GURKHAS WIN THE RIGHT TO STAY IN BRITAIN

Gurkhas who have served with the British Army have won their battle to be allowed to settle in Britain and get a British passport. Tony Blair’s decision that immigration rules should be changed will mean an estimated 230 Nepalese soldiers plus about 800 dependents will settle in Britain each year. The announcement comes at the end of a long campaign to give the soldiers the right to live in Britain and follows an 18-month review by defence chiefs and officials in the Home Office and Foreign Office.

The Prime Minister said, “The Gurkhas have served this country with great skill, courage and dignity during some of the most testing times in our history. They have made an enormous contribution not just to our armed forces but to the life of this country, and it is important their commitment and sacrifice is recognised.”

But the decision did not meet with the wholehearted approval of Gurkhas as the rule will apply only to soldiers discharged after July 1,1997. This means that about 100 of the estimated 400 Gurkhas currently resident in Britain will not be eligible. Major Tikendradal Dewan, chairman of the Brigade of Gurkhas Welfare Society, said, “This is extremely good news in a way but it is not a 100% celebration because of the cut-off date. It’s difficult to rejoice at the news when we know that something like a quarter of the guys will not benefit from it. What will happen to them? Will they be deported?”

The Home Office said changes would be made to the immigration rules introducing a new Armed Forces Entry Clearance procedure for former Gurkhas to smooth their way to Britain. Under the new rules Gurkhas who have served more than four years will be able to apply for entry clearance from Nepal or Britain after discharge from the Army. Although approval will not be automatic, most are expected to be granted indefinite leave to remain in Britain and will be able to apply for citizenship after 12 months.

The Home Office estimates that about 230 soldiers will be given citizenship plus about 800 dependents. In most cases dependents will be spouses and children over 18, but they could also include parents and grandparents. Many former Gurkhas who have already applied for citizenship have seen their cases left in limbo over the past two years while they waited for the review to be completed. Ann Widdecombe, Conservative MP for Maidstone, who has campaigned on behalf of the Gurkhas, said, “This has been too long a campaign but the news is very welcome.”

Miss Widdecombe said she was disappointed that the Government had set a cut-off point of July 1,1997, for the new rule and called for it to be challenged. She also said the Ministry of Defence should allow serving Gurkhas to have their families with them. The Home Office said that the 1997 date had been chosen because before then the Brigade of Gurkhas had not been based in Britain. Most Gurkhas retire after 15 years’ service in the Army but because of the shortage of work in Nepal they often seek a second career overseas.

Only five Gurkhas have secured naturalisation in the past 30 years, including the nephew of Tenzing Norgay, who was part of Sir Edmund Hillary’s Everest expedition in 1953. Keith Simpson, a Tory defence spokesman, said, “We warmly welcome the Government’s decision. This should receive overwhelming support from the British people who have enjoyed the Gurkhas’ valuable service over nearly 200 years.” Richard Ford

A Gurkha who won the VC fighting for Britain has been banned from coming to live here, because he has "failed to demonstrate strong ties with the UK". Tul Bahadur Pun, 84, who won our highest bravery medal in the Second World War, wants to spend his last days among old comrades and having treatment for several health problems. Tul was handed his VC by Lord Mountbatten in 1944 for single-handedly charging a Japanese position in Burma under heavy fire.

In an "exemplary" 18 year Army career he won 10 more medals, risking his life in Malaysia, India and Hong Kong, and served several tours of duty in Britain. Now living in a hut with no proper roof, running water or sanitation in a village 16,000ft up in the Himalayas, Tul has diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems and asthma. His eyesight is poor and he has hearing trouble.

He said, "I take a substantial amount of medication daily, without which I would die. There is not always a constant supply. When it runs out I feel vulnerable. There are no doctors or nurses, no medical outposts. I wish to settle in the UK to have better access to medication, care and support from doctors and nurses. I have to pay for these out of my pension from the British Army of £132 per month."

He added, "I am very weak and... have to travel to the Gurkha camp in Pokhara every month to collect my pension. If I do not go in person I will not receive it. It takes three hours to drive, then a one-day walk. As I am unable to walk unaided I have to be carried by two or three men. The medication can be very expensive and I sometimes cannot afford it and rely on my family to pay for it. If they are unable to, which is often, I have to borrow money. This is very degrading."

Tul applied for indefinite leave to enter Britain. The law allows for deserving cases to be let in but British officials in Nepal said they were "not satisfied... your application meets the requirements". They added, "This is because you have failed to demonstrate that you have strong ties with the UK." Astonishingly, among the reasons were: "You have not produced satisfactory evidence that you have a chronic or long term medical condition where treatment here would significantly improve your quality of life."

In 1974 Tul Bahadur Pun was ordered to hand over his VC for just 40,000 Indian Rupees, about £500 today, by the British Army which said it was taking it for safe-keeping. A VC was sold last year for half a million pounds but Pun, who has heart problems, diabetes and failing hearing and sight, lives in near poverty in a ramshackle hut.

He received a letter in March 1974 from the 6th Gurkha Rifles saying an officer would visit him at home in Nepal. Pun said, "He informed me the medal was too valuable to be in my possession and the Army would be withholding it for safekeeping. My Victoria Cross was taken to the Regimental HQ in Hong Kong. It was kept there for a number of years."

Pun was awarded 11 medals including the VC which he won by charging Japanese machine gunners single-handedly in Burma in 1944. He has even paid UK income tax when he served tours of duty here. There is no higher accolade than being awarded a VC and there cannot be a greater tie to this country.

The Ministry of Defence said, "The VC is displayed in the Gurkha Museum in Winchester. It was purchased from him in 1974 for market value." More like stolen from him. (Source: Daily Mirror, May/07)

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