| Mickey_ |
09-14-2009 01:56 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by kektex
(Post 16318277)
The island of Diego Garcia. Sad story really, the population really was removed from their homes there.
I looked it up on wiki when I saw on the first post that the population from that island was eradicated. :(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British...cean_Territory
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In 1966, the British Government purchased the privately owned copra plantations, and closed them down, and forcefully removed the entire population (known as the Chagossians, or Ilois) of Diego Garcia to Mauritius. In 1971, the United Kingdom and the United States signed a treaty, leasing the island of Diego Garcia to the American military for the purposes of building a large air and naval base on the Island. The deal was important to the United Kingdom, as the United States agreed to give them a substantial discount on the purchase of Polaris nuclear missiles in return for the use of the islands as a base[citation needed]. The strategic location of the island was also significant at the centre of the Indian Ocean, and to counter any Soviet threat in the region.
source: link above |
