GURKHAS WIN THE RIGHT TO STAY IN BRITAIN 2

Lance Corporal Gyanendra Rai served in the armed forces for 14 years and sustained horrific injuries after being shelled at Bluff Cove in the war with Argentina 25 years ago. The ex-machine gunner's back was torn open and even after three operations he is still in constant pain. LCpl Rai, recently tried to come to Britain to get NHS treatment for his injuries as he cannot afford the necessary medication in his home country of Nepal.

Government officials rejected the application fearing he would stay here and claiming he had insufficient links to justify a visa. Their decision means he also missed events in Britain to mark the 25th anniversary of the victory of the conflict. LCpl Rai's lawyer Martin Howe said. "It's outrageous that during the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War a Gurkha hero seriously wounded in active combat find his application to come to the UK refused by pen-pushing British civil servants."

LCpl Rai joined the Gurkha Brigade of the British Army in 1963 and served until 1987. He reached the rank of corporal and his conduct was described as 'exemplary'. In 1982 he was sent to the Falklands attached to "B" Company of the 1st Battalion of the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles. His group came under attack by Argentinians on June 11 after a three-day march to Bluff Cove in -14C temperatures.

He needed a skin and muscle graft from another soldier to heal his horrific wound, although he still bears the scars today. The Gurkhas have fought loyally for Britain all over the world, including in Hong Kong, Borneo, Cyprus and the Falklands. At their peak in World War Two they numbered 112,000 men, but that has decreased to around 3,500 now. Although the Gurkhas are based in Shorncliffe near Folkestone, Kent they do not become British citizens. This has left the door open for the government to treat them shabbily and deny them entry to the country they fought for.

In 2000 forty ex-Gurkhas were refused temporary work permits to come to Britain and work as lorry drivers. The government said the jobs should go to drivers from EU countries instead. Les Heyhoe, of the Falklands Veterans Foundation, said, "The bottom line is there are injuries incurred as a result of serving he should be allowed to get treatment. If he had sought this treatment at the time of the conflict 14 or 15 years ago he would have been well looked after." (Source: Daily Mail, Jun/07)

Ex soldiers are duped into paying thousands of pounds for promise of anew life in the UK, but end up penniless in dingy flats on food handouts. They came here in the hope of a better life, in the land they risked their lives for, but the dream has turned sour for hundreds of ex-Gurkha soldiers taking advantage of the hard-won right to settle here after Joanna Lumley’s campaign last year. At the time Joanna said, “A great injustice has been righted.” But a Sunday Mirror investigation has found the Nepalese soldiers are victimised before they even set off and end up living in squalor in Britain. Officially Britain is welcoming the Gurkhas.

But in reality only working-age parents with young children are likely to end up living in decent conditions. Those who are retired find their Gurkha pensions are almost worthless and some even need food handouts. Falklands War veteran Gyanendra Rai, who called Joanna a goddess for her support, now sleeps on a floor in the Army town of Aldershot, Hants, where many Gurkhas settle. Other families are left heartbroken when they find only children under 18 are eligible for visas. The vets’ quest starts with a trek to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, and the offices of the Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen’s Association.

There the veterans are likely to be charged about £500 per person for their families, about six months’ pension, to apply for a visa, which is supposed to be free. Some have been told to pay money later refunded in Britain as “cashback”. The Ministry of Justice is investigating the association’s fees taken from many of the estimated 1,500 Gurkhas who have come here since May. The sums involved run into thousands. The association is registered as a company and its accounts show its income rocketed from “nil” in 2007 to £86,988 in 2008.

London law firm Howe & Co, which worked with GAESO and Joanna on the campaign, has claimed more than £1million in legal aid for advice to Gurkhas in Nepal, where they use GAESO’s office. Partner Martin Howe, who confirmed the Legal Services Commission was investigating, said, “We have never taken a penny from any Gurkha or from GAESO.” At GAESO’s Aldershot office, worker Dhanpal Rai was dealing with complaints from two dozen Gurkhas about money and housing.

He said, “We ask for donations from people we help, but only what they can afford. We also help people free. The money goes to fighting for equality for the Gurkhas.” Veterans Minister Kevan Jones said, “It makes me angry to see people travelling thousands of miles and getting thousands of pounds into debt. Some are young men with dependent children and have managed to find work. But many are pensioners with poor English and adult children who do not automatically qualify for visas. All have been told they will be given a home, car, cash and jobs.” (Source: Daily Mirror, Mar/10)

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