Veterans to fight plan to axe Gurkhas
from Army
by Emma Palmer
Thu 2nd, Sep 2010
A GURKHA community in south Essex has
been left angry at reports the famous regiment could be axed
from the British Army after two centuries.
A leader of the
Thurrock Nepalese Gurkha Assoc-iation,
said he was “deeply saddened” by news the move could be on
the cards because of budget cuts. And supporters of the 400
Gurkha families living in Thurrock have vowed to fight tooth
and a nail if Ministry of Defence chiefs make firm plans to
get rid of the regiment.
Angry – Peter Oliver
The furore comes as former Army
officer Patrick Mercer admitted the Gurkhas could be dropped
from the Army because they were “not so cheap” since they
won a high-profile campaign for better rights. His remarks
followed reports the regiment could be one of several
sacrificed as a result of a Government dispute about defence
funding.
Netra Limbu, of Hampton Road, Grays, was part of the 7th
Gurkha Rifles from 1981 until 2000. His loyal service saw
him put his life on the line in Falklands war.
Mr Limbu, 46, the former secretary of the TNGA, said: “What
can I say? I was so shocked when I read this news. It’s very
sad. “A lot of our Gurkha families won’t be aware of this
yet, but when they do they will be deeply hurt. “I like to
think it won’t happen and that it’s just talk, but we just
don’t know. This is a very sad day.” Honorary Normandy
Veterans Association member Peter Oliver, has been a friend
and supporter of the Thurrock Gurkhas for many years. The
61-year-old, of Broxburn Drive, South Ockendon, stormed:
“This is so wrong. I am seething with anger. “If they even
think about scrapping the Gurkhas then we will mount a fight
of our own.
“These men have been part of our Army for centuries and laid
their lives of the line in so many wars.” The Gurkhas have
always been an integral part of the Army and known for being
fiercely loyal and brave. Their motto is “better to die than
be a coward”.
Mr Oliver added: “This is so clearly about money – that’s
all. “Because the Gurkhas have better settlement rights now
and aren’t so cheap the Government just wants to get rid of
them. It’s disgusting. “I’ll start a petition and a fight if
they try to do this and I know a lot of people will back
me.”
Gurkha Celebration In Purfleet
by michael casey
Aug 3rd, 2010
THE WORK of the Gurkhas was celebrated
last week in a special ceremony at the Purfleet Heritage
Museum. MP’s Jackie Doyle-Price and Stephen Metcalfe were
joined by members of the Gurkha community to inspect a
special section of the museum dedicated to Gurkha history.
Afterwards the dignitaries and the
community were treated to a special Nepalese buffet and
cultural celebrations.
Borough Gurkhas meet High Sheriff
Thursday, 16 October 2008
By Paul Peterson
GREETING: The High Sheriff of Essex, Sarah Courage, meets Netra
Limbu, secretary of the Nepalese Gurkha Community. Picture by Martin
Dalton
MEMBERS of the borough’s Nepalese community met a special guest on
Tuesday.
They were visited by High Sheriff Sarah
Courage, who exchanged a simple bow and the word ‘Namaste’ with them
- a traditional Nepalese greeting. She was then was invited in to
the Thurrock Asian Association Centre, in Grays, which provides
support to the Thurrock Nepalese Gurkha Community.
Netra Limbu, secretary of the Nepalese community and a former member
of the 7th Gurkha Rifles in the British Army, said he was delighted
to welcome the High Sheriff.
He added: “We came to Thurrock about three years ago and there are
now about 350 to 400 Nepalese people living in the borough. “We are
still settling in but we are working with the council and police and
hope to be good citizens.”
Mrs Courage told the group: “I have great respect for the Nepalese
people. “Your people were so friendly and welcoming when I made two
fantastic visits to Nepal in the 1990s and I hope you all settle
here happily.” Mr Limbu, who served as a Gurkha for 20 years, said
that most of the men from Nepal had served in the British Army for
at least 18 years. Actress Joanna Lumley recently fronted a campaign
to give Gurkhas the right to live in the UK after ministers claimed
that around 2,000 Gurkhas lacked proper ties to Britain. The
campaign was won earlier this month when the High Court ruled that
ministers had acted illegally and that the Gurkhas could stay. Mrs
Courage added: “I am right behind Joanna Lumley and the
campaign." This is an issue that should have been dealt with a long
time ago.”
RAF veteran digs deep for Gurkhas
Thursday 21st May 2009
By Emma Palmer
Dharmanbikram Sanwar thanks Alec Milne
A PENSIONER was so moved by the plight of
the Gurkhas he has given £1,000 from his own pocket to help the
hundreds of Nepalese soldiers and their families. Alec Milne, 74,
from Basildon, made the donation because he thinks the Gurkhas have
got a “bum deal” when it comes to their controversial handling by
the Government. Mr Milne, a former RAF engineer, served with a
regiment of Gurkhas when he was stationed in Singapore in the
Sixties.
He said: “I read a feature about the Thurrock Gurkhas in
the Echo, and it really touched me to see what they were going
through. “I just wanted to do something to show them we do care.
“They’ve got a bum deal by this Government. “When I was in
Singapore, it was the Gurkhas’ job to protect our air base. I
remember them as the most professional soldiers you could wish to
work with – they had a job to do and you could be sure they would do
it.” Netra Limbu, secretary of the Thurrock Nepalese and Gurkha
Community, told Mr Milne: “We thank you from the bottom of our
hearts. “We have had so much support and this is a fantastic
donation.
This has made us very proud and happy.” The donation will
go towards buying sporting equipment and organising events for the
group’s youth organisation. And the group’s chairman, Dharmanbikram
Sanwar, told Mr Milne: “We would like to make you an honorary member
of our association in recognition of this donation. “We are so
grateful for your support.” As a thank you, Mr Milne was also
presented with a formidable khukuri, a curved knife which is
synonymous with the valour of Gurkha soldiers. The famous knife is
carried by Gurkhas in battle, and it was said that once a khukuri
was drawn in battle, it had to “taste blood” – if not, its owner had
to cut himself before returning it to its sheath. Gurkhas have faced
a drawn out fight to get better settlement and pension rights for
some time.
However Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to do a
U-turn later today and announce that all Gurkhas who have served
with the British Army can remain in the UK. Netra added: “We will
have something to celebrate once the Prime Minister makes his
announcement – fingers crossed.” Billericay MP John Baron, who was
in the Army for 15 years, added: “I served with the Gurkhas, and
they deserve all of our support. The Prime Minister got this so
wrong. “Anyone who serves in the armed forces and risks their lives
for this country should be allowed to stay.”
Nepalese celebration at Chadwell Grays Essex
MEMBERS of around 100 families that
make up
Thurrock's Nepalese community celebrated their national Dashain
celebration with a party at Chadwell St Mary's Village Hall.
Many dressed in their colourful national costume for an evening of
dance and entertainment, with guests from the local community
including MP Andrew Mackinlay and representatives of the Royal British
Legion.
Also in attendance as Thurrock's
hate crime liaison officer PC Tess Wisby and Thurrock Gazette editor
Neil Speight.
"This was a wonderful evening. A real opportunity to celebrate
with our Nepalese friends, a community who through their service with
the Gurkha regiment have contributed so much to this country.
"It was a delight and an honour to be invited to spend a
wonderful, colourful evening with them," said Mr Mackinlay.
Gurkhas say hello to wider community
THE High Sheriff of Essex met with Thurrock’s
Nepalese Gurkha community as part of a Home Office initiative entitled
"Not in my neighbourhood week".
They met at the Thurrock Asian Association headquarters in Clarence
Road, Grays. The initiative is a joint effort between Essex Police and
local councils to enable them to speak to members of the public and
get feedback on local concerns. Nepalese Gurkhas have played a pivotal
role in the British armed forces over many years. Despite this they
have only recently been given the right to live in Britain. Secretary
of Thurrock Nepalese Gurkha community and Falklands war veteran, Netra
Limbu, said: “In the Thurrock area we have around 400 Gurkha families
who started arriving here three years ago.
“It can be hard to communicate but our English is
improving. “We’d like to thank the High Sheriff for meeting with us
and hope to work with the Police and Council. “Some of the younger
generation still don’t know who we are and we’d like to change that by
introducing ourselves to the community.” High Sheriff of Essex Mrs
Sarah Courage, said: "I think the Gurkha community are something we
should all be very proud of. They have given their all for this
country. “I have the greatest respect for them."
Praise for Nepalese students
ThurrockAdult
Community College had a special presentation for Thurrock's Nepalese community. Eleven students
received certificates as they passed different stages of their English
qualifications. The certificate presentation was made by Portfolio
Holder for Culture and Diversity, councillor Gareth Davies who said:
"This is a fantastic achievement for the Nepalese community in
Thurrock.
They should all be very proud of themselves." College principal
Sharon Walsh said: "All the students have been very brave taking on
the challenge of learning a new language. They have done really well
and I know they will continue to learn."
Petition to support Gurkhas
Wednesday 29th April 2009
By Emma Palmer
A MAN who works with Gurkhas is planning to
campaign against a new Government policy which could mean many of
the heroic soldiers and their families having to leave the UK.
Tilbury Dock worker Peter Oliver, from Thurrock, labelled the
Government’s Gurkha immigration ruling announced on Friday, as
“bombastic”. The new criteria only allows Gurkha soldiers who
retired from the British Army before 1997 to stay in the UK if they
served for at least 20 years, suffered injuries or received
gallantry awards. Mr Oliver, 60, of South Ockendon, works alongside
several Gurkhas at the docks. He said: “They are the bravest, most
loyal people you could ever wish to meet. “I am going to get a
petition together to show the Government how strongly people in
Thurrock feel about this.”
Shadow
Defence Secretary visits Grays Tuesday
10th March 2009
CONSERVATIVE Parliamentary spokesman Jackie
Doyle-Price welcomed Conservative Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox
to Grays recently.
Dr Fox visited the Grays British Legion club last week, where he met
with officers of the club, war veterans, representatives of the
Burma Star association and representatives of Thurrock's Gurkha
community. During discussions with the Ghurkhas, Dr Fox heard at
firsthand about the challenges that face those non UK residents who
have served in the British armed forces trying to settle in the UK.
