“L’an prochain à Diego Garcia…” (“Next year in Diego Garcia...”), Jean-Claude de l’Estrac''''s impeccably researched new book on the excision of the Chagos archipelago and its attendant tragedies is proof that some wounds never heal.

Many people are familiar with the tale of how Moulinié & Co, the administrator of Diego Garcia, rounded up the dogs of the island’s last inhabitants in a hangar, gassed them with exhaust fumes and summarily proceeded to incinerate their carcasses. Few of them however will have had the opportunity to read about this disturbing episode in all its harrowing detail.

Until now that is. Jean-Claude de l’Estrac’s new book, “Next year in Diego Garcia…” is a highly compelling account of the series of events that led to theexcision of the Chagos archipelago, the expulsion of its people and the Mauritian government’s feckless role in the whole sordid affair. By seamlessly blending investigative journalism and historical narrative, the author has created a work that will further shrivel the fi g leaf of plausible deniability behind which the perpetrators of this great colonial land grab cowered for decades.

Few Mauritians are better qualified to write about the Chagos issue than Jean-Claude de l’Estrac. Thanks to his involvement with the Front National de Soutien aux Ilois and chairing of the Select Committee on the excision of the Chagos archipelago in the early 1980s, as well as his more recent explorationsof the subject as a journalist and historian, he’s uniquely well-placed to recount this story of betrayal, lies and heartbreak.

Yet, rather than rely on personal experience, an approach rendered hazardous by the distortive effect of the passage of time, he has trawled thousands of declassified documents from the British National Archives and the American Library of Congress to weave a dispassionate account of a politico-legal saga that has lost none of its ability to get the blood boiling.

The result is the eminently readable “Next year in Diego Garcia….” In the first few chapters of the book, the author offers an almost fly-on-the-wall narrative of the machinations of the US and, especially, British governments to wrest the archipelago from its Mauritian bosom in order to get a military foothold in the Indian Ocean. The arrogance and racism displayed by officials of these governments is simply breathtaking.

Whereas the infamous memo calling Chagossians “Men Fridays” is well-known, what is less so is that Whitehall sought the tacit support of the “white Commonwealth”, comprised of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, whilst keeping its true intentions hidden to the rest of the organization. And, if any awkward questions were asked, British diplomats were advised to answer that the base would better allow them to “defend the free world”. The irony of this statement was apparently lost on them.

Yet, their Machiavellian design was made much easier by the inexperience andindifference of the Mauritian delegation to the Constitutional conference in September 1965. Little did its members know, at the time, that the Britishgovernment had secretly decided that the go-ahead of Mauritius and the Seychelles was an essential pre-requisite to their plan. Naturally, they refrained from apprising their interlocutors of this fact, even going so far as to cultivate the lie that Independence would solely be granted in exchange for the Chagos. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam said as much in Review Home is where the sadness is “L’an prochain à Diego Garcia…” (“Next year in Diego Garcia...”),

Jean-Claude de l’Estrac''s impeccably researched new book on the excision of the Chagos archipelago and its attendant tragedies is proof that some wounds never heal.

The author, Jean-Claude de l''Estrac. front of the Select Committee in 1982. “A request was made. I had to decide which was best: ceding a part of our territory that few people knew existed or Independence.” One can only speculate about what would have happened had he decided to spurn the demands of the British. For him to adopt such a stance though, he would’ve had to care at least a jot about the archipelago and its inhabitants.

He didn’t. History has rightly been very harsh on SSR for his role in the excision of the archipelago and it continues to be the biggest stain on his legacy. But the truth of the matter is that he wasn’t as much of a pushover as many would like to believe.

His initial reaction to the British proposal was to “clearly state his refusal and to present the Mauritian position: the government is not ‘interested’ inthe transfer of these islands. He would’ve preferred a lease of 99 years” even if he didn’t “eliminate the possibility of an outright ‘transfer’”.

For, as de L’Estrac notes, SSR was perfectly aware of the archipelago’s strategic importance. It was only after an intimidating tête-à-tête with the British prime minister, Harold Wilson, that he finally capitulated.

In exchange for £3 million, that is. And although hindsight is a wonderful thing, it’s no surprise that Mauritius got the worst of the deal, especially given the British government’s centuries-old experience in realpolitik and manipulation. What is far less palatable though is the Mauritian government’s treatment of the Chagossians once they arrived on our shores. Because they unsuspectingly footed the bill for our Independence, one would think that the authorities here would’ve done their utmost to ensure that the exiles were adequately provided for in terms of housing, jobs and schools. Instead, they were dumped on the docks of the capital like cattle where they were left to fend for themselves.

“The Chagossians swell the ranks of the unemployed. They have a lot of difficulty in finding a place to live and sometimes nine of them are crammed into one room. Their living conditions are appalling they have to scrape food together and often several families have to share a yard with a single tap, toilet and shower,” writes the author.

Coupled with the grief of having been torn from their homeland, these abject living conditions exacted a heavy toll. De l’Estrac cites a report by a British NGO, Minority Rights Group, which estimated that one Chagossian out of 40 died in the years following their arrival in Mauritius. The government, of course, was indifferent to their plight and it’s only in 1978 that they receive any financial compensation, and even then it was a pittance.

It’s arguable whether SSR’s criminal negligence in this matter was a far gravercrime than his handing over of the Chagos to the British. He at least had an excuse for the latter, even if it has become increasingly tenuous over the years. Speaking during the book launch, former president Cassam Uteem quotedan extract from Sir Dayendranath Burrenchobay’s, People Think, which the Governor-General reflects upon SSR’s “unusual insensitivity towards the problems of those that were uprooted from Diego Garcia.” It’s an appropriate description.Refreshingly, the author abstains from making any judgment calls. As he said after the book launch, he didn’t have to the story is shocking enough in itself without him having to comment on themorality of its protagonists’ actions. Most of all, however, this subject lends itself perfectly to the author’s trademark no nonsense writing style where every word is in its right place, as well as his clarity of thought that helps the reader make sense of the complex subject matter without ever being condescending. It is also the perfect companion piece to David Vine’s Island of Shame, which places a greater emphasis on the geostrategic side of things.

After detailing the plight of the “Refugees”, de l’Estrac goes on to explore the Groupe Réfugiés Chagos’ (GRC) amazing legal war against the British government, during which it won most of the battles, only to be denied victory by the thinnest of margins: a 3-2 ruling by the Law Lords. The last of the book’s thirteen succinct chapters is, of course, dedicated to the author’s pet subject: the question of sovereignty.

And, as his last sentence indicates, he’s not overly optimistic about Mauritius’s chances of winning that particular joust. “No, we will not go to Diego Garcia next year…,” he concludes. And he’s right. Anyone who doubts the veracity of this statement could do worse than read Robert D. Kaplan’s Monsoon:  The Indian Ocean and the future of the American power, which describes how the global balance of power is shifting to the Indian Ocean Rim. In that context, there’s absolutely no chance the Americans will ever forgo their “fixed aircraft carrier” in the region.

Be that as it may, “Next year in Diego Garcia…” is timely, readable, accessible and informative. By further setting the record straight, it will help consolidate public indignation against what has to be one of the biggest scandals of the twentieth century. This is important if we’re to avoid forgetting the callous way our so-called allies treated us and our brethren less than 50 years ago and the very low esteem they continue to hold us in.

All that’s left now is for it to be translated into English.

“L’an prochain à Diego Garcia…” (Editions Le Printemps) is available at all major bookshops.

Nicholas RAINER