Ugandan Asians at Heathfield Camp

Refugees explain expulsion from Uganda and look at future prospects.

TV reporter Lawrie Quayle is at Heathfield Resettlement Camp at Honiton in Devon to report on the resettlement prospects for the Ugandan Asians. The Ugandan President at the time, the military dictator Idi Amin gave the country’s 60,000 Asian population ninety days to leave the country. Many fled to the UK hoping to rebuild their lives. In the wake of the expulsion the Ugandan economy collapsed.

Families arriving from Uganda were housed in resettlement camps before moving on to new lives. Bunty Charles is the Co-ordinator in charge of the Heathfield Camp, Peter Courtier is from the Coordinating Committee for the Welfare of Evacuees and Mr. Patel is from the Asian Welfare Sub-Committee. All are interviewed in this film. The (Women’s) Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) volunteers are on hand to help the Ugandans. Many of the arriving Ugandan Asians were highly skilled and employed by the British government in Uganda. Some held British citizenship. Here they show their frustration at not finding jobs and homes quickly and hope not to be a burden on central government.