On Sunday I posted an item about Diane Elias who had not been deemed British enough to be compensated for spending four years as a Japanese internee during WWII Today the Court of Appeal ruled that she is entitled to a compensation.
In 2000, when the government announced its compensation scheme for Japanese POWs and internees, Ms Elias was told she did not qualify because her parents were born in Iraq and India The Ministry of Defence had appealed against a High Court ruling in July last year which found that the blood link rule - that a parent or grandparent must have been born in the UK - was unlawful discrimination on grounds of race. This appeal was dismissed by the appeal judges. Lord Justice Mummery.
He said that the case was "The result of inadequate preparation has been an embarrassing administrative and legal muddle, personal pain, charges of incompetence, costly litigation and political apologies. " In his view "A cloud has been cast over what many people would agree was an honourable action of public benevolence."
Diane
Elias
5 comments:
sweet jesus! this kind of stuff makes me crazy. she is a person who was wrongfully imprisoned. i should say that that is enough for compensation to be given. i just get so mad. we are all people- what part of that is ambiguous? ridiculous.
To deny compensation on the grounds used by the government was an utter disgrace. I am glad the decision was overturned.
However, it is good to know that the standards for Britishness are different when one goes to jail.
Hmm Red.. Seriously what angered me was she was birish enough to be interned but originally not british enough for compensation. I am glad she won this case. The Ministry of Defence should never ever have appealed
Hi,
I'd just like to say thank you for all the support everyone has given my grandmother.
She is over the moon to finally be recognised as British.
Thanks again.
Nicole
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