Nepal's Gurkha soldiers seek justice from Britain

Britain's move to give equal pension to Nepalese soldiers does not include most retired Gurkhas.

from the March 20, 2007 edition

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KATHMANDU, NEPAL - Retired Gurkha soldier Ek Bahadur Rana lives in a squatter settlement on the banks of a heavily polluted river in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital. The only financial support for Mr. Rana, one of thousands of Nepalese soldiers who served in the famous British Gurkha Brigade from 1949-1959, comes from his elder son who works at the Gurkha Army Ex-servicemen's Organization (GAESO), an outfit that has been fighting for the rights of former Gurkhas for almost 15 years now.

"But my elder son also has his own family to look after," says Rana, who receives no pension for his 10 years of service for Britain.

More than a decade of struggle by former Gurkhas, who spent their youth in the British Army fighting at the frontlines of the bloodiest of wars Britain has engaged in, has failed to ensure equal treatment for Rana, or any Gurkha who retired, was wounded, or was killed from 1816 to 1997.

But earlier this month, Britain took a step toward equal rights for Gurkhas when it announced that future Gurkha recruits would be allowed to join the same Armed Forces Pension (AFP) plan that British soldiers enjoy. The announcement also says that those who served after July 1, 1997, will enjoy the benefits of the AFP plan for the years following that date, effectively excluding tens of thousands of former Ghurkhas like Rana.

"I was engaged in guerrilla warfare for three years in Malaya in the mid-50s. More than courage, the warfare required inordinate patience," says Rana. "For as much as five hundred hours of walk and vigil in the jungles, the enemy would show up for not more than two seconds. We had to do what we were there to do in those two seconds," recalls Rana, who cooked food for British soldiers for the rest of his seven years in the brigade.

"Today, I have nothing to show for those glorious years. It was not worthwhile, really, fighting for someone else's country. No one recognizes us as heroes here, as it was not Nepal that we fought for. And Britain hardly cares," says Rana.

Rana was paid at most £46 per month during service, while his British counterparts were paid £450. When he left service, he got six month's pay, which was hardly enough to ensure financial security even in a poor country like Nepal.

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