British Indian Ocean Territory (Biot) Stamps Blocked From Use

A short BBC article today notes that the UPU has blocked recognition of BIOT stamps for postage from the Chagos Islands in favor of stamps of Mauritius. Part of ongoing efforts by Mauritius to reclaim the territory from the UK. The largest island is Diego Garcia, used as an air base by the US and UK.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58321580

I saw that yesterday. If the population is 3000, then there are not many postally used stamps from the islands,

I believe you are right, Angore.

Further, a good number of the 3,000 population are US service personnel who use US stamps to send their cards and letters back home from Diego Garcia. So bona fide non-philatelic use of BIOT from Diego Garcia or any other of the Chagos Islands must be pretty unusual.

Just curious to see, I did a quick and not-at-all extensive search of ebay and see two non-FDC uses right now that might really be non-philatelic. Both are going to a Harry Smuckler in Philadelphia PA. Here's an image of one such cover, followed by the link to the listing (Note: not my listing - seller is in Argentina of all places for such a cover to wind up.)


https://www.ebay.com/itm/255107202812

Smuckler is/was a postmark collector, so they will be philatelic items. I have a bunch of his covers sent from Scottish islands in the 1960's.

Phil

here is a commercial use with the rare Diego Garcia Chagos postmark from 1968. this was purchased on ebay a few years ago

Detailed article in this months American Philatelist Dec 2021 on the situation with BIOT stamps and the UPU.
I received my order from BIOT a week or so ago and they only had BIOT stamps on the package indicating that they are still recognized and mail is still being carried by UPU countries.

Should this have any effect on the mint BIOT stamps from decades ago that people have in their collections?

"Part of ongoing efforts by Mauritius to reclaim the territory from the UK."

Also part of an ongoing battle between the original residents of the Chagos Islands, now displaced by UK and USA, to regain their territory back. The United Nations has ruled that the British have no sovereignty over the Chagos Islands https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55848126 but still the British fail to recognise this.

Who says British colonialism is dead? You could also ask any country who is billions in debt to the Chinese with no hope of ever repaying the debt (e.g. Sri Lanka) for their alternative take on modern colonialism...