Falkland Islands Association Seeks New Members
The FIA has a solid membership in the UK and overseas, particularly from those who recall the fight to restore the Falkland Islands to the Islanders following the Argentine invasion in 1982. However, we are keen to encourage more people to join us, especially those who have served or lived in the Falklands since then, as well as those who are just interested in the Islands.
In 1982, the UK had to fight to protect the Falkland Islands from illegal occupation by Argentine forces and to restore the Islanders’ way of life. Although circumstances have changed markedly since then, the Argentine Government still maintains its sovereignty claim to the Islands. There continues to be a need, therefore, for organisations like the Falkland Islands Association to help to defend the Falkland Islanders’ right to determine their own political, social and economic future.
The Falkland Islands Association seeks to:
* raise awareness about modern-day life in the Falkland Islands which have developed significantly since 1982;
* counter Argentine propaganda and correct their historical inaccuracies; and to
* facilitate links between Falkland Islanders living overseas and others who maintain an interest in the Islands.
Above all, the Association needs members who are prepared to raise their voices publicly and to lobby Parliament if there are renewed threats to the Islanders’ rights to self-determination, as enshrined in the UN Charter. The Falkland Islands Committee, the Association’s precursor, did so effectively in the 1960s and 1970s when the UK Government toyed with ideas of constitutional change which would have ceded sovereignty to Argentina. The Falkland Islands Association must be equally prepared to raise its voice if there was ever a risk that the wishes of the Falkland Islanders might be overlooked or overruled. The Islanders, after all, asserted their wish by an overwhelming majority in the 2013 referendum to remain as a British Overseas Territory.
The Falkland Islands Association is run by like-minded volunteers. We need the support of all who are interested in the Falkland Islands and who want to support the right of the Islanders to determine their own future. So join us now by clicking on the “Join Us” icon on this Home page or the “Join Us” tab. In case of difficulty or further inquiries about membership, please contact our Membership Secretary on fiamembershipsec@gmail.com .
