Former Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba welcomed to Shepway
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman for Folkestone & Hythe, Neil Matthews, joined Folkestone Councillors Dhan Gurung, Lynne Beaumont, Tim Prater and Peter Carroll in welcoming the former Prime Minister of Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba, to Shepway on Tuesday afternoon.
The group met the current Nepali MP and former Prime Minister at the Gurkha Palace Restaurant in Golden Valley, Sandgate, on Tuesday 7th, along with the leader of the Folkestone Gurkha & Nepali Community Gopal Giri and local businessman and restaurant owner Kishore Sapkota.
The Shepway team asked the former Prime Minister of Nepal, who is still an MP there, to encourage the Government of Nepal to issue a statement confirming their support for the right of ex-Gurkhas and their families to settle in the UK.
Neil Matthews said after the meeting:
"It was a huge honour to welcome the former Prime Minister to Sandgate. We explained how much we value the Nepali community here in Folkestone, and how proud we are that Folkestone has the UK's first ex-Gurkha Councillor in Dhan Gurung. We also asked that for his support in getting a clear statement from the Nepali Government that they will not oppose changes to the law in the UK to allow all ex-Gurkhas to stay here.
"The historic court ruling last week which said that the policy on denying ex-Gurkha's the right to stay in this country was 'unlawful and unjust' must force the UK Government to reconsider its policy.
"We're determined they replace it with a straightforward right to stay, and a statement from the Nepalese Parliament that they would back that right would stop the Government trying to use that argument to squirm out of doing the right thing.
"I'm delighted that he agreed that it should be the right of ex-Gurkhas to stay in the UK, and agreed to take letters back to Kathmandu and the Nepalese Parliament."
The former Prime Minister had been in the UK for a week visiting Nepali communities across the country including in Wales and Reading before visiting Folkestone. Sher Bahadur Deuba has served as Prime Minister three times, from 1995 to 1997, 2001 to 2002, and June 2, 2004 until February 1, 2005.
Two weeks ago, former Nepali MP (and daughter of four time Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala) Sujata Koirala also visited Folkestone. She met with representatives from Folkestone Town Council and Shepway District Council, and was also briefed by Dhan Gurung and local Liberal Democrats on the campaign for Gurkha Justice. Sujata also agreed to raise the issue of ex-Gurkha rights in the UK with the Nepali Government.
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