Chagos Islanders defeated in European Court The Government, it said, should do the "right thing" and grant the right of return. "We appeal to the coalition to stand by their pre-election promises to bring about a just and fair settlement to one of the great tragedies of the 20th century, perpetrated by the UK on the defenceless - the brutal removal of an entire people from their homeland and way of life, into a life of exile," said Philippa Gregory, the association's spokesman. The Chagos Islands were part of the British Empire along with Mauritius and her dependencies. When Mauritius was granted independence, the Chagos Archipelago remained in British hands. A secret deal was then drawn up with the United States that allowed it to use the largest of the islands Diego Garcia, as an airbase for strategic nuclear bombers. The 1,500 inhabitants living on the island were deported wholesale by Britain from Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islands from 1967 to 1973. The islanders have been forced in exiled in small groups around the world in places including Mauritius, the Seychelles and Crawley in West Sussex since they were deported wholesale by Britain. In the early 1980s they accepted compensation from the Government, some of them signing with thumb prints because they were illiterate. The Foreign Office argues that the islands are too small, lack sufficient fresh water and are too prone to rising oceans to support a viable community. Campaigners concede that it is unlikely that islanders would want to return full time to the archipelago, but argue that establishing their right to do so is crucial to correcting the injustice they and their forbears suffered. Britain is likely to renew the current 50-year lease with the US, which expires in 2016, for another 20 years. Pro-Chagossian campaigners, who include several current and former British ministers and officials, will urge the Government to include re-settlement of the outer islands, not Diego Garcia, has part of the negotiations. Mark Lattimer, director of Minority Rights Group International, said: "The court described the legislation in this area as a "colonial remnant," but the UK has shown that it is still determined to pursue the colonial mentality. The UK government is happy to defend the rights to self-determination of the Falkland Islanders, but when the Chagos Islanders appeal for protection from their government they are abandoned. In 2000, the then Foreign Secretary Robin Cook gave the islanders permission to return to the islands, but that decision was reversed following the September 11 attacks as the islands assumed a new strategic importance for the US. The air strip has been used for CIA rendition flights of terrorist suspects and for bombing Afghanistan and Iraq. The British government designated the Chagos Islands as a Marine Protected Area in 2010, and there has been a campaign to allow the islanders to return as wardens, which is so far unresolved. The Chagos Archipelago is home to more than 1,000 species of fish, sharks dolphins, turtles and countless seabirds. It also boasts the world's largest crab, the coconut-cracking crab. The coral reefs are virtually unspoilt and the water is among the cleanest in the world. The High Court in London is due to hold a judicial review on the legality of the 200-mile MPA. Chagossians exiled on Mauritius argue that the wildlife haven was created principally to prevent islanders' returning, as it contained a ban on all types of fishing, which would be vital to returnees' survival. The Government contends that Chagos island is too small and lacks sufficient fresh water to support a viable community. Chagossians are free to return to Diego Garcia, but would have to work for the Americans.