Originally colonized by the Dutch in the 17th century, Mauritius later came under French rule and then was captured by the British in 1810. On 12 March 1968 it achieved independence within the Commonwealth with Seewoosagur Ramgoolam as prime minister. (Ramgoolam was awarded the United Nations Prize for the defence of human rights in 1973 for his handling of ethnic tensions between Muslims and Creoles on the islands.) Mauritius holds the record for the longest period spent as a Commonwealth Realm, 24 years, with it becoming a republic on 12 March 1992.