Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Detention of Tamil migrants on Diego Garcia ruled unlawful

Successive British foreign secretaries had been reluctant to allow them into the UK, fearing it would open a new irregular immigration route via the islands.

Tamil migrants

Earlier this month, most of the migrants were finally brought to the UK and given a chance to apply for asylum from London. (Photo: Getty Images)

The UK government unlawfully detained Sri Lankan migrants on a remote military base for more than two years, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Supreme Court ruled on Monday (16).'

Sixty-four Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers were held in "prison"-like camps on Diego Garcia, a British-American military base which is part of the Chagos islands - renamed in 1965 by the UK as BIOT - after being rescued at sea, according to the ruling.


Many of them claimed they were fleeing persecution in Sri Lanka, where Tamils are a historically oppressed minority, and sought international protection once they arrived on Diego Garcia.

Earlier this month, most of the migrants were finally brought to the UK and given a chance to apply for asylum from London.

Successive British foreign secretaries had been reluctant to allow them into the UK, fearing it would open a new irregular immigration route via the islands.

In a ruling published on Monday, Margaret Obi, the acting judge of the BIOT supreme court, said the migrants were "unlawfully detained" for an "extraordinarily long time" on the military base, with the UK government now potentially facing heavy damages.

The Sri Lankans were held in a camp the size of a football pitch and alleged that they faced "prison"-like conditions, including a lack of privacy and an infestation of rats.

The camp was also rife with cases of migrants attempting to self-harm due to poor mental health.

While the BIOT commissioner claimed they were "free to leave" and therefore not detained, Obi ruled that this was "not a genuine choice", since the migrants had sought international protection and could not return to Sri Lanka.

"It is unsurprising that the claimants feel as if they are in a prison; that is exactly what it is, in all but name," the judge said.

The camp was manned by security guards at all times and there were "punishments" imposed for leaving the camp without permission, according to the ruling.

The asylum seekers were only granted bail earlier this year by Obi to access a trail and the beaches on the island, after months of being barred from leaving the camp.

In the ruling, the judge also found that in July the Home Office "impeded" the progress of international protection claims fearing potential implications for the previous Conservative government's Rwanda scheme, which since then has been scrapped.

In October, Britain said it would hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after a decades-long dispute, but would continue to maintain the Diego Garcia military base that plays a key role for US operations.

The military facility, which is part of the British overseas territories and leased to the United States, was used by US long-range bombers during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

As part of the agreement, Mauritius will take responsibility for any future migrants arriving on the territory, from which Chagos islanders were expelled by the UK in the 1970s as the military base was developed.

More For You

Russell brand

Sexual offences said to have taken place between 1999 and 2005

Getty

Russell Brand faces rape and sexual assault charges involving 4 women

Russell Brand has been formally charged with a series of sexual offences said to have taken place between 1999 and 2005. The comedian and actor faces allegations from four separate women, with the charges including rape, indecent assault, oral rape and further counts of sexual assault.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that Brand has been informed of the charges. A statement from the force said he is to be charged with one count of rape in the Bournemouth area in 1999, one count of indecent assault in Westminster in 2001, one count of oral rape and an additional sexual assault in Westminster in 2004, and a further count of sexual assault in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.

Keep ReadingShow less
indian-parliament

In the Rajya Sabha, 128 members voted in favour, and 95 opposed it. In the Lok Sabha, 288 MPs supported the bill, while 232 voted against it.

Gatty images

Indian parliament passes the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill

INDIAN parliament has passed a controversial bill seeking to change the way Muslim charitable properties, known as waqf, are managed.

The bill was cleared after hours of heated debate, with the government saying it would bring transparency and the opposition alleging that it targets the Muslim community.

Keep ReadingShow less
Blood donor recruitment event for South Asian community

FILE PHOTO: A nurse prepares a man for a blood donation in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Blood donor recruitment event for South Asian community

THE NHS is holding a blood donor recruitment event at Shepherd's Bush blood donor centre on Saturday (5) to attract South Asian donors to help treat health conditions affecting their community.

South Asian donors are needed to treat thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder which affects people of Mediterranean, south Asian, southeast Asian and Middle Eastern origin. People with thalassemia produce too little or no haemoglobin, causing anaemia, fatigue, breathing issues and other symptoms.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi Yunus

The meeting took place on the sidelines of a regional summit in Thailand. (Photo: X/@ChiefAdviserGoB)

Modi meets Yunus for first talks since Hasina's exit

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi held talks with Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus in Bangkok on Friday.

This was their first meeting since former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina was removed from office in 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less
US tourist arrested for entering North Sentinel Island

Authorities continue to investigate Polyakov’s actions

Youtube/ Neo-Orientalist

US tourist arrested for entering North Sentinel Island, home to Andaman tribe with no outside contact

Indian police have arrested a 24-year-old American tourist, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, for illegally entering North Sentinel Island, one of the most protected and isolated regions in the world. The remote island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, is home to the Sentinelese tribe, who reject all contact with outsiders and are safeguarded by Indian law.

Polyakov reportedly attempted to make contact with the Sentinelese by offering a coconut and a can of Diet Coke. He used a motorised inflatable boat to reach North Sentinel Island, where he spent a few minutes onshore before returning to his vessel. Authorities confirmed that he collected sand samples and filmed his brief landing using a GoPro camera.

Keep ReadingShow less