Baština (Jan 2019)
In the "silver cage": Milan Stojadinović in Mauritius (1941-1948)
Abstract
Milan Stojadinović, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1935 until 1939, was arrested in April 1940 under the suspicion that he undermined the internal policy of the new government. He had been held in Yugoslavia for almost a year and then just before the singing of Tripartite Pact he was handed over to the British for "safe keeping". They transferred him to Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean, under their jurisdiction. He spent there almost seven years, between April 1941 and March 1948. According to the British official documents his only guilt was that he was "possible German collaborator" if given chance. Stojadinović's life on Mauritius was quite monotonous. He read, wrote, walked and listened to radio. Afterwards he developed a tendency for painting that remained his passion for a lifetime. All the costs were paid by the British. He was allowed to write to his family in occupied Serbia. Due to a distance and war circumstances letters often travelled for months. During this period Stojadinović has civil companions, British citizens, who were instructed to keep an eye on him. They were polite and friendly and Stojadinović did not have any complaints. Only in 1946 he was declared free within the island. The fight for Stojadinović's liberation after the Second World War ended lasted almost three years. After many sideways, ups and downs, thanks to good lawyers and persistence of his wife Augusta, the battle was won. Only in March 1948 Stojadinović was allowed to leave Mauritius in order to join his family in Argentina.
