They have once again proved to the world what they are in handling crisis situations!

With the escalating tensions in Libya crisis, security forces of various countries have started stepping off the battle ground and out of Libya.

But the Nepali peacekeepers did not..

Nepali Relentless Fighters Stand Out!

Despite other countries’ forces stepping back, Nepali peacekeepers, deployed as blue helmets, did not turn back from guarding the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the region.

“Though the mission has started sending some of the officials to Tunisia, the Nepali force is providing security to the mission staff and its headquarters,” the Tripoli-based UN Mission said in an official statement.

As of April 09, 2019, a total of 231 Nepali peacekeeping forces have been on ground and there are no immediate plans to send them back, the Nepal Army said in a statement.

American troops have already been evacuated to the neighboring African nations considering the security threat, while India also withdrew its contingent of 15 special peacekeepers.

An Italian oil company operating in the region has also called off its Italian personnel from the war-torn Tripoli.

According to Brigadier General Yam Dhakal, Nepal Army Spokesperson, the Nepali team did not think of withdrawing troops and UN is also willing to increase or decrease the number of troops.

“The Nepali Peacekeepers have been given additional responsibility of guarding the UN peace mission as well as its staff there. As of now, all 231 Nepali peacekeepers are safe and they have been given the order to shoot to defend,” Dhakal said in a statement.

The tensions began with Libyan military strongman Haftar calling on for an assault on the capital earlier this week challenging international calls for negotiations.

Haftar’s supporters raged a clash against pro-government forces in south and west of Tripoli causing serious tensions.

Also Read

• UK Govt. Hikes Gurkha Pensions, Welcomes More Recruits

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The veterans openly rejected the UK Government’s offer of rise in pensions for the Brigade of Gurkhas who joined the service before 2007.

The British Minister of State for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster announced a rise in support package for 22,000 Gurkha veterans and their families.

 “The veterans, who all joined the Brigade of Gurkhas before 2007, will benefit from a GBP 15 million (NPR 2.2 billion) increase in the Gurkha Pension Scheme. While the increased remuneration will vary depending on an individual’s circumstances, veterans could receive increases of up to 34 percent in their pensions and with the increases being backdated to January 01, 2016, Gurkha pensioners will receive a total of GBP 46m (NPR 6.7 billion) extra this financial year,” the British Government said in a statement on March 07, 2019.

Calling that as a ‘piecemeal approach’, veterans said the offer is not in line with actual findings of the tripartite technical committee report submitted last year.

Nepal and UK governments, last year, submitted a tripartite technical committee report compiled by a panel of members from the two governments and representatives of the Gurkha veterans.

“As we have been demanding, a high-level committee should be formed to implement the report and in line with its recommendation, all pension schemes and other facilities should be available. Otherwise, such a piecemeal approach is not acceptable to us,” says Krishna Bahadur Rai, Chairman of the Gurkha Satyagraha Committee, the umbrella organization of agitating Gurkha veterans.

Expressing their demand, the veterans also wrote separate letters to the Prime Ministers of both the nations to address gaps.

The UK Government’s decision is coming a week after Lancaster’s recent visit to Nepal, where he presented the annual report of the Brigade of Gurkhas to the President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

Rai urged both the governments to respect the 1947 tripartite agreement between Nepal, India and British governments.

The agreement mentions all aspects of remuneration, facilities and pension scheme to Nepali citizens working in British and Indian Armies to be similar to the British and Indian nationals.

“The announcement made by the British government does not meet our demands and does not make us equal to the British nationals working in the UK Army. Since there is an acceptable report submitted to both governments last year, now the onus lies on Nepal government to form a dialogue team,” said S B Ghising, General Secretary of Former Gurkhas Joint Satyagraha Struggle Committee.

Ghising informed that the group stands against the new decision and is planning a new protest program on March 18, 2019.

Stay tuned for more Nepal’s breaking news!

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Towards this end, the government is investing a sum of GBP 15 million!

With this implementation, the average Gurkha pension will come to around NPR 730,000 per year, along with improving their living standards and pensions over a lifetime compared to their British counterparts in similar service.

In addition, the UK Government has also decided to add GBP 25 million (NPR 3.6 billion) to the Gurkha Welfare Trust in Nepal towards healthcare support to Gurkhas over the next 10 years period.

The British Government has also given relief to veteran Gurkha soldiers. It said that soldiers with more than 4-year service relieved from duties before 1997 can settle in UK while also receiving welfare and medical support.

“It isn’t possible to meet the expectations of everyone. But having listened intently to veterans concerns I believe there is more we can do. So today I announce a significant uplift to Gurkha pension provision,” said March Lancaster, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces in UK in an article titled ‘Announcement for Gurkhas’.

Lancaster denied with media reports saying that ‘every soldier joining the Gurkha Brigade since 2007 followed similar terms and conditions as their British counterparts, including pay and pension.

Whereas, those before 2007 were on different system for some good reasons, the official explains.

“Under the 1947 Tripartite Agreement between the UK, Nepal, and India, Gurkha regiments became part of the British and Indian Armies. This agreement reflected the circumstances of the time and significantly, such terms of service were voluntarily accepted. But the fairness also worked both ways. Before 1975 British personnel serving less than 22 years received no pension,” reads a statement by Lancaster.

He added that the pensions to Gurkha soldiers increased at a rate greater than British Army.

“Most Gurkhas had begun to receive theirs in their 30s. Over the years Gurkha pensions have been steadily increasing, often at a much faster rate than British pensions,” he added.

Meanwhile, the British Army has also agreed to a significant rise in the number of Gurkha recruits. Instead of 320 (initially), considered as the biggest number in 33 years, the Gurkha Company can now recruit over 400.

This decision is coming after a steep decline in the number of recruits by the British Army from within the UK.

Hope the new announcement gives due encouragement to the Gurkha Army and the community as a whole to plan their careers.

The British Army’s openness to allow more Gurkha recruits also lifts the reputation and demand for Gurkha soldiers at the global level! All the Best, the Relentless Fighters!

Follow us for more such interesting Nepal news updates!!!

Related News:

• UK-Nepal Discuss Ex-British Gurkha Soldiers Issues At Ministerial Level Meeting
• Matter of Pride: Nepal Women to Join Brigade of Gurkhas!

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Yes, that’s true! An uncompromised peace treaty in 1816 made Gurkhas compromise for the British Army and fight for it further. From then, serving in the two world wars till date, Gurkhas remained part of the British Army.

More than Gurkhas of Nepal, they became popular as the Brigade of Gurkhas in the British Army.

It’s really surprising to read that Gurkhas have been serving the British Crown for more than 200 years!

The post The Warriors Who Compromised! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Yes, we mean it! Despite its size, the country is undoubtedly the ‘savior’ for many world nations because of its unstoppable fighters, the almighty ‘Gurkhas’!

Nepali Gurkhas have been at their best in safeguarding various world governments and their high-level officials including diplomats, special missions and various global-level conferences and meetings, that the nations paid high regard to.

Over the centuries, they have played vital role globally during world wars, cases of insurgency, among many other horrifying situations pertaining to national security.

The Rise of Gurkhas
Undoubtable loyalty, ferocity in fight and attitude in courage are some best words that can describe Nepali Gurkhas.  Over the centuries, they have literally marched from local to global level breaking the barriers. Diligent services by Gurkhas to various nations holds a sound historical background that dates back to 1814, the year that speaks of their heroic act!

That was the year when the British declared a war against the Gurkhas of Nepal leading to the Anglo-Nepalese war. The British East India company was expanding its wings beyond India and its neighbors then. That’s where the aggressive expansion of Gurkhas within Nepal worried the British.

By then, Gurkhas were already on success path laid by their annexing act across territories in the early 18^th and 19^th centuries and were on their way to finally form the Kingdom of Nepal.

Finally, with the help of thousands of Indian soldiers, British devised a strategy to divide Gurkhas and then attack them. In a devastating battle that witnessed ground-breaking revolt, the Gurkhas of Nepal rose to fame in 1814 for their straightforward answer to the British that eventually resulted the British losing out to the Gurkhas.

Following this, the British proposed an offer requesting Gurkhas to fight for them, which the Gurkhas had to accept under the uncompromised peace treaty in 1816.  After that, it’s known history that Gurkhas fought for the British in the two world wars, and eventually became key aspect of British Army.

Following Indian independence in 1947, the original ten Gurkha regiments were divided among the British Army and the new Indian Army. However, many of those Gurkhas who served both earlier finally chose their native Indian Army.

Today, Gurkhas serve across various nations such as their home country Nepal, Singapore, Brunei, US, Iraq and Afghanistan, among others. And, it would be really surprising to know that Gurkhas have been serving the British Crown since almost 200 years!

The Brigade of Gurkhas
The history of the Brigade of Gurkhas and their services to the world has a long history dating back to 1815, the year it began working with British.

Since then, the Brigade has been at its best in addressing global-level conflicts and peacekeeping operations, among other global-level security operations.

Though their focus was Far East prior to 1997, their base got shifted to the UK following Hong Kong’s annexation.

Some of the key units operating as the Brigade include:

• Royal Gurkha Rifles: Formed on July 1, 1994 as a combination of four Gurkha regiments- 2 GR, 6 GR, 7 GR and 10 GR, the Royal Gurkha Rifles is a team of two battalions and are famous for their operations across various locations such as Australia, Kenya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Bosnia and East Timor. The team currently has a jungle role Battalion with a permanent base in Brunei and a Light Role Battalion in the UK.
• The Queen’s Gurkha Engineers: Firstly, called as Sappers in October 1948, these Gurkhas provide engineering solutions to various force elements and indirect support to combat and military-civil transition & recovery operations.
• Queen’s Gurkha Signals (QGS): Formed during the Malayan Emergency to support the 17^th Gurkha Division, this team is a regular unit of Royal Corps of Signals that assists the British Army as one of its support combat arms.
• Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment: Formed in Singapore in 1958 as the Gurkha Army Service Corps, this team is one of the four Gurkha regiments serving the British Army and takes care of formation-level logistics within a theatre of operations.
• Gurkha Staff and Personnel Support: Formed on June 30, 2011 as Gurkha clerks, this team of Gurkhas provide HR, Personnel and Business Administration, Finance & Accounting and ICT support to the Brigade of Gurkhas at peacetime and during operations. 
• Band of The Brigade of Gurkhas: Raised in November 1859 as part of the Indian Army, this team of Gurkhas is a music band team with musicians recruited after a basic military training. The team has travelled across the world over the decades.
• Gurkha Recruitment: Gurkha soldiers are usually recruited from Nepal and getting into a Gurkha unit means competing with thousands on selection board.

Hill-men from Nepal and those hailing from the families of Gurung, Thapa, Pun or Magar in western Nepal and Rai or Limbus in the eastern part of the country hold high regard as suitable for Gurkha units. Even today, majority of the Gurkhas hail from the aforementioned family groups.

Gurkha selection process of is one of the toughest assignments in the world. If a participant wishes to get through Gurkha selection process, he will be expected to run uphill for 40 minutes with a wicker basket full of rocks weighing 70 lbs on back.

Gurkha ranks are majorly dominated by the aforementioned ethnic families or groups belonging to hilly regions of Nepal.

Nearly 28,000 youths take up the Gurkha selection procedure for just over 200 places, every year.

As of 2017, Gurkhas have their presence across various army departments such as Indian Army (nearly 42,000), British Army (around 3,600), Singapore Gurkha Contingent (around 2,000) and Brunei Gurkha Reserve Unit (nearly 500), among others.

What the World Says About Gurkhas?
Here are some of the world’s famous statements on Gurkhas:

 

If I had Gurkhas, no armies in the world will defeat me– Adolf Hitler

Bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had a country more faithful friends than you – Sir Ralph Turner MC, 3rd Queen Alexandra’s Own Gurkha Rifles, 1931.

They are tough, they are brave, they are durable, they are amenable to discipline – Tony Gould, Historian

They [the Gurkhas] are among the best Singapore can offer…They remain very much a substantial and frontline force, and the demands of this kind of event are precisely the sort of special operation that the Gurkhas are trained to handle. –  Tim Huxley, Expert, Singapore Armed Forces

Over the centuries, there are many other global personalities who always admired the Tough Gurkhas of Nepal!

Here are some interesting facts about Gurkhas that might surprise you:

• Gurkhas is the first army team chosen as police guards
• Gurkha is an unbeatable warrior at an average height of just 5.3 inches
• Lachhiman Gurung, the Gurkha team that drew fame from WW-2 for fierce war against more than 200 Japanese soldiers, with Gurung alone killing 31 soldiers
• Around 19000 Gurkha soldiers lost their lives fighting for British in various wars
• Gurkhas are an integral part of the British Army even today
• Gurkhas are warriors known for their loyalty, bravery and kind-heartedness
• Gurkhas play a key role in peacekeeping operations, globally
• Following their age-old tradition, every Gurkha carries an 18-inch-long curved knife called kukri during battles
• World Wars alone saw deaths of 43,000 Gurkhas; their population declined from 112,000 at the WW-II peak to around 3,500 as of 2010.
• World War-1 alone saw 20,000 Gurkha casualties with the group winning almost 2,000 awards for gallantry in the war
• Gurkha Welfare Trust has been working for the welfare of retired and their families since centuries
• A Gurkha soldier in WW2 defended his army troop against 200-member enemy troop for 4 hours, even after losing one of his hands in a grenade explode

Gurkhas in News
Gurkhas have been in news many times for their unique act. Let’s look at some global news Gurkhas were featured in,  over the period:

• Gurkhas Annual Golf Championship 2018: This is an annual sports event that features Golf sport within the Brigade of Gurkhas. The 2018 edition of the event was organized on June 28 at Weybrook Park Golf Course in Basingstoke. The championship was held to finalize the unit champion of the year and also to measure the status of Golf sport in the Gurkha Unit.
• Fight for UK Settlement: Retired Gurkhas have been in news over the years with regard to their settlement hardships. Financial hurdles, pensions post-retirement and right to settle in the UK have been some key concerns for many Gurkhas post-retirement. This has many times triggered debates between the UK Government and pro-Gurkha campaigners. Very recently in 2018, the issue rose to fame again with the British Actress Joanna Lumley coming onto the roads in support of their settlement.
• Safeguarding Key Events: Gurkhas have been featured in news very recently for their brave act in safeguarding the world’s most-awaited Trump-Kin meet. They also secured a renowned Singapore conference attended by various nations.
• Women to Join Brigade: In a first such decision in history, the UK Ministry of Defense has decided to recruit women for its infantry regiment into the Brigade of Gurkhas.

List not exhaustive! There are many success stories that speak of the bravery and loyalty of Gurkhas.

A famous saying about Gurkhas reads, “If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha.”

Long Live the Bravest of the Bravest!!!

The post Gurkhas of Nepal – Fierceness At its Best! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

With the slogan ‘Better to die than be a coward’, Nepali Gurkha soldiers have been at their best in safeguarding their nation and have wide reputation for their efforts over the years.

Impressed by their fighting abilities in Indian wars, British Army joined Nepali Gurkha soldiers under them for pay since 1815.

The post Army Known for its Courage appeared first on Nepali Sansar.