Long-time friend of Nepal wants poll in November KOSH RAJ KOIRALA KATHMANDU, Sept 2: Anthony E. Wieler first came to Nepal--the land of the Gurkhas -- in 1959 to trek in the hills. Then in his early 20s, this young Briton was moved by the plight of retired Gurkha servicemen and the widows and families of fallen Gurkhas, arousing in him a strong desire to do something for them. The miserable life of former Gurkhas and their dependants that he saw firsthand was just the opposite of what he had imagined during his 18-month National Service in the 7th Gurkha Rifles as a second-lieutenant. This eventually made him take the initiative to launch an appeal for funds that later turned into the Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWF). “We got 5,000 pounds from the Army Benevolent Fund that was established by my father and one-day pay from all the soldiers to start off the charity,” recalled Wieler as he shared his experience back in the 1960s. GWF now operates through over a dozen centers across Nepal staffed by former Gurkhas who investigate cases of hardship and distress and recommend appropriate assistance. Among other things, it pays a welfare pension to 7,475 needy Gurkha ex-servicemen who did not complete 15 years´ service to qualify for a military pension, or their widows. Born the son of a serviceman and one-time governor of the Tower of London, Wieler was already close to Nepal before his first visit here. A Gurkha rifleman, Mohan Singh Tamang, had came to look after his parents at their house in downtown London, and he was later joined by three of his sons from Nepal. “The eldest son, Purna Bahadur, was my age and became my best friend,” he said. Wieler himself would become a very close friend of Nepal in the years to follow. Wieler was a member of the Britain-Nepal Society in its first year and later an initial member of the Britain-Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (later becoming chairman and then vice- president). Over 80 cadets from the Nepal Army, who were training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, have been able to stay at Feathercombe, his home in Surrey, from 1964 to date. Wieler also acted for a long time as a local guardian for Nepalese students studying in the UK. “He is more like Nepal´s unofficial ambassador to the UK. King Birendra conferred on him the Gorkha Dakchhin Bahu in recognition of his invaluable services to Nepal and Nepalese people,” said veteran journalist Dhruba Hari Adhikari, one of the Nepalese students who pursued higher studies in London under his local guardianship. Much has changed in politics and other things in Nepal since Wieler´s first visit in 1959. But what disappoints this 76-year-old friend of Nepal the most is the level of abject poverty that continues to plague large numbers of people. “I am disappointed that a lot of things have not advanced. A lot of poverty … this is embarrassing,” lamented Wieler, who keeps visiting Nepal time and again. As an office-bearer of Nepal-Britain Chamber of Commerce and Industries and a businessman himself, Wieler has been encouraging British investment in Nepal in various areas, such as hydropower, horticulture, vineyards, tourism and tea plantations. “But uncertainty created by your politicians is to blame... People say they will invest in Nepal when the time is right. But in the meantime they are investing somewhere else,” he complained. As one of the six board members of Kathmandu-based British College that runs various programs under affiliation with UK universities, he arrived in Kathmandu on August 27 to attend a board meeting scheduled this week. “Since our government is trying to cut back immigrants, this is an effort to help provide Nepalese the educational opportunities of the UK at an affordable cost in Nepal itself,” he said, adding that he scheduled his visit to Kathmandu a week earlier than the board meeting to meet NA officials who trained at Sandhurst. As he prepares to fly back home on September 6, Wieler is disappointed over the way Nepal´s politicians are leading the country and their failure to bury their differences in the larger interest of the country. “The first thing that you got to have is the vote in November. Elections have more meaning. I just hope that people will elect leaders who want to help Nepal,” he added. Published on 2013-09-03 04:32:40
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 09:09:53 +0000
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