Return to paradise?

In 1966, a few thousand people, living on a chain of 65 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, were forcefully evicted when Great Britain leased the biggest island to the United States for 50 years. Most of them moved to Mauritius and the Seychelles. Diego Garcia became the most important U.S. military base outside the U.S., home to the B-52 and the B-2 strategic bombers. B-52s flew out of Diego Garcia to bomb Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in the 60s and 70s. They flew out of Diego Garcia to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq in the past years. Diego Garcia is indispensable to the U.S. quest for world domination. It also acts as a supply base for its aircraft carrier battle groups and nuclear submarines. Today, about 4,000 U.S. military and civilian personnel occupy Diego Garcia. (United States Navy Support Facility) (Infoplease: Where in the World Is Diego Garcia?)

Now, Britain's Court of Appeal ruled that about 5,000 inhabitants of the Chagos Islands are allowed to return. (The Times: Paradise found for evicted islanders) Never mind the ruling of a British court, the U.S. government is putting pressure on the British government not to let the islanders return, because it could compromise security: the lone superpower, afraid from a few thousand peaceful islanders! It will be a hot potato landing on the desk of Blair's successor, Gordon Brown.
(The Guardian: Chagos islanders win right to return)

It is far from certain they will be effectively allowed to return. The British government could appeal the decision to the House of Lords and the U.S. will do everything to prevent their return. A small island people is fighting against two colonial masters who will not allow them to return to their little paradise, because it is too close to a military base from which death and destruction is unleashed. The Chagossians should not only be allowed to return and be compensated, the U.S. base at Diego Garcia itself should be dismantled and returned to the people.