Dozens of migrants living in “abhorrent” conditions on the Chagos Islands may now be offered the chance to be transferred to the UK following legal action.
Some 61 Tamil Sri Lankan asylum seekers, including 16 children, have been living on Diego Garcia – the largest of the islands in the Indian Ocean – since October 2021 after being rescued at sea by Royal Navy personnel.
In March, some of the migrants brought legal action against the Foreign Office, claiming there had been an “unlawful delay” in arranging their relocation to a safe third country.
The High Court in London was previously told that they had faced “inhumane” conditions on the island, including overcrowding and rat infestations.
In a letter on Monday, lawyers for the Foreign Office and the Home Office said there has been a “proposed change in policy” to allow families, children, and unaccompanied men who do not have criminal convictions or outstanding investigations the opportunity to transfer directly to the UK.
“… It is expected that a decision on offering entry to the UK in this way will be reached in the next 48 hours, upon which we will provide a further update,” the letter added.
Law firm Leigh Day said the migrants had been living “in tents on a fenced and guarded compound, conditions so abhorrent that there have been recurring attempts at suicide and self-harm”.
Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago. Pic: Reuters
The Chagos Archipelago is part of the British Indian Island Territory (BIOT).
BIOT commissioner Paul Candler called conditions in the camp “dangerous and unsustainable” and children in particular were suffering from “immediate and ongoing harm”, Leigh Day said.
One of the commissioner’s medical team on the island described the camp as “in complete crisis”, the legal firm…
