Buoyed by the support it received from the political and government leadership, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday wrote to the British government, urging it to 'consider, respect and fulfil' demands put forth by the Gurkha community living in the United Kingdom.

As part of their 'Gurkha Satyagraha' movement, the Gurkha families were all set to launch a relay hunger strike in front of the British Prime Minister's office in 10 Downing Street in London on Thursday. Hours before the scheduled protest on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry here sent separate letters to the British government through the London-based Nepali mission and the British Embassy in Kathmandu. The community has demanded an end to the 'discriminatory' pension system in the British Armed Forces. It says the Gurkhas are not paid on a par with British soldiers. The Gurkhas are also demanding implementation of a UK court's verdict that said children of former Gurkhas and above 18 years should be given settlement rights in the UK, while the welfare benefits given to the Gurkhas should be equal to those received by British soldiers.

"If these demands are not met or if the UK government fails to come up with some concrete commitments by November 7, we will stage a fast-unto-death," said Deputy Coordinator of the 'Satyagraha,' Bhim Bahadur Tawa Limbu, who, along with other Gurkha leaders, is currently in Kathmandu to drum up political support.

The visiting Gurkha leaders told top government officials that they are expecting a 'positive effort' from the government this time around.

"We met the President (Ram Baran Yadav), government chairman (Khil Raj Regmi), the foreign minister, the chief secretary and top leaders of major political parties and we found them very supportive," Limbu said.

The Gurkhas began their 'satyagraha' on April 24, while they have served a six-month ultimatum to the David Cameron government.

The British Prime Minister's office recently wrote two letters to the Gurkhas, assuring them that it will look into the matter, while it also lent support to the 'satyagraha' movement.

Published on: 25 October 2013 | The Kathmandu Post