Migrants brought to UK from remote military island

Migrants stranded for much than 3 years connected the distant Indian Ocean land of Diego Garcia person been brought to the UK.

The Sri Lankan Tamils are permitted to stay successful the state for six months, with fiscal enactment from the Foreign Office, according to documents seen by the BBC.

Their travel to the UK marks the extremity of years of analyzable ineligible battles waged implicit thousands of miles implicit their fate, but their semipermanent aboriginal remains uncertain.

Most of the radical of astir 60 migrants person been surviving successful a makeshift campy connected Diego Garcia - the tract of a strategical UK-US subject basal - since October 2021, when they became the archetypal radical ever to record asylum claims there.

On Monday, a authorities spokesperson described the determination arsenic a "one-off, owed to the exceptional quality of these cases and successful the interests of their welfare".

"This authorities inherited a profoundly troubling concern that remained unresolved nether the past medication for years," the spokesperson said.

Tessa Gregory of UK instrumentality steadfast Leigh Day, which represents immoderate of the migrants, said it was the "only sensible solution to extremity the humanitarian crisis" connected the island.

"This susceptible radical which includes 16 children person spent 38 months detained successful the astir squalid of conditions connected Crown land... we anticipation our clients volition present beryllium capable to question harmless haven and statesman to rebuild their lives," she said.

The BBC gained unprecedented entree earlier this twelvemonth to Diego Garcia and the migrant campy there, wherever the Tamils were housed successful groups successful subject tents, immoderate of which had leaks and rats nesting inside.

During their clip connected the island, determination were aggregate hunger strikes and galore incidents of self-harm and termination attempts successful effect to the conditions, aft which immoderate radical were transferred to Rwanda for aesculapian treatment.

There were besides allegations of intersexual assaults and harassment wrong the camp.

Migrants person told the BBC it was similar surviving successful "hell".

Those successful Rwanda person besides been brought to the UK, arriving connected a formation connected Tuesday morning.

One told the BBC: "I anticipation to crook a caller page. I anticipation my wellness volition amended and I volition alteration into a caller person."

Two men with transgression convictions and different nether probe stay connected the island, the BBC understands.

The Tamils’ accomplishment successful the UK comes amid uncertainty implicit the aboriginal of the territory.

The UK announced successful October that it was ceding power of the Chagos Islands, of which Diego Garcia is part, to Mauritius. But the caller Mauritian premier curate has said helium has reservations implicit the deal, which was struck by his predecessor and has inactive to beryllium signed, and has asked for an autarkic review.

The woody is facing absorption from immoderate politicians successful the UK and allies of US President-elect Donald Trump.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has played down the criticism, describing it arsenic a “good deal” for some Mauritius and the UK, and saying it addresses US concerns astir the aboriginal of the Diego Garcia base.

In caller years, the territory has been costing the UK tens of millions of pounds, with the bulk of this categorised nether "migrant costs".

Communications obtained by the BBC betwixt Foreign Office officials successful July warned that "the costs are expanding and the latest forecast is that these volition beryllium £50m per annum" if they were to stay there.

In letters sent to the Tamils connected Friday from the Home Office, they were told they were being granted impermanent introduction clearance to the UK "outside of the Immigration Rules" to let them to see their "long-term options".

It stressed that the connection did not "constitute imperishable colony successful the UK oregon designation of exile presumption by the UK government", and said the radical would not beryllium permitted to work.

The authorities says the Chagos Islands, known arsenic the British Indian Ocean Territory (Biot), are "constitutionally distinct" from the UK, with the antithetic presumption starring to the agelong ineligible dispute.

Most of the Tamils person been awaiting last decisions connected claims for planetary extortion - which the United Nations says is akin to exile presumption - oregon appealing against rejections.

In total, 8 person been granted planetary protection, meaning they cannot beryllium returned to Sri Lanka, the BBC understands.

Successive governments person antecedently said that bringing the Tamils to the UK would hazard creating a "backdoor migration route".

But the authorities said connected Monday that arrangements had been made to guarantee this did not happen, citing a woody to nonstop aboriginal arrivals to St Helena - different UK territory immoderate 5,000 miles away.

"Once a sovereignty statement with Mauritius is afloat successful spot they would past instrumentality work for immoderate aboriginal migrants," the spokesperson said.