Queen hails Gurkhas

Press, 19 February 1986, Page 10

Queen hails Gurkhas

NZPA-Reuter Katmandu The Queen praised Nepal’s Gurkha soldiers for their legendary exploits and unique relationship with Britain after she arrived in Katmandu on Monday. “By their legendary exploits the Gurkhas have won for themselves a special place in military history,” the Queen said in a banquet speech. “This unique relationship is reflected in the appointment of two Gurkha orderly officers and amongst their duties is personal attendance at investitures at Buckingham Palace.”

Britain signed a pact with Nepal in 1816 to recruit Gurkhas, soldiers famed for their courage who help guard the Queen at Buckingham Palace, in London. She condemned a wave of bomb attacks that killed seven people in Nepal in June. “We share with you the revulsion at the bomb outrages which took place in. Katmandu last year,” she said at the banquet given for her by King Birendra of Nepal. She also congratulated Nepal on the twenty-fifth anniversary of its Pan-

chayat system of democracy, a partyless form of government. King Birendra said that Nepal had changed a great deal in the last 25 years, but still had problems. “Twenty-five years ago, when Your Majesty visited Nepal, we were only at a very early stage of our economic development. “With the contribution made in our development efforts by Britain and many more friends we have now been able to set up some important infrastructure,” he said.