Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

UK moots Rwanda-style plan to deport Tamil refugees from Chagos Islands

In April, the then UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, announced a plan to send hundreds of asylum seekers to Rwanda.

UK moots Rwanda-style plan to deport Tamil refugees from Chagos Islands

The British government is preparing a Rwanda-style plan to deport Tamil refugees seeking asylum from the British-claimed Chagos Islands to an undisclosed country, according to reports.

Asylum seekers were told by government lawyers that they can either go back to Sri Lanka or to a third country, The Guardian reported.


Meanwhile, a UK law firm, Leigh Day, which represents 81 refugees, alleged that the government broke international laws and the UK Children Act when it allowed refugees to leave the island without ensuring adequate safety measures.

Reports said that a first boat of Tamil refugees, including children, arrived just over a year ago on Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands. The UK calls the region the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) and continues to claim sovereignty over, despite a UN court ruling.

After their boat was intercepted by the British military while en route to Canada, a group of 89 Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, including 20 children, landed on Diego Garcia.

They were kept in a tented compound without basic facilities which forced them to leave Diego Garcia.After three weeks at sea, one boat carrying 46 people arrived on the French island of Réunion, while another carrying 35 people, including an 18-month-old child, was escorted back to Diego Garcia due to a failed engine.

According to lawyers, they were allowed to leave again on Sunday (16) without checking adequate life safety equipment.

“If the UK and BIOT authorities facilitated the departure of vessels on to the open sea without tracking systems and adequate life safety equipment, that is an appalling dereliction of duty that risks life and limb of the adults and children aboard,” Tessa Gregory, a Leigh Day partner, told The Guardian.

“We are extremely concerned that the boat which left last Sunday may again founder, and have asked the UK and BIOT authorities to confirm what measures are in place to ensure that the vessel is monitored so that immediate rescue can be carried out if required, but to date have had no response.”

Responding to these incidents, a government spokesperson claimed that those who have departed so far have done so voluntarily and independently

“We have been working tirelessly to find a long-term solution for the migrants on Diego Garcia. At all times their welfare and safety have been our top priority. The migrants on BIOT are not detained and are free to leave at any time. Those who have departed so far have done so voluntarily and independently. The BIOT administration facilitated sea trials to ensure that vessels were seaworthy," the spokesperson said.

In a recent letter, the Foreign Office said that an amendment to the British Indian Ocean Territory (Immigration) Order 2004 allowed the BIOT commissioner to remove migrants to a third country.

“If the commissioner decides that one or more of the migrants cannot be safely returned to Sri Lanka, UK government policy is that those persons will not be taken to the UK, they will be taken to a safe third country instead,” the letter said.

Zehrah Hasan, an advocacy director for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, has alleged that the British government has denied Tamil refugees basic rights in the Chagos Islands for over a year now.

"In a callous move, it looks like they may expel these same refugees to a third country, similar to the Rwanda plan. Those who’ve fled persecution must have their voices heard and their right to protection in the UK recognised," Hasan is reported to have said.

In February, Mauritius formally challenged Britain’s ownership of Chagos Islands and Mauritius ambassador to the UN, Jagdish Koonjul, raised the country’s flag in the island. The UK foreign office said that Britain does not recognise the claim.

More For You

Harry and Meghan urge tougher safeguards to protect children online

Prince Harry criticised tech companies for citing privacy laws to deny access

Getty

Harry and Meghan urge tougher safeguards to protect children online

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have called for stronger protections for children online, warning that not enough is being done to shield young people from the dangers of social media

During a visit to New York, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle unveiled a new memorial dedicated to the memory of children whose families believe harmful online content contributed to their deaths. The installation, named the Lost Screen Memorial, features 50 smartphones, each displaying an image of a child lost to what their families describe as the adverse effects of social media. The memorial was made available to the public for 24 hours.

Keep ReadingShow less
Afghan exodus soars as Pakistan deadline nears

Afghan refugees arrive at a camp near the Torkham border last Sunday (20)

Afghan exodus soars as Pakistan deadline nears

MORE than 100,000 Afghans have left Pakistan in the past three weeks, the interior ministry said on Tuesday (22), after Islamabad announced the cancellation of residence permits.

Calling Afghans “terrorists and criminals”, the Pakistan government launched its mass eviction campaign on April 1. Analysts said the expulsions are designed to pressure Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, which Islamabad blames for fuelling a rise in border attacks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Government announces funding for offshore wind supply chains

Energy secretary Ed Miliband reads a letter from Britain's King Charles III during the Future of Energy Security Summit at Lancaster House on April 24, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Government announces funding for offshore wind supply chains

THE government has announced an initial £300 million investment to strengthen domestic offshore wind supply chains ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review. The funding will be distributed through Great British Energy, the country's publicly-owned clean energy company.

Prime minister Keir Starmer on Thursday (24) said the investment aims to support jobs and help the UK reach clean power by 2030.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-pahalgam-getty

'I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer,' Modi said in his first speech since the incident.

Getty Images

Modi vows to hunt Kashmir attackers ‘to the ends of the Earth’

INDIA and Pakistan have exchanged a series of diplomatic measures after prime minister Narendra Modi blamed Pakistan for a deadly shooting in Pahalgam, Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed.

Modi said India would identify and punish those behind the attack and accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump

Trump also announced an initiative on historically black colleges and universities and signed orders on AI education and workforce development.

Getty Images

Trump signs orders targeting university diversity policies and accreditation

DONALD TRUMP signed a set of executive orders on Wednesday aimed at US universities, focusing on foreign donations, college accreditation, and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

One order directs the federal government to enforce existing laws requiring universities to disclose large foreign gifts. Another addresses accreditation, which Trump has described as a “secret weapon.”

Keep ReadingShow less