AFP/London
British actress Joanna Lumley launched an appeal yesterday to raise £10 million for elderly Gurkha soldiers living in poverty in Nepal, in a campaign supported by Prince Charles.
Lumley, who helped persuade Britain earlier this year to change its policy on allowing Gurkha veterans to settle here, said the country owes a “debt of honour” to the ageing fighters.
The fund, worth $16 million, would provide monthly welfare payments, medical care and community projects for 10,000 Gurkha veterans and the widows of those who fought with the British in World War II.
The campaign, launched with the Gurkha Welfare Trust, claims that the veterans, many of them war wounded, are surviving on little more than £30 a month.
“Our debt of honour to the Gurkhas remains. They helped fight our wars and keep our peace.
They stood up for us and now is the time to stand up for them,” said Lumley, launching the ‘debt of honour’ campaign in London. The actress, star of hit British television shows Absolutely Fabulous and The New Avengers, added: “There are 10,000 very elderly veterans in Nepal who need our support right now.”
Lumley, whose father was a British major in the Gurkha Rifles, has long campaigned for improved rights for Nepalese soldiers who fought with the British, and led their victory in May in securing the right to settle here. Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, is among those backing the latest campaign for what he described as the “gallant” Gurkha veterans. In a message of support, he wrote: “These projects will help ensure these wonderfully loyal and courageous men receive the support they so deserve.”
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