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Kathmandu, July 24 (AFP) Nepal&aposs Gurkhas are planning a hero&aposs welcome for British actress and campaigner Joanna Lumley when she makes her first-ever visit to the Himalayan nation tomorrow.
Thousands of the soldiers and their families are expected to turn out to greet the 63-year-old star of TV show" Absolutely Fabulous", who spearheaded a campaign for the British army veterans to be allowed to settle in Britain.Although she has never been to Nepal, the actress&aposs impassioned lobbying earned her the adoration of the Gurkhas, who are describing her visit as a"homecoming".
"We are proud and honoured to have her in our country. She is truly a daughter of Nepal,"said Krishna Kumar Rai, vice-president of theGurkha Army Ex-Servicemens Organisation (GAESO).
"She has done us, the British army veterans, an unforgettable favour -- she has given us justice."
Britain announced in May that all Gurkha veterans who had served at least four years in the army could apply for residency after a government climbdown in the face of Lumley&aposs campaign. Previously, only those who retired after 1997 had been eligible to apply