On Saturday 23rd February Reading West MP Martin Salter will be opening the new offices for the United British-Gurkha Ex-Serviceman’s Association in Reading.  Following the official opening their office at 47 London Street, Mr Salter will join the ex-serviceman to march to the Town Hall and then address their meeting in the Victoria Room.

Gurkhas have been part of the British Army for almost 200 years.  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.   They serve in a variety of roles, mainly in the infantry but with significant numbers of engineers, logisticians and signals specialists.

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.  

Mr Salter has recently met with the British-Gurkha Ex-Serviceman’s Association to discuss their concerns regarding the settlement applications former Gurkha soldiers and has agreed to take up the immigration cases of those ex-servicemen living in his constituency.  

Martin Salter said:

“The Ministry of Defence has treated the brave British Gurkhas shamefully for far too long. These soldiers have shed blood for Britain and served our country with distinction. They should have either pension rights or the ability to settle in Britain on retirement.”

Mr Bhagwan Chamling, President of the Association said:

“These Gurkhas have still to receive their settlement from the Home Office, they are currently going through a devastatingly rough time.  The Gurkhas should be equally treated as their British and Commonwealth counterparts in the British Armed Forces regardless of when or where they served as long as they served under the British crown.  These former Gurkhas have not really asked much in return for what they and their forefathers have given to this country for nearly two centuries.”