Public Comment
Former natives of Diego Garcia evicted by the US/UK & their beloved dogs gassed
50 years ago, the UK/US forced expulsion of the native residents of Diego Garcia to make way for a US military base. This issue remains a blight on the conscience of both the United States and the United Kingdom, and it is time for us to confront our past actions and make amends.
Diego Garcia, located in the Indian Ocean, was once a British Protectorate. However, in a deeply regrettable move, the British government handed over this land to the United States in the late 1960s. In doing so, they forcibly removed the multi-generational native inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, primarily from Mauritius and Seychelles. These individuals were given no choice in the matter, and their ancestral homes were taken away from them. The natives of Diego Garcia have been demanding an apology and massive reparations for the grave injustice that was committed against them. It is a painful history marked by deception, as both the US and the UK falsely claimed that there were no natives on the island, only contractors. This deceit led to the heart-wrenching decision to gas the beloved dogs of the Chagossians to make way for the military base. Furthermore, the Americans sought to make the island entirely free of its native inhabitants.
President Biden has spoken extensively about the United States being a center of human rights, and now is the time to walk the walk. The US government must offer a sincere apology and provide substantial reparations to the former natives of Diego Garcia. It is their right to return to their ancestral homes, and it is our moral duty to facilitate this. As Olivier Bancoult, a prominent Chagossian activist, states, "The U.S. is fully responsible for what happened to our people." The military base on Diego Garcia played a pivotal role in the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, but this should not overshadow the crime against humanity committed against the Chagossians.
It is worth noting that this is not an isolated incident. Author David Vine points out that there have been more than 20 cases of the US displacing local populations for military bases around the world. The Chagossians are not alone in their struggle for justice.
In conclusion, it is high time for the US government to acknowledge its responsibility in this matter, apologize, and provide the necessary reparations to the Chagossians. " It is time for justice to take precedence over geopolitical interests.
