Post by son-of-tiny on May 25, 2007 14:01:06 GMT
SUPPORT A HERO!!!
To All Site Members And Guests
VC hero Gurkha Tul Bahadur Pun has been banned from living in Britain 'because he has no strong ties with UK'.
Pun single-handedly stormed Japanese machine-gun positions during the Second World War.
The Gurkha’s extraordinary act of valour won him royal admirers and he was invited to the Queen’s Coronation and had tea with the Queen Mother.
Yet, despite his illustrious record, his application to live in Britain has been refused.
So join the growing support for the old soldier to have his application to Britain accepted by logging on to:
Ive done it so should you
petitions.pm.gov.uk/gurkhas-rights/
Who are the Gurkhas?
Gurkhas are part of the British Army
Gurkhas have been part of the British Army for almost 200 years, but who are these fearsome Nepalese fighters?
"Better to die than be a coward" is the motto of the world-famous Nepalese Gurkha soldiers who are an integral part of the British Army.
They still carry into battle their traditional weapon - an 18-inch long curved knife known as the kukri.
In times past, it was said that once a kukri was drawn in battle, it had to "taste blood" - if not, its owner had to cut himself before returning it to its sheath.
Now, the Gurkhas say, it is used mainly for cooking.
The potential of these warriors was first realised by the British at the height of their empire-building in the last century.
Bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had a country more faithful friends than you
Sir Ralph Turner MC, 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles, 1931
After suffering heavy casualties in the invasion of Nepal, the British East India Company signed a hasty peace deal in 1815, which also allowed it to recruit from the ranks of the former enemy.
Following the partition of India in 1947, an agreement between Nepal, India and Britain meant four Gurkha regiments from the Indian army were transferred to the British Army, eventually becoming the Gurkha Brigade.
Since then, the Gurkhas have loyally fought for the British all over the world, winning 13 Victoria Crosses between them.
More than 200,000 fought in the two world wars and in the past 50 years, they have served in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Cyprus, the Falklands, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Gurkhas with the emblem of the feared kukri behind them
They serve in a variety of roles, mainly in the infantry but with significant numbers of engineers, logisticians and signals specialists.
They keep to their Nepalese customs and beliefs, and the brigade follows religious festivals such as Dashain, in which - in Nepal, not the UK - goats and buffaloes are sacrificed.
But their numbers have been sharply reduced from a World War II peak of 112,000 men, and now stand at about 3,500.
The Gurkhas are now based at Shorncliffe near Folkestone, Kent - but they do not become British citizens.
The soldiers are still selected from young men living in the hills of Nepal - with about 28,000 youths tackling the selection procedure for just over 200 places each year.
If there was a minute's silence for every Gurkha casualty from World War II alone, we would have to keep quiet for two weeks
Gurkha Welfare Trust
The selection process has been described as one of the toughest in the world and is fiercely contested.
Young hopefuls have to run uphill for 40 minutes carrying a wicker basket on their back filled with rocks weighing 70lbs.
After the Gurkhas have served their time in the Army - a maximum of 30 years, and a minimum of 15 to secure a pension - they are discharged back in Nepal.
Historically, they received a much smaller pension - at least six times less - than British soldiers, on the grounds that the cost of living is much lower in Nepal.
But with more choosing to settle permanently in the UK with their families, campaigners said this left them suffering considerable economic hardship.
They won a partial victory in March 2007, when Defence Minister Derek Twigg announced that all those who retired after July 1997 would get the same pension as the rest of the Army.
He also revealed that work was under way to see if women could be recruited to the brigade for the first time.
To All Site Members And Guests
VC hero Gurkha Tul Bahadur Pun has been banned from living in Britain 'because he has no strong ties with UK'.
Pun single-handedly stormed Japanese machine-gun positions during the Second World War.
The Gurkha’s extraordinary act of valour won him royal admirers and he was invited to the Queen’s Coronation and had tea with the Queen Mother.
Yet, despite his illustrious record, his application to live in Britain has been refused.
So join the growing support for the old soldier to have his application to Britain accepted by logging on to:
Ive done it so should you
petitions.pm.gov.uk/gurkhas-rights/
Who are the Gurkhas?
Gurkhas are part of the British Army
Gurkhas have been part of the British Army for almost 200 years, but who are these fearsome Nepalese fighters?
"Better to die than be a coward" is the motto of the world-famous Nepalese Gurkha soldiers who are an integral part of the British Army.
They still carry into battle their traditional weapon - an 18-inch long curved knife known as the kukri.
In times past, it was said that once a kukri was drawn in battle, it had to "taste blood" - if not, its owner had to cut himself before returning it to its sheath.
Now, the Gurkhas say, it is used mainly for cooking.
The potential of these warriors was first realised by the British at the height of their empire-building in the last century.
Bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had a country more faithful friends than you
Sir Ralph Turner MC, 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles, 1931
After suffering heavy casualties in the invasion of Nepal, the British East India Company signed a hasty peace deal in 1815, which also allowed it to recruit from the ranks of the former enemy.
Following the partition of India in 1947, an agreement between Nepal, India and Britain meant four Gurkha regiments from the Indian army were transferred to the British Army, eventually becoming the Gurkha Brigade.
Since then, the Gurkhas have loyally fought for the British all over the world, winning 13 Victoria Crosses between them.
More than 200,000 fought in the two world wars and in the past 50 years, they have served in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Cyprus, the Falklands, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Gurkhas with the emblem of the feared kukri behind them
They serve in a variety of roles, mainly in the infantry but with significant numbers of engineers, logisticians and signals specialists.
They keep to their Nepalese customs and beliefs, and the brigade follows religious festivals such as Dashain, in which - in Nepal, not the UK - goats and buffaloes are sacrificed.
But their numbers have been sharply reduced from a World War II peak of 112,000 men, and now stand at about 3,500.
The Gurkhas are now based at Shorncliffe near Folkestone, Kent - but they do not become British citizens.
The soldiers are still selected from young men living in the hills of Nepal - with about 28,000 youths tackling the selection procedure for just over 200 places each year.
If there was a minute's silence for every Gurkha casualty from World War II alone, we would have to keep quiet for two weeks
Gurkha Welfare Trust
The selection process has been described as one of the toughest in the world and is fiercely contested.
Young hopefuls have to run uphill for 40 minutes carrying a wicker basket on their back filled with rocks weighing 70lbs.
After the Gurkhas have served their time in the Army - a maximum of 30 years, and a minimum of 15 to secure a pension - they are discharged back in Nepal.
Historically, they received a much smaller pension - at least six times less - than British soldiers, on the grounds that the cost of living is much lower in Nepal.
But with more choosing to settle permanently in the UK with their families, campaigners said this left them suffering considerable economic hardship.
They won a partial victory in March 2007, when Defence Minister Derek Twigg announced that all those who retired after July 1997 would get the same pension as the rest of the Army.
He also revealed that work was under way to see if women could be recruited to the brigade for the first time.
