Tul Bahadur Pun - Immigration Controversy

Immigration Controversy

In later life Mr Pun suffered from ill-health, including heart problems, asthma and diabetes. He had difficulties getting medical attention and the medical supplies in Nepal, which were needed to keep him alive. He lived at the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal at 4,000 feet. His house has no proper roof, no electricity, and no running water. In a statement given to his solicitors, Howe & Co, of Ealing, West London, Mr Pun stated that his home had no sanitation and that he was therefore obliged to dig a hole in the surrounding fields in order to pass as a toilet. He told the British press that he was in constant fear of landslides during the Nepalese monsoon season.

Mr Pun received a British Army pension of £132 (GBP) per month. In order to receive his monthly pension he had to be driven for three hours and then walk for one full day (being carried by two or three men in a wicker basket) to the Gurkha army camp at Pokhara. If he had ever failed to appear in person at the camp, he would not have received that month's pension.

Mr Pun applied in 2006 to the British Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal, for a visa to settle in the United Kingdom, particularly because of his ill-health and his desire to be with his veteran comrades in the United Kingdom. A British Entry Clearance Officer refused his application for settlement on the ground that he had "failed to demonstrate strong ties with the UK".

Pun then lodged an appeal against the immigration decision through his solicitors, Howe & Co. The immigration appeal was listed to be heard in August 2007 in London. On 1 June 2007, following widespread media publicity of the British public's support of Pun's case, the Asylum & Immigration Minister Liam Byrne announced:

Pun began his journey to Britain on 1 July 2007. Around one thousand people turned up to see him off. There were traditional Nepali bands outside his home and a motorcade of around 30-50 cars and motorbikes took him to the airport so he could fly to Kathmandu. One of those who turned up to say farewell was old Gurkha friend and fellow VC recipient Lachhiman Gurung, 90, who lost a hand to a Japanese grenade in 1945.

He finally arrived at London, Heathrow, on 4 July and was met with an official guard of honour. Col David Hayes, head of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, saluted him and said: "I wish to emphasise the manner in which he's revered by serving Gurkhas. His reputation goes before us into battle." Pun was then driven by limousine to a reception to meet hundreds of members of the public who had helped to bring him to Britain. The reception included many representatives from The Gurkha Ex-Servicemen's Organisation (GAESO)—and from the Army Rumour Service website.

Pun commented, "I have never had so much respect as in these two days, leaving Kathmandu and arriving in Britain."