The uncommon ? others might add undiplomatic ? public stand taken by His Excellency David Snoxell, the now retired former British High Commissioner to Mauritius, on the Chagossian issue invites both comment and appreciation.

In a rare expression of public solidarity with the main contention of the Chagossian Community, namely the right of return to their native islands, David Snoxell, in a letter published in the British daily ?The Times? of the 12th February 2007, lashes out at the British Government and qualifies the forcible exile of the Chagossians to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 60?s and 70?s of the last century as a ?relic of the Cold War?? and ?one of the worst violations of fundamental human rights perpetrated by the UK in the 20th Century?. Coming from a British career diplomat and a recent Head of a UK diplomatic mission, (...) such a statement not only lends credence (...) to the two judgments of the London High Court of Justice restoring the right of the Chagossians to return to their native islands but also provides an excellent and invaluable piece of testimony in support (...) of the exiled community for adequate compensation. David Snoxell?s short but sharp four-worded comment (...) illustrates at the same David Snoxell?s diplomatic finesse: ?Parliament was not consulted?, he callously states in that regard.

David Snoxell takes exception also to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) contention that resettlement of the 64 Outer Islands of the Chagos Archipelago, would pose a security threat to the US Diego Garcia base, 150 miles away from the nearest island. He further challenges the argument of the FCO, based on feasibility studies, that the islands are no longer suitable for settlement. On the contrary, he joins the Conservationists? view that ?limited resettlement is possible, and indeed could be helpful for the protection of the unique biodiversity of the Chagos marine environment?.

By a stroke of (...) his mighty and precious pen, David Snoxell has demolished two of the main objections raised by the FCO to challenge the High Court Judgments (...). And, by the same token, David Snoxell has become the most recent - important and prestigious ? advocate of the Chagossians? cause.

During his tenure of office as British High Commissioner to Mauritius, we did have several interesting and enlightening meetings with His Excellency David Snoxell, sometimes in the presence of Olivier Bancoult, the leader of the ?Groupe Réfugiés Chagos?(...). He always struck me as a person who showed genuine concern for the plight of the Chagossians. Although his honesty sticks out a mile, yet in those days he remained for us, above all, a diplomat, in the service of Her Majesty the Queen. His fearless letter published in ?The Times?, and under consideration here, reveals him as the humanist he is and that many of us may have failed to recognise.

<B>Cassam UTEEM</B>