Argentina and the UK together with the International Committee of the Red Cross subscribed on Thursday in Geneva the international instruments to advance in the search and identification of a possible interment at the Teal Inlet, in the Falkland Islands, that could hold remains of non identified Argentine combatants.
As a sea-faring nation, surrounded by the South Atlantic, the Falkland Islands have become a final resting place for many ships over time. Many of these were merchant trading vessels that suffered accidental damage at sea due to adverse sailing conditions, such as the Lady Elizabeth, one of the most iconic symbols of the Islands, located in Whalebone Cove at the east end of Stanley harbor.
The Falkland Islands have been cleared of deadly landmines laid during the 1982 conflict and will be celebrating the occasion with two major events on Saturday, November 14. The legacy of the war with the occupying Argentine forces had meant that large areas of the Islands, for 38 years, were previously off-limits.
A collection of iconic Falklands War medals has been sold at auction for £130,000. Capt Pettinger served as Patrol Commander of D (Patrol) Company during 11 days of operations in and around the Mount Longdon area on East Falkland.
Since the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) first began DNA work in 2017 to identify unknown Argentine soldiers buried in the islands, the Falkland Islands Government has continued to uphold both its humanitarian principles and commitment to the Geneva Convention.
This morning Gibraltar’s new governor was sworn in at the Gibraltar Parliament. Normally this is a high profile event with a guard of honour, residents lining the street outside and a packed crowd in the public gallery and a flurry of photographers. Sadly Sir David Steel missed out on that part of his welcome due to the COVID crisis.
The Falklands War, a 10-week undeclared conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom, broke out in April 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic. However, it appears, the Argentine threat was not the only one that Downing Street had to counter at the time.
Falklands veteran forced out of the Royal Navy due to his sexuality has had a medal returned to him 27 years after it was cut off his chest. Joe Ousalice was a radio operator for 18 years but was discharged in 1993 because of a ban on LGBT people serving in the armed forces.
The Argentine Human Rights Secretariat announced the identification of the 115th combatant whose remains are buried in the Falkland Islands Argentine military cemetery at Darwin.
Argentina has created a Coordination Office for Malvinas War Veterans, the first such office since the end of the 1982 conflict, when Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands and were defeated 74 days later.