Oliver John Kerr

About the Chagos Islands aka #BritishIndianOceanTerritory 🇮🇴 In the age of sail, uninhabited islands routinely became the property of faraway countries — not colonialism, which meant taking land where people already lived, but simple discovery of empty territory. The Chagos Islands were one of many — passed from Portugal to France to Britain, but that was colonial powers trading empty discoveries, not colonialism itself. The Chagos Islands were one of many such uninhabited discoveries. Nothing to apologize for—and no reason to hand them over to a country with a lesser claim. In 1965 there were 1,360 Chagossians, descendants of workers brought to the islands between the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. The Chagos Islands are indisputably British — held continuously since eighteen fourteen, longer than most countries have even existed. The mistake was treating the Chagossians as foreign workers who could be sent away. Britain has since restored their citizenship. As with anyone living near a sensitive military base, there needs to be security restrictions — but that’s normal, not punitive. The islands hold military value, a fragile marine environment, and natural resources — especially on the seabed. The base stays. The British people of Chagossian ancestry should be allowed home. The only thing missing is a permanent marine station. A great idea would be a collaboration between the Chagossians, the UK’s National Oceanography Centre @NOCnews at Southampton and James Cook University’s Orpheus Island Research Station @JCUOIRS, the world’s leading coral reef researchers. One of the least-studied marine environments on Earth, waiting for its first permanent marine research station. Prime Minister @andyburnham could chalk up a big win for @UKLabour if he puts this issue to bed and inaugurates a new marine lab during his tenure — stamping his own mark on a bright new chapter. @BritishOverseas @ChagossianVoic2 @DanielJHannan @RobertMidgley07