The Zimbabwian family stuck in a Thai airport for seven months is a tragic story in itself. Four adults and four children are there with all the suspense and hardships. The journey began in May when they reached Thailand on tourist visa. They tried to seek shelter in Europe and as the details (see page 22) reveal, they are unwanted everywhere. The international travel recognition at least has given them some shelter at the Bangkok airport.
Nobody is sure what will be the final outcome, but it reminds me of thousands of East African Asians, predominantly from Uganda, some from Zimbabwe and Zambia, as well as few from Pakistan and India, now settled in the U.K, may well remember their horrible experience at various airports or flying to Heathrow and back, sometime upto 5 times, quite often with wife and small children.
The British colonial Secretary termed the name East African Asians who were migrating to U.K. from newly independent Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. It all began as a trickle prior to the independence. Today East African Asians especially from Uganda are praised for their entrepreneurship and other attributes for being first grade immigrants by the Royal family, media et all. Two years ago the Economist magazine had a four page spread in the Christmas special praising the Gujarati diaspora settled in U.K. But let me go back to the background a bit more. The arrival of East African Asians, predominantly of Indian origin, had blue British passports but their skin colour was brown (after U.K. became part of the EU passports were dark brown but that’s a different matter).
A small number of intolerant people started the campaign against the new arrivals. They were by birth British citizens. In 1968, the Chancellor of the Exchequer told the House of Commons that East African Asians have bank deposits in UK of over £250mn (in those days, helping the British balance sheet). All that aside, with the arrival of Enoch Powell and his infamous 'river of blood' speech, the British Home Secretary brought in settlement vouchers, where even with British passport, East African Asians could not fly into the U.K. without that entry permit.
On the other hand, in some East African countries, Asians were squeezed due to the increasing political pressures by the newly independent African government in both employments and businesses. There were enough pressure for them and their families to migrate.
Those with British passport thought U.K. was their home and made a beeline for their perceived homeland, those without the vouchers were refused entry, hundreds if not thousands flew back to and fro from U.K. to where they embarked on their journey. Thanks to the efforts of some enlightened British souls Eric Lubbock (later Lord Avebury), Mary Dines, Vishnu Sharma and others who formed the Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants and brought 'brown' Britain’s private tragedies to public arena.
Majority of British people are tolerant and stood by the victims of shuttlecock diplomacy and refugees evacuated from Uganda in 1972. It is painful to recollect the agony and uncertainties of those bad old horrible days. I know these stories not as a victim, as I came here earlier, but I was an eye-witness and a volunteer to the detention centres, airports, helping these unfortunate souls. I know so many of them who are now well settled and we applaud these excellent entrepreneurs and great British citizens.
Why hide BCCI files?
For serveral decades, the Cabinet office normally releases all their files after 30 years to the National Archives. An array of secret papers from 1991 and 1992 running upto 500, only 300 have been released, 200 held back from press viewing since early December 2017.
Maastricht treaty that led to EU integration files are published. But the papers relating to the Common Agricultural policy and common European budget and minute from European council meetings are hidden in the Cabinet office as also the BCCI files.
Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) collapse was one of the biggest scandals of the 90s. The BCCI was founded by a Pakistani banker Agha Hasan Abedi, with support from Abu Dhabi government and in next to no time it became a major player in some parts of Africa, in Middle East and especially in U.K. itself.
Some of the files held back were supposed to be released in the last few days but the fate of the BCCI papers are unknown while we go to press. The main reason for withholding documents is implication of national security and relationship with other important countries. I wonder what is in the BCCI files so crucial today, after 30 years and the change of scenario in the Middle East and U.K. beyond recognition to hide the BCCI papers.
In the hay day of the BCCI thousands of British Asians had banking relationship with them. There were large number of depositors and borrowers. Several hundreds were employees and the shocking announcement one night was that the BCCI was shut down made the depositors deprive of their hard earned money and the employees became jobless. The borrowers also had enormous problems. With sudden discontinuation of the normal banking services, especially those in trade and commerce had to struggle far beyond our imagination.
There is something noble in the British system. One day I met Sir Eddie George at an event and mentioned about the hardships of the forced closure of BCCI and three Indian owned banks. He was a good listener and he invited me, Subhash Thakrar, Dolar Popat, a banker Mr Shah who helped me to prepare a dossier. We were invited to the historical Bank of England in Bank. Sir Eddie listened to us carefully, gave some clear instructions to the administrators to alleviate hardships.
Not only me but many others would like to know why the BCCI was shut down when the main backer, the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi, was a guarantor of the depositors’ funds. There are many such questions, and we are keen to know the answers. I must also thank Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP and other group of supporters who came to the rescue of all the victims of the BCCI scandal.
