A former Gurkha who won the Victoria Cross, fighting FOR Britain, has been given the right to live in the UK.Tul Bahadur Pun, 84, wanted to move from Nepal for medical reasons but had been told he was unable to demonstrate strong enough British ties.
Immigration Minister Liam Byrne has now said his case is "exceptional" and he will be granted a visa due to a "heroic record in the service of Britain".
Former Rifleman Mr Pun was awarded his medal for World War II action in Burma. After the rest of his section, the 3rd Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles, had been killed, he carried out a solo attack on a machinegun post.
Actress Joanna Lumley backed Mr Pun's campaign to live in the UK because she said he risked his life to rescue her father.
More than 12,000 people signed a petition on the Downing Street website calling on the prime minister "to immediately and retrospectively give all Gurkha servicemen and their immediate families past and present British citizenship".
Not quite the same thing but I remember returning from holiday and Passport Control at Glasgow got shirky with me because I couldn't find my passport. The shirkier they got, the angrier I got. I then pointed out that I lived here and asked what they'd do if I could never find my passport. I was surprised when they said, "We'll just let you through... because you're holding up the bloody queue".
ReplyDeleteI think my accent did it for them.
ROFL !
ReplyDeleteMy first trip to The States , when asked for my green card, I couldn't find it. The woman explained I needed it to re-enter the uk, I got flustered saying something silly like ... "But I'm British! I live there !"
Thinking on I should have told them I lived in Hawaii, like in that cider advert. I always wanted to get deported there.