SINGAPORE, March 13, Reuter: Singapore must retina regiment of Gurkhas because they could curb with impartiality any communal unrest in the muitniracial country, Home Affairs Minister Shanmugam Jayakumar said today.
He told Parliament the Gurkhas based liere since 1949 when Singapore was under British rule, had proved their effectiveness in curbing racial riots in the 1950s and the 1960s and in the fight against criminals and triad society gangsters.
Jayakumar, replying to a question, said the Gurkhas were employed solely for preserving internal security and law and now as mercenaries for national defiance.
He did not say how many Gurknas were based in Singapore but said some of them guarded the residence of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
Singapore’s 2.6 million population is made up largely of Chinese but also includes Malays and Indians.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 20, 1987
