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President Idi Amin declares an expulsion order on British Ugandan Asians

Excerpt from The Times article titled ‘Uganda says no room for 40,000 Asians with British passports’:

“President Idi Amin announced tonight that Uganda will ask Britain to take over responsibility for all Asians here holding British passports. In a speech to troops he said there was ‘no room in Uganda’ for British Asians, whom he described as economic saboteurs and corrupters.

About 40,000 Asians are likely to be affected by the decisions, although General Amin himself cited a figure of 80,000. It is assumed usually that there are in all 80,000 Asians in Uganda, of whom half carry British passports.

Generally Amin did not make clear whether he would insist on British Asians leaving immediately or whether the government would agree to their departure being spread over a period. At present there is a working arrangment between Britain and the three East African Governments, under which the departure rate of British Asians is linked to the availability of entry vouchers to Britain.

Since the beginning of this year, the queue for vouchers among Asians in Uganda has been diminishing gradually. General Amin told the troops, at Tororo, eastern Uganda: ‘I am going to ask Britain to take over responsbility for all Asians in Uganda who are holding British passports because they are sabotaging the economy of the country.

‘I want the economy to be in the hands of Ugandan citizens, especially black Ugandans, I want you troops to help me protect the country from saboteurs.

It is the first big attack General Amin has made on the Asian community here since last december when he announced that 12,000 British Asians who had applied for Ugandan passports would have to reapply because their original applications were demmed to have lapsed.

The British High Commission in Kampala had received no advance information of the Government’s new decision.

Peter evans write : President Amin’s announcement has come at a bad time for the British Government which will be seriously embarrassed if many passport holders have to leave Uganda.

Within the past few months there has been an exodus from India of British passport holders seeking entry to Britain without papers. An indication of the Government’s concern to keep down immigration is the much criticized way in which groups have been sent back to India only to be refused re-entry there. Two groups have gone round the world before arriving back in Britain. Scores are in detention here.

Behind the Government’s firmness is a promise made at the last election to allow no further large-scale permanent immigration to Britain.

_____

Three of the 18 Asian immigrants who arrived at Manchester airport on a BEA flight from Brussels on Thursday night were flown back there last night. The Belgian authorities refused to let them enter, however, and they were returned to London Heathrow.

The remaining 15 were taken to Risley remand centre in Lancashire.”

Source: The Times, 4 August 1972

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