3 Gurkhas face court martial in 2001 killing

It took over two years, but word from the U.K. is that three British Army soldiers will face a military court martial in connection with the death of fourteen year old David Zabaneh. Zabaneh was killed by the Gurkhas as the result of a brawl that occurred on the night of May tenth, 2001 at Raul’s Rose Garden in Ladyville. Accounts vary, but it appears that Zabaneh, who was at the club with three underaged friends, was caught in the middle of a fight that broke out between around twenty-five Gurkhas and a smaller number of British Special Air Service commandos. Both groups were here on jungle warfare training. The court martial will be based in Colchester, England, home of the Gurkha’s Second Parachute Regiment, but is expected to convene in Belize shortly, where testimony will be heard from a number of local witnesses. According to British press reports, six soldiers were originally charged, but three were cleared due to lack of evidence. The investigation has been hampered from the start by non-cooperation from the close knit Gurkhas as well as difficulty in communicating with the soldiers, whose native language is Nepalese.