Gurkhas fight UK government

British Gurkha soldiers on patrol earlier this year in Kabul, Afghanistan

LONDON, England -- A group of former Gurkha soldiers have launched a legal claim for damages against the British government for discrimination.

Lawyers for the British Army's famous soldiers recruited in the mountains of Nepal submitted documents at London's High Court also alleging violation of human rights.

The Gurkhas say their people have been loyal servants of the British for 196 years -- losing between 50,000 and 60,000 lives in the process -- but have been treated "as inferior" when it comes to pay and conditions.

They also alleged they were required to carry out tasks humiliating for their rank.

The court must first decide whether there is a case for the UK government to answer -- a process expected to take several weeks.

Representing the Gurkhas is barrister Cherie Booth, who is a leading lawyer and the wife of Prime Minister Tony Blair.

British news reports said if the Gurkhas are successful, the case could cost the Ministry of Defence up to £2 million ($3 million) in costs and damages.

Bravery awards

Lawyers for the Gurkhas say serving soldiers were paid substantially less than other British soldiers and that more than 30,000 retired from service in the British Army without any pension or without an adequate pension, leaving them destitute in old age.

They are also seeking the right to compensation payments for 500 Gurkhas and their families held prisoner by the Japanese during World War II.

Padam Gurung, president of the Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen Association, said through an interpreter on the steps of the London Law Courts: "We have been struggling for six years making peaceful demands for equal treatment, but we have not been listened to by the British government.

"Our demands are basically for equality of treatment with other British soldiers in terms of pay and pensions and treatment of our families."

Gurkhas began serving the British in 1815 in India, and with Indian independence in 1947 became part of the British Army. Nearly 3,600 soldiers serve now, although a larger number join the Indian army.

Their fighting skills are legendary and many Gurkhas have won Britain's top bravery award, the Victoria Cross. In recent years Gurkhas have taken part in British operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone.

Their motto -- "Khathar hunnu bhanda marhu ramro" -- translates as: "It is better to die than live a coward."

In 1997, the army announced that Gurkha pay had been increased and that with allowances and grants it would equal pay for British soldiers. The Ministry of Defence says Gurkha pensions are now roughly equivalent to a third of the pensions for British soldiers and are adequate for retirees living in Nepal.

The cost of living in Nepal is much lower, but the ex-servicemen argue that the pension is still far too low. Lawyers for the Gurkhas cite the example of one World War II veteran receiving a pension of £25 ($37) a month.