THE Government today announced changes to its Gurkha settlement rights policy but Reading campaigners say they do not go far enough.

The changes mean Gurkhas who retired before July 1997 can now settle in Britain if they fulfil one of a new set of criteria.

These include those Nepalese soldiers who have received bravery medals, served at least 20 years or have a chronic or long-term medical condition attributable to or aggravated by military service.

Immigration minister Phil Woolas, who announced the changes in the House of Commons this morning, said: "This guidance honours the service, commitment and gallantry of those who served with the Gurkha brigade."

The minister said around 6,000 Gurkhas and family members have already settled in Britain and that the new guidelines mean around 10,000 are now also welcome.

But campaigners fighting for equal rights for Gurkhas say the policy changes are not good enough.

Reading bus driver and retired Gurkha Engineers sergeant major Guanraj Rai, who used to share his Oxford Road flat with seven other retired Gurkhas, said: "This is very sad news and we are both disappointed and ashamed.

"But of course we will keep on fighting for equal rights at any cost because we know we have the courageous and generous support of the British public, and with their help we will get justice."

Retired major Peter Beckinsale from the Rhodesian Engineers, from Tilehurst, who in the 1950s served with a Gurkha Engineers in Malaya, said: "It makes me sick to my stomach to think that the people that run this country totally disregard the loyal service given by the Gurkhas and the wishes of the British public.

"They are not our Government, who do they represent? It's idiotic and shows what a gormless and gutless bunch of ministers we have."

The changes follow a High Court verdict last year that ruled Government policy of only allowing Gurkhas who retired after July 1997 to settle in Britain was "unlawful".