I've just copied and pasted all the addresses in the Prick and Click setion and sent this email.
In 2004, the Malaysian Government instituted a new medal, the Pingat Jasa Malaysia, and announced that it wished to award it to all Commonwealth ex service personnel who had served in the Malayan Emergency/Borneo Confrontation. These conflicts were often violent and conducted in the harsh jungle environment that had claimed so many lives during WWII.
The Australian and New Zealand Governments swiftly recommended to Her Majesty that the offer should be accepted without reservation - the first medals have started to be presented to their veterans.
The British HD Committee, conversely, initially rejected the offer totally. After some intense lobbying, the Government reviewed the case and on 8th February 2006 announced that Her Majesty had been advised to accept the medal, but that it should not be worn by her loyal veterans. So at a stroke, the British participants in a joint Commonwealth action were reduced to the status of second class citizens by the very Government that has recently announced a "National Veteran's Day" at which veterans will be honoured and, I quote "presented with medals". What medals might these be? Is Gordon Brown intending to pin PJM's on to the breasts of several thousand veterans with the admonishment never to wear them in public?
Who will be hurt by the sight of an ageing veteran with one foreign medal hanging from his crumpled blazer, alongside whatever gong has been awarded for past service? The general public knows little, and probably cares less what antiquated rules have been invoked to deprive these people of what is rightfully theirs by dint of service.
The decision flies in the face of logic and decency. It is a denigration of the service given by the veterans in what remains the only successful campaign against terrorism and the Communist threat. So much for backing a "War on Terrorism". Obviously grand words for the consumption of the voters at a time of heightened tension, but just so much political spin in reality. If this government really honoured its veterans, and truly believed in a war against terrorism, it would make haste to rectify this situation, hopefully before many more years sadly deplete the ranks of those who have been so blatantly insulted.
And it is not just the veterans who have been insulted. The King, Government and people of Malaysia have been subjected to the most heinous of snubs. The British government has played the "we are the Colonial Masters" attitude in saying that British veterans may receive this "worthless little bit of bling but we do not want to see it in public, lest it offends our Imperial eye".
The veterans swore an Oath of Allegiance to Her Majesty, her Heirs and her Successors many years ago and most of them still hold that Oath to be binding. But it's a two way contract. If the Establishments feel unable, or unwilling, to treat its veterans in an honourable manner, then why should those same veterans feel that they owe any allegiance to that Establishment?
Yours
Gerald Law (ex RAF Borneo veteran
www.fight4thePJM.org


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Gerald Law (ex RAF Borneo Veteran)

Fantastic stuff, Gerald! As soon as I get this web site launched, I'll be following your example. I hope others will, too.


_________________
BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia

Well done Gerry

Here is my piece

chris.edge@fco.gov.uk ; michael.jay@fco.gov.uk ; denis.brennan@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk ; DHawke@britishlegion.org.uk ; andy.coulson@newsoftheworld.co.uk ; dilemmas@theherald.co.uk ; dtletters@telegraph.co.uk ; edinburgh@theherald.co.uk ; editor@thisislondon.co.uk ; expressletters@express.co.uk ; letters@guardian.co.uk ; letters@independent.co.uk ; letters@mailonsunday.co.uk ; letters@observer.co.uk ; letters@spectator.co.uk ; letters@sunday-times.co.uk ; letters@theherald.co.uk ; letters@thetimes.co.uk ; lettersed@peoples-press.com ; letters@dailymail.co.uk ; letters@the-sun.co.uk ; letters.editor@ft.com ; linda.whitworth@saga.co.uk ; magazine@saga.co.uk ; magazine@theherald.co.uk ; mirrornews@mgn.co.uk ; news@dailymail.co.uk ; news@sky.com ; news@standard.co.uk ; news@sundaymirror.co.uk ; news@theherald.co.uk ; newsdesk@notw.co.uk ; newseditor@independent.co.uk ; newsonline@bbc.co.uk ; newsroom@shropshirestar.co.uk ; peoplenews@mgn.co.uk ; rebekah.wade@the-sun.co.uk ; reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk ; robert.thomson@thetimes.co.uk ; stletters@telegraph.co.uk ; subshelp@guardian.co.uk ; t.hamilton@dailyrecord.co.uk ; talkback@the-sun.co.uk ; tim.walker@telegraph.co.uk ; writeback@belfasttelegraph.co.uk ; onlineeditor@scotsman.co.uk ; mailbox@mirror.co.uk ; today@bbc.co.uk ; pm@bbc.co.uk
Date: Feb 19 2006, 04:08 PM
Subject: The Malaysian PJM Medal awarded to ex Servicemen and women Show full header
Message-ID: <33160085.1140365283347.JavaMail.www@wwinf3003>


Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2006 17:08:03 +0100 (CET)


From: John Cooper <member@cooper286.fsnet.co.uk>


Reply-To: member@cooper286.fsnet.co.uk


To: chris.edge@fco.gov.uk, michael.jay@fco.gov.uk,
denis.brennan@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk,
DHawke@britishlegion.org.uk, andy.coulson@newsoftheworld.co.uk,
dilemmas@theherald.co.uk, dtletters@telegraph.co.uk,
edinburgh@theherald.co.uk, editor@thisislondon.co.uk,
expressletters@express.co.uk, letters@guardian.co.uk,
letters@independent.co.uk, letters@mailonsunday.co.uk,
letters@observer.co.uk, letters@spectator.co.uk,
letters@sunday-times.co.uk, letters@theherald.co.uk,
letters@thetimes.co.uk, lettersed@peoples-press.com,
letters@dailymail.co.uk, letters@the-sun.co.uk,
letters.editor@ft.com, linda.whitworth@saga.co.uk,
magazine@saga.co.uk, magazine@theherald.co.uk, mirrornews@mgn.co.uk,
news@dailymail.co.uk, news@sky.com, news@standard.co.uk,
news@sundaymirror.co.uk, news@theherald.co.uk, newsdesk@notw.co.uk,
newseditor@independent.co.uk, newsonline@bbc.co.uk,
newsroom@shropshirestar.co.uk, peoplenews@mgn.co.uk,
rebekah.wade@the-sun.co.uk, reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk,
robert.thomson@thetimes.co.uk, stletters@telegraph.co.uk,
subshelp@guardian.co.uk, t.hamilton@dailyrecord.co.uk,
talkback@the-sun.co.uk, tim.walker@telegraph.co.uk,
writeback@belfasttelegraph.co.uk, onlineeditor@scotsman.co.uk,
mailbox@mirror.co.uk, today@bbc.co.uk, pm@bbc.co.uk


Subject: The Malaysian PJM Medal awarded to ex Servicemen and women


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I wonder how many of you good people in the press are on the side of an injustice.

How many of you are aware that there are a bunch of overpaid civil servants calling themselves the Honours and Decorations Committee that advise Her Majesty the Queen that ex Malay and Borneo Veterans from 1957-1966 are not worthy of wearing a medal bestowed on them by a very grateful King, Government and People of Malaysia for freeing their Country of Terrorists


Did you know that those same veterans WILL be wearing this PJM Medal on suitable occasions when received. This will include the newly formed Veterans Day on June 27th by Gordon Brown MP and on Remembrance Parades.

Can you please advise your readers of this injustice by those that sit with their own gongs around their necks where some of Her Majesties own children/grandchildren wear medals never earned in combat

From a very irate group of Veterans who served their Queen and Country


John Cooper


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--------------------------------------------------------------
HD Committee: Amateurs in a Professional World
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Good stuff John!...I just fired the following off to all media contacts...with any luck one of us might make it 'into print'...or perhaps inspire some awkward questions to be asked?...Hope so.
'Jock'

Dear Sir,

Permit me, as an ex-patriate, and as a proud veteran of the Malayan "Emergency” to register my outrage and disappointment at recent actions of the UK government concerning the award, by the Malaysian government, of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia, to all eligible Commonwealth veterans of Malaya and Borneo.

Governments of both New Zealand and Australia immediately accepted this honour, unconditionally. In contrast, the British Government initially announced in the House of Lords that they would refuse the Malaysian medal for British citizens on the basis that the award was ‘contrary to British Medals Policy’.

Months of intensive lobbying by veterans finally prodded the Foreign and Commonwealth Office into asking the Committee on the Grants of Honours, Decorations and Medals (known as the HD Committee, which advises The Queen on these matters), to review the policy in respect of foreign awards and the PJM.

Astoundingly, the HD Committee then provided a recommendation, which tells 35,000 loyal, military ex-servicemen and women, that while they may now accept this medal, they will not be permitted to wear it…which simply defies all logic!

This ridiculous decision denigrates the loyalty and service of we, the veterans. In addition, it demeans the sacrifice made by our comrades who fell during the course of those conflicts. And clearly, it offers unwarranted insult to the Agong, Government and peoples of Malaysia, who graciously tried, by offering this medal, to express sincere gratitude to all Commonwealth personnel, in recognition of their "distinguished chivalry, gallantry, sacrifice and loyalty to the freedom of independence of Malaysia."

Permit me to advise you, your readers, and the UK government …this fiasco is no longer a matter of purely local interest. Internationally, it portrays the United Kingdom in a very poor light!

Sincerely,

John ‘Jock’ Fenton. Canada
(Ex Royal Corps of Signals & 17th Gurkha Division)

This is one reply I have had from Saga, looks automated but what the hell!

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your letter to the Editor for possible publication in
the Saga magazine -the content of which has been read with interest.

I will be putting forward your email for the Readers' Letters
column. We receive a large numbers of letters from our readers
and unfortunately it is not possible to print them all. We shall be
shortly be making our selection for the next issue, we hope you will be
successful.

We appreciate you taking the time and trouble to contact us and
thank you again for your support in Saga magazine.

With kind regards,

Editorial Office





magazine <magazine@saga.co.uk>


_________________
--------------------------------------------------------------
HD Committee: Amateurs in a Professional World
---------------------------------------------------------------

I think you are right John
After contacting the Daily Mail I received an email from Andy Simpson with almost identical wording, except he stated that my letter would not be published.....I can't understand it...I didn't even swear!!

Bob Bryant

Bob
Ditto Daily Mail today for me


_________________
--------------------------------------------------------------
HD Committee: Amateurs in a Professional World
---------------------------------------------------------------

bob_bryant wrote:

I think you are right John
After contacting the Daily Mail I received an email from Andy Simpson with almost identical wording, except he stated that my letter would not be published.....I can't understand it...I didn't even swear!!

Bob Bryant

This is an important issue (aren't they all, do I hear?!). Some newspapers require exclusivity of everything, including letters. That's why I put all the addressees in th Bcc box (Blind Carbon Copy - you don't have to use the To or CC boxes). Each recipient only sees their address. It's not perfect, but it has worked.

Regards, Barry (aka, at this time of day, Admin)

Just to prove this is not just a cardboard cut-out sitting here ... I'm working on why this Forum Section has put on weight and spreading out to the East requiring the use of Scroll bars.


_________________
BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia

Me too! Me too! Negative response from Daily Mail. That's one less newspaper on my list to read - relegated to bum wiping.
Gerry
Wear your PJM with pride and give two fingers to anyone who objects


_________________
Gerald Law (ex RAF Borneo Veteran)

I hate to be part of a majority lads...but I'm getting similar responses from the UK newspapers...No problem, more where that came from eh?

Incidentally I have tried to 'rope in' all the guys on the Canadian NMBVA list...all those that had an e-mail addy listed... I sent them our site addy and and an invitation to have a look and perhaps join us.

'Jock'