The British sailed away on 30 June, but the Chief Executive of China´s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Tung Che-Hwa seems to have made up his mind about the Gurkhas. The soldiers who served in the former British colony will be allowed to stay on in Hong Kong – as security guards, that is! Six Nepali soldiers, who retired after serving the British crown, now control access to Mr Tung´s quarters. They are contracted by Jardine Securicore Gurkhas Limited (JSG), a private company that specialises in supplying high-end security in Hong Kong. Some 600 Gurkha retirees work with JSG. The company combines the reputation of the legendary Gurkha with their training in disciplined services to provide security to the top five percent of the Blue Chip companies (computer industry, telecommunications industry and investment firms in the former colony), Red Chip companies (investments with mainland connections), government, banks and the United Nations in Hong Kong.
At a time when Nepalis are rapidly filling in the lowest echelons of the job market in East Asia and West Asia, the development of the job market in Hong Kong is good news not only for retiree Gurkhas but for Nepal´s economy as a whole. The development of the Hong Kong employment scene provides an example for other regions, with the Gurkhas able to parlay their reputation and experience for well-paying alternatives.
When Chandra Pun retired from the British Army in 1993, he could not find a job in Nepal. "I tried my hand in business," Mr Pun said as Royal Nepal Airlines´ Boeing 757 took off from the Kai Tak Airport and headed east to Kathmandu. "But I was no good with business. After 18 months, I left for Hong Kong for this job." Mr Pun was returning to Nepal in June after finishing his two-year contract with JSG as Mr Tung´s chief of security.
Like Mr Pun, other highly skilled Nepali soldiers who spent their youth in service of the British crown find it hard reintegrating in Nepal. With the Nepali economy in shambles and employment opportunities limited for these hill people who have lived all their working lives away, their choices are limited to starting retail shops with their savings, or starting small-time businesses. Nepal has not made concerted efforts to create employment or investment opportunities for the returning Gurkha soldiers and they are forced to look abroad.