More woes for Tul Bahadur Pun

Tul bahadur Pun is a Gurkha war, one of a handful of living recipients of the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest award for valour. Two months ago there was a furore the refusal to grant him a visa to settle in the UK. Following a huge outcry the decision was subsequently overturned and he was granted residence in the UK (see my earlier posts here and here. According to today’s Observer he may may be forced to leave Britain because he cannot survive on his meagre army pension, despite recently winning a legal battle for the right to stay.

Now he fears he will be forced to return to Nepal because he and his family are struggling on his annual army pension of £1,584. His lawyer believes he will certainly die if forced to return to Nepal because of the standard of Nepalese medical care. Pun suffered a mild stroke last Sunday and is recovering in hospital. Pun was awarded the VC after single-handedly storming Japanese machine-gun positions during the Second World War. Despite his valour, he was barred from Britain because officials concluded that he did not have 'strong ties with the UK'. The elderly Gurkha has heart problems, asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure and requires daily medication which is not always available in Nepal.

Gordon Brown was made aware of Pun's plight when they met three weeks ago. The Gurkha told him he was struggling to support his wife and son at their home in Hounslow, west London. Pun’s lawyer, Martin Howe, has contacted Treasury solicitors, but no increase has been forthcoming. Pun receives £132 a month, around a quarter of the average British army pension. In addition, he receives £1,500 a year as a Victoria Cross winner. Howe said: 'Whether he can stay here depends on financial considerations and, sadly, after just arriving he might be forced to leave. Gurkhas are living on pensions paid on the basis they are in the 12th-poorest country, Nepal, while the reality is Pun is living in the fourth-richest economy.

His plight coincides this week with the beginning of the first of 2,000 cases of former Gurkhas, many of them also decorated and conflict veterans, appealing against the government's decision to prevent them from living in Britain. Among the cases to be heard this week is that of Corporal Gyanendra Rai, a decorated Falklands hero who suffered terrible injuries at Bluff Cove. Immigration officials fear the 51-year-old will try to stay here if he is granted a visitor's visa for specialised NHS treatment. The ex-machine gunner and father-of-five is in constant pain after his back was hit by shrapnel. Lance-Corporal Birendra Man Shrestha served in the 1991 Gulf War and was decorated three times for bravery.

'These people spilt their blood and guts for Britain,' added Howe. 'They were willing to die for us, but they are now not good enough for us to offer them a place to live.' Most Gurkha visa applicants are refused, despite paying £500 in Nepal to apply. Howe cited one case involving the winner of a Military Cross who was paralysed serving in the armed forces: 'He has not even applied for a visa to help his treatment because he cannot afford it.'

What can you say? I say let them come.

Granted Entry: Tulbahadur Pun VC

Victoria Cross winner Tul Bahadur Pun has been given the right to live in the UK. 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".

"This decision was not taken lightly and reflects the extraordinary nature of this case, in particular Mr Pun's heroic record in service of Britain which saw him awarded the Victoria Cross," Mr Byrne said. "It is entirely right that this record should not only be recognised but honoured. We have also taken into consideration his current medical condition."

One word: Good.

Refused entry: Tulbahadur Pun VC

On 7 November 1944 the London Gazette carried the Victoria Cross citation for a 21 year old Gurkha Tulbahadur Pun. The citation is set out at the bottom of this post but in short he attacked and destroyed two Japanese machine gun emplacements despite being seriously wounded. Needless to say my précis does not go close to describing his bravery.

One would have thought that such bravery would stand him in good stead when applying as an ill old man for permission to live in the UK. However, his application has been refused by Entry Clearance officials in Nepal. One of the grounds cited for refusal was that he failed to demonstrate strong ties with the UK. Lawyers acting for Mr Pun will appeal his case before the immigration courts in London in August.

Pun suffers from a range of serious health problems, must hope he can survive the intervening months in his ramshackle home in Nepal 4,000 feet up a mountain. He has a heart condition, poor eyesight, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure and he requires daily medication - which is not always available where he lives - to survive.

He receives a £132 a month British Army pension and wants to move to Britain for the sake of his failing health. Among the reasons given for the refusal to let him ender the UK was that he had "not produced satisfactory evidence" that he had a "chronic or long term medical condition" and that treatment here would significantly improve his quality of life.

Explaining his reasons for the application, he said: "I take a substantial amount of medication daily, without which I would die. There is not always a constant supply. When it runs out I feel vulnerable. There are no doctors or nurses, no medical outposts. I wish to settle in the UK to have better access to medication, care and support from doctors and nurses."

Pun has to travel from his remote home once a month to collect his pension - which pays for his medication. It involves a day's walk - and as he is unable to walk that far, he has to be carried in a basket by several men.

His Ealing-based solicitor Martin Howe said former Gurkhas like Mr Pun have to show "strong reasons", which can include medical needs and family ties, why they should be allowed into the UK. He criticised Government officials in Nepal for being "too formulaic" in their approach to applications from brave old soldiers. "They don't take into account the dignity and valour of these people. This man's conduct has been exemplary and he was prepared to lay down his life in defence of Britain."

This post is based on an article in the Mail and it is not often I agree with that ugly little rag. In this case I agree wholeheartedly. Tulbahadur Pun was an astonishingly brave man who fought in defence of the UK and its interests during WWII, gaining the highest award for bravery that this country can award. If there ever was a man who should be given carte blanche to become a drain on the public purse then it is Mr Pun. The decision of the Entry Clearance Officer is not surprising but is still utterly crass. Mr Pun should be admitted forthwith on compassionate grounds.


The Citation

"The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the VICTORIA CROSS to :- No. 10119 Rifleman Tullbahadur Pun, 6th Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army. In Burma on June 23rd, 1944, a Battalion of the 6th Gurkha Rifles was ordered to attack the Railway Bridge at Mogaung. Immediately the attack developed the enemy opened concentrated and sustained cross fire at close range from a position known as the Red House and from a strong bunker position two hundred yards to the left of it. So intense was this cross fire that both the leading platoons of 'B' Company, one of which was Rifleman Tul Bahadur Pun's, were pinned to the ground and the whole of his Section was wiped out with the exception of himself, the Section commander and one other man. The Section commander immediately led the remaining two men in a charge on the Red House but was at once badly wounded. Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun and his remaining companion continued the charge, but the latter too was immediately wounded. Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun then seized the Bren Gun, and firing from the hip as he went, continued the charge on this heavily bunkered position alone, in the face of the most shattering concentration of automatic fire, directed straight at him. With the dawn coming up behind him, he presented a perfect target to the Japanese. He had to move for thirty yards over open ground, ankle deep in mud, through shell holes and over fallen trees. Despite these overwhelming odds, he reached the Red House and closed with the Japanese occupations. He killed three and put five more to flight and captured two light machine guns and much ammunition. He then gave accurate supporting fire from the bunker to the remainder of his platoon which enabled them to reach their objective. His outstanding courage and superb gallantry in the face of odds which meant almost certain death were most inspiring to all ranks and beyond praise."