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| India-Pakistan |
| Kidnapped British army officer set free |
| 2003-10-21 |
| Update to yesterday’s post. Slightly EFL. A British army officer and his four Nepalese helpers who were kidnapped by Maoist rebels in Nepal have been set free. All five men are reported to be unharmed. They have been in contact with the district headquarters, said Prem Narayan Sharma, chief of Baglung district. They were left by the rebels at a school at Bihu village, near the area where they were first taken away. Sharma said he expected them to reach the district headquarters later. It is about three hours drive to the nearest airport at Pokhara from the district headquarters. Hundreds of soldiers and police had been deployed in the area and were scouring the rough terrain on foot in a hunt to look for the abducted men. It was the first time the rebels had abducted a foreigner since their insurgency began in 1996. The rebels want to abolish Nepal’s constitutional monarchy and set up a communist state, and cite Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong as their The British officer was trekking in the area, recruiting young Nepalese men to work as Gurkha soldiers in the British army. The rebels are opposed to Nepalese men working for foreign armies and call them mercenaries. The British Embassy in Katmandu has also confirmed that the team of five British Gurkhas had been in contact but said they are waiting for information. |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
| #14 Is Britain a bogeyman for the left-field herd in the States at the moment? I'm getting that impression from carefully reading between the lines of some otherwise-deceptively balanced and thoughtful posts like those of NMM, Steverossa/stradamus/Robinson. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-10-22 1:07:11 PM |
| #13 I get it, you're a Provo. |
| Posted by: Paul Moloney 2003-10-22 9:19:27 AM |
| #12 Yep, the typical British plan--get their colonials to do their dirty work then screw them on pensions, etc. Fuck the UK--they are the ignorant bastards that have created the mess in the ME with their drunken carving up of territories into unviable states--now Americans are losing their lives to correct their idiocy--and we need the UK for? Their great dental skills? The bastards are still illegally occupying Ireland--YEARS later! The only thing keeping us in alliance with their creaking joke of a class laden "democracy" is the mutual corporate interests that pull the strings in Parliament and the US House |
| Posted by: NotMikeMoore 2003-10-21 11:33:06 PM |
| #11 Bulldog, A major problem that the CPA is having is that the indiginous force doesn't have the quality in the middle ranks. A permanent presence of capable sgt's that speak the local language ought not to be the problem in Nepal. I posted once that I respected the warlike nature of several cultures throughout the world. The Ghurkas was one of those I mentioned as high quality fighters. My assertion was met with a less than positive reception, the first time. I make it again, none the less. If Nepal can produce a high quality, diciplined mercenary soldier, the world need that type of person in many places. That should be to Neplas national benefit. Your description of the respect that the retired Ghurkas enjoy should be a good thing. |
| Posted by: Steve D 2003-10-21 7:09:45 PM |
| #10 The British Parliment justed stiffed the Ghurkas on retirement pay. I think some renegotiations are in order. The retireees would make an awful good reserve force. Gurkhas do get lower retirement pay than reulgar British forces, which is arguably unfair, but considering the fact that the vast majority return to Nepal in retirement, their income and savings are still astronomical compared to the local average. Bear in mind that Nepal is one of the very poorest nations on earth. Considering the relative difference in the cost of living in Britain and Nepal, the different pay is justifiable (Gurkhas are not granted British citizenship, even after a full career, IIUC). If you visit Pokhara, you'll see multi-storey hotels dotting the town's lakeside are - all built by Gurkha retirees doing well for themselves and which should be doing a good job boosting the local economy (if it weren't for the Maoists). Compared to the income of the majority of Gurkha 'mercenaries,' who are in fact employed by India, British Gurkha retirees are kings in their community. Unfortunately, the retirees are actually targetted by Maoists, especially those who live outside of towns. They are regularly effectively mugged of their pensions. Might be time for the Nepali government to 'invite' the Brits to help them -- a couple of Brit officers and a regiment of Ghurkas would fix the problems in a year's time, but only if they're allowed to do the job properly. The Nepali government have invited assistance from western governments, including Britain and the US. I'm not sure whether active assistance has been provided/promised, but some weaponry, including helicopters, has. SH, the problem is that the Nepalese haven't been doing squat with the Maoists. Corruption, nepotism, incompetence, etc. have allowed the Maoists to run free. Mainly true. The government has made little effort to fight smart as regards the insurgency, and has failed to recapture hearts and minds of those now living in Maoist-controled territory (most of the country by land area). Government troops have been heavy handed and brutal, though the Maoists are far worse. The Maoists regularly execute those who oppose them, as examples to others in rural communities. The govermnent forces need to take the fight to the Maoists rather than fight a defensive battle which gives the insurgents the advantage. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-10-21 6:31:01 PM |
| #9 I stand deliciously corrected - off to Starbucks. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-10-21 4:28:26 PM |
| #8 Carmel is a city near Monterey, SH. Possibly you meant caramel... ;> (nit;pick) |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-10-21 3:14:37 PM |
| #7 Then the Nepalese government has an untapped assett that it can exploit for fixing its current problem and to provide hard currency in the world market. The fact that the UK pays a lower retirement to Gurkhas may work to the advantage of Nepal ... if they would wake the hell up and sample the carmel machiato in the near future. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-10-21 12:57:21 PM |
| #6 SH, the problem is that the Nepalese haven't been doing squat with the Maoists. Corruption, nepotism, incompetence, etc. have allowed the Maoists to run free. This shouldn't happen. Might be time for the Nepali government to 'invite' the Brits to help them -- a couple of Brit officers and a regiment of Ghurkas would fix the problems in a year's time, but only if they're allowed to do the job properly. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-10-21 12:32:20 PM |
| #5 Old Patriot, Nepal should be one place in the world where you can immediately outfit a national army with effective Junior Officers & Enlisted. Once the Maoists are mopped up there are some places in Africa that could use an effective security force. The British Parliment justed stiffed the Ghurkas on retirement pay. I think some renegotiations are in order. The retireees would make an awful good reserve force. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-10-21 11:18:05 AM |
| #4 Perhaps Britain should "lend" Nepal their batallion of Gurkhas, and send a few dozen SAS people to train the Nepalese Army in special weapons and tactics. I'm sure THAT will totally mess up the Maoists day as well. There's also the possibility of having the retirees from the Gurkha batallion give their native country a hand. I think the Maoists would be climbing Everest in their birthday suits to leave Nepal if something like that happened. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-10-21 11:06:23 AM |
| #3 That has to be the World's Indoor Record for hostage release times. Apparently these bad guys have a better understanding of cause and effect. |
| Posted by: Matt 2003-10-21 10:52:29 AM |
| #2 Yeap,the Gurkas are some of the meanest,baddest troops on the planet.Got cool knives too. |
| Posted by: Raptor 2003-10-21 9:38:40 AM |
| #1 The terrs probably had a classic "Oh shit!" moment. They would have been facing the Gurkas hunting them, and that would have been a very bad thing. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2003-10-21 8:38:47 AM |