Fijian Soldier

[mikey4444]

There is a new story in the news about a Fijian chap who is being deported. He has just left the British Army having served for 13 years.

I'm not sure I understand this. How is it possible for a foreigner to enlist in the British Army in the first place ? Wouldn't have to be a British citizen in order to serve in our armed forces ?

Can anybody shed any light on this ?

[dotty.]

mmmm not easy to work out the issues here
http://www.telegraph....an-Iraq-war-hero.html

[sandyRoe]

He could use that section of the Human Rights Act which guarantees his right to a family life to stay.
A lot of less worthy people have done.

[boxtops]

perfectly OK if you are from an eligible country, for example part of the Commonwealth http://www.army.mod.uk/join/20189.aspx

[mikey4444]

I'm sure that this will go viral next week and the UK Borders Agency will see some sense and allow this chap to remain in the UK. He seems to have committed quite a small offence, which was dealt with by his CO in the normal way. Squaddies having a scrap is hardly unheard of, after all !

But I still don't understand how he served in the Army in the first place. I'm not sure exactly why I feel uneasy about this point but I would have thought that having UK citizenship would have been a minimum requirement to join our Army.

[mikey4444]

Boxtops...just seen your answer...thanks.

It still seems a bit odd though.

[sandyRoe]

There are regiments of Gurkhas who aren't citizens. I remember that casualties in Iraq included men from New Zealand, Fiji, and South Africa.

[boxtops]

It's not odd at all.

[mikey4444]

You are right Sandy...I forgot about the Gurkhas. But surely the others were serving in Iraq in their own Armed Forces ? Its easy to think that it was just the Brits and the Yanks involved but lots of other nationalities served as well, as they still do in Afganistan.

I hope it goes well for this Fijian chap, as he has a British wife and kids. I really don't think we should be treating our war heros like this, especially after all the fuss about the retired Gurkhas.

Thank God for the Blessed Joanna Lumley !

[EDDIE51]

The British army has always had commonwealth citzens as members, they form a substantial portion of recruits . This dates back at least 100 years.
There is even a special section to recruit them
http://www.army.mod.uk/join/20189.aspx
In addition soldiers from places like Australia are sometimes temporarily transfered to the British army for training and expierience .
Without the foreign recruits the Army would be seriously under strength.

[Dee Sa]

they want to throw him out but let rapist scum remain, wheres the logic in that ?