Collateral damage
New Zealand Listener|November 05, 2022
The decades-long struggle to reverse the UK’s enforced exile of an island nation.
NIK DIRGA
Collateral damage

THE LAST COLONY: A tale of exile, justice and Britain's colonial legacy, by Philippe Sands (Hachette, $34.99) Even by New Zealand standards, the Chagos archipelago is a remote place. The 60 islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean are so small they barely register on most globes, yet they are ground zero in a fight over the remnants of British imperialism.

Fifty years ago, a monumental injustice was committed against its entire population - one terribly few people know about to this day. The Chagos islands were once part of Mauritius, a former British colony that became independent in 1968. When independence came, the Chagos were quietly split off- or "dismembered", as it's memorably described - from Mauritius into British administration. A deal was struck for a joint British and American military base in the Chagos and, to make room, between 1967 and 1973 all 2000 men, women and children who lived there were forcibly removed and exiled to Mauritius.

The area is technically now known as the British Indian Ocean Territory. The US military facilities on Diego Garcia, the largest island, were a key part of the 2003 Iraq War and reportedly a CIA interrogation site. The facility's name for a time was, ironically, Camp Justice.

Esta historia es de la edición November 05, 2022 de New Zealand Listener.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición November 05, 2022 de New Zealand Listener.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE NEW ZEALAND LISTENERVer todo
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024