UK Military Island Not Suitable For Stranded Migrants- UN

The United Nations refugee agency has said a remote British territory in the Indian Ocean, which hosts a secretive UK-US military base, is “not a suitable location” for migrants to be held long-term, after being granted rare access.

Dozens of Sri Lankan Tamils have been stranded for more than two years in a makeshift camp on Diego Garcia.

It is the first time asylum claims have been filed in the territory.

The UK government said it was looking for a “long-term solution”.

“The wellbeing and safety of migrants is the… top priority” of the British Indian Ocean Territory administration, a spokesperson added. British Indian Ocean Territory (Biot) is the islands’ official name.

UNHCR representatives visited Diego Garcia towards the end of 2023 in a trip facilitated by UK authorities. It was the first time they had been given access to the island since the migrants’ arrival more than two years ago.

The UN Agency said it was “following up” with officials about what it had found.

“Diego Garcia is an island hosting a military base with virtually no civilian population, and is not a suitable location for long-term residence for this group,” a Spokesperson said in a brief statement.

“We continue to call on the UK to ensure fair and efficient determination of the pending claims, and to secure solutions for those found to be in need of international protection, in line with international law.”

The first group of Tamils landed on Diego Garcia in October 2021 after their boat ran into trouble while trying to sail to Canada, according to migrants and officials.

The island is located hundreds of miles from any other population, and unauthorised visitors are forbidden.

The group’s subsequent asylum claims were the first ever to be launched on Biot – an area described as being “constitutionally distinct and separate from the UK”, and where court papers say the Refugee Convention does not apply.

Asylum seekers have described conditions on the island as hellish, but the territory’s unusual legal status has left them in limbo.

“We are living a lifeless life. I feel like I am living like a dead man,” one man said.

Lawyers representing asylum seekers on Diego Garcia say about 60 people remain on the island.

BBC