Nearly 12 Sri Lankan migrants stranded in Diego Garcia attempt suicide
Nearly 12 Sri Lankan migrants stranded in Diego Garcia for over 20 months have attempt suicide, the BBC reported.
The BBC reported that 89 migrants have been stranded for months on the tiny British territory in the Indian Ocean after being rescued from their struggling fishing boat in October 2021.
Court documents filed in London say tents previously set up as Covid isolation facilities for military personnel are being used as a makeshift migrant camp. Fences surround the camp, and inside there are basic medical facilities and a canteen. Guards from G4S – the private security company brought in to guard the migrant camp – must accompany the migrants if they leave the area.
At least one woman allages she was sexually abused in the camp in Diego Garcia while there have also been hunger strikes on the island, which lawyers say have involved children.
The Sri Lankan Tamils are desperate to leave for a safe place, describing conditions as hellish, but the unusual legal status of the island has left them feeling frightened and helpless.
The group had planned to seek asylum in Canada, a claim backed up by maps, diary entries and GPS data on board, before rough weather and engine problems pulled them off course.
As the boat ran into trouble, one man on board said they started looking for the nearest place of safety. “We saw a bit of light and started sailing towards Diego Garcia,” he told the BBC.
A Royal Navy ship escorted the Marayan to land, and the group were put into temporary accommodation.
That was 20 months ago. And communication between officials on the island and London gives clues as to why the migrants – some of whom have since attempted suicide due to their dire situation – are still there.
Communications in the immediate aftermath of their arrival – obtained through a Freedom of Information request to the Foreign Office by a lawyer representing some of the migrants, and shared with the BBC – show officials wrestling with what to do about the “unprecedented development”. (BBC / Colombo Gazette)
Read the full BBC story here: Diego Garcia: The tropical island ‘hell’ for dozens of stranded migrants – BBC News
