Mauritius will send a note of protest to the UK Government to “strongly object” against the removal of the Mauritian flag on the Chagos Archipelago.
The move was described as a “blatant violation of international law”, according to Cabinet papers of 11 March.
The Mauritian flag was planted on the island of Peros Banhos on February 14 by UN Ambassador Jugdish Koonjul Chagossians during a Rs50million-or-so trip organized by the government.
On March 8, Amanda Milling, Minister of State, who is in charge of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), confirmed that the flag had indeed been withdrawn.
“The UK is in no doubt about its sovereignty over BIOT. We were disappointed that Mauritius turned a scientific survey into a political stunt,” she said.
Meanwhile, Chagossians in the Seychelles have also described the recent expedition to the Chagos islands organised by the government of Mauritius as a “mere publicity stunt with no real interest in the plight of the displaced islanders.”
Pierre Prosper, the leader of the Chagossians living in Seychelles, told Seychelles News Agency (SNA) that the islanders based in Seychelles and a group from the United Kingdom are not convinced that the Mauritian government’s intention is genuine.
“This is just a public display to show that Mauritius still has a claim on Chagos,” said Prosper. According to Prosper “the local community and that of the United Kingdom do not trust the intention of the Mauritian government if ever the islands are transferred back.”
Prosper claimed that in 2019, he met with his counterpart in Mauritius – Olivier Bancoult – and with his lawyers, to discuss and agree on conditions for when Mauritius regains the sovereignty of the Chagos islands.
The conditions were for full autonomy on the Chagos islands by the Chagossians, where “we control the territory, have our own governing legal and political structure, while recognising Mauritius as the colonial power, under the UNGA resolution,” explained Prosper.
These conditions were drafted with the support of the lawyers working with the displaced community.
Prosper said that this was later submitted back to Bancoult for his signature, with plans to meet the Mauritius government. According to Prosper, Bancoult never responded.
“This is just a pretext and it is only the committee of the Chagossians based in Mauritius that is behind them,” said Prosper.
“We are also sure that there are many Chagossians in Mauritius that do not trust the Mauritian government,” he added, claiming out that the government of Mauritius is showing no interest in the Chagossians but rather looking at its own interest.
Original article at Seychelles News Agency
