Kent Lib Dems ask KCC to join them in support of Gurkhas

Trudy Dean, Leader of the Lib Dems on Kent County Council will ask the Conservative and Labour groups to join the Lib Dems in support of the Gurkhas. A motion in support of the Gurkhas cause will be moved by the Liberal Democrats at the next full meeting of Kent County Council on 3rd April.

Recently fifty of the Nepalese soldiers handed back their Long Service and Good Conduct medals to Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg in Westminster. The Gurkhas and their supporters were protesting at the difference in treatment of Gurkhas with other British soldiers. Gurkhas who retired after 1997 can automatically stay in the UK, but those who retired earlier must apply, and many have been refused and face deportation.

A bill has been launched in the House of Lords to try to change the law regarding the right for all Gurkhas to remain in the UK. Protesters are also calling for pension rules to be reformed in a similar way.

The Liberal Democrats on Kent County Council will ask the leader of the Conservative Group and the leader of the Labour Group to join them in supporting this bill at a meeting of KCC on 3rd April.

Gurkha soldiers who retired after 1997 are eligible to remain in the UK if they wish. Those who retired before 1997 are not. There have been recent examples of such retired Gurkhas who have been deported. The return of Gurkhas to Nepal following the end of their service is governed by the "Tripartite Agreement" dating from 1947. This states: "Gurkhas are enlisted as Nepalese citizens, they remain Nepalese citizens throughout their service and they are discharged in Nepal at the end of their service."

Many people, including ex-Gurkhas, feel that this is a poor reward for at least 15 years service in the British Army. They believe that it is only fair that at the conclusion of their service, it should be the right of a Gurkha to stay as a citizen, if they choose, in the UK. The numbers involved are small - only 230 Gurkha's were enlisted to the British Army in 2003 for instance.

The Liberal Democrats are strongly backing the Gurkhas position that they should, if they wish, at the end of their service be allowed to stay, as citizens, in this country. The campaign has been growing for years, and the Liberal Democrats have consistently supported their claim for citizenship.

For more information on the background, please visit www.shepwaylibdems.org.uk/gurkhacampaign/