Gurkhas fought for Britain. Now, with hunger strike, veterans say they are fighting for dignity

When Tikendra Dewan enlisted in the famed Gurkha brigade of the British army in the early 1970s, he was not thinking much about the future, let alone a comfortable retirement. Like many Nepalis who signed up to defend colonial Hong Kong, Dewan was drawn by the promise of adventure and the chance to see the world. But after devoting more than three decades of his life in service of queen and country, the 66-year-old veteran feels betrayed.

After Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule in 1997, its Gurkha brigade moved to Britain. Dewan left the service in 2002. He gets a monthly pension of about £900 (US$1,100) – half the amount received by native British soldiers who retired around the same time.

“We didn’t know anything about the terms and conditions of pay,” said Dewan, who now lives in Farnborough, about 65km southwest of London. “When you are young, you don’t bother about these things.”

Acclaimed for their military prowess, Gurkha veterans like Dewan are now waging one last battle for years of pension payments they insist are owed for their dedicated service. After years of failed negotiations – which have been prolonged by the uncertainty surrounding Brexit – campaigners are threatening to go on a hunger strike unless the British government addresses their grievances by October 24.

They are demanding Nepal and Britain enter a dialogue on the issue and announce the dates that discussions will take place. If not, they warn, Gurkhas will begin a “relay hunger strike” in which three of them would refuse food for a day over 13 days until their deadline of November 7. Gyanraj Rai, head of the Gurkha Satyagraha Struggle Committee, is even threatening to strike until death after that date.