The taking of Diego Garcia

Does anyone have a clue why the airbase at Diego Garcia was built when the RAF was just leaving RAF Gan on Addoo atol in the Maldives?

Not enough ramp space? Gan is 5x3km and the runway is 8700ft.

Before the 12000ft Space Shuttle emergency runway was built in 1982, the original 1973 runway on Diego Garcia was 8000ft.

PS: Did you know that in the early 1970’s Russian Tu-95 “landed” at DG a couple of times? They performed touch-and-goes there.

Hi Crazymainer

Ok let’s agree to disagree on a few things because ultimately I hope we are all on the same side. 🙂

Hi O.P.

Whats not mentioned alot is that this is part of the Chagos Islands. People lived on the other islands also. They were also moved for being a security risk. Whats happened to the Chagos Islanders is bad. There should be reparations, and they should be allowed to move back to the other islands.

I know I hold an unpopular view, but, Diego Garcia has been, and will continue to be, important to all of our militaries, and our countries.

We should do all we can to try and right a wrong. But Diego Garcia, the island, should remain in the hands of the military.

You are right: there are a number of Islands, not just Diego Garcia. Some of your points were on a documentary “Stealing a Nation” shown on ITV last night presented by John Pliger.

What I did not know was the British High Court had declared in 2000 the expulsion of the Chagossians was illegal and they should be allowed to go back to their homes! The Chagossians were shown celebrating (perhaps prematurely) outside the High Court in the Strand with their lawyer Richard Gifford.The UK Government then used a little known device in June 2004 to by pass the Law Courts and Parliament, called an Order-in-Council, a Decree signed by the Queen, for which no reason need be given or can be scrutinised.

Documentary evidence obtained from UK and US Government sources showed the duplicity of especially the UK Government-mainly the lie that there were no inhabitants just temporary ones, even though some who had been there for generations-the Chagos Islands had been settled since the late 18th century. A lot of ministers, mainly Labour, had selective amnesia! Healey’s response was really funny because he said he had no recollection of anything to do with the Chagos Archipelago when he had signed documents agreeing to expelling the Islanders!

Baroness Amos for the Government was shown in the House of Lords saying an boat had been chartered to take the Chagossians to visit the Graves of their ancestors- but the boat never left-the real reason was they don’t want anyone near the military base.The President of Mauritius at the time, where the Islanders were sent, was interviewed and he also confirmed the role of the UK and US Governments in not allowing them back.The UK Government also made up 3 feasibilty studies showing no one could survive on the Island-but they did not bother to speak to any of the Chagossians. We saw film of the Military base – it seemed idyllic and those posted there loved it. Film was also shown of the settlements before the base was built.

When Pilger interviewed James Schlesinger, former US Defence Secretary, he asked Pilger directly why are you doing this 36 years after the event-and actually said that 2,000 people were not that many compared to 80,000 killed in Dresden by the RAF or Churchill ordering the shelling of the Vichy Fleet. He implied Pilger’s motive was publicity or personal ego-Pliger answered it was to simply achieve justice for these people at last even after 36 years and he asked simply whether it was reasonable to ask these questions of those responsible even though it was many years ago.

We stopped in Diego Garcia, inbound and outbound the Indian Ocean in the 80’s, to load stores. It was especially valuble when our relief boat, was broken down in Pearl Harbor or Subic, and couldn’t come out. It allowed us to resupply without going off station. Diego Garcia has allowed the U.S. Navy, Royal Navy, and Australian Navy, to maintain a constant, powerful presence in the Indian Ocean all of these years. That does matter, more than most people would think.

Whats not mentioned alot is that this is part of the Chagos Islands. People lived on the other islands also. They were also moved for being a security risk. Whats happened to the Chagos Islanders is bad. There should be reparations, and they should be allowed to move back to the other islands.

I know I hold an unpopular view, but, Diego Garcia has been, and will continue to be, important to all of our militaries, and our countries.

We should do all we can to try and right a wrong. But Diego Garcia, the island, should remain in the hands of the military.

Tony You need to read…….

Hi Tony,

First why bring in the War to this topic all its going to do is start a ****ing contest.

As for any Treaty ther are steps that all Treatys must go thru before they are signed.

You should go a read the US Codes their is a section that deal with Military Treatys, and by the way DG Treaty did go thru the House Arms Service committie befor it was sent to the whole Congress.

now I rather not get onto the whole depate on the War I have my veiws and you have yours and by the tone of your post we have different opions on the war and Mr.Bush so lets just say we aren’t going to change eithers views and stay away from the War Ok 😉 .

Cheers Crazymainer

Does anyone have a clue why the airbase at Diego Garcia was built when the RAF was just leaving RAF Gan on Addoo atol in the Maldives?

Matt,

Point 1 – Its great to see you back onboard here mate.

Point 2 – I wasnt clear in what I wrote. I meant that I agree with you that it really does look like the Heath Government ran a ‘very-British’ ethnic cleansing campaign and that is absolutely disgusting. All I took issue with was the slightly selective nature of the Pilger report that was initially posted.

Thanks mate 🙂 hope you have been keeping welll.

I am not really sure about his report, a lot sounds like a crusader but a lot sounds honest. I am ready to sit on the report to be honest as i have not experienced or posses any primary sources to prove the events true or false.

Hi Crazymainer

There have been many instances where the American people and Congress itself have been blatantly lied to and information withheld. For example, the secret invasion of Laos in 1970 organised by Nixon and Kissinger (who later got the Nobel Peace Prize!). That’s a pretty big thing to accidently not tell!

Don’t kid your self that what you are told by the President or Rumsfeld et al is all true. We have a duty to be sceptical. That’s why investigative reporters like Woodward and Bernstein who uncovered the lying by the President over Watergate are important. We did get it: the President can lie and he sure ain’t no saint! Just because Bush does his ‘gee shucks, it’s only sweet and innocent me’ routine does not mean he isn’t being disingenous!

You say the reporter John Pilger is loose with the facts or selective because he has got a left-wing or anti-US agenda-does that mean Nixon-who just missed being impeached by resigning-and despite carrying out many acts against the US Constitution and US Congress is the role model to aspire to?

The biggest lie, brought out in the recent Presidential debates, was the attempt to connect Saddam with Al Qaeda! A blatant lie- there is no such connection between 9/11 and Iraq!-Bush had no answer to Kerry on this, neither did Cheney to Edwards. The Iraq Survey Group reported today there were no WMD found. We all know Saddam had nerve gas, used it on the Kurds and killed 5,000 of them, but all stocks were probably destroyed after 1991. The world is better off without Saddam but let’s be open about it!

It is OK to quiz Cheney on the billion dollar contracts handed out to Hallibuton in Iraq-the company he once ran- in language that people can understand: it is like pigs in the trough- Richard Perle personally profited from deals at Hollinger which was run as a “corporate kleptocracy” (these are the words used by Richard Breeden, ex-head of the Securities and Exchange Commission in his report) where at least $400m was stolen by the directors for their personal gain. By sheer coincidence Kissinger was also on the board of Hollinger but he was cleared of any wrongdoing by Breeden. Richard Perle on the other hand had “an abject failure to fulfil his fiduciary duty”, again words by Breeden, ex head of the SEC. We rail against a mugger in the street who steals money with violence-these people deal in millions- but it’s still theft!

So yes, Crazymainer, that’s my point- believe trustingly in politicians at your peril. Father Christmas doesn’t exist – I am sorry that is unfair – but it would hurt more when you find out they made up things up for their own purposes especially if you served your Country in the military conscientiously.

So if any of the ex-Islanders want to go to the Hague to claim compensation, good luck to them- I hope they get something personally.

What A crock of BS

Hi All,

Well I might as well jump in here since I spent sometime on DG,

“Diego Garcia because of a “treaty” with Washington – in truth, a deal concealed from parliament and the US Congress.”

I took this from the article now I’m going to tell you the REAL TRUTH there is no way in Hell that any Treaty was hidden from the US Congress if this Mr. Pilger had taken the time to read how are Treatys are sign then he would know this.

Now for DG its self Mr Pilger really doesn’t know much about the Island past during WWII you all remember that War right well the English used this as a Seaplane base and a refueling point for entering the Indian Ocean. There are two PBY wrecks still on the beach. During the height of the Cold War NATO used DG for Recon flights and based a number of aircraft types.

As for the Locals the ones I had contact with were doing quite well and I spoke to alot of them while I was there. Yes they were offered money to move but most of the ones I talk to were happy to be their because of the US Base provided them with a far better living. Does this sound familiar Main Land Europe.

Blackcat to answer your question about B-1 and B-2, there are No B-2 station outside of the US for more then 72 Hours all the Stikes are round trip missions. As for B-1 there are about 6 to 8 at any given time remember the B-1 force has been reduced. Also there are On Station roughtly 8 B-52 on a rotational TDY.

As it was point out Mr.Pilger tends to be very Left and Anti- US in alot of his reports and many times he gets only part of the story and ad-libs the rest.

As for the Former Islanders going to the Hagua go luck on that the US is’nt a signee of any formal UN Doc. pertaining to this type of prosecution.

On a personal note folks,now I don’t know British Law that well but it seems to me that alot here think that the US can be hauled infront of any UN Court well that just isn’t how it works we have Laws that we go by they are call United States Codes these are the Codes in which are Goverment must Act. They are not subject to any international group be it the UN or the WTO.

Crazymainer

http://www.lewrockwell.com/pilger/pilger17.html

Pilger is always very loose with the facts:

http://pilger.carlton.com/print/19255

“How many NATO aircraft have really been shot down or crashed? This is suppressed, of course……

Nato is suffering significant losses. Reliable alternative sources in Washington have counted up to 38 aircraft crashed or shot down, and an undisclosed number of American and British special forces killed. This is suppressed, of course.”

TJ

Sorry mate not ment as a jibe/ Low blow/ Flame bait etc not to the servicemen or and women and anyone else in the UK except the people who are making the dicisions and like i said it irks me to a large extent. ( maybe its a manisfestation of my dislike for his domestic policies towards students and his contempt of Ordinary British Citizen).

Matt,

Point 1 – Its great to see you back onboard here mate.

Point 2 – I wasnt clear in what I wrote. I meant that I agree with you that it really does look like the Heath Government ran a ‘very-British’ ethnic cleansing campaign and that is absolutely disgusting. All I took issue with was the slightly selective nature of the Pilger report that was initially posted.

To resettle whom? New generations born in Mauritius. The native ones still willing to resettle, to live from what? A real fair compensation in money have to be for the former 2000 inhabitants, to live there new live in Mauritius. De Jure GB was the power in force at those times and have had the right to claim some superior national intrests to do so. If done properly, I do not know. So I support a true compensation sheme.

Hi Arthur

Can you explain more about this project Mercury in Greenland? Does it have to do with the putting of the first US astronaut in space?

Officially yes, but actually, no. It was a huge base/city under the ice in central Greenland built around 1960, which was officially to house some space tracking stuff to work with the radar stations built in Greenland at the time (the primary mission of which was of course to provide early warning for incoming Soviet attacks). But in effect it was a huge underground city/base ment to protect at least 50.000 (but probably more) people during a nuclear conflict. The base was dismantled when the ice started moving, although i don’t know when that happened.

I suppose Sadam Hussein could justify invading Kuwait as part of the Greater Good. Or China’s annexation of Tibet as part of the greater good…

It was wrong, and now the threat has diminshed the UK should show some independent foreign policy – for once – and vacate Diego Garcia.

It’s not that the people from DG are the only ones who got ethnically cleansed for Vaiar’s “greater good”. GD already mentioned Bikini, there’s the people of Mururoa, there’s the inuit tribes who lived in the area of Project Mercury on Greenland…

Hi Arthur

Can you explain more about this project Mercury in Greenland? Does it have to do with the putting of the first US astronaut in space?

Amazing how accurate those ethnic cleansing jibes seem to the mark isnt it?. 😡

I distrust the Pilger article to an extent though as it seems to accentuate the fact that the islanders just got ‘dumped on the docks’ in Mauritius without mentioning the fact that the UK Govt of the day did pay the Mauritius Govt £3million (fair old sum back then) towards the cost of resettling the evictee’s!. Not that that kind of compensation for dragging them off their land in such a fashion makes it any better of course, but, for the article not to reflect the fact does damage Pilgers credibility for me.

Then again though seeings as the UK Gov got an £11mill discount on the Polaris system out of the Diego Garcia deal it was bloody well obliged to offer some kind of compensation!

Sorry mate not ment as a jibe/ Low blow/ Flame bait etc not to the servicemen or and women and anyone else in the UK except the people who are making the dicisions and like i said it irks me to a large extent. ( maybe its a manisfestation of my dislike for his domestic policies towards students and his contempt of Ordinary British Citizen).

It’s not that the people from DG are the only ones who got ethnically cleansed for Vaiar’s “greater good”. GD already mentioned Bikini, there’s the people of Mururoa, there’s the inuit tribes who lived in the area of Project Mercury on Greenland…

Amazing how accurate those ethnic cleansing jibes seem to the mark isnt it?. 😡

I distrust the Pilger article to an extent though as it seems to accentuate the fact that the islanders just got ‘dumped on the docks’ in Mauritius without mentioning the fact that the UK Govt of the day did pay the Mauritius Govt £3million (fair old sum back then) towards the cost of resettling the evictee’s!. Not that that kind of compensation for dragging them off their land in such a fashion makes it any better of course, but, for the article not to reflect the fact does damage Pilgers credibility for me.

Then again though seeings as the UK Gov got an £11mill discount on the Polaris system out of the Diego Garcia deal it was bloody well obliged to offer some kind of compensation!

LOL , This is one of the things that irked me majorly as i saw Bush and Blair anounce how they would champion “freedom” , and it made me sick to my stomach….. Certain parts of Platos’ republic on Justice and Just men came into my mind then.

hey long time Matt ….. nice to see u again ……..

well abt the DG affair, its just a waste of time and money as only dumbs wud think that Unkil will ever move out except maybe one fine day the Iranians after making their missiles CEP much better fire them as a pre-emptive defence in light of a future american assault on them …..

well how many B-1 and B2 are stationed there??

Every one knows that Diego Garcia had in habitants! I for the life of me do not see why they dont take Bush and Blaire into the Hague on the charges of ETHNIC CLEANSING! (oki people havent died but they have been displaced and a large percentage has been displaced )