Loading ...Maoists back off Gurkha recruitment ban threat
The hard-line Maoist government in Nepal has agreed the British Army can continue recruiting Gurkhas – for now.
The famous fighting men are based in Folkestone – but finding more recruits could end in just seven years when the Maoists will reportedly review the situation.
It was feared the new Nepalese government would forbid young men from signing up with the British military, and there were reports Nepal’s borders would be totally shut off from the world following the abolition of the monarchy.
The MoD said the Government has yet to take full control of the country, and it is waiting to see what effect that will have once complete.
Deputy Maoist commander, Janardan Sharma, has described the recruitment of Gurkhas into the British army as “shameful and humiliating”. Read full story »
Gurkha dies while waiting to be allowed to settle in UK
Source: telegraph.co.uk
A Gurkha who was waiting to hear whether he would be allowed to settle in the UK has died from high blood pressure caused by the stress of his situation, his friends have said.
Retired corporal Purna Gurung had also borrowed money as he was not allowed to work until he was granted indefinite leave to remain here, friends said.
In April, Mr Gurung, 55, was told he might have to pay thousands of pounds in medical costs after his 46-year-old wife Chandra collapsed into a diabetic coma and rushed to hospital in Nottingham.
An anonymous benefactor, so shocked by the couple’s plight, offered to foot the bill but in the end the NHS paid for her treatment. Read full story »
VC hero Gurkha leads protest for neglected comrades
source: mirror.co.uk
The VC hero Gurkha who won the right to live here with the help of a Mirror campaign has led a protest for neglected comrades at the High Court.
Tul Bahadur Pun, 84, was among 50 comrades claiming a ban on 2,000 Gurkhas settling here is racial discrimination and should be lifted.
Solicitors for the Nepalese soldiers, who cannot move here if they retired before 1997, were fighting to get access to Home Office files on 50 cases. They said: “I think they will reveal discrimination against deserving men.”
A judge adjourned the case until September for a review.
Ex-Gurkhas win High Court review
Former Nepalese Gurkha soldiers have received the green light to go to the High Court in London to challenge alleged racial discrimination over their right to settle in Britain.
Judge Jeremy Sullivan granted a group of veterans permission for an urgent judicial review of the lawfulness of Britain’s settlement policy for Gurkhas, who have been part of the British army for nearly 200 years.
The challenge - which will be heard in mid-September - relates to more than 2,000 retired Gurkhas refused permission to settle in Britain because they do not have “strong ties” with the country. Read full story »
Billimoria for permanent residency to Gurkha
NDTV.com
Leading NRI entrepreneur, Lord Karan Billimoria, made a strong case in the House of Lords for giving permanent residency to Gurkhas who retired from British armed services before 1997.
Speaking on the Immigration (Discharged Gurkhas) Bill, Billimoria, founder chairman of Cobra Beers, pointed out that in India Gurkhas received the same pensions as their fellow Indian army colleagues, unlike in Britain.
”In India, many Gurkhas, after retiring, have settled in India instead of returning home to Nepal and are allowed to do so. Here, sadly - after a huge struggle - Gurkhas receive a pension but it is not equivalent to that of their fellow British soldiers,” he said.
”As we know, Gurkhas who retired before 1997 are not allowed to stay in UK should they wish to do so,” he added. Read full story »
Gurkhas’ bookie ban after protest
By JOHN KAY / SUN
BATTLE-hardened Gurkhas have been banned from betting shops – after their wives MOANED they were blowing their pay.
The other halves had complained that the men in 2 Royal Gurkhas had dropped big sums at the recent Derby and Royal Ascot meetings.
Lt Col Christopher Darby, commanding officer of 2 Royal Gurkhas, responded by banning his 600 men – who earn about £16,000 a year – from five betting shops in Cheriton, Kent, near his base. An insider from the regiment, made up of men from Nepal who have fought alongside British soldiers for nearly 200 years, said: “The wives sent a delegation to the CO. Read full story »
Gurkhas accuse the Government of ‘betrayal’ over pensions
The men, who have a combined 57 years of service between them in Brunei, Iraq, Belize and Kuwait, claim they have been treated unlawfully and unfairly and have pledged to appeal the ruling.
Their test case affects thousands of Nepali Gurkhas who have settled in this country after years of loyal service fighting in the British Army around the world.
Last year, 2,000 marched on Whitehall and handed back their medals in protest at the unequal treatment they receive. Read full story »
Praising Gurkhas is not enough
Harry Phibbs / guardian.co.uk
There is a disconnection between the proclaimed national affection for Gurkhas and a willingness to treat them decently
Everybody loves the Gurkhas. The Lib Dems, the Daily Mail. Price Harry has paid tribute to their bravery and skill currently being shown fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Grassroots campaigners across Britain speak up in appreciation. This is no surprise. The tradition service to the crown from the Gurkhas is long – for the last couple of centuries Britain’s military strength has been enhanced by recruiting forces from a Gorkha district of Nepal. The Gorkha district, and its inhabitants the Gorkhas – or Gurkhas as we call them – has prompted much admiration from the British. Gurkhas have served alongside British troops since 1815 – winning 26 Victoria Crosses. Not that things were always sweetness and light. Read full story »
PM refuses Clegg’s demand over Gurkhas
AN attempt to shame Gordon Brown into admitting that retired Gurkha soldiers had received a “gross injustice” failed in the Commons this afternoon.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg used the upcoming first anniversary of Mr Brown becoming Prime Minister to poor scorn on him
“Before you became Prime Minister, I think some people thought you were a man of principle.
“But over the past 12 months, time and time again we have seen you abandon what you know to be right for what you think is expedient,” said Mr Clegg. Read full story »
Gurkha VC winner delivers medals to Downing Street in protest
Source: Telegraph UK
A Gurkha who won the Victoria Cross delivered dozens of his medals to Downing Street in protest at the treatment of his fellow soldiers.
Tul Bahadur Pun VC, 87, a Second World War hero who is now in a wheelchair, handed in medals including an MBE as part of a demonstration to promote the rights of more than 2,000 Gurkhas to stay in Britain.
Mr Pun’s protest came only days after he himself was refused treatment for a heart condition at an NHS hospital. Read full story »
