VICTORIA, Seychelles — Five groups representing the Chagossian people living in Mauritius, the United Kingdom, Seychelles and other countries, have issued a statement welcoming the news that the UK and Mauritian governments, supported by the United States, are close to finalising a treaty for the Chagos Islands that will allow them to return to their homeland and provide a new trust fund and other support for the benefit of Chagossians.
The statement by the Seychelles Chagossians Committee, Chagos Refugees Group, Chagos Refugees Group UK Branch, Chagos Islanders Movement and the UK Native Chagossians Council reads: ‘For more than 50 years, we, Chagossians, have been struggling to win the right to return home and receive proper reparations after we were exiled, in inhumane circumstances, during the creation of the US military base on Diego Garcia. Anticipating the signing of a treaty about our islands, we assert the following nine principles that must govern our resettlement and the provision of proper reparations.’
Key principles outlined include the right to return and resettle in their homeland in Chagos, the right to make policy and direct the resettlement process, fast-track Mauritian citizenship and passports, the right to a regional house of representatives, the right to direct the announced trust fund following the highest standards of international human rights, the right to receive freely available health care and psychological therapy, the right to receive full proper reparations from all governments that committed human rights abuses, the right to resettle unused parts of Diego Garcia, and the right to additional compensation for continued occupation and exile. ‘Although no amount of money or other reparations can repair all the damage Chagossians have suffered, we urge the UK, Mauritian and US governments to consult with us while finalising the treaty that allows us to return home.’
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