It is a long way from central London to Crawley as the city sprawls deep into suburbia and its towering landmarks gradually fade away. The only sign for the traveller reaching his/her destination is the nearing of the planes as they come to rest at Gatwick Airport. But Crawley is no ordinary place. It is strangely linked to Mauritius or rather to the inhuman side of our nation. Our indifference to a dispossessed people, our dispossessed people, has driven those from Diego Garcia and the Chagos archipelago to this obscure part of Great Britain.

Five years ago, things were looking bright, as the Chagossians won a case in the High Court in London, which condemned their expulsion from the islands. Great Britain decided to allow them to return to two of the islands; Peros Banhos and Salomon. However, since then, the British have reverted to what they do best: dirty tricks. Two ‘Orders in Council’ have banned the Chagossians from returning to their land. The New Labour government has also unearthed a feasibility study concluding that a human enterprise is not sustainable there. Secondly, they said that the re-inhabitation of the islands would disturb the ecological balance and would “accelerate the effects of global warming.” These ludicrous arguments have been used as a soft front for the more pernicious and stubborn refusal to give up on their colonial and military adventure in the Indian Ocean.

But, far from being discouraged, the Chagossians have continued their juridical confrontation with the British, now as British citizens. Many in Mauritius, and certainly in the media, portray them as a stubborn and emotional people, who refuse to understand the facts. But as Allen Vincatassin, leader of the Diego Garcia community, explains, they have nothing to lose. They have lost everything already. Their situation was precarious in Mauritius, with many living in poverty.

<B>Tribulations at Gatwick</B>

Their only chance of survival and accomplishing success was to come to Britain and fight their case there. Here, a parallel can be drawn with the Palestinian people. The only option given to them by the Israelis is annihilation. The Intifada was the only way for them to validate their presence in the midst of a brutal occupation. For the Chagossians, it is the legal battle. Like the Palestinians, they will not give up.

So in the autumn of 2002, the first group of Chagossians said farewell to their lives in Mauritius and landed at Gatwick Airport. Another battle had begun, this time with the local councils for social services. Despite being British citizens under the Overseas Territories Bill 2002, they were not entitled to social services. However, there was an exception, the compassionate clause, allowing certain people to claim these benefits. But the British government seemed ready to complicate life for them. They were forced to spend three days in Gatwick Airport before they could get accommodation. They were finally housed, not without a fight, in a hostel by the West Sussex County Council, who also provided them with a weekly allowance, amounting to a meagre £30. After three months and a careful study of the system of benefits, they were given a fornightly job seekers’ allowance of £109. Using their money carefully, they pooled it together and moved to private accommodation.

If the story of the Chagossians, from their expulsion to their days in Mauritius, has been one of near resignation, a new dawn of resolution has surfaced among them. Gone are the days when they waited, either for compensation or for Mauritius or Britain to look after them. Used by politicians and often misrepresented by the press, Vincatassin says that his people need “liberation, education and they must be able to stand by themselves. And that is only possible in Britain, as British citizens. There is no way we would have been able to cope in Mauritius.” And you get the feeling that they would not have acquired such resolve, had they stayed under Mauritian skies.

<B>“We are an asset”</B>

“We must acquire human resources and our own capital for any plans for resettlement… In Crawley, I am securing education for the Chagossians. We are not entitled to free English as a foreign language and IT classes because the law stipulates that you have to be in the country for 3 years before you get these entitlements. If you can prove that you have exceptional circumstances, then they can consider. Some of us have availed ourselves of this, but not everyone,” says Vincatassin.

Thus, using donations from people of their own community, they are planning to rent a hall for English classes. They want to be completely independent of government/council funding. “No one can point their finger at us and say that they gave us money and now we are taking actions against them. No one can say that. We want to be able to say that we don’t owe them a thing,” he adds.

Vencatassin sees education as the key in the continuing struggle of the Chagossians for their rights. “It is important that they learn to stand on their own feet as well. They have been promised too many things, and have subsequently been let down. It is time for them to be able to get whatever they need by their own industry.”

He is also preparing them for their citizenship exam, which has been recently introduced by the Home Office for anyone seeking naturalisation. This new enterprising spirit among the Chagossians is reflected in the way they have confronted the British authorities and fought for their rights. They have refused to be overawed by being in a new country.

Vincatassin says that the Chagossians must become an asset. Their insignificance in the eyes of both the Mauritian and British governments has resulted in their destitution. “The Chagossians must be educated and aware of their own importance… Without them, there is no military base. They are sacrificing themselves for the military needs of the UK… Then we can overturn our current situation and assume the dominant position.”

<B>Diren VALAYDEN</B>

<I>Outlook Correspondent in Dublin</I>