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A small diplomatic threat to the completion of the base has surfaced 1,174 miles to the south in Mauritius, a onetime British colony that gained its independence in 1968. At that time, British authorities transported the 1,200 inhabitants of Diego Garcia to Mauritius, while retaining control of the atoll. Now Mauritius' Prime Minister, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, says he intends to press a claim of ownership of Diego Garcia upon Britain. In London diplomats expressed some puzzlement at the claim, since Diego Garcia was never officially part of Mauritius, even in colonial days.