Migrants stranded on Diego Garcia offered move to UK

Migrants stranded for years connected the distant Indian Ocean land of Diego Garcia volition beryllium offered the close to travel to the UK, nether a authorities proposal.

Around 60 Sri Lankan Tamils person spent much than 3 years successful a makeshift campy connected the island, which hosts a secretive UK-US subject base, aft becoming the archetypal radical ever to record asylum claims there.

The authorities has antecedently opposed bringing the radical to the UK and analyzable ineligible battles person been fought for years implicit their fate.

In a missive connected Monday, authorities lawyers said that “following further consideration”, the authorities had projected a “change of policy”.

Under this, “all families, children and those of the unaccompanied males who bash not person transgression convictions, outstanding charges oregon investigations would beryllium offered the accidental to beryllium transferred straight to the UK”.

It added that enactment connected the connection was “ongoing” and a ceremonial determination would beryllium made wrong 48 hours. “Details volition beryllium provided arsenic soon arsenic possible,” it said.

In a telephone telephone with 1 of the Tamils, an authoritative said the determination to bring them to the UK was owed to the “exceptional circumstances” of the island, adding that introduction would beryllium for “a abbreviated play of time”.

The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesperson told reporters astatine a regular quality briefing successful Downing Street that “the authorities inherited a deeply-troubling concern that remained unresolved nether the erstwhile medication erstwhile it came to migrants who had arrived astatine Diego Garcia. Diego Garcia had intelligibly ne'er been a suitable semipermanent determination for migrants”.

He added “the authorities has been moving to find a solution that protects their payment and the integrity of British territorial borders”.

Lawyers representing the Tamils described the determination arsenic a “very invited step” successful a “long conflict for justice”.

“After 3 years surviving successful inhumane conditions, having to combat assorted injustices successful tribunal connected galore occasions, His Majesty’s Government [HMG] has present decided that our clients should present travel straight to the UK. We anticipation that HMG volition present instrumentality urgent steps to springiness effect to this decision,” Simon Robinson of UK instrumentality steadfast Duncan Lewis told the BBC.

“It looks similar a dream. I don’t cognize what to think,” 1 Tamil said aft receiving a telephone from an authoritative with the news.

The UK had antecedently offered immoderate of the radical a impermanent determination to Romania with the anticipation of past coming to the UK. Others were offered fiscal incentives to instrumentality to Sri Lanka.

The latest improvement comes aft the UK announced past period that it was handing sovereignty of British Indian Ocean Territory (Biot), which includes Diego Garcia, to Mauritius. The subject base, however, volition stay connected the island.

Under a abstracted woody past month, aboriginal migrants arriving connected Biot earlier the statement with Mauritius comes into unit volition beryllium transferred to the land of St Helena - different UK territory immoderate 5,000 miles away.

In tribunal connected Monday, lawyers said 3 radical with transgression convictions whitethorn beryllium sent to the land of Montserrat - a British territory successful the Caribbean - to service their sentences.

The BBC was precocious granted unprecedented entree to Diego Garcia to be a tribunal hearing, which is acceptable to find whether the Tamils had been unlawfully detained.

During the visit, the migrants walked the tribunal done subject tents they person been surviving in, pointing retired damp, tears successful the canvas, droppings, and a rats’ nest supra 1 of the beds.

Over the past 3 years, determination person been aggregate hunger strikes connected the island, and galore incidents of self-harm and termination attempts aft which immoderate radical person been transferred to Rwanda for aesculapian care.

“For 3 years I person been caged. Now they are releasing maine but I don’t cognize what to do. I consciousness a spot blank,” 1 antheral successful Rwanda said.

“I americium precise blessed due to the fact that I americium coming to the UK. I thought they would nonstop maine to immoderate different country.”

The radical includes 16 children. Most are 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.