Gurkhas ‘cheated’ by British government on pay and pensions, lawmakers told
Victoria Cross holder says his Nepalese comrades have been treated like 'third-class soldiers' by the British government on pay and pensions
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 27 March, 2014, 9:06pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 27 March, 2014, 9:08pm
Agence France-Presse in London
Retired Gurkha Captain Rambahadur Limbu outside the Houses of Parliament, wearing his Victoria Cross and other medals.Photo: AFP
The only surviving Gurkha to hold the Victoria Cross - Britain's highest military honour - told lawmakers he was "shocked" when he learned that the Nepalese warriors were being treated as "third-class soldiers".
Captain Rambahadur Limbu, 74, who was awarded the exceptionally rare VC for his bravery in action during the Indonesian Confrontation in 1965, spoke on Wednesday to a British inquiry examining Gurkhas' welfare grievances. The cross-party panel of lawmakers is considering Gurkhas' appeals for the same pay, pension and facilities as their British Army comrades.
The war hero said he had never had complaints about his treatment during his 28 years of service in the British Army, but after retiring he came to the view that Gurkhas were being treated "like third-class soldiers by the British government".
He said: "I could not believe it. Only when I began to know more differences between the British and the Gurkha soldier benefits, I was shocked.
"When I came to know that our trusted friends have cheated us and stabbed us from the back, I felt very bad. Where is the debt of honour that this country owes to the Gurkhas?"
A Gurkha soldier training in the New Territories in 1995. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Wearing his heavy row of medals on his left breast and walking with a stick, Limbu posed for pictures outside the Houses of Parliament.
Other issues being considered include adult dependants, medical care in Nepal, benefits and allowances and the Gurkha communities in Britain.
Lawmaker Jackie Doyle-Price, who is chairing the inquiry, said the process would give Gurkhas the chance to make their case.
She said the Gurkhas were a "much-valued part of the British Army" and held in high esteem and affection by the public.
But despite "significant developments" in their pay and conditions and the extension of the right to settle in Britain, "there remain some outstanding grievances which the Gurkhas are determined to have addressed," she acknowledged.
The public hearings will continue into next month. Campaigners hope for a debate in parliament on the inquiry's recommendations. The Gurkhas, who were based in Hong Kong from the 1970s until the handover, are known for their ferocity, loyalty, bravery and razor-sharp kukri fighting knives. They first served as part of the Indian army in British-run India in 1815.
About 200,000 fought for Britain in first and second world wars and about 43,000 were killed or wounded. About 3,100 currently serve in the British army.
With the 200th anniversary of 1815 in mind, Limbu told the inquiry he hoped Britain would "do justice to all my fellow Gurkhas by giving them equal pensions and benefits".
He said: "This will give us a reason to forget the past discriminations, look forward to a life of dignity and celebrate the long bilateral relations."
The extremely rare Victoria Cross, given for valour in the face of the enemy, takes precedence over all other military honours.
Besides Limbu there are only three other living holders of a British Victoria Cross, four of the Australian version and one of the New Zealand version.
