Actress and activist Joanna Lumley Urged government Encounter “brave and loyal” people Gurkha Veterans are going on a hunger strike outside Downing Street on their pensions.
A group of Gurkha veterans outside of the 10th called for equal pensions for Gurkhas who retired before 1997 and were not eligible for the full pension of the British Armed Forces.
As of Sunday, the “Gurkhas who support us” protesters have entered their ninth day without meals.
In a statement on Saturday, the absolutely wonderful actress Lumley stated that the government “cannot praise our veterans as high heavens when it suits them, but if it doesn’t suit them, ignore them and condemn them for falling into poverty.”
Only a deep sense of injustice can drive these brave and respected souls to this step
The 75-year-old man led a campaign in 2009 to allow Gurkhas to obtain settlement rights in the UK. He was born in India and moved to the UK as a child. Her father was a major of the Gurkha rifle team.
She said: “Seeing such brave and loyal Gurkha British veterans feels that they have no choice but to take extreme hunger strikes. This makes the vast majority of the public who understand the special status of all veterans deeply disturbed. Our hearts, our thoughts and the life of the country.
“Only a deep sense of injustice can drive these brave and respected souls to this point. The core of this matter is how we value those made to protect our way of life and ensure our safety, sometimes Even the person who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“I urge the government to meet with these veterans and eliminate the quagmire of details surrounding the complexity of various pension plans and find some ways to resolve outstanding injustices.”
On Friday, the Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace Said he was happy to meet with the protesters, but warned that no government of “any skin color” had made retroactive changes to pensions similar to those called for by the protesters.
He told Sky News: “I am very happy to meet any Gurkhas. My father fought side by side with the Malayan Gurkhas in the 1950s. This is an amazing group of people.
“The current protesters are the groups affected by the changes in the Labor Party government from 1997 to 2003. This is about people who received pensions in 1947. This is a small group of Gurkha pensioners. They have different pensions. The advantage of the plan in that old plan.
“The plan says you got it 15 years later, and the British soldiers got it 22 years later, but there are differences, and they think they need to make up for the difference.
“This is different from the Gurkhas today or the Gurkhas after 2003. The pensions they receive are exactly the same as those of British employees, but of course, any government, Labour or Conservative party, or coalition of any color does not have the same pension. The pension has been changed retrospectively, but this is not the case.”
Approximately 200,000 Gurkhas, from Nepal They participated in two world wars and served in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Cyprus, Falkland Islands, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Those who served from 1948 to 2007 were members of the Gurkha Pension Plan until the then Labor Government eliminated the differences between the Gurkhas’ terms and conditions of service and their British counterparts.
Those serving in the Gurkhas and those serving on or after July 1, 1997 can choose to transfer to the Armed Forces Pension Plan.
This change was introduced after the revision of the immigration rules in 2007 and dates back to July 1997, which means that more retired Gurkhas may settle in the UK after being discharged from the hospital, compared to the previous pension plan’s interest rate Lower because it assumes that they will return to Nepal where the cost of living is significantly reduced.
