§ Mr. Braine (by Private Notice) asked the Commonwealth Secretary whether he will make a statement about the declaration of a state of emergency in Mauritius, and the sending of British troops from Singapore to restore order.
§ The Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. George Thomson)I very much regret to inform the House that there has been rioting leading to loss of life in Mauritius. A state of emergency has been declared and British reinforcements despatched. On 21st January the Governor informed me that there had been a series of brawls between communal gangs in Eastern Port Louis and these had escalated in violence and extent.
After consultation with the Prime Minister of Mauritius the Governor decided to declare a state of emergency in the eastern part of Port Louis. By yesterday, 22nd January, the violence had spread still further and the total number of dead had reached 14. The Governor therefore extended the state of emergency to cover the whole island. In these circumstances, both the Governor and the Prime Minister agreed that it was necessary to request military reinforcements. A small contingent of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry was sent to Mauritius and the first elements have already arrived in Mauritius. Two frigates are also on their way.
Within the last half hour I have been in telephonic communication with the Governor. I regret to say that the death roll has now reached 17. The Governor however, tells me that the island is now quieter though there is still danger of 217 outbreaks. Some shops remain shut in Port Louis, and there is a refugee problem with which the Government are coping.
Political leaders of the Mauritius Government and of the Opposition in Mauritius have both deplored this outbreak of violence. The whole House will share my hope that the Mauritius security forces will soon succeed in restoring order.
§ Mr. BraineThe House will be both distressed at these happenings and quick to note how fortunate it was that British troops were so readily available.
May I ask the Secretary of State two questions? Is he satisfied that the small contingent to which he referred is sufficient to restore order, and will he keep the House informed if there is any change in the situation? Secondly, is lie aware that although independence is clue on 12th March—a very short time away—the Government have been so far quite unable to inform Parliament about the promised defence agreement and arrangements for internal security which are to take effect after independence?
Can he say, therefore, whether it is proposed to adhere to the independence timetable even if, unhappily, the state of emergency continues?
§ Mr. ThomsonI am, of course, satisfied that in the present situation the number of troops sent is adequate. I shall continue to watch this situation very carefully indeed.
In reply to the second part of the hon. Member's question, I have nothing to add to what the Minister of State for Commonwealth Affairs told the hon Gentleman in the debate on Friday. I see no reason, in these regrettable disturbances, for reconsidering the date of independence.
§ Mr. James JohnsonI am choosing my words carefully. Is the Minister not aware that this gang warfare between the Moslems and the Creoles in Port Louis stems from a shabby deal over the choice of the mayor which was originally offered to the Moslem leader? This pledge was not carried out by the Parti Mauricien and hence we have had the fanning of much wider sections of violence by agents provocateurs who did not like the last independence elections?
§ Mr. ThomsonI would not like to follow my hon. Friend in his speculations as to the reasons. I would content myself with quoting to the House the explanation that the Governor gave to the people of Mauritius in his broadcast on Sunday evening. He said:
I do not want to go too deeply into the causes of this violence at this stage.He said that there was nothing at all to suggest that this was politically inspired and motivated and added:It appears to have its roots in gang rivalry.
§ Mr. Biggs-DavisonIs it intended that the defence agreement with Mauritius will or will not provide for measures to assist in the preservation of law and order internally?
§ Mr. ThomsonThese events do not directly affect our undertaking at the Constitutional Conference of 1965, to which the hon. Gentleman is referring, to make an agreement with Mauritius covering mutual defence arrangements after independence. Naturally, pending negotiations on the actual arrangements, the details of these negotiations must remain confidential.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisCan my right hon. Friend say how well the Mauritius Government are coping with the refugee problem? Will he make further inquiries about this to see what help, other than military reinforcements, we can provide?
§ Mr. ThomsonYes. I have only heard half an hour ago from the Governor that a refugee problem is, regrettably, one of the by-products of this violence. We shall certainly look closely into what we can do to help.
§ Mr. MaudlingWill any defence agreement in Mauritius make sense once we have left east of Suez?
§ Mr. ThomsonYes, Sir. I think that it may well make sense but, obviously, these are matters that have to be very closely studied.
§ Mr. MayhewIs the Commonwealth Secretary aware that those who have been critical of our east of Suez presence have always made it clear that some provision should be made in the way of a small residual presence, in Australia perhaps, for maintaining—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] This was always included 219 in the costings of resolutions passed at Parliamentary conferences and elsewhere. Is he aware that we have always said that there should be a small residual presence to look after our remaining commitments with the Colonies and Dependent Territories after we left? What do the Government propose for these residual Dependencies, the Solomon Islands and Mauritius, after we have left unless there is a residual presence in Australia?
§ Mr. ThomsonMy hon. Friend is perfectly right in the point that he is making. The House ought to recall that if, given such events, it was decided to send forces to Mauritius after we had withdrawn from Singapore, we should do so from our general capability bases in Europe, including the United Kingdom. We have always made it perfectly plain that we would have a continuing responsibility for maintaining internal security in our Dependencies, and we shall, of course, have to have the capability to do that.
§ Mr. WallIs it not a fact that the root cause of the trouble in Mauritius is growing unemployment? Would the Secretary of State consider bringing forward the financial talks that he is to have with the Mauritius Government?
§ Mr. ThomsonThere are a great many things to be done between now and independence. The timetable for the financial talks has been agreed between the two Governments, and I do not think that these events would make it any more advantageous to try to rush the financial talks.
§ Mr. HeathWill the defence agreement with Mauritius depend for its implementation, should over-flying rights not be available, on the use of Simonstown?
§ Mr. ThomsonWe envisage that after 1971 there will be a number of route options open to us to fulfil our responsibilities in Mauritius and in other Dependent Territories.
§ Dr. David KerrWhile conveying our very deep concern to the island over these events, may I ask my right hon. Friend whether he can give us an assurance that the Government will look sympathetically at any request for aid in dealing with the consequences of the violence? Can he 220 say what steps the Mauritius Government are taking to make sure that this outbreak of violence, which may not have stemmed from political issues, is not allowed to escalate into a manifestation of political disturbance?
§ Mr. ThomsonThe first thing to do in preventing these disturbances from escalating is to take the kind of steps to maintain law and order which we have taken. Her Majesty's Government give generous assistance to the Government of Mauritius. I have already said that we will look at the question of refugees.
§ Sir Ian Orr-EwingWould the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that since die war there have been between 40 and 50 occasions when British troops have been called upon to restore order or to come to the aid of a civil power? Is it not becoming an alarming fact that we shall no longer be able to do our duty and carry out our commitments east of Suez if we withdraw our troops from that part of the world?
§ Mr. ThomsonI cannot accept that we will not be able to do our duty to our remaining Dependencies after we have withdrawn from Singapore. If, in the case of Mauritius, which will be an independent Commonwealth country in a very few weeks' time, it were decided to send forces at any time, then we would do so, as I have said, from our European capability.
§ Dr. John DunwoodyCan my right hon. Friend say anything about the position of Royal Navy personnel and their families who are stationed in Mauritius?
§ Mr. ThomsonSo far as my present information goes, no harm has come to any people from Britain or, indeed, to any property owned by people from Britain.
§ Rear-Admiral Morgan GilesWill the Government avoid taking it for granted that the Australians will grant us facilities to protect Mauritius or anywhere else, observing how shabbily the British Government have treated Australian interests in recent months?
§ Mr. ThomsonI was not taking anything for granted in giving the House the assurances which I have just given.
§ Mr. HastingsThe right hon. Gentleman spoke a moment ago about coping with future situations in Mauritius from the European capability. How will that be done? What transit airfields in Africa will be used, for instance?
§ Mr. ThomsonWe are satisfied that there will be a number of route options available to us. I would not wish to go into details at this point, but I would mention Ascension Island
§ Several Hon. Members rose——
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. We must move on.