wakeybluenose
Member 
Mostly harmless!
Posts: 311 
What I collect: GB to 2000 (but definitives to date) / Ireland to 2000 / General WW classics & definitives / ASFEC / SciFi & Fantasy Literature / Local History
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Post by wakeybluenose on Oct 3, 2024 11:07:42 GMT
[NOTE: This post was moved from the Watcha Been Stamping? thread.]Does this mean BIOT stamps are now Cinderellas ? Or just another 'dead' country ? Interesting ! As there doesn't seem to be a dedicated thread for BIOT (British Indian Ocean Territories), I thought I would post this news here: Announcement was made today that UK will officially hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius; www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98ynejg4l5oI don't know if this will pave the way for native Chagossians (currently in Mauritius, The Seychelles, and England [Crawley]) to return and repopulate the archipelago. I've always kept an eye on the area since my daughter did a piece on the issue for her journalism degree years ago, I acted as her cameraman when she interviewed the exiles. It will be interesting to see what this does in relation to stamp issues.
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JeffS
Member
Posts: 2,837
What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Oct 3, 2024 12:26:18 GMT
Google Earth 3D gives a pretty good tour of Diego Garcia.
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Post by michael on Oct 3, 2024 12:43:08 GMT
All the maps will have to be changed 
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Hugh
Member
Posts: 740
What I collect: Worldwide Occupation Stamps and Postal History; and, anything that looks interesting.
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Post by Hugh on Oct 3, 2024 17:08:56 GMT
Given the longstanding controversy over the BIOT, I started thinking of them as 'occupation stamps' -- at least since 1968 when the Chargos Archipelago was claimed by Mauritius. At the very least, the stamps are a projection of a disputed sovereignty. I only have a few of them but I was rather taken with the ones with the maps, latitude and longitude. Very precisse. However, it's always a good thing to see a negotiated and peaceful resolution of a border dispute. I wonder how long it will take to see a cover on eBay with a new Mauritius postmark? Since the population had been removed from the island in 1971 ... that might take a while. [Edit: The Silver Wedding Stamps are from 1971 - Sc. 48-49, the Map Series were issued in 1975 - Sc. 82-85). There were 15 stamps issued in 1968 with the overprint BIOT on stamps from Seychelles]
[Edit: I guess everyone is online today looking for BIOT stamps. I could only find one of the 1968 overprints. But, I was able to get it ... Sc. 15.]  |
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator 
Posts: 5,908
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Oct 3, 2024 19:08:41 GMT
Many thanks to all for your posts on this subject. I find it particularly interesting because, I have actually been there. I don't know the exact dates, but sometime in 1982-84, I was serving on active duty in the US Marine Corps, and I was on a 6-month shipboard deployment. We were part of what was then termed the Maritime Pre-Positioned Force in the Indian Ocean (IO). There was once a period of several weeks when our task force was steaming around the IO without sight of land for quite some time. To give the Marines a break, the Commanding Office of our Battalion Landing Team authorized for our units to be put ashore via landing craft on the island of Diego Garcia, as mentioned by JeffS. We hiked the island from one end to the other, and I can recall that it felt great to be on dry land, even just for a matter of some hours. I see from the news article that despite the BIOT change in sovereignty, it appears that Diego Garcia will remain a UK & US military base. Did I read that correctly? |
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Post by daniel on Oct 3, 2024 21:02:13 GMT
Many thanks to all for your posts on this subject I see from the news article that despite the BIOT change in sovereignty, it appears that Diego Garcia will remain a UK & US military base. Did I read that correctly? Hi Chris, yes that is correct, for at least 99 years! You are very well travelled  All the best, Daniel |
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JeffS
Member
Posts: 2,837
What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Oct 3, 2024 22:38:30 GMT
eBay shows but one Diego Garcia stamp sale today.
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,696
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Oct 4, 2024 10:41:19 GMT
Would that mean the British in Hong Kong had occupation stamps? The lease expired.
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Hugh
Member
Posts: 740
What I collect: Worldwide Occupation Stamps and Postal History; and, anything that looks interesting.
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Post by Hugh on Oct 4, 2024 11:32:23 GMT
Would that mean the British in Hong Kong had occupation stamps? The lease expired. The Treaty Ports are interesting, aren't they? If a country feels extorted (by gunboats or economic pressure) to lease some of its land and give up sovereignty is that an 'occupation'? In any event, Britain occupied Hong Kong for the duration of the lease and then returned it to China. However, we have to draw a line somewhere or most stamps will be occupation stamps (smile). Cheers, |
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wakeybluenose
Member
Mostly harmless!
Posts: 311
What I collect: GB to 2000 (but definitives to date) / Ireland to 2000 / General WW classics & definitives / ASFEC / SciFi & Fantasy Literature / Local History
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Post by wakeybluenose on Oct 4, 2024 11:34:04 GMT
Seems to be a massive period from 1977 to 1989 where no stamps were produced, can't find any info on the reason for this, anybody have any ideas?  |
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Post by daniel on Oct 4, 2024 11:59:55 GMT
wakeybluenose, Stanley Gibbons gives an explanation, describing BIOT as "A Crown Colony, established 8 November 1965, comprising the Chagos Archipelago (previously administered by Mauritius) and Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches, previously administered by Seychelles to which country they were returned on 29 June 1976. The Chagos Archipelago has no indigenous population, but stamps were provided from 1990 for use by civilian workers at the US Navy base on Diego Garcia"
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Post by daniel on Oct 4, 2024 12:11:50 GMT
Also, of course, in August 2021 the UPU decided not to recognise BIOT stamps.
Daniel
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wakeybluenose
Member
Mostly harmless!
Posts: 311
What I collect: GB to 2000 (but definitives to date) / Ireland to 2000 / General WW classics & definitives / ASFEC / SciFi & Fantasy Literature / Local History
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Post by wakeybluenose on Oct 4, 2024 12:57:55 GMT
I shall look forward to the first overprinted Mauritius stamp, and then a new number one, hopefully under the name of Chagos.
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anglobob
Member
Posts: 2,602
What I collect: France and French Colonies,French cinderellas British Commonwealth QE2
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Post by anglobob on Oct 4, 2024 14:19:47 GMT
SG 1-15.First series of stamps,issued in 1968. Black mounts used.This was before JeffS showed me the wisdom of using clear mounts..........   |
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As there doesn't seem to be a dedicated thread for BIOT (British Indian Ocean Territories), I thought I would post this news here:
