17-Letter to the Clerk of the Committee
from the Parliamentary Relations and Devolution Team, Foreign
and Commonwealth Office
Thank you for your letter of 8 June.
Since the FCO's 7 December letter, the "humanitarian"
visit by a group of 100 Chagossians from Mauritius and the Seychelles
to visit the graves of their relatives on Diego Garcia and two
other islands of the Territory, which was anticipated in the letter,
was carried out successfully between Thursday 30 March and Monday
10 April 2006. The visit, which required extensive planning, was
organised jointly with the Government of Mauritius. The Chagossians
publicly expressed their appreciation for the arrangements made
by both Governments on their return.
During the visit, the condition of the graves,
which have deteriorated over the years because of the material
used for some graves, was discussed with the Chagossians. The
UK Government is considering proposals from the Chagossians for
restoring the sites.
On 11 May, judgment was given against the Foreign
Secretary in the judicial review of the two 2004 Orders in Council
which restored immigration control over the whole territory of
BIOT. A supplementary judgment was handed down on 23 June. The
Foreign Secretary was given permission to appeal and has now lodged
an appeal. It would be inappropriate to comment further until
the next stage of proceedings has concluded. The Orders remain
in force unless the Court of Appeal decides otherwise.
Chris Stanton
Parliamentary Relations and Devolution Team
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
5 July 2006
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
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