BBC at 12:18 GMT, Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Gurkhas demand government action
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Former Gurkha soldiers who are fighting for the right to settle in the UK are seeking a High Court injunction to force the government to take action.
Last September, the court ruled that immigration rules denying Gurkhas who retired before 1997 an automatic right to stay in the UK were unlawful.
Campaigners complain the cases of more than 1,300 Gurkhas wanting to settle in Britain are still awaiting reviews.
The Home Office has said it is preparing guidance for the reviews.
Campaigner Joanna Lumley, the actress, said: "The way that successive governments have treated Gurkhas who retired before 1997 is truly offensive and a stain on our national character.
"These are men who have served in the British Army, sometimes for 20 years and more.
"Many have actually seen active service and some have won our country's highest honours for valour and service, yet the government claims they 'do not have a strong enough link to the UK' to have the right to live here with us in the land they have defended with such loyalty."
Ms Lumley's father fought with the Gurkhas in World War II.
"We want the High Court to say that the new policy must be applied forthwith, immediately," she said.
Embarrassment
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8014265.stm
