# ARG Teens Will Learn UK "Colonized" Falklands



## The Bread Guy (26 Sep 2006)

Revisionism is such a harsh term - usual disclaimer....

*Argentinian pupils to learn how Britain 'colonised' Falklands *  
Oliver Balch, The Guardian (UK), 27 Sept 06
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schoolsworldwide/story/0,,1881787,00.html

A new history book describing how Britain illegally "colonised" the Falkland Islands is to be distributed to every secondary school pupil in Argentina.

The book accuses British forces of arriving secretly on the islands in the 18th century and taking it by force from the Spanish. Since then the British have refused offers to discuss the islands' sovereignty with Argentina, the book claims.

"After the expulsion of Argentinian officials and those living on the islands, the English government, in 1834, assigned a navy official to remain on the islands and in 1841 it took the decision to 'colonise' the Malvinas [Falklands], naming a 'governor'," pupils will learn.

The publication of Argentina's side of events comes as a four-day official visit by three members of a UK cross-parliamentary committee begins. They are to meet with their Argentinian counterparts to discuss the islands. Britain has consistently argued that sovereignty of the Falklands, which are classified as a self-governing overseas territory, is for the 3,000 islanders to determine.

According to the Argentinian version of events, the Falklands became part of Argentina after it declared independence from Spain in 1810. The new Argentinian government "considered [the Falklands] an integral part of its territory, inherited from Spain by succession," the book says.

The British version of events reads differently. It maintains that an expeditionary force led by the Royal Navy reached West Falkland in 1765 and, on finding it unoccupied, took formal possession of the Falklands.

In 1766 it established a settlement on the islands at Port Egmont. "This was withdrawn in 1774, but British sovereignty was never relinquished or abandoned," a statement from the British embassy in Buenos Aires reads.

The dispute led Argentina to invade the Falklands in 1982. Around a thousand soldiers died in the subsequent 10-week conflict, in which Argentina was defeated.

In an address to the UN general assembly last week the Argentinian president, Néstor Kirchner, reiterated calls for talks with Britain. "We cannot but protest that the British government continues to make the resolutions of this assembly a case of omission," he said, in reference to a draft resolution by the UN's special committee on decolonisation which suggests a negotiated settlement.

The foreign affairs committee of the lower house of the Argentinian congress is understood to be drafting a bill that would refuse to recognise 25-year fishing permits issued by the Falklands government. The permits provide the Falklands with the majority of its income.

Sovereignty of the islands remains a popular cause in Argentina, something President Kirchner clearly wants to tap into before national elections next year.


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## AJFitzpatrick (26 Sep 2006)

It is beyond my knowledge to know if presence is required to maintain sovereignty but it seems to the key issue here. 
I note that there is no mention of the date of the first Argentinean or Spanish presence on the island.


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## big bad john (26 Sep 2006)

I know that my presence in 1982 and the presence of friends of mine that will always be there under the soil of the Falklands will ensure that it will remain British.  You might also try asking the folk who live there if they want to be part of Argentina.  The answer you get is a resounding, NO!


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## AJFitzpatrick (27 Sep 2006)

I was trying to write that in as neutral a fashion as possible and I am sorry if it offended you. 
Certainly the Falkland Islands are now and  will likely remain not  part of Argentina, but the question is could they ever have been considered part of Argentina? The whole thing of course ignores the fact that Spain "colonized" Argentina.

Regards.


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## casing (28 Sep 2006)

Could the islands have belonged to Argentina?  

The first colony established was by France.  Britain established a colony not long after, shortly followed by Spain.  This all occurred in less than 3 years, beginning around 1764.  Of course, squabbles broke out once each nations' colony encountered each other.  France and Spain were allies and France subsequently ceded control to Spain.  Of course, once Argentina gained independence from Spain, certain territories were considered part of the package, so to speak.

So, looking at the history of the islands from a nice high level like this, I would say that yes, the islands could have belonged to Argentina.  The history of the islands is not so straight forward, of course; which is why there continues to be such dispute over it.

By the way:  This information is essentially all available on the  Falkland Islands Government website.  Although, they like to say that the period 1774 (When the British left the islands) until 1833 (when the British returned to the islands) was a "period of confusion", which wasn't really the case.

A couple of additional informative sites:

A chronology provided by an islander
Sovereignty of the Falklands


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