UK will give sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius

[High Chaparral]

8 hours ago, melthebell said:

Grrrr that didn't work, I meant

 

So you were lying when you said Thatcher wouldn't give up any British sovereign countries anywhere in the world?

I wasn't.  The 99 year lease was agreed many years before Margaret Thatcher was born.  You're another one who doesn't understand the legal implications of a lease agreement. Sovereignty had already been agreed to go back to China and there was zero chance of a lease extension.

 

Back to discussing the Chagos Islands.  Starmer is being blamed for giving them away.  It will be interesting to hear from Sunak whether  the Tory government would have done the same.

[Annie Bynnol]

11 minutes ago, High Chaparral said:

I wasn't.  The 99 year lease was agreed many years before Margaret Thatcher was born.  You're another one who doesn't understand the legal implications of a lease agreement. Sovereignty had already been agreed to go back to China and there was zero chance of a lease extension.

 

Back to discussing the Chagos Islands.  Starmer is being blamed for giving them away.  It will be interesting to hear from Sunak.

 

     

    The 99 year lease did not apply to Hong Kong or Kowloon. 

    

    What became known as Hong Kong was three separate territories.

•  Hong Kong island (10% by area) a permanent British Colony acquired through war(1842 Treaty of Nanking), as legally British as any other colony.
•  Kowloon Peninsula (10% by area) a permanent addition to the Colony again acquired through war(1860 Convention of Peking).
•  New Territories (80% by area) leased in 1898 for 99 years.

 

    The Colony became increasingly dependent on the New Territories for providing utilities, services, manufacturing, housing, raw materials etc.

    The Colony(1972) ceased to be  a non-self-governing territory and legally became a "Chinese territory under British administration" to which the UK did not object and did not talk about.

    Notwithstanding the legality of acquisition by force and increasing crime an civil unrest, it was the loss of 80% of its territory that forced Margaret Thatcher to sign The Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984 transferring  the whole of Hong Kong to PR China control on 1 July 1997.