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- Herausgeber: anna ruggieri
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018
The Gurkhas need no introduction, with their storied reputation built up over two centuries of battlefield exploits around the world. A unit of these Nepalese warriors have been serving Singapore for more than 65 years, yet precious little is known about them. Indeed, the Gurkha Contingent clashed with communists and militant unions in its early days and continues to protect the island state's most important places and people even today.
Discover the untold story of the Singapore Gurkha through the eyes of different generations who carried the famed kukri blade: The rigorous, punishing training that forges elite soldiers; the family lives of these paramilitary policemen; and the lengths their sons go to follow in their fathers's footsteps.
Above all, The Invisible Force reveals the loyalty and gratitude the Gurkha has for Singapore, and the struggles he and his family face upon retirement, including an unresolved request for better employment terms.
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the
force
invisible
The Invisible Force
© ethos books, 2014
Copyright of text belongs to the individuals who provided it
© photographs, chong zi liang, 2014
isbn: 978-981-09-1099-0
Published under the imprint ethos books
by pagesetters services pte ltd
28 sin ming lane #06-131 midview city
singapore 573972
www.ethosbooks.com.sg
www.facebook.com/ethosbooks
cover illustration by lee chee chewcover design by kum suning
original layout and design and infographics by tan wei zheng
final layout and design by kum suning
produced by pagesetters services pte ltd
printed by star standard industries pte ltd
National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Chong, Zi Liang, author.
The invisible force : Singapore Gurkhas / Chong Zi Liang with Zakaria Zainal. – Singapore : Ethos Books, [2014]
pages cm
ISBN : 978-981-09-1099-0 (paperback)
Gurkha soldiers – Singapore - History. 2. Gurkha soldiers – Singa-pore. I. Zakaria Zainal, author. II. Title.
UA853.S55
355.359095957 -- dc23 OCN881508104
the
force
invisible
Singapore Gurkhas
chong zi liang
with zakaria zainal
photography by Chong Zi Liang
Silent Sentinels
Plucked from the foothills of the Himalayas, the Gurkhas dedicate more than two decades of their best years to the security of Singapore. But upon retirement, the soldiers from Nepal find their pleas to the very government they served falling on deaf ears.
The Bad Old Days
Unlike today’s peaceful and secure Singapore, the early Gurkhas faced a vastly different world, cutting their teeth as policemen battling militant unions, communists and even protesting students.
Life in the Lion City
The Gurkhas spend the first 30 years of their adulthood defending Singapore, inevitably growing attached to the island where they experience the major milestones of life.
Happy Retirement? Not Just Yet.
Unable to remain in Singapore after retirement and worried about the future of their families, discharged Gurkhas are putting retirement on hold, seeking second employment in deadly battlegrounds. Meanwhile, one man fights for his right to live in Singapore.
Dreams of Being a Gurkha
For the sons of the Singapore Gurkhas, following in their fathers’ footsteps is an attractive way to escape unemployment and alienation in Nepal, a supposed homeland that is strange to them. In 2012, at least 15 of them made it to the final hurdle in their quest to join the British Army.
The Last Word
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contents
SUNDAY BEST: A retired Gurkha takes the chance of the annual general meeting of the Singapore Gurkhas Pensioners’ Association to wear his police tie and clip.
The Gurkhas, who usually prefer to keep a low profile, do not shy away from expressing their pride in serving the Singapore Police Force when among peers.
SILENT SENTINALS
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ON GUARD: Gurkha policemen keep an eye out for security threats during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit at the Suntec International Convention & Exhibition Centre in November 2009. The meeting drew top leaders from all over the world, including US President Barack Obama. The highly trained contingent is deployed at such events that require the highest level of protection.
Plucked from the foothills of the Himalayas, the Gurkhas dedicate more than two decades of their best years to the security of Singapore. But upon retirement, the soldiers from Nepal find their pleas to the very government they served falling on deaf ears.
8
Shortly after Singapore left the Federation of Malaysia in 1965, there came, along with other pressing national issues, the task of protecting the new prime minister. Lee Kuan Yew was temporarily moved out of his home at Oxley Road while security was beefed up. Among the measures were a honeycomb brick wall put up to screen the front porch from the road and bulletproof glass for the windows. When Lee finally returned home, he found Gurkha policemen posted as sentries. At that time, the Gurkhas were mainly used to quell riots and protests that were rampant during the ‘50s and ‘60s. Now, the safety of the prime minister was their responsibility as well.
The Gurkhas still guard 38 Oxley Road today. Forty-nine years after our nation’s independence, these soldiers from Nepal continue to protect Singapore’s most important people and places. Despite the island state’s development of its own armed forces and police, their signature broad-rimmed khaki hats are a familiar sight at the homes of top ministers and at government buildings like the Bureau of Currency and the Whitley Road Detention Centre.
Though trusted by the highest levels of government in Singapore, precious little is known about the Gurkhas except their reputation of unwavering loyalty and bravery. Yet the contingent has a history that is even longer than our nation’s independence – the Gurkha Contingent (GC) marked its 65th anniversary quietly in 2014. The Gurkhas’ service to the British crown goes back even further. Their being here in the first place is part of Singapore’s colonial past. Even today, former British military
officers, employed by the Singapore government, continue to command the GC.
More than just glamorised security guards, the GC forms an indispensible unit in the Singapore Police Force. From the moment they are recruited, the Gurkhas develop jungle warfare skills that other police outfits do not possess. A Gurkha fresh from Nepal spends nine months in recruit training, including a substantial stint on Pulau Tekong performing firefight drills, applying camouflage, digging trenches and learning everything an infantry soldier should know.
Selections of top performers are also routinely sent to attend the jungle warfare operator’s course in Belize and Jamaica. Chief Inspector Dawa Sherpa, who retired from the force in 2006, remembers that the jungle canopy in Belize was so thick he thought the sun was setting, only to realise it was barely noon when he checked his wristwatch. Because of the extensive infantry training, “We know the A-Z of jungle warfare,” Sherpa says.
To develop proficiency in paramilitary tactics while juggling a schedule of policing and guard duties, the Gurkhas adhere to fitness requirements beyond normal police units. For the youngest Gurkhas, an annual fitness test consists of running 16 km under two hours while carrying 16 kg of weight. A 45-year-old Gurkha on the brink of retirement still has to complete the 2.4 km run, a standard fitness test for all Singapore Armed Forces and police members, in under 10 minutes and 30 seconds. Local soldiers under the age of 25 need only clock 12 minutes and 20 seconds to clear the same test.
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WALK OF SHAME: A rejected Gurkha hopeful leaves the British camp in Pokhara, Nepal where Gurkha selection is held annually. Anxious parents wait outside the gate, hoping not to catch a glimpse of their sons as that would mean failure to enter life in the military.
the snipers of the police’s elite Special Tactics and Rescue (STAR) team are used only during the unit’s emergency operations such as hostage situations.
Colonial legacy
Ever since Nepalese soldiers drove back invading British forces from India in 1815, the British army, unused to military setbacks in the heyday of the empire, quickly decided the Nepalese
These high benchmarks put the GC on par with the special forces in Singapore. The Gurkhas are comfortable with weapons that normal police officers do not carry, such as shotguns, rifles and submachine guns. The best of these already crack troopers are selected for the Special Action Group, the Gurkhas’ own SWAT1unit, while the top marksmen form a sniper platoon. They are the only sharpshooters deployed to secure key events and protect VIPs;
1. Special Weapons and Tactics
