KATHMANDU, Nov. 8: The United British Gurkhas Ex-Servicemen’s Association Nepal (UBGEAN) on Tuesday blamed Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen Organisation (GAESO) for betraying the modest ex-Gurkha armymen.

In an interaction programme at the Reporters’ Club, Prem Rai, chairman of UBGEAN, crticised GAESO for continuously collecting donations and dearth of transparency.

Rai said that GAESO betrayal had crossed its limits as they hired the lawyer from the law firm, which had been fighting the case against the ex-Gurkha and hiding the documents and copies of the decision.

Likewise, GAESO had dropped the right to equality for Gurkhas working in the British army and accepted the ‘fair’ pension facility as per the British government decision, he said. Rai said that the deceiving character had further hurt them when the discussant group of UBGEAN was attacked in Dharan on 23rd October and where one of the members Gyanraj Rai was hurt. “The incident has hurt the sentiments and affected the unity of the ex-Gurkhas.”

Talking to The Rising Nepal, Mahendra Lal Rai, secretary of GAESO, dismissed the charges made by UBGEAN. He said that the organisation like UBGEAN is a politically motivated one.

Rai instead blamed them for being a puppet working as per the directions of British officers commanding Brigade of Gurkhas. Talking about the incident of attack at Dharan, he said that it was a mass that attacked them not the members of the GAESO. Being an organisation that is working with the spirit to support human rights how can we resort to such an act, he questioned.

To a query on corruption charges, Rai said the report of International Fact Finding Committee will soon be made public and the real culprit will be unmasked.

Likewise, Rai said if GAESO had done nothing how could the victims of the Second World War get the compensation.

Speaking at the programme, former parliamentarian Birendra Keshari Pokhrel, asked the government to take the issue seriously. “The British government talks about human rights but is violating it and not guaranteeing equal pay for equal work,” Pokharel said. Responding to the queries, Bhupendra Nembang Limbu vice secretary of UBGEAN said that more than Rs.150 million had been misappropriated and added that the lobbying of GAESO for equal rights would not continue.

Limbu said that when the ex-Gurkha armies are fighting for their rights to equality how could they compromise for 165 pounds.

source: http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/pageloader.php?file=2005/11/09/topstories/main12