by Thom Morris
tmorris@thekmgroup.co.uk

A couple from Ashford have caused uproar after demanding Britain’s first ever Gurkha cemetery based in the town be closed.
Peter and Linda Nye, from Bond Road, handed a petition to Ashford council asking that the sign be removed and to allow the burial plots to be used for non-Gurkhas.
Mr Nye, who has family buried at the site, said: “I am not against the Gurkhas. My problem is with the council. I am very supportive of what the Gurkhas have done for this country but putting a sign in the cemetery is affecting the people of Ashford.
“I feel the council have let Ashford residents down.
“They’ve decided what’s best for the Gurkhas but not what is best for the residents who pay their wages.”
The petition attracted 91 signatures and the council will now consider whether to remove the sign.
Gurkha tradition dictates that all their dead be buried together in the same plot. Only one Gurkha so far has been buried at the Cemetery Road site.
Gomba Sherpa, chairman of the Sagarmatha Gurkha Community in Ashford said: “I think the sign is okay.
“The Gurkhas have been in service for this country for 200 years and they have a right to settle down here.
“Our culture and background means we put all our dead bodies in the same place, that’s why we requested the cemetery section alongside the other area and it doesn’t harm anyone else putting the sign there.”
The Kentish Express has been flooded with letters and emails saying the sign should stay.

For full story see tomorrow's Kentish Express.