Letter to the Chairman of the Committee
from the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs,
9 July 2004
Thank you for your letter of 28 June about the
two Orders in Council restoring full immigration control over
the British Indian Ocean Territory.
As you know, we always do our best to give your
Committee advance sight of Orders relating to Overseas Territories
Constitutions. However, as I explained to you in my letter of
15 June, this was one of those occasions when we needed to preserve
complete confidentiality if we were to avoid the risk of an attempt
by the Chagossians to circumvent the Orders before they came into
force.
I do hope that you will understand the reasons
for my decision.
Rt Hon Jack Straw MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
9 July 2004
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