remind the House of our responsibilities towards the Chagossians, and as I said earlier, the actions of the ’60s and ’70s were clearly wrong and substantial compensation was rightly paid. It is worth pointing out that the British High Court in 2008, and the European Court in 2012, ruled that the compensation was a full and final settlement of the Chagossians’ claims.

Chagos Islands APPG 44th Meeting October 2014

The Chagos Islands (BIOT) All-Party Parliamentary Group held its 44th meeting on 15 October. 

As the new FCO Minister for OTs, James Duddridge, had felt that he was not yet ready to meet the Group Prof. Charles Sheppard, Chairman of the Chagos Conservation Trust and his colleagues Alistair Gammell and John Turner, who had requested a meeting in July, attended the first part of the meeting. 

The Vice Chairman (Henry Smith MP standing in for Jeremy Corbyn MP) welcomed the representatives of the CCT and looked forward to hearing about its work. The conservation and environmental aspects of resettlement were discussed. Members were pleased to note that while the CCT mandate was to protect the unique environment of the Chagos Islands, CCT was not opposed to resettlement. Prof. Sheppard and his colleagues thought that  Diego Garcia was well suited and ecologically sensible, given the available facilities and infrastructure there, though this was a decision for politicians.  Members drew attention to the benefits of resettlement for conservation and the types of employment that Chagossians could undertake, especially on Diego Garcia. They agreed to keep in touch with CCT.

The Group then went on to discuss the PQs and Questions since the last meeting on 15 July. Members noted that on 4 September Mr Duddridge had said in reply to a PQ that "he expected officials to begin substantive discussions with US colleagues about post-2016 arrangements later this years, as the conclusions of the feasibility study on resettlement of Chagossians begin to become clear". It was also noted that in a letter in  mid August to the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) Mr Duddridge had stated that "The 1966 Exchange of Notes provides for a two-year window (December 2014-December 2016) during which we can decide whether and on what terms to extend the agreement with the US for a further 20 years. We are clear that we will consider all aspects  of US presence in any discussions on this, and the Government will of course reinforce our expectations on permitted US use of the territory." The Group felt that US co-operation and assistance in resettlement was necessary and an obvious condition for extending the agreement. The Group would engage the FAC on the renewal of the 1966 agreement.

As KPMG's September report was received just prior to the meeting it was not possible to consider it in detail. However the Group was  pleased to learn that KPMG would submit a first draft of their study to FCO in mid November which would the following week be circulated to "stakeholders". Members reiterated that they expected Parliament to debate the study before Ministers made decisions on it.

Members considered the Chairman's letters, on behalf of the APPG, to the new Foreign Secretary and to Mark Simmonds, then Minister for OTs. It was decided to renew the invitation to Mr Duddridge (successor to Mr Simmonds) to meet the Group at its next meeting.

Legal developments were considered. It was noted that the decision of the First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights) that EIRs applied to BIOT by virtue of the extension of English law to BIOT in 1983, had not been appealed by the FCO. The Group saw this as significant progress for freedom of information. This would facilitate the work of researchers making requests for environmental information held by FCO/BIOT. The Group was also informed of the decision to grant legal aid to the Chagos Refugees Group in pursuit of their claim to the Supreme Court that the House of Lords majority verdict in 2008 had resulted from an apparent breach of the duty of candour by officials.

 

The next meeting will be on 3 December.

David Snoxell

Coordinator

Chagos Parliamentary Questions Round-Up (7/9/2014)

1st September- Andrew Rosindell (Romford, Conservative):

"To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department will place in the Library a copy of the commercial tuna-fishing licences sold by the British Indian Ocean Territory Government in 2010."

James Duddridge (The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Rochford and Southend East, Conservative):

"Copies of the commercial tuna-fishing licenses from 2010 were deposited in the Library of the House on 21 July 2014."

4th September- Charlotte Leslie (Bristol North West, Conservative):

"To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what payments the Government would accrue from extending the lease for use of Diego Garcia by the United States for a further 20 years."

James Duddridge:

"There is no lease of Diego Garcia to the United States military under which a rent is charged. The use of the British Indian Ocean Territory (including Diego Garcia) is regulated by a series of bilateral agreements between the UK and US covering a period of fifty years. I expect my officials to begin substantive discussions with US colleagues about post-2016 arrangements later this year, as the conclusions from the feasibility study on resettlement of Chagossians begin to become clear."

Charlotte Leslie:


"To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential security benefits of the UK's ability to use Diego Garcia as a military base after the current lease for use of that territory by the US has expired."


James Duddridge:


"The 2012 White Paper, ‘The Overseas Territories-Security, Success & Sustainability’ made clear the strategic importance of our Overseas Territories, which give Britain a global strategic reach in support of our international objectives. The US Base on Diego Garcia represents a vital part of the Anglo-American defence relationship, remains a significant strategic asset for the UK and has previously been used for UK military operations."

British Citizenship for Chagossians in Forced Exile

On Thursday 17th April 2014 the Chagossian community will hold a demonstration in front of the Home Office in East Croydon about all Citizenship and visa problems. Below is some background to the problems.

(extracted from ‘Unusual Immigrants’, or, Chagos Islanders and Their Confrontations with British Citizenship by Laura Jeffery. Anthropology in Action, 18, 2, (2011)

The British Overseas Territories Act 2002 reclassified the British Dependent Territories (BDTs) as British Overseas Territories (BOTs) and awarded full U.K. citizenship to citizens of such territories. People born on Chagos when it was a British colony, who were eligible for BDT citizenship under the British Nationality Act 1981, thus became eligible for full U.K. citizenship through their place of birth. According to the British Overseas Territories Act 2002, citizens of the BOTs can transmit the entitlement to U.K. citizenship to their children who are also born in a BOT. This provision would not initially have applied to the children born to Chagos islanders in exile, since they were born not in a BOT but in the independent republics of Mauritius and Seychelles. In response to this situation, the Chagos Refugees Group staged a sleep-in protest outside the British High Commission in the Mauritian capital Port Louis. Their campaign was supported in the U.K. by the Labour MPs Tam Dalyell (who was then Father of the House) and Jeremy Corbyn, who repeatedly put the Chagossian case on the parliamentary agenda. They emphasized that the Chagos islanders’ residence outwith the Chagos Archipelago was a result of their forcible displacement from that territory rather than choice. Accepting this logic, the government introduced a supplementary section to provide for the transmission of U.K. citizenship to Chagos islanders’ second-generation descendants born in exile. From the perspective of Chagossians, however, there have been three main problems with the limitations on eligibility for U.K. citizenship laid out in the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (and the corresponding British Nationality Act 1981).

1. Privileging Marriage

According to the British Nationality Act 1981, whereas an unmarried British woman can pass her citizenship to her children, an unmarried British man cannot pass his citizenship to his children born outwith marriage (unless the parents subsequently marry). The problem for the extended Chagossian community is that – in common with other matrifocal post-slavery societies in the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean – the colonial Chagos Archipelago was characterized by female-headed households, a relative instability of sexual relationships and a low incidence of marriage (Botte 1980: 22–23; Walker 1986: 15–18). Although most of its inhabitants were nominally Roman Catholic, the Chagos Archipelago did not have a permanent Catholic priest during its period of colonial settlement from 1795 to 1973. An itinerant priest travelled around the Mauritius outer islands to perform important ceremonies such as baptisms, christenings and weddings; in between these visits, administrators apparently conducted weekly services (Dussercle 1934: 10; Dussercle 1935; Descroizilles and Mülnier 1999: 26). Chagos islanders told me that they did not necessarily get married to their partners, both because they were not encouraged to do so and because it was not expected that the union would be for life. Thus many Chagossians felt that the privileging of ‘legitimate’ children in U.K. citizenship legislation discriminated against those for whom marriage was not promoted by the British authorities. In particular, this rule affects the children born in exile to an unmarried Chagossian man and a non-Chagossian woman, who comprise a relatively common category as a result of the flows of people amongst all of the dependencies of colonial Mauritius.

2. Date of Forced Deportation

The supplementary section of the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 covers Chagossians’ second- generation descendants only if they were born in exile after 26 April 1969. In 2001, Blair’s Labour government selected this cut-off date as the start of what Ben Bradshaw (then a junior Foreign Office Minister) called the 1960s Wilson government’s ‘policy of exclusion’ from the Chagos Archipelago. Writing this start date into the 2002 legislation was a way to avoid awarding U.K. citizenship to the children of those islanders deemed by government officials to have left Chagos ‘voluntarily’ prior to the forced depopulation of the territory. This start date gives rise to several problems. Firstly, since there were limited medical facilities on Chagos, it was not uncommon in the early and mid-twentieth century for expectant mothers to give birth in Mauritius before returning to Chagos, so place of birth is not a reliable indicator of residence since the children of Chagos residents could be born in Mauritius. Secondly, Chagossians and their supporters contest the claimed date for the start of the forced deportations: regardless of when the forced deportations actually began, the BIOT was established in 1965, and islanders visiting Mauritius or Seychelles had been prevented from returning to Chagos from the mid-1960s onwards. As a result of these anomalies, there are numerous Chagossian families in which those siblings born in exile prior to 1969 remained ineligible for U.K. citizenship whilst those born in exile after 1969 became eligible for U.K. citizenship. In its briefing for a House of Lords Committee debate on the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill in 2009, the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) recommended removing this cut-off date to ‘ensure that Chagos Islanders ... born in exile before 26 April 1969 are British Citizens’.

3. Subsequent Generations and Spouses

Whilst the legislation provides for native Chagos islanders and their second-generation descendants born in exile, it does not include subsequent generations of descendants or non-Chagossian spouses. Ben Bradshaw told the standing committee concerned with the British Overseas Territories Bill that the government’s rationale was that extending eligibility to subsequent generations would privilege Chagos islanders vis-à-vis other BOT citizens by descent, who could not pass their citizenship to future generations born outwith BOTs. In any case, he added tantalizingly, transmission of U.K. citizenship to subsequent generations would become unnecessary in the event of resettlement of Chagos as a BOT, since subsequent generations born in or resident on Chagos would become eligible in their own right. From the perspective of Chagossians themselves, however, the issue is that since the depopulation of Chagos took place from 1965 to 1973, a whole generation born in exile has had time to grow up and produce a subsequent generation of children, who are not eligible for U.K. citizenship. The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee took evidence from the leaders of three Chagossian organizations in 2008, agreed that the fact that the islanders were no longer living in a BOT was ‘as a consequence of exile rather than their own choice’, and recommended that citizenship ‘should be extended to third generation descendants of exiled Chagossians’. Similarly, the ILPA noted that the fact that ‘the children of Chagossians are born outside the U.K. or a qualifying territory is no fault of their own but the result of their enforced exile’, and concluded that ‘few can have as compelling a claim to British citizenship as those children’. In relation to spouses, the majority of Chagossians who have married since arriving in Mauritius or Seychelles have married non-Chagossian partners, who likewise are not automatically eligible for U.K. citizenship.

Dr Laura Jeffery is Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh. She has worked with the Chagossian community since 2002, and is author of the book Chagos Islanders in Mauritius and the UK: Forced Displace- ment and Onward Migration (MUP 2011). She currently holds an ESRC Research Fellowship to explore debates about environmental knowledge in the context of the Chagos Marine Protected Area (MPA) designated by the U.K. Government in 2010, which is being challenged by the Mauritian Government under the United Nations Conven- tion on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Email: Laura.Jeffery@ed.ac.uk

Further Reading:

'Unusual Immigrants', or, Chagos Islanders and Their Confrontations with British Citizenship by Laura Jeffery. Anthropology in Action, Volume 18, Number 2, Summer 2011 , pp. 33-44

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/berghahn/antiac/2011/00000018/00000002/art00005

British Overseas Territories Act 2002

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/8/contents

Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association briefings for the House of Lords Committee debate (2 March 2009) on the Borders Immigration and Citizenship Bill Part 2 (Citizenship)

http://www.ilpa.org.uk/data/resources/12913/09.02.260.pdf

UK Chagos Support Association Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2014

UK CHAGOS SUPPORT ASSOCIATION (UKChSA)

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

Sunday 6^th April 2014, Pizza Express, Pimlico, London

Minutes of Meeting

1. Apologies

Sabrina Jean & Clency Lebrasse covered the apologies from members who were unavailable to join us.  These were stated on behalf of George Beckham, David Snoxell, Celia Whittaker, Richard Gifford, Richard Dunne, Philippa Gregory & Marcus Booth.

2. Minutes

The minutes from the last meeting have been circulated to all members and have been approved.

3. Olivier Bancoult

Olivier Bancoult was in attendance and made a contribution on behalf of Richard Gifford.

He conveyed apologies on behalf of Richard for his unavailability during what had been a very busy week.  Olivier had been visiting London due to the appeal being staged earlier in the week (which was a key factor in determining the date for this year’s AGM).

Olivier reflected upon the contribution Richard had made to the struggle of achieving justice for Chagossians, questioning the legality of the MPA and highlighting how the zone came into existence in 2010.  He also highlighted how the MPA was perceived to be best way to obstruct the right of return of Chagossians to the islands.

It was pointed out that the ECHR ruled against the Chagossians on the basis that 471 former islanders received compensation in 1982.  It was noted that the ECHR effectively “washed its hands” of the Chagossian community during its ruling.

Summarising the various legal actions which have taken place over the years, particular attention was paid to the past 18 months.  Notably the ruling from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in December 2012, the Judicial Review in April 2013 and the subsequent appeal which was heard in the High Court in London last week.

The appeal which concluded last week now leaves everyone waiting for the ruling to be delivered.  The master of rolls at the appeal had explained that there were “lots to consider” and that we should not expect a judgement this side of June 2014.

4. Chair’s Report

Sabrina Jean addressed the AGM in her capacity as the Chair of the Association and summarised the events of the past twelve months.

Judicial Review MPA

Chagos Refugees Group leader Olivier Bancoult flew to the UK to join other Chagossians for the Judicial Review into the Marine Protection Area.  The hearing had been much anticipated due to the fact that it would be the first time that Foreign Office officials would be cross-examined in relation to evidence attained from the Wikileaks cables which were released in 2010.

Although Colin Roberts and Joanne Yeadon, the former Commissioner and Administrator of BIOT respectively, were cross examined in depth about what they said to US embassy officials as reported in wikileaks cables, the judges agreed with the FCO and ruled that this evidence was inadmissible under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.  The judges may have got this wrong and in October 2013 our permission to appeal was granted & subsequently formed the basis for our appeal which was heard this week in London.

E-Petition

Between May 2012 and May 2013 we sought an almost impossible target of 100,000 signatures exclusively from British citizens via the E-Petitions website.  We have fallen some way short of that target, but this campaign can never be regarded as a failure.  If we were able to locate just one new supporter, then the exercise has been worthwhile and a success even if our overall target was not achieved.

The fact that the petition has been the driving force behind our renewed presence on the social networks and that in doing so we have found many more than just one new supporter, the petition has accomplished a number of other goals as we have highlighted this cause to new supporters and have established a stronger presence to take our message forward. The final figure for the petition which closed on May 25^th stood at 1017 signatures and even more remarkable is that we added over 300 signatures in the final two months.

But recent events remind us of where we are.  The Yashika case achieved almost 180,000 signatures in 10 days, and perhaps we can learn lessons from the campaigning techniques they deployed.  That was a cause that was probably driven by a core base of around 40-50 people who were able to set in motion a sequence that got their cause all over the news.

Chagos Anniversary & My Birthday

I celebrated my 40^th birthday in June last year which of course means I was the one of the first to be born in exile.  It’s a coincidence which makes us all take a step back and appreciate the gravity of the time during which this heinous crime has not been realistically addressed and redeemed.

BIOT Policy Review

In June the Foreign Office finally requested feedback for its “taking stock” process which commenced following the ECHR ruling last December.  My statement on 8^th July called for a completely transparent and fair process:

“Given the many experts available to advise on resettlement, the extensive research that has already taken place, and the Chagossian community’s ongoing openness to the various possibilities, we are confident that the process can be concluded far more swiftly than the estimated 18 months. 

Indeed, we think it is essential that the report is completed during the lifetime of this parliament – if the government is sincere in its determination to find ‘a just settlement for the Chagossian people’, as the Foreign Secretary stated, then it must act while it is in power.”

On the 19^th November the draft reference of the Terms of Reference were published with a final version being published at the end of January.  The consultants were appointed in February and it is our hope that this process will be completed during the lifetime of the existing parliament.

Chagos Islands Visit

Fifteen Chagossians from Seychelles, Mauritius and the UK visited the islands from the 27^th October until the 7^th November.  The group were all natives (first generation islanders) who were born between 1922 and 1948.  The trip was a success and we look forward to more opportunities for Chagossians to visit the islands.  We feel that the omission of this area in the BIOT Policy Review was a mistake: nobody understands the islands like we do.

Chagos Conference

In October 2013 the CRG celebrated its 30^th anniversary since it was established.  Jeremy Corbyn sponsored an early day motion congratulating the CRG on the conference and the anniversary.  The EDM secured signatures from across the political spectrum: Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrats, SNP, SDLP, Plaid Crymru and even Mike Hancock the Independent MP for Portsmouth South!

The CRG 30^th Anniversary conference was attended by many of our friends including David Vine, Dr Laura Jeffrey, Richard Dunne and the former President of Mauritius Caseem Uteem.  The conference also included an address by APPG co-ordinator David Snoxell. We were very happy that so many were able to make the event in Mauritius last October.  In January 2014 one of the attendees, Andre Oraison, organised a follow-up one day conference in Reunion which was widely publicised in the local media too.

Chagos Islands FC

We finally saw the return of our football team in February as they again took on Sealand.  Unfortunately the team suffered a 4-2 defeat but we were grateful for the opportunity to see the team in action again.  We now have announced a further fundraising event and we hope that the team will be involved in a lot more frequent contests which will be such a good way to ensure our struggle continues to be highlighted.

Diego Garcia Expansion Underway

interesting news was brought to our attention, the significance of which seems to have slipped largely under the radar in the wider media.  Defi Media Group reported that 40,000 tonnes of rocks are being exported from Mauritius to Diego Garcia with the intention of filling in sea area to enable expansion of the military base.  Furthermore Mauritian Foreign Affairs Minister Arvin Boolell seemed entirely relaxed about the news and stressed that the common arrangement did not jeopardise their own claims for sovereignty over the islands.

That may be the case, but the British Government has continued to pledge publicly that no decision has been taken over the future of the base beyond 2016 and that once the issue is on the table, Parliament will be consulted and kept informed.  For a decision which is not yet taken, this would appear to be a very pre-emptive decision by the US Government to expand the base if it did not already know what the future of the Islands would hold beyond the existing lease.

Water Pollution

“When we Chagossians lived on our islands, the seas and lagoons were pristine. When the Americans arrived, they caused massive environmental degradation, including bulldozing our villages and flattening graveyards. To create building materials, they started dynamiting the lagoon of Diego Garcia, killing fish and destroying large areas of coral reef.

For many years we have been pressing BIOT to conduct an environmental audit of the effects of the US occupation. This has been consistently refused, with the explanation that the impact of the occupation is minimal. We can now see that throughout this period there have been no controls on the pollution.

We are the real guardians of our homeland. Until we are allowed to return, we think that this degradation is bound to be permitted to continue.”

The news was reported around the world and we now know that the British Government were themselves directly involved. 

Crimea

We were very interested to watch with interest the reaction of the European Union and the USA when it came to the unfolding situation on Crimea.  The hypocrisy of their stance over Crimea compared to their disregard for our struggle needs to be highlighted more.

5. Secretary’s Report

The secretary of the association will publish a report at a later date.

6. Treasurers Report

Peri Batliwala addressed the AGM in her capacity as Treasurer of the Association.  The treasurer’s report for 2013/14 was circulated to all members in attendance.

In brief as an association are £483 worse off this year end than at the same point last year.  It signals that for the year ahead our absolute priority must be to raise funds in any way we can.  Although we were not successful in any of the bids for funding we applied for, it is important that the community continues to submit applications for organisations such as Lush, The Network for Social Justice and other bodies who have expressed interest in us in the past.

We must also look to our supporters if we are to continue to provide financial support to the Chagossian Community as we have traditionally done, as well as allocating funds for the campaigning and political work that has been a major priority of the past year, and as an important part of the coming year in relation to the FCO resettlement report.  Our limited funding situation has meant that financial support has not been sought from or given to CRG Mauritius or Seychelles in the past year.

7. Sports Management

Gianny Augustin addressed the AGM in his capacity as the assistant sports officer.  He highlighted the forthcoming football tournament which is designed to raise funds for the Chagos Islands football team.  He also exclusively revealed that the side have confirmed a rematch against Sealand on the 4^th May and more information will follow in the April edition of the newsletter.

It was also emphasised that although managing the football team was extremely useful to ensuring the cause maintained a visibility, it was also a very costly exercise and that we are in desperate need of a sponsor for the side.  This will be highlighted in forthcoming editions of the newsletter as it was agreed that is in everyone’s interests that the football side continued to stage matches and maintain publicity of the wider cause.

8. Update Compiler’s Report

Clency Lebrasse in his capacity as Update Compiler (newsletter editor) addressed the AGM and addressed some of the issues regarding receipt of the monthly newsletter.  Supporters and committee members were reminded that the newsletter was produced once a month and that in his two year tenure as Update Compiler, there were only two occasions (October & November 2013) that the newsletter had not been distributed during the final week of the month.  Therefore it was very easy for recipients to know if he had their correct (and up to date) contact details in order to receive the newsletter.

It was explained that if any recipient had not received the newsletter by the beginning of the following month, a very simple email to the UK Chagos email account would clarify why this had been the case and that it should not be the responsibility of the Update Compiler to check that every single recipient had received their own individual copy.

9. Election of Officers

Unfortunately we were not able to conduct our annual election as is customary at the end of the AGM.  It was deemed impractical to request a follow up meeting in the foreseeable future due to the fact that some supporters and committee members had travelled from extremely distant locations in order to be present on the 6^th April.

It was therefore decided that for one year only, the election would be conducted by email to all supporters and committee members who were registered on the UKChSA supporter’s database.  It was decided that this would be the fairest way to resolve the issue and did not unfairly penalise supporters or committee members who had made the effort to be present on the day and may not be available again for some time.

The election will be announced in the April edition of the newsletter with everyone being provided adequate notice to put their name forward to stand for election.  The May edition of the newsletter would include a list of candidates for supporter’s to vote for and the results would be announced in the June edition of the newsletter with the new committee taking effect from July 1^st 2014.

10. Other Business

The Association wished to place on record its thanks and appreciation for all of the supporters and committee members who were in attendance, with a special note of gratitude for Olivier Bancoult who was able to join us for this occasion.

Attendees were also reminded that the 2015 edition of the AGM would be announced at least three months in advance so that all supporters and committee members were given as much notice as possible in order to ensure they were able to attend.