Asian leaders welcome high commissioner as anniversary of expulsion marked
By AMIT ROYAug 16, 2022
NIMISHA MADHVANI, whose appointment as Uganda’s high commissioner in London was reported in Eastern Eye last December, took up her post last week.
She does so at an important phase in Uganda-UK relations.
First, 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Idi Amin’s expulsion of 90,000 Uganda Asians, nearly 30,000 of whom arrived as refugees in the UK, but have since built successful and prosperous lives in this country.
Second, president Yoweri Museveni, who has been trying to encourage Asians to return or otherwise get involved in his country’s economic development, will be in London for a trade and business summit from September 10-13.
Museveni has sent a video message of reconciliation to Ugandan Asians in Britain, seeking closure on the events of 50 years ago and right the wrongs of history. He said, “Our country Uganda has a special relationship with the UK and the Commonwealth in dealing with issues of economy, culture, history, and the fight to end poverty.”
And added, “The coming month of August and September 2022 are very special in our relationship. First, we have the Uganda-UK convention, which many entrepreneurs from Uganda wish to attend.
“And second, Uganda commemorates 50 years of struggle, recovery and ending human rights abuses that Idi Amin, in August of 1972, visited on the Asian community, the very community that had been a seed for Uganda’s business (and) independence in 1962.”
The president added: “Many of these Asians eventually ended up in the UK. However, in the last 30 years, our economy has grown at an average rate of 6 percentage points per annum. We have returned all Asian properties that Amin confiscated. And the children of the people he expelled are busy helping rebuild their country today.”
Museveni also said: “As we look back on the events of August 1972, we are reminded of the need to be careful with treatment of minorities. This is the reason our government takes an inclusive stand on all aspects of life, faith, ethnicity, and other aspects of national life.”
He emphasised: “The best way to close this chapter is raise the overall productivity of the Ugandan citizens, so as to raise their social classes and end poverty.”
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda (Photo by Hannah McKay - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Museveni’s decision to appoint Nimisha as the first Asian in such a senior job has been welcomed by key figures, including the Tory peer, Lord Dolar Popat, the British prime minister’s trade envoy to Uganda as well as to Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He told Eastern Eye: “I hope there will soon be direct flights between the UK and Uganda.”
Nimisha, who belongs to Uganda’s premier Asian business family, is one of her country’s most experienced diplomats.
She was born in Kakira in eastern Uganda in 1959 to Meena and Jayant Madhvani, both Ugandan citizens of Indian descent. Jayant was the firstborn of the five sons of Mulji Prabhudas Madhvani (1894–1958), the industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Madhvani group of companies in 1930.
Nimisha grew up at the family estate in Kakira, about an hour and a half’s drive east of the capital, Kampala. When Amin expelled Ugandan Asians in 1972, she sought refuge in Britain with her family as a 13-year-old teenager. When the National Resistance Movement captured power in the 1980s, the Madhvani family returned to Uganda and repossessed their assets. Nimisha’s mother returned to Kampala just a month after Amin fled the country in 1979.
In 1992, Museveni sought to restore the war-torn economy and urged the Indians to return to Uganda and become part of the country’s economic life. Laws were changed to allow the restoration of confiscated property to their Indian owners. Though most Ugandan Asians had made a new life for themselves after leaving Uganda, a few Indians did return to take over their property and factories.
Nimisha joined her country’s diplomatic service in 1990. She was posted to Washington as first secretary at the Ugandan embassy. In 2007, Indians were intrigued when she was transferred to New Delhi as Uganda’s deputy high commissioner and promoted to high commissioner a year later. She was concurrently accredited to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
She told one Indian newspaper about Uganda: “To many of us, though we lived in the UK or other places around the world, Uganda still held a place in our hearts. It was always home.”
In 2008, Museveni attended the Afro-Indian summit in New Delhi where he “made a strong pitch for Indian investment in Uganda. Relating an anecdote to illustrate the kind of opportunities awaiting in Uganda, he said Ugandans had a long history as cattle breeders and produced good quality beef and milk, but most of the milk in Uganda was thrown away. An Indian-Ugandan joint venture, Sameer Dairy, had set up milk collection and cooling centres in several parts of the country to collect and process milk. Now Uganda was poised to become a milk exporter.”
In 2014, Nimisha was transferred to the Ugandan embassy in Paris as ambassador, serving in that capacity until 2017.
While in Paris, she also served as her country’s ambassador to Portugal, Spain, OECD and the UNESCO.
In January 2017, she was appointed as Uganda’s ambassador to Abu Dhabi and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
In November 2018, she was posted to Uganda’s embassy in Copenhagen, and simultaneously accredited to Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Nimisha’s priority will be to boost Uganda’s exports to the UK and encourage British investment in her country.
Museveni has appealed to the UK to buy more of Uganda’s agricultural produce.
In his message he said he was appealing to the British “to allow in larger quantities of Ugandan fruits and other vegetables, flowers, beef, fish, dairy products, grains, coffee (and) honey”.
He argued: “Trade is a tool for positive change, stability, and the welfare of all humanity. “We are working hard to ensure all our food and trade standards meet the international criteria. And we should soon support the exporters to the UK with a credit fund to allow them to fulfill the orders you give them.
“We’re also working with the UK Export Finance to improve our export infrastructure at our border entry points and make it easier to trade.”
He had an explanation for the quality of Uganda’s produce. “These foods are very good foods and they are very unique because of our altitude.”
He quipped: “I don’t know why our bananas are the best in the world – I have no idea. It must be because of the soil and the altitude.”
He also spoke about “millet flour mixed with the cassava flour. They are the richest in life because they have protein, carbohydrate and iron all in one. That’s why some of the African tribes are very strong for they live on this food. They’re very delicious, very, very nice, but also very nutritive.”
He believed enhanced trade would help to “end poverty and bring prosperity and stability to our region”.
AN ASIAN man has been arrested in Birmingham as part of an investigation into the use of social media to promote people smuggling, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Monday (15).
The 38-year-old British Pakistani man was detained during an NCA operation in the Yardley area. He is suspected of using online platforms to advertise illegal boat crossings between North Africa and Europe.
“The dual national was arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and is now being questioned by NCA investigators. Digital devices were also seized and are being examined,” a statement said.
The agency released footage of the arrest, showing officers informing the man he was being detained in connection with the facilitation of illegal migration into the European Union during 2023 and 2024.
“Tackling organised immigration crime is a top priority for the NCA, and this is one of around 100 live investigations into individuals or networks suspected of such activity,” said senior investigating officer Nick Matthews. “We are targeting criminal networks in every way we can, including their social media activity and those promoting dangerous crossings online. Our enquiries are ongoing.”
The arrest comes amid wider government efforts to curb illegal migration. Ministers said record numbers of employers have recently been banned from sponsoring overseas workers after they were found misusing visas to bypass immigration rules.
“Those who abuse our system will face the strongest consequences,” said minister Mike Tapp. “We will not hesitate to act against companies exploiting vulnerable staff or undercutting British workers. These practices will not be tolerated.”
According to the Home Office, deportations of people with no legal right to remain in the UK have risen by 13 per cent over the past year, with 35,000 removals recorded. The department said enforcement action against criminal gangs is now at “the highest level on record.
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King Charles III (L) poses with India's prime minister Narendra Modi (R) during an audience at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk on July 24, 2025.
KING CHARLES III has sent a Kadamb tree as a gift to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on his 75th birthday on Wednesday (17).
The British High Commission in New Delhi announced the gesture in a social media post, noting that it was inspired by Modi’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” (One tree in the name of mother) environmental initiative. The sapling, it said, symbolises the shared commitment of the two leaders to environmental protection.
“His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to send a Kadamb tree to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday,” the High Commission said. “The gesture, inspired by PM Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, reflects their shared commitment to environmental conservation.”
The gift follows the prime minister’s visit to the UK in July, when he met the 76-year-old monarch at his Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and presented him with a Sonoma tree under the same initiative.
According to the High Commission, cooperation on climate action and clean energy remains a central pillar of the Commonwealth and the UK-India partnership, as outlined by Modi and prime minister Keir Starmer in Vision 2035.
During that visit, Modi had said that their discussions with King Charles covered sustainability, Yoga and Ayurveda, alongside progress on the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
“We discussed different aspects of India-UK relations, including the ground covered in trade and investment in the wake of CETA and Vision 2035. Other subjects included education, health and wellness, particularly Yoga and Ayurveda, which are subjects His Majesty is very passionate about. We also talked about environmental protection and sustainability,” he recalled.
The Sonoma tree presented by Modi will be planted at Sandringham during the autumn planting season.
Meanwhile, birthday greetings have poured in for the Indian leader from across the world. Among those sending their wishes were US president Donald Trump, Russian president Vladimir Putin, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
(PTI)
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US resident Donald Trump and King Charles interact at the state banquet for the US president and First Lady Melania Trump at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on day one of their second state visit to the UK, Wednesday September 17, 2025. Yui Mok/Pool via REUTERS
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Wednesday (17) hailed the special relationship between his country and Britain as he paid a gushing tribute to King Charles during his historic second state visit, calling it one of the highest honours of his life.
It was a day of unprecedented pomp for a foreign leader. Trump and his wife Melania were treated to the full array of British pageantry. Then, the president sang the praises of his nation's close ally.
"The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It's irreplaceable and unbreakable," Trump said in a speech during a lavish banquet at Windsor Castle, family home to British monarchs for almost 1,000 years.
Referring to the so-called special relationship between the two nations, Trump said: "Seen from American eyes, the word special does not begin to do it justice."
Trump's speech will be music to the ears of British priime minister Keir Starmer. He proffered a state visit to win favour with Trump the well-known anglophile and overt royal fan, shortly after the US president returned to office in January.
Starmer hopes the trip will aid his governmentas it seeks to deepen economic ties, secure billions of dollars of investment, ease tariffs and allow him to press the president on Ukraine and Israel.
Britain rolled out the royal red carpet, giving Trump the largest military ceremonial welcome for a state visit in living memory. Trump made little secret of his delight at being not just the first US leader, but the first elected politician to be invited for two state visits.
"This is truly one of the highest honours of my life," he said.
Over the course of the visit, Britain is hoping to convert Trump's affection for Britain - his mother came from Scotland - and admiration for the royals into concrete actions.
King Charles III and US president Donald Trump followed by Queen Camilla and First Lady Melania Trump, walk at the state banquet at Windsor Castle, Berkshire. Aaron Chown/Pool via REUTERS
Companies including Microsoft, Nvidia, Google and OpenAI have already pledged £31 billion ($42bn) in British investments over the next few years, in AI, quantum computing and civil nuclear energy.
Starmer also wants further progress on trade, after Britain secured the first deal with Trump to lower some tariffs. Talks may touch on remaining levies on steel, whisky and salmon.
"The United Kingdom was your partner in the first trade deal of your administration, Mr President, bringing jobs and growth to both our countries," the king said in his speech. "And no doubt we can go even further as we build this new era of our partnership."
But while Starmer is banking on the royals to help cajole the president, pitfalls remain.
Polls show Trump is widely unpopular in Britain and Starmer, faced with plummeting poll ratings of his own and economic woes, will need to show his royal trump card can reap benefits.
While there were many Trump supporters in crowds at Windsor in London, several thousand people marched to protest against the state visit.
"I quite simply dislike everything that Trump and his administration represent around the globe," retiree Bryan Murray said.
Awkward questions about late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein might also come to the fore.
Last week, Starmer sacked Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to Washington over his ties to Epstein. This could lead to questions for both the premier and Trump, whose own relationship with the financier has come under scrutiny.
Amongst the guests at Wednesday's banquet was Rupert Murdoch, whose Wall Street Journal publication the president is currently suing in a $10bn defamation case over an article linking the president with Epstein.
While there was a massive security operation in place in Windsor, police said four people had been arrested on Tuesday (16) after images of Trump alongside Epstein were projected onto one of the castle's towers. Trump was not there at the time.
The Times newspaper has also reported that Britain would announce it was recognising a Palestinian state after Trump had departed. The US opposes that move, which could prove a thorny issue in their talks.
While the focus on Thursday (18) will turn to geopolitics and trade when Starmer hosts Trump at his Chequers country residence, Wednesday was all about ceremony.
Trump and Melania joined Charles, his wife Queen Camilla and other royals and dignitaries for a carriage procession, with the route lined by 1,300 British service personnel.
Later, the Trumps viewed historical items from the Royal Collection relating to the U.S., and then visited St George's Chapel, the final resting place of Queen Elizabeth, who hosted Trump for his first state visit in 2019, to lay a wreath on her tomb. She died in September 2022.
There was a further military parade and a flypast by Britain's Red Arrows aerobatics team, but poor weather meant British and US F-35 military jets - a symbol of bilateral defence collaboration - could not join.
The Trumps also found time for a private meeting with the king's elder son Prince William and the heir's wife Kate, which was described by the prince's spokesperson as "warm and friendly". Trump later praised "beautiful" Kate and said William was "going to have unbelievable success in the future".
As for Charles, the 76-year-old monarch, he was a "very, very special man", the president said.
(Reuters)
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Police officers stand guard between an anti fascist group and Tommy Robinson supporters during an anti-immigration rally organised by British anti-immigration activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, in London, Britain, September 13, 2025.
THE British government has defended its new migrant returns deal with France after a High Court ruling temporarily blocked the deportation of an Eritrean asylum seeker, marking an early legal setback to the scheme.
The 25-year-old man, who arrived in Britain on a small boat from France on August 12, was due to be placed on an Air France flight from Heathrow to Paris on Wednesday (17) morning. But on Tuesday (16), Judge Clive Sheldon granted an interim injunction, saying there was a “serious issue to be tried” over his claim to be a victim of trafficking.
The ruling gives the asylum seeker 14 days to provide more evidence before a full legal hearing.
Government minister Liz Kendall acknowledged the court’s decision was a setback but insisted it would not derail the wider “one-in, one-out” pilot deal with France.
“This is one person, it is not going to undermine the fundamental basis of this deal,” she told Times Radio. “This decision is disappointing but it won’t prevent the rest of that deal going ahead.”
Under the agreement, signed in July and launched in August, Britain can return migrants who arrive by small boats and are judged ineligible for asylum, including those who passed through a safe country. In exchange, the UK will accept an equal number of migrants from France who apply for visas through an online platform. The pilot scheme will run until June 2026.
So far this year more than 31,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats, adding to political pressure on prime minister Keir Starmer. Immigration has become a dominant issue in Britain, often eclipsing concerns over the economy, as the government struggles to deter irregular crossings.
The returns were expected to begin this week, but several deportation attempts have already been delayed after migrants lodged last-minute legal challenges. More than 90 people detained for removal have pending cases, according to charities. France is due to begin its first repatriations under the deal on Saturday (20), its home ministry confirmed.
Lawyers for the Eritrean man argued that sending him back to France would expose him to “a real risk of destitution” and that his trafficking claim should be resolved before any removal. Sonali Naik, representing the asylum seeker, said the government had acted prematurely.
The Home Office, however, argued in court that the UK-France scheme was essential to “disincentivise illegal and dangerous crossings and favour legal migration routes.” Kate Grange, counsel for the government, warned that delays in one case could encourage others to file similar claims, undermining the agreement’s deterrent effect.
Charities have also raised concerns that the deal will face “all sorts of challenges”. Pierre Makhlouf, from Bail for Immigration Detainees, said: “If the government presumed that the removals would actually take place this week, then they might be premature. Those who are here will fight very hard.”
The Starmer government regards the deal as a central part of its efforts to control migration and to blunt the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which has made gains in opinion polls with its anti-immigration message.
Despite the court ruling, ministers stressed the government remained committed to the returns policy. “Playing in the subcontinent always presents a challenge and we have selected a team to be competitive in these conditions,” said Kendall. “We will continue to pursue this agreement because it is in the interests of both countries and of the migrants themselves.”
AN ASIAN senior heart surgeon, who abused his position to sexually assault female members of staff, has been jailed for six years.
Dr Amal Bose, from Lancaster, was convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault against five colleagues at Blackpool Victoria Hospital between 2017 and 2022. He was cleared of two other charges.
According to Lancashire Police, the jury heard during the trial earlier this year that Bose was “the root cause of a toxic and sexualised culture” at the hospital. His behaviour included inappropriately touching women and making sexualised comments.
Despite claiming his actions were “only flirting” and “banter”, Bose was found guilty by a jury in June. He appeared at Preston Crown Court on Monday (15), where he was sentenced to six years in prison.
In personal statements read to the court, the victims said Bose’s behaviour had left them feeling unsafe at work and less able to trust male colleagues. Some changed their working patterns to avoid him, called in sick, or were even forced to leave the profession.
One victim said Bose had not only violated her body but also the trust and respect that should exist in any professional workplace. Others described experiencing anxiety, panic attacks and a loss of confidence.
Detective chief inspector (temporary) Kirsty Wyatt said: “Everyone should feel able to go to work and feel safe, confident and secure. Bose has undermined that by abusing his position of power to sexually assault female members of staff, and in doing so he has caused enormous damage.”
She added: “I would like to thank the victims for having the courage to come forward and speak about what happened to them – that cannot have been easy. While he may have considered his behaviour as merely flirting, his actions have clearly had a deep and lasting impact on his victims, and in some cases have caused them to abandon the profession they loved.”
Wyatt also praised the jury and the Crown Prosecution Service for their handling of the case. “I hope the guilty verdicts give others who may have suffered similar ordeals the confidence to report it to us, safe in the knowledge we will investigate professionally and sensitively,” she said.