When the US was engaged in a bitter battle in Laos, during the so-called Secret War, they enlisted the help of one of the country’s indigenous groups, the Hmong, in fighting the communist Pathet Lao. Thousands of Hmong fell, but before going in to war, all had been promised that they would be taken care of by the US when conflict came to a close.
The US did not live up to this promise. As a result, many of those who fought – and their descendants – have been hunted ever since. Maimed, tortured and murdered, those remaining have been forced to retreat to Laos’ inhospitable highlands. But their chances of survival do not look good. The Hmong have been, essentially, abandoned by the US.
This abandonment has left a bloody legacy bubbling forth, and it is the memory of this that was evoked when I read that Gurkhas have finally been granted the right to retire in the UK. The fact that they had to fight so bitterly for this right, however, rather disgusts me.
Back in my homeland of Hong Kong, Gurkhas are highly respected and certainly during Britain’s occupation of HK, were well taken care of (their base was in HK up until the 1997 handover). Their work included patrolling the border between HK and China as it was then, but many also did security work for the Government. For men known for their fighting, I honestly think it would be hard to find a gentler type of human being. The Gurkhas I know, anyway, are of a wonderfully friendly and humble disposition. Today, a number of these men still remain in HK. But there are those who fought for the British who were seeking to live out the rest of their days in the country for which they put their lives on the line. Imagine how insulted these men must have felt upon initially being refused visas ‘because they couldn’t prove they had strong links to Britain’.
So it’s with relief that the news has come in that the High Court has overturned this frankly absurd ruling. It’s just a shame that the US hasn’t done enough to protect the very people who battled on their behalf – toward a war that was to leave the US hanging its head in defeat.
Read this.
And look at Philip Belnkinsop’s photos here
