# The UK returns (most of) the Chagos Islands to Mauritius **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 4, 2024, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uk-returns-most-of-the-chagos-islands-to-mauritius/1008445 "2024-10-04T11:04:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uk-returns-most-of-the-chagos-islands-to-mauritius/1008445/1 "2024-10-04T11:04:54Z")
Has anyone else been following the saga of the Chagos Islands? There’s been a sudden development: > **[Britain to return Chagos Islands to Mauritius ending years of dispute](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/03/britain-to-return-chagos-islands-to-mauritius-ending-years-of-dispute)** > > Agreement to hand back UK’s last African colony follows 13 rounds of negotiations and international pressure Background: When Mauritius gained independence from the UK in 1968, the UK kept some extremely remote islands – the Chagos Islands. It turned the biggest one, Diego Garcia, into a joint American-British military base. And it **expelled all the Chagossians** – about 2000 people. For the last half-century, Britain’s atrocious treatment of the Chagossians has largely escaped international notice. Now – even though the UK is ceding the Chagos Islands (except for Diego Garcia) back to Mauritius – **there is no indication that the Chagossians will be allowed to return** and/or will be given reparations. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uk-returns-most-of-the-chagos-islands-to-mauritius/1008445/2 "2024-10-04T11:47:23Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > Has anyone else been following the saga of the Chagos Islands? Hell, yes & Damn straight! I visited the place twice on what the Navy laughingly called a port call. And after I retired from the Navy, I actually worked on the island as a contractor employee (I was a department manager) for approximately half a year. The job sucked, mostly becuase of the employee demographics and, shall we say, their interesting approach to rules, regulations, and laws. The island is gorgeous and, I believe, would be better served as a green tourism site. Of course the Îlois should be the ones to make that determination. Speaking of the atrocious treatment of the Îlois, There’s a John Pilger documentary, [_Stealing a Nation_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-Ho4sHY9sg), on Youtube. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2024, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uk-returns-most-of-the-chagos-islands-to-mauritius/1008445/3 "2024-10-04T23:30:40Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I actually worked on the island as a contractor employee (I was a department manager) for approximately half a year. Wow – that’s an experience that few on this planet will ever get! ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uk-returns-most-of-the-chagos-islands-to-mauritius/1008445/4 "2024-10-05T03:44:35Z")
And, if they’re in the know, one few will ever want. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uk-returns-most-of-the-chagos-islands-to-mauritius/1008445/5 "2024-10-05T18:16:45Z")
So, those folks who know the place would never want to go there, but it’s a gorgeous tourism site? I’m missing something, here. And what’s the relationship between the Îlois and the Mauritiuan government? Once Mauritius has control again, are they likely to allow the Îlois to return? ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uk-returns-most-of-the-chagos-islands-to-mauritius/1008445/6 "2024-10-05T18:45:51Z")
In your better-informed opinion, is Diego still strategically vital (if it ever was?) Every cite I find seems biased, noting the island’s nickname “Footprint of Freedom,” and its necessity as a _Point d’appui_ for military operations. (Looking forward to wherever I can now use the term _Point d’appui_ in a sentence) I’ll await your response but otherwise will remain _hors d’combat_ in this discussion ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uk-returns-most-of-the-chagos-islands-to-mauritius/1008445/7 "2024-10-05T22:58:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So, those folks who know the place would never want to go there, but it’s a gorgeous tourism site? I’m missing something, here. Those who know what it’s like working as a civilian on the island won’t want to go back to that job. The environment, though, is gorgeous but not pretty enough to overcome the working situation. > [@](#): > > And what’s the relationship between the Îlois and the Mauritiuan government? Once Mauritius has control again, are they likely to allow the Îlois to return? [Here is the Wiki page on the Îlois.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagossians) If they do get the entire territory, including Diego Garcia, back, then I could see the Mauritian government being happy with that. The real question is what it would take to make it a viable choice for the Îlois to return. > [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > In your better-informed opinion, is Diego still strategically vital (if it ever was?) It’s location is definitely what makes it strategic. [At the top of the Wiki page on Diego Garcia, there is an aerial photo of the island and a map showing the island’s location.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Garcia) It seems fairly obvious to me how that location is a prime military site given the state of military power of both the UK and the US in the 1970s and even today. > [@](#): > > Every cite I find seems biased, noting the island’s nickname “Footprint of Freedom,” and its necessity as a _Point d’appui_ for military operations. (Looking forward to wherever I can now use the term _Point d’appui_ in a sentence) “Footprint of Freedom” comes from the shape of the island, looking like a footprint on sand. And, of course, a bit of jingoistic flavor added. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uk-returns-most-of-the-chagos-islands-to-mauritius/1008445/8 "2024-10-05T23:44:09Z")
There’s been some chatter about the effect on the Internet of this change. The Chagos islands were “The British Indian Ocean Territory,” with the Top Level Domain of .io - a popular choice for some folks. But when the territory goes away, (I’m told) the TLD automatically (automatically by bureaucratic process) goes away too. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uk-returns-most-of-the-chagos-islands-to-mauritius/1008445/9 "2024-10-06T00:44:00Z")
Huh, that’s something I hadn’t thought about. Who’s been collecting the registration fees for that domain, the UK government? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-uk-returns-most-of-the-chagos-islands-to-mauritius/1008445/10 "2024-10-06T01:17:34Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > Background: When Mauritius gained independence from the UK in 1968, the UK kept some extremely remote islands – the Chagos Islands. Why do you say The UK is 'returning" the islands? The islands never belonged to the independent nation of Mauritius. In fact the UK bought the islands from the colony of Mauritius in 1965. Diego Garcia has belonged to the UK since 1814. Note that the British tried to make the area a protected marine area, but Mauritius went to the UN and demanded the rights to fish there. In fact, before the French moved plantation workers there, the Island was uninhabited. The UK will maintain it’s military base there.