Britain to take dozens of asylum seekers from Chagos Islands
Britain is to take dozens of asylum seekers from the Chagos Islands instead of sending them to St Helena or Rwanda.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, and David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, have dropped the UK’s opposition to cases brought by Tamil asylum seekers and said they are permitted to travel to the UK.
The 64 people, including 16 children, have been stranded on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia since October 2021, when a fishing boat they were using to flee persecution in Sri Lanka got into difficulties as they tried to reach Canada.
The commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory argued that they could be lawfully returned to Sri Lanka, but the refugees fought the decision in the courts.
However, the High Court has now received a letter stating that the UK will change its policy and accept the group. The majority are still on the island, although eight have been sent to Rwanda for medical treatment. Those in Rwanda will also be brought to the UK.
The letter from the Government legal department confirmed that the vast majority of people on the island would be brought to the UK, subject to entry clearance applications being submitted, biometrics being enrolled and no adverse information arising from these checks.
The only exceptions relate to three Tamils who have criminal convictions, whose fate is unclear.
‘A very welcome step’
A United Nations report released earlier this year, following an inspection of the Tamils’ living conditions, concluded that they had been unlawfully detained on the island. It said they should be urgently relocated, having experienced violence, abuse and arbitrary detention.
The UN inspectors heard allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against women and children by other asylum seekers. They also identified high levels of mental distress and significant risk of both suicide and attempted suicide.
Simon Robinson, of Duncan Lewis solicitors, who is representing a number of the Tamils, said: “The change in the UK Government’s position is a very welcome step. We are delighted.
“After three years living in inhumane conditions, having to fight various injustices in court on numerous occasions, the UK Government has now decided that our clients should now come directly to the UK.”
Tom Short, a senior associate at Leigh Day, who is representing other Tamils on the island, said: “Our clients welcome the Home Secretary’s belated decision to offer them safety in the UK, which was made only after our clients issued legal proceedings in the High Court. Our clients fled Sri Lanka seeking refuge from persecution.”
The UK agreed to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius last month, ending years of bitter dispute over the territory. Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands in the archipelago and home to a UK-US military base, will remain under UK control.
The Government has agreed a Rwanda-style deal with St Helena under which any asylum seekers arriving in the Chagos Islands in future will be sent to the British overseas island in the South Atlantic.
‘Temporarily relocated to the UK’
A spokesman said: “This Government inherited a deeply troubling situation that remained unresolved under the last administration for years after the migrants’ arrival on Diego Garcia.
“Diego Garcia has never been a suitable long-term location for migrants, and this Government has been working to find a solution that protects their welfare and the integrity of British territorial borders.
“A small number of migrants, including children and their families, will be temporarily relocated to the UK, subject to security checks. We have now closed down this route, with all future arrivals relocated to St Helena until Mauritius takes responsibility for the island.”