NEWS
9 September 2025 - As the fiery opposition, especially from the Shadow Foreign Secretary, Dame Priti Patel, in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament to the Mauritius - UK Agreement will remain another important feature in the Chagos struggle for freedom, we have chosen to provide you for posterity's sake, the link to the FULL debate on the Question of the Second Reading of the Bill, which ended with the failure by the Conservatives to block it by a vote of 330 to 179 majority 151. (House of Commons, UK Parliament Hansard, Second Reading, Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill, Volume 772: debated on Tuesday 9 September 2025).
Courtesy: www.dailymail.co.uk
On Saturday 23 August 2025, Pope Leo XIV met a 15-strong Chagos delegation headed by Mr Olivier Bancoult, leader of CRG - Chagos Refugees Group, including notable Human Rights Lawyer and long-time friend of the Chagossians, Philippe Sands, at the Vatican and strongly affirms the right of Chagossians to return to their home after an unjust exile. Pope Leo XIV refers to "A grave injustice", "a significant victory" and says "all peoples, even the smallest and weakest, must be respected by the powerful in their identity and rights, in particular the right to live on their land; and no-one can force them into exile."
Courtesy: www.dailymail.co.uk
And, our good friend, Philippe Sands to write: "Mon très cher Olivier, un petit mot pour te remercier chaleureusement pour l'honneur que tu m'as accordé d'être présent avec vous hier! Une très grande journée, pour vous et pour moi. Merci, merci, merci! Philippe". (see: The Last Colony - A Tale of Exile, Justice and Britain's Colonial Legacy", published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
On 22nd May 2025, the long-awaited AGREEMENT regarding the re-establishment of Mauritius' full sovereignty on the Chagos between the UK and Mauritius was officially SIGNED by video-conference. The next step is have this agreement ratified by the British Parliament.
EVENTS
29/06/2025 - The Chagossians "Get-Together" and REGISTRATION process in the presence of some International Guests and Journalists at Ms Lisette Talate Chagossian Community Centre at Point-aux-Sables has been a major success.
28/06/2025 - At a "Thank You" party in honour of the various overseas delegations, it was indeed a priviledge to sing the New CHAGOS NATIONAL ANTHEM!
27/06/2025 - At a meeting with the Mauritian PRIME MINISTER, a delegation consisting of Mr Olivier Bancoult and his team, as well as certain foreign participants to the International Conference, did brief the PM on the Group effort to prepare a Resettlement Plan, which the CRG will submit to him, as soon as possible.
25-26/06/2025 - The Mauritius International Conference entitled "Law and Development after Decolonization: Considering Legal Frameworks for the Chagos Islands" which was a collaborative initiative by Dentons Mauritius, the CRG-Chagos Refugees Group, Harvard Institute for Global Law and Policy, and the University of Texas Raroport Centre for Human Rights will remain a most important "MILESTONE" Event in Chagos History.
