[Coral-List] Proposed Marine Protected Area in the Chagos - The Plight of the Chagos Islanders

Richard Dunne RichardPDunne at aol.com
Sun Jan 31 15:38:10 EST 2010


Dear Listers

For those of you following the debate about the proposal for a Marine 
Protected Area in the Chagos Archipelago (BIOT). There is a film (55 
minutes long) by John Pilger, an Australian journalist. It was made in 
2004 and describes what happened to the Chagos Islanders. It can be 
viewed on Google videos at the link below. It contains several 
interviews with Prof David Stoddart OBE, the founder of the 
International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS) whom many of you will know 
and who deprecates the treatment of the islanders by the British Government.

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. 
Stealing a Nation has won both the Royal Television Society's top award 
as Britain's best documentary in 2004-5, and a 'Chris Award' at the 
Columbus International Film and Video Festival.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3667764379758632511#

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SIGNED THE PETITION IN SUPPORT OF THE MPA on the 
Chagos Environment Network website. WERE YOU AWARE OF THESE HUMAN RIGHTS 
ISSUES? or did you get the impression from that website that it was 
simply the case of establishing a MPA in a remote uninhabited part of 
the world?
Are you entitled to think again? Certainly if you feel that you did not 
know the full facts. If you wish to do this then simply sign the Marine 
Education Trust petition 
(http://www.marineeducationtrust.org/petition/protect-chagos) and send 
an e-mail to info at marineeducationtrust.org with any further details.

Here are just a few of the signatories to that petition who support the 
idea of an MPA BUT ONLY with the participation and consultation with the 
Chagossians and the Mauritian Government.

Coral Reef Scientists, former diplomats, politicians, lawyers, 
academics. If you want to see the full list then go to the website.

Former President of the Republic of Mauritius - Cassam Uteem
Former British High Commissioner to Maurtitius and Deputy Commissioner 
for BIOT - David Snoxall

Emeritus Professor Barbara Brown - Newcastle University UK, co-founder 
and former Vice-President International Society of Reef Studies, former 
Editor in Chief ‘Coral Reefs’ 2005-8, Founder and Director of Centre for 
Tropical Coastal Management Newcastle University

Dr Alasdair Edwards – Newcastle University UK, former Director of Centre 
for Tropical Coastal Management, Chair of GEF/World Bank ‘Reef 
Restoration and Remediation Working Group.

Dr Tom Goreau - USA President Global Coral Reef Alliance

Professor Chris Perry - Chair, Tropical Coastal Geosciences, Manchester 
University UK
Dr Sue Wells - Coral reef conservation consultant, Cambridge UK
Professor Andrew Balmford - Professor of Conservation Science, Cambridge 
University
Dr Elizabeth Gladfelter - coral reef biologist USA
Professor John Ogden – Director, Florida Institute of Oceanography USA, 
former President International Society of Reef Studies (ISRS)
Dr Mark Spalding - Global Conservation Specialist - Cambridge UK - 
co-author of the Chagos Conservation Plan 2003

Dr Tom Spencer - Geography University of Cambridge
Professor David Simon - University of London
Associate Professor Kenneth Cathan - Mauritius
Professor John Eade - London
David Evans - Marine Biologist
Dr Judith Lang USA coral reef researcher
Dr Emma Mawdsley - Geography Department Cambridge University
Dr Ester Peters - USA coral reef scientist
Dr Elizabeth Tyler - Tropical Ecology Group, Oxford University
Dr Deborah Potts - Geography Kings College London
Katherine Muzik - Marine Biologist
Dr Lynn Dicks - Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, 
Cambridge University
David Vine - Assistant Professor, American University Washington USA - 
author of 'Island of Shame: The Secret History of the US Military Base 
on Diego Garcia'
Dr Carlos Ruiz Sebastian - marine biologist South Africa
John Howell - Former Director of Overseas Development Unit
Jack Everett - USA Saving Our Environment Campaign
Andy Vivian – BBC Producer - UK

Dr Bill Burnett – Head of Biology St Paul’s School, London - UK

Dr Sean Pyne-O’Donnell - Norway

Graham Pascoe – Lecturer - Germany

Dr Liz Andrew – University of Manchester, Fellow Zoological Society 
London, UK

Dr Tony Lemon - Dept of Geography Oxford University

Erich Hoyt - research fellow Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society UK
Abigail Moore - Marine Conservation volunteer Indonesia
Ofer Ben-Tzvi - PhD candidate coral reef biology - Israel

Dr Martin Little - Biologist UK
Adel Heenan - PhD candidate University of Edinburgh
Dr Basia Zaba - University of London
Sabrina Meunier - Field Centre Manager Shoals Rodrigues, Mauritius
Dr Martina Burtscher - University of the Highlands and Islands UK
Dr Emmanuel Gregoire - Directeur de recherche IRD France

Dr Sean Carey Research Fellow at the Centre for Research on Nationalism, 
Ethnicity and Multiculturalism (CRONEM) at Roehampton University - UK

Durkje Gilfillan - Attorney South Africa
Jim McGowan - Cmdr RN (rtd) Barrister - Hong Kong – former Legal Adviser 
to the Commander in Chief Fleet

Hans A. De Savornin Lohman - Netherlands Attorney at Law
Maite Mompo - Spain Lawyer

Richard Dunne - Lt Cdr RN (rtd) BA (Cantab) Barrister UK, former Legal 
Adviser to the Commander in Chief Fleet 1988-91, editor The Manual of 
Naval Law (1991 ed)

Rebecca Musarra – Lawyer – USA

Amir Matar – Research Associate, Public International Law and Policy 
Group, Washington - USA



-- 

Richard P Dunne






More information about the Coral-List mailing list