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Gurkha cut plan ‘rude shock’
KATHMANDU, AUG 30 -
The revelation in yesterday’s Guardian about UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) axing the Gurkha Regiment from the British Army has started to reverberate both in the UK and Nepal. Many Gurkhas, though anxious, still remain positive that budget cuts in UK will not seriously affect Gurkha recruitment from Nepal.
“It will only happen if the UK’s Ministry of Finance denies allocating the budget as demanded by MoD,” said General Secretary of the Gurkha Army Ex-servicemen’s Organisation (GAESO) Mahendra Lal Rai. “We are not in a position to say anything in this regard,” said Rai. “I am sure the British people will speak up in our support and not let any such thing happen.”
“There’s nothing we can do. It is upto the British government whether to recruit Nepalis or not,” a former Gurkha soldier Krishna Kumar Pun said. We have no legal ground to challenge the decision taken by MoD, he said. “Our repeated appeals to amend the Tripartite treaty have fallen of deaf ears,” said Pun adding that the Nepal government was never helpful in this regard.
Britain-India-Nepal signed a Tripartite Agreement in 1945 concerning the rights of Gurkhas in military service. The British newspaper, The Daily Mail on Sunday reported that Chancellor George Osborne ordered the Ministry of Defence to make cuts from between 10 and 20 per cent in its £36.9 billion budget as he attempts to claw back Britain from its multi-billion-pound deficit.
Following the Chancellor’s directive Patrick Mercer, a Tory MP and former army officer, said, “The first people to go will be the Brigade of Gurkhas, probably in their entirety.”
“In the past, the Gurkhas’ existence was guaranteed by the fact they were cheaper to run than British troops, and that there was a shortage of British troops. Recent changes mean they are now just as expensive, and recruitment is extremely healthy at the moment. I am afraid the writing is on the wall,” reported The Daily Mail.
Meanwhile, commenting on the upcoming British Government’s move, Peter Carroll of the Gurkha Justice Campaign told the British Tabloid, The Daily Mirror, “It is appalling. Gurkhas should not be sacrificed because of a financial crisis caused by selfish bankers.” He said it would be “shameful” if the coalition ditched the 3,500-strong Nepalese force.
Meanwhile, Pun said that in comparison to the past years, the British government has been decreasing the numbers of Nepalis in the Gurkha Regiment. “This clearly shows that the British government is gradually trying to put a full stop in recruiting Nepali youths,” said Pun.
Posted on: 2010-08-31 09:05
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