KATHMANDU (AFP) — Jubilant former Gurkhas said Wednesday they were making fresh plans for life in Britain after a landmark court ruling gave thousands of retired soldiers the chance to move there.
The High Court in London ruled in a test case that Gurkhas who retired from the British Army before 1997 had the right to live in the country they fought for.
"This is the happiest day of my life," said Harka Bahadur Pun, 63, whose application to live in Britain was turned down two years ago as officials ruled he did not have close enough ties to the country he served for 18 years.
"It will be hard to make a new start in Britain, but I will be going for the security of my children, and their children," said Pun, a regional president of the Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organisation (GAESO).
Before Tuesday's decision that ended a two-year legal fight, only Gurkhas who retired after 1997, when their base moved from Hong Kong to England, were automatically eligible to live in Britain on retirement.
"For 200 years we were treated like servants, and with this decision we feel we have finally won some measure of equal treatment," said Jit Bahadur Rai, GAESO's treasurer.
Around 2,000 GAESO members will now have the right to live in Britain, and around another 2,000 from other Gurkha organisations are likely to seek British residency, Rai said.
"We feel we have used our youth, energy, sweat and blood for the British government, so we should be entitled to live there if we want," said the 47-year-old, who served Britain for 15 years.
After proving themselves fierce adversaries, Gurkhas began to be recruited into the army of the British East India company in 1816, and the men from Nepal's mountains have fought in every British war since.
With a reputation for loyalty and skill with the traditional curved khukuri knife, around 3,500 Gurkhas continue to serve in the British Army.
After Tuesday's court victory, the retired Gurkhas vowed to battle on for better pensions.
"A retired British soldier of similar rank would get about five times what I do," said Rai, whose army pension is around 220 dollars per month.
"The fight for equal pensions will continue."
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