Henry Smith, the MP for Crawley which is the home to the largest Chagossian population in the world, has introduced the British Indian Ocean Territory (Citizenship) Bill (the ‘Bill’) in the British Parliament. The Bill has been drafted to make provision for individuals descended from Chagos Islanders to register as British Overseas Territory Citizens. By introducing the legislation, Smith is seeking recognition of the fact that these citizens’ parents and grandparents were forcibly exiled from this UK overseas territory half a century ago, when the then-Prime Minister Harold Wilson gave an Order in Council for the compulsory removal of the inhabitants of the British Indian Ocean Territory so a joint UK-US military base could be established on the island of Diego Garcia.
Successive British administrations have shown scant regard for the rights of the Chagossian people. This Bill is our chance for Parliament to send a clear message that elected representatives in the UK not only recognise the treatment of the Chagossian community, but that we want to help them.
Henry Smith, MP for Crawley
Said Smith, “We can’t right the wrongs of UK governments of the past, but we can ease the burden which this country has placed on these Britons. We can provide assistance to those whose story is not recognised in the country which removed them from the place – a British territory – they call home. Smith is Vice-Chair of the Chagos All-Party Parliamentary Group who believe that in the long-term, the community must be allowed the right to return to their homeland. “For today, however, providing these Britons with British Overseas Territory Citizenship is the right thing to do. If the population had not been evicted half a century ago, all born on the islands would already have British citizen status”.
