Our silent shame over Gurkha war veterans Our silent shame over Gurkha war veterans
By Jayne Warren - 04/05/2008
Yam Gurung, a retired soldier from the British Army, has been campaigning for years to bring the plight of Gurkha veterans to public attention. He is both angry and upset that thousands of Gurkha veterans who risked their lives for this country are denied the right to live here - and he is determined to have their voices heard. He has asked the Mature Times to help publicise recent events and news coverage.
Gurkhas who are currently serving are almost automatically allowed to remain in Britain once they complete their service, but those who retired before July 1st 1997 - when the regiment moved from Hong Kong to Britain - face the discretion of a British Entry Clearance Officer to determine whether they can stay. Yet Gurkha warriors have given their lives and loyalty to Britain for nearly 200 years. More than 45,000 died defending British interests and our way of life in both World Wars, in Malaya, in Borneo, in the Falklands and in the first Gulf War – and more than 150,000 were injured.
In April 2008 Nepalese Gurkha soldiers pledged their allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II as part of a demonstration outside a test appeal immigration tribunal in London, which was set up to decide whether 2,000 veterans who fought for Britain could settle here. The case, which specifically focused on 15 Gurkha appellants and was scheduled to last for four days, was adjourned to July 21st.
All the appellants had been refused entry to Britain on the grounds that they did not have the required "close ties which would merit an exercise of discretion". Yet lawyers acting for the Gurkha veterans say that, at most, 7,000 Gurkha veterans might want to live here - a drop in the ocean compared with the number of migrants and asylum seekers flooding into Britain.
Sun journalist Martin Phillips spoke to several Gurkha veterans involved in the test case. He wrote (April 21st 2008):
"Rifleman Rana, 75, spent nine years on the front line fighting guerillas in the Malayan Emergency in the fifties. Incredibly, the rules say he did not serve long enough to qualify for a pension. Now his only income is £25 a month from a Gurkha welfare fund.
"Lalit Bahadur Gurung won the Military Cross fighting Indonesian insurgents against terrifying odds, and served in the British Army for 22 years. Now, the 70-year-old Queen's Gurkha Officer has suffered a stroke - but is not allowed to travel to Britain for basic medical treatment. And with an army pension of just £125 a month, he cannot afford the £500 for a visa application which is likely to be refused in any case.
"Rifleman Lachiman Gurung, 91, won the VC in Burma in 1945. Faced with an attack on his position by 200 Japanese troops, he hurled back two grenades launched at his trench. But a third grenade exploded in his hand, blowing off his fingers, shattering his right arm and blinding him in his right eye. Not only was he severely wounded, but two comrades were also injured and lying helpless in the bottom of his trench. Regardless of his wounds, he calmly used his left hand to fire and reload his rifle as he fought back wave after wave of enemy attacks for four hours.
When the Japanese finally retreated, having failed to get past him, they left behind 31 dead in front of his trench. A 'grateful' Britain has now granted him the right to come to the UK - but when the 91-year-old veteran asked if his young English-speaking granddaughter could come to look after him, the Government said no, so he too remains an outcast in Nepal."
Even more appalling is the fact that the Gurkha veterans who have come to launch their appeals here have been refused the right to work, claim benefits or use the NHS. Instead, they are crammed in one room, living off potatoes and handouts as a guest of bus driver Gyanraj Rai, who has a work visa and has been putting them up at his home in Reading. He said: "I have been housing these people from last June and I pay the rent. They cannot work so they are mainly borrowing from friends and relatives to survive."
Martin Howe, who represents several appellants, said: "Many of the brave soldiers I represent, their grandfathers, their fathers, their brothers and their uncles have spilt their blood and guts on battlefields across the world, defending British interests, the British way of life and the hard-fought freedom so enjoyed by the British people today.
"The ignominy of forcing these veterans to beg for the right to live in the UK is a stain on the moral integrity of our nation. If the next generation forgets the debt we owe these people then the country is morally bankrupt."
Meanwhile veterans Minister Derek Twigg said: "The conditions of service for serving Gurkhas and pensions paid to ex-Gurkhas are fair." But according to whom?
But clearly there is sympathy among the British population for their plight - as well as recognition for what they have done for the country. For example, freedom of Sandgate in Kent is to be given to the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles on Bank Holiday Monday, May 5, when a ceremonial event will take place. The Royal Gurkha Rifles were given the Freedom of Folkestone in 2006.
And the Aldershot News and Mail, which covers an area with one of the largest concentrations of people from Nepal outside of London, has just launched a Nepalese-language edition for the minority community in its region. The paper's local area includes the long-time home of the Brigade of Gurkhas at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Church Crookham in Hampshire, south of London.
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