However, this is not a vacation spot. It is the location of a highly classified UK-US military station that has been cloaked in mystery and rumor for decades, and it is officially off-limits to most citizens.
The UK and Mauritius are engaged in a protracted territorial dispute over the island, which is governed from London. In recent weeks, talks have intensified.
Earlier this month, the news was granted unprecedented access to the island.
One night on Diego Garcia, a private security guard quips, “It’s the enemy,” highlighting my name in yellow on a list he is holding as I make my way back to my accommodation.
We were interested in reporting on a landmark court case concerning the treatment of Tamil Sri Lankans who have been detained in the country for three years and are the first people to apply for asylum on the island. Their fate has been the subject of intricate legal disputes, and a decision regarding whether or not they have been unlawfully detained will shortly be made.
We were only able to cover the story remotely up until this point.
Diego Garcia is one of the world’s most isolated islands; it is about 1,600 kilometers (approximately 1,000 miles) from the closest landmass. There are no commercial airplanes, and traveling by boat is as difficult because boat permits are only issued for the outer islands of the archipelago and to ensure safe passage across the Indian Ocean.
