copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-08): Sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago was disputed between Mauritius and the United Kingdom. Mauritius has repeatedly stated that the Chagos Archipelago is part of its territory and that the United Kingdom claim is a violation of United Nations resolutions banning the dismemberment of colonial territories before independence. On 22 May 2019, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution declaring that the archipelago was part of Mauritius; 116 countries voted in favour of Mauritius while six opposed it. [...] The detachment of the Chagos Archipelago was effected by the establishment of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) on 8 November 1965 by Order in Council. Pursuant to the Order in Council, the governance of the newly created BIOT was made the responsibility of the office of the BIOT Commissioner, appointed by the Queen upon the advice of the United Kingdom FCO. The BIOT Commissioner is assisted in the day-to-day management of the territory by a BIOT Administrator.[24] [...] - About Chagos Archipelago in Governenment of Mauritius website - Film and video - Chagos: A Documentary Film - Stealing a Nation (TV documentary, 2004), a Special Report by John Pilger - Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute - Chagos Archipelago - British Indian Ocean Territory - Politics of Mauritius - Politics of the Maldives - Maldives and the Commonwealth of Nations - Mauritius and the Commonwealth of Nations - Mauritius–United Kingdom relations - Maldives–United Kingdom relations - Maldives–Mauritius relations - Territorial disputes of the United Kingdom - Territorial disputes of the Maldives - Territorial disputes of Mauritius - United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations - Sovereignty - International disputes
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-03): UK will give sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius - Published [...] The deal – reached after years of negotiations - will see the UK hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a historic move. [...] In recent years, the UK has faced rising diplomatic isolation over its claim to what it refers to as the British Indian Ocean Territory, with various United Nations bodies, including its top court and general assembly, overwhelmingly siding with Mauritius and demanding the UK surrender what some have called its "last colony in Africa".
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-01-28): UN court rules UK has no sovereignty over Chagos islands The maritime law tribunal of the United Nations has ruled that Britain has no sovereignty over the Chagos Islands. [...] The UK, which was the former colonial power in Mauritius, has repeatedly promised to hand control of the Chagos archipelago back to Mauritius once the islands are no longer needed for defence purposes.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-03): The Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland today confirm that they have reached an historic political agreement on the exercise of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago. Following two years of negotiation, this is a seminal moment in our relationship and a demonstration of our enduring commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of law. Negotiations have been conducted in a constructive and respectful manner, as equal sovereign States, on the basis of international law, and with the intention of resolving all outstanding issues between the United Kingdom and Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago, including those relating to its former inhabitants. Today’s political agreement is subject to the finalisation of a treaty and supporting legal instruments, which both sides have committed to complete as quickly as possible. Under the terms of this treaty the United Kingdom will agree that Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. At the same time, both our countries are committed to the need, and will agree in the treaty, to ensure the long-term, secure and effective operation of the existing base on Diego Garcia which plays a vital role in regional and global security. For an initial period of 99 years, the United Kingdom will be authorised to exercise with respect to Diego Garcia the sovereign rights and authorities of Mauritius required to ensure the continued operation of the base well into the next century.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-03): Chagos Islands: UK’s last African colony returned to Mauritius The United Kingdom announced on Thursday that agreement has been reached to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending decades of dispute and negotiation over Britain’s last African colony. [...] The campaign challenging British ownership of the Chagos archipelago included the Mauritian ambassador to the UN, Jagdish Koonjul, raising his country’s flag above the atoll of Peros Banhos in a ceremony in February 2022 to mark the first time Mauritius had led an expedition to the territory since the expulsions.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-10-19): But at the ICJ, Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf described the UK's administration of the Chagos Islands as "an unlawful act of continuing character". [...] The Chagos Archipelago was separated from Mauritius in 1965, when Mauritius was still a British colony. Britain purchased it for £3m - creating the BIOT. [...] In 2002, the British Overseas Territories Act granted British citizenship to resettled Chagossians born between 1969 and 1982. But the 13-year window has left some families divided.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-03): The UK will hand over sovereignty of the remote Chagos Islands to Mauritius after a decades-long dispute. The deal to transfer the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius includes the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, home to a military base used by the UK and the US that plays a crucial role in the region's stability and international security. [...] Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said "giving up the Chagos Islands is a strategic disaster" and claimed the US "will be furious and Beijing delighted".
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-05-22): The General Assembly adopted a resolution today welcoming a 25 February 2019 International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the legal consequences of separating the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, demanding that the United Kingdom unconditionally withdraw its colonial administration from the area within six months. [...] In the ensuing debate, Samuel Moncada (Venezuela), speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement, expressed unwavering support for decolonization initiatives, recalling that his delegation agreed in 2018 that Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia island, was illegally removed from Mauritius and that the area is an integral part of its territory. The United Kingdom claimed to establish a marine protected area around the Archipelago, impinging Mauritius’ territorial integrity, preventing the country from exercising its sovereignty over the area and those forcibly expelled from exercising their right to return. Citing the case brought by Mauritius against the United Kingdom under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, he urged the latter to end its administration of Chagos Archipelago. Pravind Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius, associating himself with the African States, said the Court’s landmark opinion confirms the long-standing position of Mauritius and Africa that decolonization has not been completed — nor will it be until it can exercise sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, which the Court found to be an integral part of its territory. It also found that all States must cooperate with the United Nations to complete the decolonization process. "The advisory opinion is clear and unambiguous," he said, leaving no doubt for any other interpretation. "It is decisive."
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-06-23): In addressing the second question, having established that the process of decolonization of Mauritius was not lawfully completed in 1968, the Court examined the consequences, under international law, arising from the United Kingdom’s continued administration of the Chagos Archipelago. In particular, it was of the opinion that the United Kingdom’s continued administration of the Chagos Archipelago "constitutes a wrongful act entailing the international responsibility of that State", that the United Kingdom "has an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible, and that all Member States must co-operate with the United Nations to complete the decolonization of Mauritius". Since respect for the right to self-determination is an obligation erga omnes, all States have a legal interest in protecting that right, the Court found. It considered that, while it is for the General Assembly to pronounce on the modalities required to ensure the completion of the decolonization of Mauritius, all Member States must co‑operate with the United Nations to put those modalities into effect.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2012-11-05): The islands of the Chagos Archipelago were uninhabited until the late 18th century, when the French established copra plantations using slave labour in 1793. The islands have been British territory since 1814 when they were ceded to Britain with Mauritius (which then included the Seychelles). For administrative convenience, and following the French practice, the islands were administered from Mauritius. As for the population of the islands, after emancipation some slaves became contract employees; the population changing over time by import of contract labour from Mauritius and, in the 1950s, from Seychelles, so that by the late 1960s, those living on the islands were contract employees of the copra plantations. Neither they, nor those permitted by the plantation owners to remain, owned land or houses. They had licences to reside there at the discretion of the owners and moved from island to island as work required. The islands were constituted as the British Indian Ocean Territory in 1965 by an Order in Council under the Royal Prerogative. This comprises all the islands of the Chagos Archipelago and until June 1976 also included the islands of Aldabra, Desroches and Farquhar which were then ceded to the Seychelles, of which they are now part. The Order in Council also provided for the appointment of a Commissioner for the Territory. One function conferred on the Commissioner was the power to make laws for the "peace, order and good government" of the Territory.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-19): The atoll of Diego Garcia is in the Chagos Islands located on a large shoal area known as the Great Chagos Bank. Diego Garcia is the largest of 55 islands that form the Chagos Archipelago within the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) and is known as the "Footprint of Freedom" for its shape, regional location, and strategic importance. The island is located seven degrees south of the equator very close to the geographic center of the Indian Ocean. Diego Garica was discovered by Portuguese explorers in the early sixteenth century and its name is believed to have come from either an early explorer's ship captain or its navigator. Under the Treaty of Paris of 1814, many of the islands in the Indian Ocean under the control of the French were ceded to Britain, including the Mauritius and the Chagos Islands. In 1965, these islands became the British Indian Ocean Territory (B.I.O.T.). During the 19th Century, the islands were used as plantations, producing copra and coconut oils. Plantations on Diego Garcia were closed in 1971, following a decision to establish the U.S. Navy Support Facility based on the 1966 Exchange of Notes between Great Britain and the United States.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-03): The United Kingdom has announced it is giving up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal that will secure the future of a key US military base on the atoll of Diego Garcia while allowing islanders displaced for the past five decades a right of return. [...] The UK, which has controlled the region since 1814, detached the Chagos Islands in 1965 from Mauritius – a former colony that became independent three years later – to create the British Indian Ocean Territory. [...] A subsequent UN resolution endorsed by 116 member states gave the UK six months to hand back the archipelago, but members of the previous Conservative government – including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson – had raised objections that Mauritius might allow China access to the territory, and negotiations stalled.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-08-06): Today, it is continuing a dispute about a set of them in the middle of the Indian Ocean, known as the Chagos Archipelago. Formally the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), the archipelago was administered from Mauritius in the days of empire and was detached in the lead-up to Port Louis’ independence from London in 1968. The Chagos Archipelago contains Diego Garcia, now home to a strategically positioned US military base, whose existence was made possible by the forced deportation of those living there, the Chagossians. [...] This 2019 opinion states that the United Kingdom had no authority to sever the archipelago from Mauritius, and thus control over it should be ceded from London to Port Louis. Despite this ruling, however, the United Kingdom has been reluctant to act on its obligations as laid out by the ICJ. [...] Crucially, the current Jugnauth government has stated that "the end of UK administration has no implications for the US military base at Deigo Garcia, which Mauritius is committed to maintaining". It will allow Chagossians to return only to the other islands in the archipelago.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-10-20): Welcome to Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia "One Island, One Team, One Mission" U.S. Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia provides logistic support to operational forces forward deployed to the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf areas of responsibility in support of national policy objectives. Diego Garcia, an atoll of the Chagos Archipelago in the British Indian Ocean Territory, is located 7 degrees south of the equator.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-11-09): The intended agreement will allow for the return of former inhabitants of the Chagos archipelago who were forcibly displaced by the British government in the 1960s and 1970s. The UK would intend to maintain control of its strategic Indian Ocean military base in Diego Garcia, which it leases to the US. [...] In 2019 the international court of justice, the UN’s highest court, ruled that the continuing British occupation of the islands was illegal and the Chagos Islands were rightfully part of Mauritius. [...] In one of the most shameful episodes of British postwar colonialism, the then Labour government expelled the Chagossians because under international law it could only separate the archipelago from Mauritius if it had no permanent population. The archipelago was reconstituted as a colonial entity as the British Indian Ocean Territory, within which Diego Garcia and the US base could rest. All Chagossians were removed from the islands by the end of 1971. There are currently more than 2,000 US service personnel and temporary casual workers, mainly Filipino, on the base.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-03): HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases...Agreement between the Republic of Mauritius and the United Kingdom on the Status of the Chagos Archipelago hide [...] The United States welcomes today’s historic agreement between the Republic of Mauritius and the United Kingdom on the status of the Chagos Archipelago. The United States has strongly supported negotiations between the two countries over the past two years and is pleased to see the successful outcome of this diplomatic effort. Under the terms of the new agreement, the United Kingdom will agree that Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, site of a joint U.S.-UK military facility. In turn, the UK will exercise the sovereign rights and authorities of Mauritius with respect to Diego Garcia in accordance with the terms of the agreement. This agreement will secure the operational future of the joint U.S.-UK military facility on Diego Garcia into the next century. Diego Garcia plays a vital role in U.S. efforts to establish regional and global security, respond to crises, counter to some of the most challenging security threats of our time.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-02-28): The UK Government is "under an obligation" to end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago "as rapidly as possible" the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial body of the UN, stated in an Advisory Opinion released on Monday. The Opinion calls the continued administration of the archipelago "unlawful," and "a wrongful act." The Chagos Islands were retained by the United Kingdom during negotiations over independence for the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, which came to fruition in 1968. The islands have since been used for defence purposes by the UK and the United States, which established a military base on the island of Diego Garcia. [...] The Opinion was delivered following a request by the UN General Assembly, and a request by Mauritius for the British Indian Ocean Territory, which includes the Chagos Archipelago, to be disbanded and the territory returned to the country, as well as a legal challenge by Mauritius to the UK Government’s creation of a marine protected area around islands.
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-02-15): In 2021, a Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), addressing a dispute between Mauritius and the Maldives concerning their maritime boundary, found that "[t]he determinations made by the ICJ with respect to the issues of the decolonization of Mauritius in the Chagos advisory opinion have legal effect and clear implications for the legal status of the Chagos Archipelago," and that "[t]he United Kingdom’s continued claim to sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago is contrary to those determinations."[235] Also, in 2021 the Universal Postal Union voted to recognize Chagos as part of Mauritius, not a British overseas territory.[236]
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2012-11-05): The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), an archipelago of 58 islands covering some 640,000 sq km of ocean, is a British Overseas Territory. It is administered from London and is located approximately halfway between East Africa and Indonesia. [...] The BIOT Administration is excited to announce the launch of a new website designed to provide public access to historical Chagossian records. The rec… The British Indian Ocean Territory has become one of ten UK Overseas Territories to join a major network of underwater camera deployments covering the…
Claim: Chagos Archipelago is a territory of United Kingdom (Chagos Archipelago, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-07): Chagos Archipelago islands, Indian Ocean verifiedCite [...] UK gives sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The US base on Diego Garcia stays Chagos Archipelago, island group in the central Indian Ocean, located about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) south of the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent. It is coterminous with the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Claim: O'Tangav is a territory of Laos (O'Tangav, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-02-29): The government is still waiting for Vientiane’s Terms of Reference (ToR) to proceed with the delivery of a joint letter requesting that the French government supply maps and other related documents to settle a border dispute with Laos, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation spokesman, Ket Sophann said. [...] Territorial disputes with Laos became a hot issue after Laotian troops allegedly trespassed into the O’Alay and O’Tangav areas in Stung Treng province’s Siem Pang district, causing a standoff between the two countries. In September last year, both Hun Sen and Sisoulith agreed to designate the O’Tangav area as a no man’s land and increase joint patrols of Cambodian and Laotian troops there, following the August 2017 standoff.
Claim: O'Tangav is a territory of Laos (O'Tangav, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-01-30): Laotian troops have been encroaching on Cambodian territory in the border province of Preah Vihear for more than a week, with Laos claiming the territory as its own, military officials said on Friday. [...] Laotian soldiers entered and occupied Cambodian land near the Tonle Rapov river in the Mom Bei, or three angles, area of Chheb district since August 14, Cambodian Army spokesman Mao Phalla said. [...] In September 2018, Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Laotian counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith agreed to designate O’Tangav, a disputed area in Stung Treng province’s Siem Pang district, as a "no man’s land" and increase joint troop patrols following a 2017 standoff, the Phnom Penh Post reported.
Claim: O'Tangav is a territory of Laos (O'Tangav, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-07): Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is divided into 17 provinces (Lao ແຂວງ, pronounced [kʰwɛ̌ːŋ], khoeng, qwang or khoueng) and one prefecture, the Vientiane capital city municipality (ນະຄອນຫຼວງ, nakhon louang, or Na Kone Luang Vientiane). The special administrative zone (ເຂດພິເສດ, khet phiset), Xaisomboun, created in 1994, was dissolved on 13 January 2006.[1] In 2013, parts of the former special administrative zone was reestablished as Xaisomboun province.
Claim: O'Tangav is a territory of Laos (O'Tangav, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-09): Lao People's Democratic Republic or Laos (ປະເທດລາວ), is a country in Southeast Asia. The capital of Laos is Vientiane. [...] Geography [change | change source]Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. The landscape is mostly rugged mountains. The highest point is Phou Bia at 2,818 metres (9,245 feet). The Mekong River forms the border with Thailand. The mountains of the Annamite Range form the eastern border with Vietnam. The climate is tropical. The rainy season is from May to November. The dry season is from December to April. Laos has three seasons (rainy, cold and hot). The capital and largest city is Vientiane.