Now that ex-Gurkha POWs have won the court batle for compensation, it should be good news for former Lance Corporal Hari Thapa. He has sued the British Ministry of Defence for racism by paying him a salary and pension much lower than that of a British soldier. A tribunal began hearing the case on Monday. Thapa moved to Wales after his retirement and receives a pension of only ?58 a month. A British soldier of a similar record would receive ?500. A decision is not expected for another three years, but if the case is successful it may open the floodgates for thousands of other cases that could cost the British government billions of pounds, experts say.

The British government says the benefits are governed by a tripartite treaty between Nepal, India and Britain and are adequate for Gurkhas who return to Nepal. Thapa's case is being backed by the Commission for Racial Equality.

A London high court verdict on Wednesday ruled that 343 surviving Nepali soldiers who were imprisoned by the Japanese in Singapore 50 years ago are entitled to the same compensation ( ?10,000) as British prisoners.