Weekly talks to ex-navy officer Maricela Guzman, formerly stationed at Diego Garcia, who was in Mauritius for Lalit’s international conference. She speaks about how rules were ignored on the island, how workers were ill-treated, and about the guilt she now has to live with.

We have heard a lot about a supposed “party atmosphere” in Diego Garcia; that soldiers there party and enjoy the beach while this controversy is going on. How true is that?

It was true when I was there. We had more alcohol than orange juice on the island. We struggled to get orange juice but we always had access to alcohol. Many soldiers developed alcohol problems. And they were young. We had 18-year-olds getting drunk on the base in Diego Garcia, even though you have to be 21 to drink in the US. There were major parties all the time. There was also a lot of fraternisation between the enlisted and the high officers, which was against the rules.

Was there no discipline?

The military did not do anything about it. In other commands, if that happens, people get into trouble. They get fired or removed from service. But because Diego Garcia was considered such a hazardous and remote place, the military let it go on.

How much do soldiers in Diego Garcia know about the Chagos controversy?

I think that there is an increasing awareness among the soldiers now. When I was stationed there, nobody seemed to know anything. I didn’t know that there had been an indigenous population on Chagos and that they were forcefully removed. I found that out later, when one of the workers, a driver, told me. I was shocked. But that was in 2000. Since then, Diego Garcia has been in the spotlight, so the soldiers who are there now know more about it.

What do the soldiers say about Diego Garcia?

Unfortunately, when you are in uniform, you can’t express your opinion. It’s rare for people to speak up. That is why it’s usually only veterans who talk about their experiences in the military, after they’ve left the service. But, of course, we talked among each other. That was how some of us found out that the Chagossians had been removed from the island. Although, it was very difficult to talk about these issues even among ourselves because you never knew if you could get into trouble for talking. Also, soldiers often don’t know their rights. That element is still a part of the military culture. You don’t ask questions. You just obey orders.

The military ill-treated the workers in Diego Garcia, you said in your speech. Explain.

In Diego Garcia, the workers didn’t really have any rights when I was stationed there. As they come from impoverished communities, they only went there because they didn’t have any other way of supporting their families. They accepted horrible conditions. What I saw at that time was a lot of racism towards them from the soldiers. Because the workers were people of colour, they were ill-treated. It manifested itself in the language: There was name-calling and so on. The soldiers felt superior and they showed it. In general, the military doesn’t really know how to interact with people from other cultures. Soldiers aren’t given any training on cultural differences. And, there is a certain culture in the military that is all about dividing groups and keeping them separate. Workers were kept separate from the soldiers and our living conditions were much better than theirs. This is something that happens in military bases around the world; there is mistreatment of local workers and mismanagement of resources.

Were the Mauritians on the base subjected to the same ill-treatment?

There were some Mauritian workers on the base too, but they were not many. They were not treated any better than the other workers. They, too, had to face racism.

Talking about your time on the military base seem to affect you emotionally. Why? Do you feel guilty?

I do. The oppression we subjected others to is horrifying. I played a part in that. I feel very guilty about it. I know that I was young (22). I know that I didn’t know what I was doing. But there is a time and a place when you have to take responsibility for your actions. Ignorance is not an excuse. If you know that something illegal is being done, you have to voice out. Now, I can speak up and show my emotions. This situation in Chagos does impact me. And there are many soldiers out there who feel the same way.

* Maricela Guzman, former navy officer in Diego Garcia

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