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| SIWALIK |
Posted
on 13-Dec-02 12:58 PM
I have been reading this very intresting book called "The Challenge to Democracy in Nepal" by T. Louise brown. This paragraph caught my attention. I want to share it with all and see if anyone has further information.
"During the twentieth century Anglo-Nepali relations improved significantly, thus easing the problems associated with Gurkha recruitment. The later Ranas even came to encourage the practice because the siphoning off of excess population in the hills lessened economic and political tensions within Nepal (Mojumdar 1975: 2). Hundreds of thousands of Nepalese fought in the First World War and it is claimed that Nepal suffered more casualties in relations to her total population than any other nation participating in the conflict (Shaha 1990b: 49). The British responded by paying Chandra Shamshe, the Rana ruler at the time, the handsome annual fee of one million rupees in perpetuity. The Gurkhas, however, saw nothing of the money because this compensation for the shedding of so much Nepali blood went directly into the maharaja's cavernous purse." This is an excerpt from page 11.
Does anyone know about this compensationin perpetuity? Is it still paid? Does it go to Gurkha fund or something or to the state of the shas, or the Ranas? Has it been stopped? In light of the fact presented above, has situation changed in Nepal? Should we continue to tolerate the blood-suckers?
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 13-Dec-02 06:22 PM
When Pashupati Shamsher became a minister in postdemocratic Nepal, a newspaper actually raised this issue, because he was supposed to have inherited 'that' money from his grandfather. His description of his property, however, showed nothing about that, no foreign bank balance, no dollars, no pounds, as long as I remember(I may be wrong!).
In either first or second world war, we not only helped Britain by supplying our young men, but also economically. Our rulers gave an assistance of 1 million pound.This money was given when people in Biratnagar, a supposedly big city, didn't have a hospital, people would die in large number of diarrhea, people defecate in the roads, and in Kathmandu sometimes later, poet Laxmi Prasad was sent to jail just for trying to open a library.
Rana haruko baarema jati kuraa gare pani kam hunchha. Ke kuraa garne? 103 barshako 'kaalaraatri' bhanera tesai bhaneko haina.
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| Soleil |
Posted
on 13-Dec-02 09:03 PM
Interesting isn't it? The British Government still paying that lumpsum of money to the Nepalese Government for each Gurkha joins their (British) regiment, that I came to know recently from now retired Gurkha soldier. I also came to know that, he was the officer in command to lead his battalion in Kosovo amongst the Peace Keeping Force, the first man to enter the line of fire. Yet, another Gurkha soldier was rewarded for this heroic effort. He doesn't seem to mind it, but feels dishonored to the fact that the credit went to the US Soldiers for their efforts to keep peace in Kosovo, and not a mention about the Gurkha Soldiers whilst the initiative and the majority of the work was done by the Gurkhas.
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| bajai |
Posted
on 14-Dec-02 02:15 AM
not only were the gurkhas the first to enter Kosovo, they were and still are the first ones wherever there's a conflict, be it Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, the Balkans, the Gulf, etc.
until two years ago, the amount payable upon death in the course of duty differed substantially between a British soldier and the Gurkhas. Following a huge public outcry, intensified by media coverage of the whole discriminatory compensation scheme, the labour government corrected that bias and bridged the huge gap.
now, only when a gurkha soldier is working or is killed while performing his duty, is he entitled to the same amount as his british counterpart.
while a british soldier, even if he retires from the army after 5 years, is entitled to a full pension, while a gurkha is entitled to 1/8th of his british counterpart after serving the army for 15 years..
another vital point not to be overlooked is the recent victory of former gurkhas who were held prisoner of wars by the Japanese army during World War II. the British Government received hefty compensation money from Japan for their atrocities, and hence every British prisoner of war in the hands of the Japanese was given 10,000 pounds.
The gurkhas who fought under the British against the Japanese, however, were excluded from this payment.
then, with money donated by former gurkhas and friends, GAESO(gurkha army ex-soldier's organisation) led a public and legal war against the British Government, represented by none other than the British Prime Minister's own wife, Cherie Blair. They found victory at last, on Nov 11, this year, and the British High Court ordered their Government to pay those former gurkha POWs , now in their eighties, the same compensation amount as their british equals. this is what one of them said after the victory:' i've waited 50 years for this day. this victory is not only for the gurkhas, but for nepalese as a whole'
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