Newcastle Evening Chronicle
There is a good article written in today's Newcastle Evening Chronicle (23rd June)....in response to which I have just forwarded the following 'Letter to the Editor'...
Dear Sir,
Gareth Deighan's excellent June 23rd article "Banned from wearing Medals" touches a raw nerve.
The mean-spirited actions of the HD committee, which advised the Queen on the decision to refuse 'Formal permission to wear' of the Pingat Jasa Malaysia, are nothing short of disgraceful.
The Foreign Office assertion that, "Medals cannot be requested if they are for service more than five years ago, or if a British award for the service has already been received. The PJM contravenes both rules." This is a blatant distortion of those very rules, which (purposely?) serves to confuse 'British' medals with 'Foreign' medals.
And when the Foreign Office spokesman opines: "These rules are not policed so if they would like to wear them without the proper authority they can."...he is being patently ridiculous!....the rules are not policed because they CANNOT be policed, since the Foreign Office knows full well that it can exercise no such authority over the actions of civilian recipients of a Foreign award.
Any individual who wishes to join the world wide movement to have this ridiculous ruling, which simultaneously insults Veterans, their fallen comrades and the Agong (King) and peoples of Malaysia, rescinded, should access the web site at:
http://www.fight4thepjm.org/index.htm
Sincerely,
John 'Jock' Fenton.
(ex-Royal Corps of Signals & 17th Gurkha Division)
_________________
...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.
