Mother fights for normality in secretive military base Diego Garcia
- Shanthi and her family were rescued and taken to a migrant camp on Diego Garcia after their fishing boat leaked in October 2021.
- For the first six months, the children received no formal education, leading Shanthi to teach them English using resources available on the island.
- The family was recently relocated to the UK after three years in the camp, highlighting the unique challenges faced by migrants on military islands.
In October 2021, Shanthi and her family found themselves in a precarious situation after their fishing boat leaked during rough seas, leading to their rescue by the Royal Navy and subsequent placement at a migrant camp on the military island of Diego Garcia. The family, consisting of Shanthi and her two young children aged five and nine, faced a daunting environment characterized by restrictive living conditions likened to an open prison, with no formal education provided for the first six months of their stay. The island, a strategic military facility, had recently received its first asylum claims, acknowledging the unsuitable circumstances for detained migrants and prompting British authorities to seek alternative solutions for their welfare. While confronting daily challenges, including issues with rats in their living quarters and limited food resources, Shanthi took it upon herself to educate her children in English. Utilizing the coconut husks available on the island, she skillfully grew vegetables such as chili, garlic, and cucumber to supplement the poor diet they received in the camp. As news trickled in about global conflicts, the family remained insulated from the outside world, focusing instead on daily survival and maintaining a semblance of normality for their children. After over three years of uncertainty in the camp, the family's plight came to a turning point when they were finally sent to the UK under a unique agreement characterized as 'one-off' by the government. The Tamils spoke of their hopes and dreams upon arrival in the UK, expressing desires to start school, make friends, and experience life outside the constraints they had endured. Ultimately, their harrowing journey encapsulates the broader issues of migrant welfare and the historical complexities surrounding Diego Garcia, which continues to function as a UK-US military base while grappling with the evolving nature of asylum policies. As the Mauritian government prepares to take responsibility for any future migrant arrivals, the family's departure underscores both the urgency of addressing their situation and the ongoing need for humanitarian considerations in such notorious locations. The narrative serves as an important reminder of the human experiences behind migration policies and the legacy of military territories still embroiled in geopolitical complexities.