After being allowed uncommon access, the UN refugee agency declared that a distant British territory in the Indian Ocean—home to a covert UK-US military base is “not a suitable location” for holding migrants for an extended period of time.
A improvised camp on Diego Garcia has been the home for dozens of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka for more than two years.
This marks the initial filing of asylum requests within the region.
The UK government said it was looking for a “long-term solution”.
UNHCR representatives visited Diego Garcia towards the end of 2023 in a trip facilitated by UK authorities. It was the first time they had been given access to the island since the migrants’ arrival more than two years ago.
The UN Agency said it was “following up” with officials about what it had found.
“Diego Garcia is an island hosting a military base with virtually no civilian population, and is not a suitable location for long-term residence for this group,” a Spokesperson said in a brief statement.
The island is located hundreds of miles from any other population, and unauthorised visitors are forbidden.
The group’s subsequent asylum claims were the first ever to be launched on Biot – an area described as being “constitutionally distinct and separate from the UK”, and where court papers say the Refugee Convention does not apply.
Asylum seekers have described conditions on the island as hellish, but the territory’s unusual legal status has left them in limbo.
Lawyers representing asylum seekers on Diego Garcia say about 60 people remain on the island.
