Chagos islanders in emotional, historic trip home

In a statement, the UK Foreign Office declined to repeat previous assertions of sovereignty over the islands, pointing out that it had been informed of the trip ahead of time, and would not seek to obstruct it. But the foreign office claimed, incorrectly, that the trip was about “environmental protection,” which Mauritius denies. Instead, the official purpose is to map Blenheim reef as part of a maritime border dispute with neighbouring Maldives.