The agitating British Gurkha ex-servicemen announced to launch an international human rights campaign, if the British government does not take any initiatives to address their grievances related to pension parity and compensation for the injustice meted out to them.
Issuing an 11-point Kathmandu Declaration at the conclusion of the two-day National Symposium on Human Rights Movement and Dignity of ex-British Gurkhas, organised jointly by the British Gurkha Community and Nepali Society members including academics and youth students in Kathmandu, they also urged the governments of Nepal and Britain to promptly start dialogue over the Report of Technical Committee that comprises UK envoy to Nepal, Minister of Defense (UK) and representatives of British Gurkha ex-servicemen associations. “The government of Nepal shall be requested to recognise the report, introduced on 15 March 2019 by International Relations Committee of the federal parliament, as a guiding instrument,” the Declaration reads, calling for appointing one of the members of International Relations Committee of the federal parliament as a coordinator and a representative of legal professional, who has gained expertise through continued engagement in research about the issue of Gurkha servicemen, representative of civil society, and representative of ex-servicemen community as members.
The agitating British Gurkha ex-servicemen, on the occasion also announced to launch an international human rights campaign, if the British government does not heed their concerns. The movement, according to the Kathmandu Declaration, will draw attention of the UN Human Rights Council toward the injustice and discrimination perpetrated against the Gurkha ex-servicemen by following the process of Universal Periodic Review and conduct special study and make adequate preparation for the utilisation of the ILO mechanism.
The movement will also prepare for utilising other human rights instruments that may include the jurisdiction of Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and Human Rights Committee and utilise the jurisdiction of International Court of Justice, according to the Declaration.
In respect of those soldiers, who had lost their lives, injured, disappeared, or made redundant or dismissed from service as a result of unfair prosecution during and after first and second World Wars and also other subsequent wars, the Declaration reads, urging the government to immediately start dialogues with the British government, equipping itself with facts and evidences. It has proposed constituting a specialised taskforce under the coordination of the member of the International Relations Committee of the federal parliament and also form a separate Research and Study Committee comprised of experts and representatives of Gurkha ex-servicemen.
The British Gurkha ex-servicemen claims that Nepal can receive around Rs 120 billion in compensation. The British government is ready to compensate British Gurkha ex-servicemen Rs 120 billion – one time – and pay Rs 37 billion pension annually, the coordinator of the British Gurkha Satyagraha United Struggle Committee Krishna Kumar Rai said, urging the Nepal government to strike a government-to-government deal at the earliest to claim the amount. “Delay in bilateral talks between Nepal and British governments will worsen the situation as the agitating British Gurkha ex-servicemen will again start protest nationally and internationally.”
According to Rai, the incumbent Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had – during the meeting at his official residence in Baluwater with them immediately after he became Premier – committed to hold bilateral talks but could not walk the talk.
He also demanded British Government to compensate immediately – as has been promised according to British Minister of State for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster report – for all types of discrimination and injustice imposed on Gurkha Ex-Servicemen and on their families since last 2 century.
Ex-Gurkhas have demanded prompt dialogue between the Nepal and British governments on the report prepared by the technical committee that comprises of the ambassador of Nepal for UK, minister of defence (UK) and representatives from British Gurkha ex-servicemen’s associations, which was established to address the concerns raised by the British Gurkhas ex-servicemen. For this purpose, the government will be requested to recognise the British Minister of State for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster’s report introduced on March 15 by the International Relation Committee of the Federal Parliament of Nepal, as a guiding instrument.
Rai also asked the British government to compensate families of those, who lost their lives in the past wars and introduce a system under which the Sterling Pound shall directly be transferred from UK banks to the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) unlike the current system that routes their money through Indian banks.
Imposition of Indian Pay Code on British Gurkhas after 1948, which came in the name of Tripartite Agreement 1947, but with mutual understanding between India and Britain, was absolutely unfair, against the sovereignty and independence of Nepal and incompatible with international laws, the Declaration reads, adding, “With respect to the injustice perpetrated against the ex-servicemen serving in the Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU), Brunei, and against the Nepali nationals serving as police personnel in Singapore Police (SP) Force, the national conference asked the government to initiate a prompt dialogue with the respective governments of Brunei and Singapore so that the entire emolument entitled by personnel serving in GRU and SP shall be paid properly and bring the practice of giving a middlemen and managerial role to British Government on the recruitment and management of Nepali nationals in GRU and SP to an end.”
Currently, the Britist Army is deployed in Brunei and Singapore but the conference asked the government to take an initiation to sign a bilateral agreement with the governments of Brunei and the government of Singapore to continue further recruitment of the Nepali citizens in GRU and SP directly.
The agitating British Gurkha ex-servicemen have been claiming that thousands of them have been victimised by hardship and destitution as a result of discriminatory and unjust treatment continuously perpetrated by the British Government from 1948 to 1997.
“It is a matter of tremendous regret to witness the fact that,” the declaration read.
Struggle for equality and dignity spearheaded by ex-Gurkhas against discriminatory and unfair treatment will continue at national as well as international levels in the form of patriotic movement, and a campaign dedicated to human rights and dignity of Nepali citizens who served and have been serving in British Army, will be launched as stated in the declaration.
According to the Declaration, by following the process of Universal Periodic Review, it may draw the attention of the UN Human Right Council towards the injustice and discrimination against Gurkha ex-servicemen and their families. “In order to provide adequate compensation to the family of those soldiers, who had lost their lives during wars, the government must start dialogue with the Britain,” they said.
Issuing an 11-point Kathmandu Declaration at the conclusion of the two-day National Symposium on Human Rights Movement and Dignity of ex-British Gurkhas, organised jointly by the British Gurkha Community and Nepali Society members including academics and youth students in Kathmandu, they also urged the governments of Nepal and Britain to promptly start dialogue over the Report of Technical Committee that comprises UK envoy to Nepal, Minister of Defense (UK) and representatives of British Gurkha ex-servicemen associations. “The government of Nepal shall be requested to recognise the report, introduced on 15 March 2019 by International Relations Committee of the federal parliament, as a guiding instrument,” the Declaration reads, calling for appointing one of the members of International Relations Committee of the federal parliament as a coordinator and a representative of legal professional, who has gained expertise through continued engagement in research about the issue of Gurkha servicemen, representative of civil society, and representative of ex-servicemen community as members.
The agitating British Gurkha ex-servicemen, on the occasion also announced to launch an international human rights campaign, if the British government does not heed their concerns. The movement, according to the Kathmandu Declaration, will draw attention of the UN Human Rights Council toward the injustice and discrimination perpetrated against the Gurkha ex-servicemen by following the process of Universal Periodic Review and conduct special study and make adequate preparation for the utilisation of the ILO mechanism.
The movement will also prepare for utilising other human rights instruments that may include the jurisdiction of Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and Human Rights Committee and utilise the jurisdiction of International Court of Justice, according to the Declaration.
In respect of those soldiers, who had lost their lives, injured, disappeared, or made redundant or dismissed from service as a result of unfair prosecution during and after first and second World Wars and also other subsequent wars, the Declaration reads, urging the government to immediately start dialogues with the British government, equipping itself with facts and evidences. It has proposed constituting a specialised taskforce under the coordination of the member of the International Relations Committee of the federal parliament and also form a separate Research and Study Committee comprised of experts and representatives of Gurkha ex-servicemen.
The British Gurkha ex-servicemen claims that Nepal can receive around Rs 120 billion in compensation. The British government is ready to compensate British Gurkha ex-servicemen Rs 120 billion – one time – and pay Rs 37 billion pension annually, the coordinator of the British Gurkha Satyagraha United Struggle Committee Krishna Kumar Rai said, urging the Nepal government to strike a government-to-government deal at the earliest to claim the amount. “Delay in bilateral talks between Nepal and British governments will worsen the situation as the agitating British Gurkha ex-servicemen will again start protest nationally and internationally.”
According to Rai, the incumbent Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had – during the meeting at his official residence in Baluwater with them immediately after he became Premier – committed to hold bilateral talks but could not walk the talk.
He also demanded British Government to compensate immediately – as has been promised according to British Minister of State for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster report – for all types of discrimination and injustice imposed on Gurkha Ex-Servicemen and on their families since last 2 century.
Ex-Gurkhas have demanded prompt dialogue between the Nepal and British governments on the report prepared by the technical committee that comprises of the ambassador of Nepal for UK, minister of defence (UK) and representatives from British Gurkha ex-servicemen’s associations, which was established to address the concerns raised by the British Gurkhas ex-servicemen. For this purpose, the government will be requested to recognise the British Minister of State for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster’s report introduced on March 15 by the International Relation Committee of the Federal Parliament of Nepal, as a guiding instrument.
Rai also asked the British government to compensate families of those, who lost their lives in the past wars and introduce a system under which the Sterling Pound shall directly be transferred from UK banks to the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) unlike the current system that routes their money through Indian banks.
Imposition of Indian Pay Code on British Gurkhas after 1948, which came in the name of Tripartite Agreement 1947, but with mutual understanding between India and Britain, was absolutely unfair, against the sovereignty and independence of Nepal and incompatible with international laws, the Declaration reads, adding, “With respect to the injustice perpetrated against the ex-servicemen serving in the Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU), Brunei, and against the Nepali nationals serving as police personnel in Singapore Police (SP) Force, the national conference asked the government to initiate a prompt dialogue with the respective governments of Brunei and Singapore so that the entire emolument entitled by personnel serving in GRU and SP shall be paid properly and bring the practice of giving a middlemen and managerial role to British Government on the recruitment and management of Nepali nationals in GRU and SP to an end.”
Currently, the Britist Army is deployed in Brunei and Singapore but the conference asked the government to take an initiation to sign a bilateral agreement with the governments of Brunei and the government of Singapore to continue further recruitment of the Nepali citizens in GRU and SP directly.
The agitating British Gurkha ex-servicemen have been claiming that thousands of them have been victimised by hardship and destitution as a result of discriminatory and unjust treatment continuously perpetrated by the British Government from 1948 to 1997.
“It is a matter of tremendous regret to witness the fact that,” the declaration read.
Struggle for equality and dignity spearheaded by ex-Gurkhas against discriminatory and unfair treatment will continue at national as well as international levels in the form of patriotic movement, and a campaign dedicated to human rights and dignity of Nepali citizens who served and have been serving in British Army, will be launched as stated in the declaration.
According to the Declaration, by following the process of Universal Periodic Review, it may draw the attention of the UN Human Right Council towards the injustice and discrimination against Gurkha ex-servicemen and their families. “In order to provide adequate compensation to the family of those soldiers, who had lost their lives during wars, the government must start dialogue with the Britain,” they said.
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