Betrayal of the Gurkhas
Thousands of Gurkha veterans marched on Parliament yesterday where many handed back their hard-earned military medals in protest at their “betrayal” by Britain.
The renowned Nepalese troops have a proud association with the Army dating back 200 years.
But they are angry at rules which pay younger veterans the same pensions as British-born soldiers while those who retired before 1997 receive only one sixth as much.
They are also demanding an end to “immoral discrimination” whereby older Gurkha veterans are usually barred from settling in the UK as British citizens, despite putting their lives on the line for the Crown - and the ease with which many foreign criminals and huge numbers of illegal immigrants are able to stay in Britain.
Fifty retired Gurkhas handed back their coveted Long Service and Good Conduct Medals at Westminster to express their disgust at their treatment.
It was a hugely embarrassing spectacle for the Ministry of Defence, which relies heavily on Gurkha troops to provide manpower for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Ministers are refusing to change the rules, however, claiming that back-dating the more generous pensions would cost hundreds of millions of pounds and would be “unaffordable”.
The Army has around 3,500 Gurkha soldiers, all recruited in the hills of Nepal where 15,000 hopefuls compete for 230 places each year.
Famed for their curved Kukri fighting knives and terrifying ferocity in battle, the Gurkhas have served alongside British troops around the world since 1815 - including recently in the Falklands, the Gulf and Afghanistan - winning an unparalleled 26 Victoria Crosses.
Their motto translates as: “It is better to die than to live a coward.”
A deal dating from India’s Independence in 1947 pegged their pay and pensions to those of the Indian Army, to reflect the lower cost of living in their native Nepal compared to Britain.
The MoD altered the rules last year after growing pressure, giving serving Gurkhas the same pay, conditions and pensions as British-born troops - as well as the right to settle in Britain when they leave the Army.
The changes were back-dated, but only to include those who retired after 1997, when the Brigade of Gurkhas moved from Hong Kong to the UK.
Around 22,000 surviving Gurkhas who retired before that date are furious, and claim the cut-off date is “arbitrary and unfair”.
A typical Gurkha private retired after 22 years with £1,200 a year for life - a reasonable sum in Nepal, but a fraction of what their modern-day counterparts receive under the new rules.
They are also pushing for equal rights to settle in Britain.
Damber Ghaly of the Gurkhas United Front handed back six medals yesterday, including his MBE, in support of fellow Gurkhas who have fallen foul of the rules.
The 50-year-old, who served for 28 years, said: “It is very sad and emotional but I think it is the only thing we can do. I served in Kosovo and Bosnia where I was in charge of my troops.
“It is not a case of being angry but we feel very disappointed and let down.”
The Gurkhas United Front’s secretary Lal Prasad Gurung, who served in the Falklands, Hong Kong, Brunei, Kosovo and Bosnia, said: “We are the same as the British Army, but we are disparaged in so many ways.”
Peter Carroll, a Lib Dem councillor in Folkestone, Kent, where many Gurkhas have settled near their old base, said: “The greatest test of whether people should be part of a community is if they are prepared to die for it - and these people are the bravest of the brave.”
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg told the crowd of around 2,000 veterans: “When I told people what you get from the Government in return for the years of brave, loyal, uncomplaining success, people simply don’t believe it.
“It is quite simply a national disgrace. I will do everything I can to end this unacceptable and immoral discrimination.”
In the Commons later Mr Clegg challenged Gordon Brown on the issue, demanding to know why Gurkhas retiring after 1997 were more “worthy” of British citizenship.
The Prime Minister said Gurkhas had served “loyally” in every part of the world and the Government had already acted to improve their pay and pension rights.
MoD sources said the Government was concerned that backdating the changes to before 1997 would set a dangerous precedent for other retrospective pension upgrades.
The Gurkhas’ links with the British Army date back to 1814 when British forces fought a fierce war against Nepal, during which the adversaries developed a deep mutual respect and admiration.
Realising they were unlikely ever to defeat the hill warriors, British commanders began to recruit them instead. By the time of the Second World War the Army had no fewer than 40 Gurkha battalions, with 112,000 men.
New recruits are selected each year through a series of gruelling “Dokho Races” in which young hopefuls must carry heavy baskets over steep tracks across the Nepalese mountains.
Gurkha soldiers are mostly led by British officers, although since the 1960s the brightest Nepalese have undergone officer training at Sandhurst and risen through the ranks.
Prince Harry served with a detachment of Gurkhas during his recent deployment to southern Afghanistan.
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equal rights for all gurkha’s