Authorities refused to grant access for judge and legal teams to visit island, where dozens of Tamil asylum seekers are stranded
Diego Garcia is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, over which the UK asserts control, but the UK has leased part of the island to the US for a military base.Diego Garcia is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, over which the UK asserts control, but the UK has leased part of the island to the US for a military base.The US government has blocked the UK from holding a court hearing in one of its own territories, it emerged on Tuesday.
The Tamils, who fled persecution in Sri Lanka, arrived in Diego Garcia in October 2021 after a boat they were travelling in hoping to reach Canada got into difficulty.British navy ships rescued them and brought them to the island. Since then they have endured appalling living conditions in a rat-infested tented camp the size of a football pitch, surrounded by a wire fence. They are desperate to be relocated to a safe third country.
The US said it would be “willing to reconsider” the requests if the visit could be “conducted in a manner” that addressed its concerns.
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