Falkland Islands Travel Forum

Is it argentina's or England's?

Ruled by England.

...remember the war of the Falklands? It was the time of Mrs Thacher

Hi!

Ask the people who live here! If you were to suggest for one moment that the Falklands belonged to Argentina you would probably get a punch in the face! Seriously though how can Argentina have any claim to a group of islands when the inhabitants are 100% pro British and most claim British ancestory? Most Falkland Islanders want nothing to do with Argentina mainly because Argentina keeps sabre rattling and refuses to drop her claim to the islands .. it causes a lot of ill feeling down here.

Steve

ok I'm sorry I meant no offense, is not that I'm siding with argentina, but aren't falk islands closer to argentina, therefore in its ocean, so I thought it'd belonged to argentina....

Hi

Geographical proximity is not really an arguement for who should own a piece of land or not, e.g. France owns Reunion but it is in the Indian Ocean and nowhere near France, Portugal owns Madeira but it is closer to Morocco etc etc. What matters most is what the residents of that piece of land want and you would be hard pushed to find anyone in the Falklands who would want to become part of Argentina in fact I would go as far as to say NOBODY down here wants to come under the controlo of Argentina.

Or even the control of Argentina ha ha!

I´m in Buenos Aires at the moment (I´m English) and I´m sure I´d get a pretty swift punch in the face if I went round saying the islands should be British.
Did you know that the maps here call Port Stanley ´Puero Argentino¨ - ?

I mean Puerto Argentino - not sure what they call the other settlements though -

>I´m in Buenos Aires at the moment (I´m English) and >I´m sure I´d get a pretty swift punch in the face if I >went round saying the islands should be British.
>Did you know that the maps here call Port Stanley >´Puero Argentino¨ - ?

Hi

Yes I'm sure you would upset quite a few people by saying the Falklands are British, I was aware that they refer to Stanley as Puerto Argentino yes. There is still an incredible amount of anti Argentine feeling in the Falklands, you should have seen the fuss the locals kicked up when the plans to improve the Argentine cemetary at Darwin were submitted. I say that there is no way on this earth that Argentina will ever be able to "regain" the Falklands .. sadly (for the Falkland Islanders) I do not trust the British government not to do some sort of deal with Argentina and sell the Falkland Islanders out .. rather like what they are trying to do with Gibraltar. In Argentina there is a vast amount of propaganda taught about "Las Malvinas" and the Argentines are taught to feel passionate about "their" islands .. they even write poetry and sing songs about the place that most of them have never seen. In Britain most people are ignorant of the Falklands, don't know where they are, don't want to go there and believe (wrongly) that they are a burden on the British tax payer .. there just isn' t the passion for the place that there is in Argentina .. and the Argentines know this. I hope that the Falklands remain British or become independant .. it would be a tragedy and a disaster if Argentina were to gain control over the islands.

Best Wishes

Steve

Zweiblumen.

I think I read that you are an FI native.
This sounds like perhaps a ghoulish question but are there any official (or un-official) tours of the ´82 battle sites and is there any war junk left lying around for remembrance or just abandoned?
I am living in Buenos Aires at the moment .
thanks,

Actually no I'm not a Falkland Islander, I am British but have lived and worked in the Falklands and regard the islands almost as my second home.

I am not sure whether there are official tours of '82 battle sites OUTSIDE of the military, I know that the forces stationed in the Falklands conduct tours of the battle sites as I myself have been on a couple. There is quite a bit of war debris still lying around, some of it officially regarded as a war grave site other just lying around. There are remains of destroyed Argentine aircraft on Pebble Island for instance, the remains of an Argentine field kitchen plus a whole recoilless rifle and spent ammo on the slopes of Mt Longden. Of course the biggest reminders of the war are the minefields which still haven't been properly cleared as the Argentines did not keep accurate records of where they planted their mines (which was a bit naughty of them). Your best bet is to get in touch with the Falkland Islands tourist board to see if there are war tours available to the general public.

The Falkland Islands tourist board website address is www.tourism.org.fk

Steve

OK if there are no official tours for non-military personnel how much independent touring can you do on the islands.
For example , could I just casually wander around Mt. Longdon to have a look at the old gun and take pictures of it.
Are areas cordoned off/ patroled by the army etc..?
Also do the locals mind being asked about the war?
Thanks
R.

Actually there are official tours of the battlefield sites, just found this website www.discoveryfalklands.com they can arrange tours of battlefields. It's probably better to have a local guide you than for you to go off wandering by yourself, that way you can be sure of not inadvertently walking into a minefield (they are clearly marked however mines can actually move in time and end up outside the fenced off areas). Also I am not sure of the access arrangements, all land in the Falklands is owned by someone whether it be a farm, the Falkland Islands Company or the Ministry of Defence. Normally it is no problem to go walking in the hills but in certain areas it's advisable to get permission from the landowner.

The locals are very friendly and don't mind talking about the war .. as long as you don't say things like "I think Argentina was right to invade" or some similar sentiment you'll get on fine!

i think, as some argentines do, that the falklands invasion was nothing but something planned at that time, by our military goverment, with the sole purpose of distracting the argentine people, creating a new "enemy". remember argentina was at the end of a "civil war", and there was no democracy. i dont think argentine people were on the mood for war.
i think argentina have the same right to claim the islands as spain or france, and that is none, because falklanders make their choice. they are the ones living there, so its their land, although i think they could go independant, they have lots of resourses and royalties are sky high.

>i think argentina have the same right to claim the islands as spain or france, >and that is none, because falklanders make their choice. they are the ones >living there, so its their land, although i think they could go independant, >they have lots of resourses and royalties are sky high.


My thoughts exactly!

Two Flowers,

What matters most is what the residents of that piece of land want?? you have to be kidding us ... did you ever ask any residents in India, Rhodesia, Borneo, Uganda, US, Guyana, Cypruss about this? I believe you didnt. Ok, maybe you can say you were not there during those days when british ppl where playing pirates around the world ... what a pity then that the ppl from the colonies missed your modern ideas!!

Regards,
Mac

Two Flowers,

What matters most is what the residents of that piece of land want?? you have to be kidding us ... did you ever ask any residents in India, Rhodesia, Borneo, Uganda, US, Guyana, Cypruss about this? I believe you didnt. Ok, maybe you can say you were not there during those days when british ppl where playing pirates around the world ... what a pity then that the ppl from the colonies missed your modern ideas!!

Regards,
Mac

What happened, happened, it's history .. so what are you saying that Argentina should be allowed to decide the fate of the Falkland Islanders?! A country 99% of Falkland Islanders mistrust for obvious reasons, a country 99% of Falkland Islanders have no connection with .. you criticise Britain for it's colonial past and I accept that criticism .. it was something that happened .. something most European countries did at that time but I'm not defending it .. look at Spain, at one point it owned almost all of South America .. it's history and you can't unmake history. However if you are suggesting that Argentina should have any control over the Falklands that would be just as bad. The Falkland Islanders should be able to decide for themselves where their future lies, under British sovereignty, independence or become part of Argentina (although they would NEVER choose that last option).

Steve

My dear 2 flowers,

You are right, what happened happened and there is no way to change history. But I would humbly suggest you try to learn something out of what happened instead of just ignoring it as some kind of bad dream left behind in the stone ages ... cause it appears to me and to most of the mankind that you tend to repeat the same mistakes over and over again (shall I remind you what happened only a few months ago somewhere in the Middle East?) .. thank God not all the British ppl thinks like you do.

Have you ever wondered why the inhabitants of those Islands are 100% pro British? Its nothing surpising that it is like this since the former and not-british inhabitants there where expulsed by the British crown 150yrs ago. I wonder what would you say if a bunch of argies pirates would take control of the Isle of Man and expulse the british out of the island ... Do you think you would say then "oh yes, let the argies decide by themselves what they want!" .. honeslty I think you would never permit that. And what do you think the sons and grandsons of those new inhabitants would say 150 years after that?

But then again, Im not suggesting anything ... we lost a war (stupid war or not ... if there are nonstupid wars), and of course the islanders have rights no matter if we like it or not. Maybe I will just suggest you to think about you and your own country before opening your big mouth to talk about the others.

Take care of you,
Mac (an argie with britsh blood)

>You are right, what happened happened and there is no way to change history. >But I would humbly suggest you try to learn something out of what happened >instead of just ignoring it as some kind of bad dream left behind in the stone >ages ... cause it appears to me and to most of the mankind that you tend to >repeat the same mistakes over and over again (shall I remind you what happened >only a few months ago somewhere in the Middle East?) .. thank God not all the >British ppl thinks like you do.

Whooaaaa .. hold on a second .. you are talking to me as if I had any say in the matter .. like it was my fault .. that I should bear some of the guilt for what happened in the past and that is my fault what happens in the future?!! Do you want me to say sorry for the way my country has behaved in the past? Would you like to apologise to the Falkland Islanders for invading their country?!! And what do you mean thank God all British people think like I do .. what's that supposed to mean?! I have never condoned war, I wasn't waving a flag and cheering Margaret Thatcher in 1982 (I have always detested the woman .. evil witch that she was!) and I am vehemently against the war in Iraq too (it's America's war and we should have nothing to do with it) .. so I can't actually understand what it is you are trying to argue with me about.

>Have you ever wondered why the inhabitants of those Islands are 100% pro >British? Its nothing surpising that it is like this since the former and not->british inhabitants there where expulsed by the British crown 150yrs ago. I ?>wonder what would you say if a bunch of argies pirates would take control of >the Isle of Man and expulse the british out of the island ... Do you think you >would say then "oh yes, let the argies decide by themselves what they >want!" .. honeslty I think you would never permit that. And what do you think >the sons and grandsons of those new inhabitants would say 150 years after >that?

The British settled in the Falklands in 1766 and withdrew from the islands for economic reasons in 1774, they did not however relinquish their claim to the Falklands. Argentina claimed sovereignty over the Falklands in 1820. In 1833 the British removed the Argentine settlers and troops and reclaimed possession of the islands and they have been under British control ever since. As I have said it's history and you should learn to live with it!



>But then again, Im not suggesting anything ... we lost a war (stupid war or >not ... if there are nonstupid wars), and of course the islanders have rights >no matter if we like it or not. Maybe I will just suggest you to think about >you and your own country before opening your big mouth to talk about the >others.

My big mouth .. charming .. so now you are insulting me? Thank goodness not all Argentines have a chip on their shoulder like you have eh?

Steve

Who cares about Falklands?

This question was posted long ago. I thought that clue was found.

I know it was posted a long time ago and I don't understand why I have been singled out for abuse by this particular person .. what have I done .. what have I said .. can someone point it out to me?!

I know I posted this forum!... so now I'm more clear as to who should take control of the Falkland Islands.. Aregentina, i think cant even handle their own country's problems.. to rule over more territory, and Great Britain in asmuch as they stick to that stinky Monarky that does no good to anyone in addition to that stupid support for the USA that only indicates its territorial intentions on Irak ( too )... should not have control of anything else... falkland islanders should go independant....

Yep .. you're probably right there! :-)

regards
Steve

wow-- lots of ideas...
ok, lets remember... history have some other facts about falkland islands:
- argentina had a good relation with the falklands until 1982.
- great britain was about to give the islands to argentina at the time of the invasion (after a 99 years period, just like hong kong).
- most british didnt know where the islands were located at the time of the invasion.
- falklanders werent british in 1982, as the british gov didnt want to give the colony brit citizenship.
- great britain is only interested in the strategic value of the falklands (as demostrated on both world wars), and not in the falklanders.
- if argentina was sooo interested in the islands, the falklands would have been invaded in the XIX century.
- history is history, and i dont think the argentines, nor the brits, have the right to claim the islands.

kind regards.

ps: i was born in buenos aires, brit mother, argie father.

Yes totally agree, successive British goverments were not honest with the Falkland Islanders, there were plans to do a deal with Argentina in the 1960's but it fell through (much to the Falkland Islander's relief). Most Britons DIDN'T know where the Falklands were back in 1982 (I consider myself an exception but only because I have always been interested in geography which most Briton's were not and are sadly still not). The war of 1982 was the best thing to happen to the Falkland Islanders, it woke the British government up and it has done wonders for transport and communication in the islands. The Falklands now have an international aiport (I used to work there!), a road/track network that enables four wheel drive vehicles to travel between settlements in hours what would have previously taken days by horse. They also have a regular air service between settlements and islands and a British military presence to protect them from any further threats. Argentina did a lot of favours for the Falkland Islanders!

hey, falkland islands had an international airport before mount pleasant!! it was the one built by the argentines in stanley... remember?
well i dont care, i'll just go there, enjoy the great wildlife, say hi to the tour operators and people i know (im a travel agent), and come back. i was 3 years old at the time of the invasion and wasnt even living in argentina.
regards.

>hey, falkland islands had an international airport before mount pleasant!! it was >the one built by the argentines in stanley... remember?

True but it would never have been able to handle the RAF Tristars and Lan Chile flights that MPA copes with.

Lan Chile Sucks...