Paradise lost for ever

Yesterday's ruling by the Law lords that the Chagos islanders have been prevented from returning to their home brings to an end a sorry and sordid tale.

The law lords ruled that

ministers had not acted unlawfully in using an Executive Order to prevent the families returning to the Indian Ocean islands from which they were expelled 40 years ago.

(Times online)

The British government had appealed against the case back in May 2007.The then foreign secretary Margaret Beckett sought leave to appeal directlty to the Law Lords after the judge had said the Royal Prerogative to stop the islanders returning, was "unlawful and an abuse of power.

The story for the islanders began in the 1960's when the Wilson government in return for a $11m subsidy for Polaris missles ceded the island to America to bulid an air base.The condition was that it was to be uninhabited.The residents were shipped out to Mauritius nearly 1000 miles away where they descended into poverty and alcohol.

The United States has argued that any return would present an "unacceptable risk" to its base and yesterday's decision guarantees them a free hand in the future of the islands.