The deportation process was carried out in a cold and calculated manner. The British and American authorities were determined to avoid any public scrutiny of their actions, so they kept the details of the expulsions secret. In many cases, Chagossians were told that they would be temporarily relocated and allowed to return to their homes once the base was built. In reality, this was a lie, and they were never allowed to return.
The dogs of Diego Garcia, who had been part of the Chagossians’ lives for generations, were among the first victims of the expulsion. In one of the most horrifying aspects of the deportations, British and U.S. military personnel made a deliberate effort to exterminate the dogs. As mentioned earlier, they tried to shoot them, poison them with strychnine, and finally, trap them in a shed and gas them using exhaust from military vehicles. This was not only an act of cruelty, but it was also a way to assert control over the land and its people by eradicating any sign of their presence.
