Britain's Himalayan mercenaries

POKHARA, Nepal – Ayo Gurkhali! It is an ancient battle cry that has terrified the enemies of the British Empire from the heady days of the East India Company to the more recent battles over the Falkland Islands, a cry that proudly identifies the famed mercenary soldiers known as the Gurkhas.

"To gain acceptance into the 3,700-strong British Gurkha Brigade is a sign of both prestige and financial success," said Lavlit Shrestha, a farmer who lives outside Pokhara. Shrestha, who stands 5 feet 4 inches, like most Gurkha men, wants his 15-year-old son Narayan to pass the upcoming Gurkha selection course and become a British soldier.

The Gurkhas are a regional ethnic group in Nepal who live in the rural foothills of the Himalayas.

"My son is strong," boasted Shrestha. "He has been cultivating the fields on our farm and taking the sheep and goats up and down the mountains. I think he would make a fine soldier one day."

The Gurkhas fight for foreign armies and empires. Between 1815 and 1947, the UK was the main outlet for Gurkha soldiering. More recently, the Gurkhas have served in U.N. peacekeeping missions in East Timor, Rwanda and Lebanon. They also serve as bodyguards for the Sultan of Brunei, one of the richest men in the world.

After India was partitioned in 1947, the Gurkhas slowly began to branch out. During the Cold War, they continued to serve the Crown, fighting communist insurgency on the Malay Peninsula and in the Falklands. A contingent of Gurkhas was based in Hong Kong until the 1997 handover to communist China.

Even today, the nation of India maintains no less than 46 Gurkha battalions (about 40,000 men), many of them eager to square off against Muslim Pakistan. India recruits over 2,000 Gurkhas per year, about 10 times more than the British army. In India, the Gurkhas become jawans, regular Indian troops.

"Nepal is a Hindu nation, and thus we have certain religious and cultural ties with India. The Nepal government has stated that Gurkhas can never be deployed for combat against other Hindus," Shrestha told WorldNetDaily.

While largely Hindu, the Gurkha religion also contains elements of Buddhism (which comes from neighboring Tibet) and animism.

The Gurkhas are a tribal people, which suits the ethos of the British army.

David Lee, commander of British Army Training Support Unit in Belize told WorldNetDaily, "The British are tribal in nature. The soldiers in our units will most likely spend their entire military career with the same peers."

Making the grade

During a recent trip to Pokhara, WorldNetDaily met several Gurkha families who were eager to see their children join the British army. The young Gurkhas told WorldNetDaily they want to fight with the British forces to earn money for their families, see the world and make their parents proud of them.

The young men are brought to "tryouts" or physical inspections resembling a cattle market by "gallahwallahs" or "agents." The British army maintains about 70 gallahwallahs to comb the Nepalese countryside in search of promising recruits. Cities like Kathmandu are avoided. The Brits want only rugged, though diminutive, mountain people to try out.

A gallahwallah might bring about 75 youngsters to a selection tryout camp. Only 10 percent will be selected to continue on in the process of joining the British army. The competition is ruthless. Gurkha teens will be required to do 25 sit-ups on an incline board in only one minute, then more than 10 pull-ups. Running is also required – a 1.5-kilometer run in under nine minutes. Recruits then must carry 70 pounds of rocks in a backpack up a steep mountain track.

These physical tests are done in plain view of the townsfolk, who jeer those who fail and cheer those who pass. Those teens who have the needed physical strength will then have their lung capacity, eyes and teeth checked by a medical team. Their bodies are measured, and a plethora of issues are addressed. Are they literate, colorblind and free of disease? How do their X-rays look?

Cpl. Steven Johnson, a British soldier who has served active duty with the Gurkhas in the Balkans, told WorldNetDaily, "The Gurkhas are excellent soldiers, but they are not known for their independent thinking."

Between 1816 and 1951, Nepal closed its borders to the world. Only the British were allowed in. Thus, the UK gained a near monopoly on the services of the Gurkhas.

The Gurkhas served the British army in every corner of the globe, in both world wars and during the colonial expansion and contraction of the Empire. Gurkha soldiers took part in military operations in India, Burma, China, South Africa, Malaysia, Cyprus, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Palestine and France.

Gurkhas in rocking chairs

Most Gurkhas join the British army at a young age; 15 is the average. They serve until they are 33 years old. The government of Nepal receives 9 million pounds annually in pension money from the UK in exchange for the Gurkhas' services, and another 2.5 million pounds for social programs.

However, while that might be a king's ransom in Nepal, a poor country whose largest sources of revenue are tourism and Gurkha mercenary monies, all are not happy with the arrangement.

Recently, Lance Cpl. Hari Thapa, a retired Gurkha, sued the Ministry of Defense in London for "racial descrimination." Thapa's lawyers believe he deserves the same pension and retirement facilities as his British military peers. The lawyers now are asking for 43,000 pounds in back pay.

The Gurkhas are paid less, but the cost of retirement in Nepal is a lot less than in the UK.

Thapa's pension gives him 58 pounds per month. A British soldier receives 450 pounds per month. The UK Commission on Racial Equality has opined that under the 1976 Racial Relations Act, the Gurkhas are entitled to the same pension and retirement benefits – including the rite to reside in the UK – as regular British soldiers. British actress Joanna Lumley, the daughter of a Gurkha soldier, has spearheaded the public relations campaign on the issue.

Gurkhas who relocate to the UK already receive a compensation increase. The pension rate, however, remains fixed.

One British army officer, who asked that his name not be used, told WorldNetDaily that Thapa's case is a landmark one.

"If Thapa wins his court case," he said, "more than 30,000 ex-Gurkhas and about 6,000 widows of Gurkhas will be able to sue for more money. That would mean the Ministry of Defense would have to pay out over 2 billion pounds. Where is that money going to come from? The Gurkhas signed a contract which provided them more money than the average Nepalese person could ever dream of. Now they want to break that promise. Fair or unfair, a man's word is his bond. It is to me, personally, a black eye on their fine record and political correctness run amok."

The Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organization has filed a writ with the Supreme Court of Nepal, asking that Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs begin negotiations with the British government on the issue.