Stealing a Nation (John Pilger, 2004) is an extraordinary film about the plight of people of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean - secretly and brutally expelled from their homeland by British governments in the late 1960s and early 1970s, to make way for an American military base. In exile in Mauritius, Lizette Talate's children âdied of sadnessâ.After demonstrating on the streets of Mauritius in 1982, the exiles were given the derisory compensation of less than £3,000 each by the British government. It was first broadcast on ITV1, 6 October 2004The John Pilger archive is held at the British Library2004. Similar To Secret official files were unearthed at the Public Record Office, in London, by lawyers acting for the former inhabitants of the coral archipelago, who wished to return to their homeland. Historian Mark Curtis described the enforced depopulation in Web of Deceit, his 2003 book about Britainâs post-war foreign policy. With John Pilger.
The British media all but ignored it, while the Washington Post called it a âmass kidnappingâ.Pilger first heard of the plight of the Chagossians in 1982, during the Falklands War. In the 1960s and 70s, British governments, conspiring with American officials, tricked into leaving, then expelled the entire population of the Chagos islands in the Indian Ocean.
The truth about the brutal removal of 1,500 islanders and the official conspiracy to deny the presence of an indigenous population did not emerge for another 20 years. Stealing A Nation booklet by Mark Curtis.
Soon afterwards, WikiLeaks published a US Embassy diplomatic cable from 2009 that read, âEstablishing a marine reserve might indeed, as the FCO's [Colin] Roberts stated, be the most effective long-term way to prevent any of the Chagos Islandsâ former inhabitants or descendants from resettling.â Emboldened by this disclosure and by public support, an indefatigable campaign of islanders and their supporters shows no sign of giving up.Awards: Best Single Documentary, Royal Television Society Awards, 2005; The Chris Statuette in the Social Issues division, Chris Awards, Columbus International Film & Video Festival, Ohio, 2003. In response, the Labour government of Tony Blair invoked the Royal Prerogative, an archaic power invested in the Queen's âPrivy Councilâ that allows the government to bypass Parliament and the courts. The plight of the Chagos Islands, whose indigenous population was secretly and brutally expelled by British Governments in the late 1960s and early 1970s to make way for an American military base. Director John Pilger's documentary recalls the deportation of British citizens from the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean by British officials in the 1960s and 70s after the government agreed to give the islands to the United States, which the Americans used for military bases. One of John Pilgerâs most remarkable documentaries, bringing a little-known story to a wide audience, is Stealing a Nation, about how British governments ruthlessly expelled the population of the Chagos Islands, a crown colony in the Indian Ocean, in the late 1960s and early 70s to make way for an American military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island. People were herded into the hold of a rusting ship, endured rough seas and were dumped in the Seychelles, where they were held in prison cells. Watch on vimeo Turn off the lights One of John Pilger’s most remarkable documentaries, bringing a little-known story to a wide audience, is Stealing a Nation, about how British governments ruthlessly expelled the population of the Chagos Islands, a crown colony in the Indian Ocean, in the late 1960s and early 70s to make way for an American military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island.
The shock was so great that her husband suffered a stroke and died. Similar To The author, Mark Curtis, is interviewed in the film.
One file was headed, âMaintaining the Fictionâ.In 2000, the High Court in London ruled the expulsions illegal. The expulsions began in 1965. Twenty-six families died in brutal poverty, there were nine suicides and girls were forced into prostitution to survive.The depopulation of the archipelago was completed within 10 years and Diego Garcia became home to one of the United States's biggest bases, with more than 2,000 troops, two bomber runways, 30 warships, facilities for nuclear-armed submarines and a satellite spy station.In a series of moving interviews, Pilger hears from islanders forced from their homes. In this way, the islanders were banned from ever returning home.Stealing a Nation won the Royal Television Societyâs 2005 Best Single Documentary award. Others describe how the British and Americans gassed their dogs â beloved pets â as an inducement to pack up and leave. They were then shipped on to Mauritius, where they were taken to a derelict housing estate with no water or electricity. With the discovery of declassified Foreign Office files, the full cynicism was laid bare. âBritain sent a fleet to the aid of 2,000 Falkland Islanders at the other end of the world,â he said, âwhile another 2,000 British citizens from islands in the Indian Ocean had been expelled by British governments and hardly anyone knew. Presents much of the information also found in the film with extra detail and sources for information.