Gurkha veterans wage tough new fight to settle in Britain

Serving by the motto "better to die than be a coward," their exploits and traditions are the stuff of legend. One enduring myth holds that the traditional Nepalese curved knives known as khukuris, which Gurkha troops carry into battle, could not be resheathed once drawn unless it had tasted blood.

The Gurkhas were based in Hong Kong until 1997, when the former colony reverted to Chinese rule and their regimental headquarters was moved to Britain. Gurkha troops who have been part of the Army since then, including the 3,500 currently serving, can apply to settle in Britain.

Gurkhas take the fight off the battlefield

Today, hundreds of Gurkha veterans and their supporters are planning to protest outside Parliament, where the government position was challenged during a parliamentary debate.

In a later vote, both the opposition Liberal Democrats and the Conservative Party were expected to be joined by government MPs from the Labour Party who are unhappy at the way the Gurkhas have been treated.

Earlier, Prime Minister Brown was told by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg that "those willing to die for this country should be allowed to live in this country."

Brown said that government was "very proud" of what the Gurkhas had done for Britain, but that policy must be made on "proper facts" and figures.

In recent weeks, newspaper front pages and television bulletins here have been dominated by images of wheelchair-bound and ribbon-wearing veterans of World War II accompanied by the tearful presence of Joanna Lumley, a British actress whose father served with the Gurkha regiment, and who has championed their cause.

Britain's immigration minister, Phil Woolas, told the BBC on Saturday that the government had introduced guidelines that would allow thousands of the veterans to settle in Britain. He claimed that bowing to pressure to allow all pre-1997 retirees to come could potentially open the door to 100,000 Gurkhas and their dependents and would set a precedent in immigration that would have deep repercussions.

But Peter Carroll, a town councilman for the Liberal Democrats in the Gurkha's regimental hometown of Folkstone, says that he and other campaigners simply want to put about 35,000 veterans on an equal footing with Nepalese troops currently serving in the British Army. Many of the 35,000 just want to stay temporarily in Britain to receive medical treatment, while others are seeking such jobs as bus-drivers and railway workers.

"The tales of their loyalty to Britain and bravery has been passed down through the generations, and yet they are still being treated as if we were living in old colonial times," Mr. Carroll says.

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