London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Hong Kong’s fallen Indian, Nepalese soldiers honoured on Remembrance Sunday

Hong Kong’s fallen Indian, Nepalese soldiers honoured on Remembrance Sunday

As many as 90 volunteers lent their efforts to restoration of site overlooking Happy Valley Racecourse where several military graves are located.

A once-forgotten cemetery in Happy Valley on Sunday played host to a commemoration of the sacrifice of Indian and Nepalese soldiers from Hong Kong in the first and second world wars.

Members of the Indian community, the Indian consulate and the chairman of the Hong Kong Equal Opportunities Commission came together on Remembrance Sunday to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers. They expressed hope the newly restored cemetery would serve as a symbol of the contributions made by the city’s ethnic minority communities.

Bagpipes rang out in the small cemetery behind the Hindu temple overlooking Hong Kong’s Happy Valley Racecourse as about 30 members of the Indian community gathered in front of a white granite obelisk honouring the eight Hindu and Sikh soldiers who fought for the British Empire in the first world war.

Two Nepalese soldiers who fought in the Royal Engineers regiment, and the wife of a soldier from the Royal Gurkha Rifles, had also been laid to rest at the site alongside 30 civilian graves.

Hong Kong-born Azan Marwah spearheaded the volunteer effort to restore the cemetery.


On Sunday, a two-minute silence was observed, then wreaths of red poppy flowers, the symbol of remembrance, were placed at the foot of the memorial.

Among the eight wreaths was a white arrangement from the Chinese foreign ministry’s Hong Kong office.

“They fought for Hong Kong under the British flag. We cannot forget their sacrifice,” said Lal Hardasani, president of the Hindu Association.

Held every second Sunday in November, Remembrance Sunday is celebrated in Britain as a way to pay tribute to those killed in both world wars as well as other conflicts, while many other nations observe Remembrance Day on November 11.

Hong Kong has held its own ceremony at the Cenotaph located near City Hall since 1923, with representatives of several countries and veterans associations typically in attendance.

Volunteers do a final clean up of the cemetery ahead of Sunday's memorial service.


But when Hong Kong-born Azan Marwah visited the cemetery on Remembrance Sunday last year, he was surprised to discover not only was there no memorial service, but the graveyard, established in 1928, was in poor condition.

Marwah, who comes from a Hindu, Sikh and Christian background, together with social worker Jeffrey Andrews spearheaded the volunteer effort over the past eight months, which grew from 20 volunteers to an eventual 90, to clean up the graveyard.

People from all walks of Hong Kong life spent six days hauling tools and heavy bags of sand and cement up more than 200 stairs, starting at 9am and working until 7pm.

“To me, it is important because we are a bit of a hidden minority … even though you see Hindu and Sikh people everywhere, they are not given much recognition for their part played in Hong Kong’s history,” Marwah told the Post.

Consul-General of India to Hong Kong Priyanka Chauhan was among those who attended the memorial service on Remembrance Sunday.


“We have given back dignity [to the soldiers]. Most importantly, we are respecting our history,” Andrews said on Saturday ahead of the memorial service. “I would not have known this existed. It is so important for the future generations.”

Speaking at the service in the Hindu temple, Ricky Chu Man-kin, chairman of the Hong Kong Equal Opportunities Commission, said ethnic minority communities were an integral part of Hong Kong, pointing to the fact many had been in the city since it was founded 180 years ago.

“Many of them have been here long before many of us from China. There is no reason to discriminate,” he said, adding he hoped the ceremony would help to publicise their contribution to the city.

Consul General of India to Hong Kong Priyanka Chauhan said she hoped the memorial service would lead to a more “institutionalised” version in the future.

“I feel that the acknowledgement of their contribution in making Hong Kong what it is today has not been institutionalised in a manner where perhaps other communities have been. I feel that ceremonies like this are important steps in that direction,” she said.

A memorial service for the fallen was held inside a Hindu temple that overlooks the Happy Valley Racecourse.


Throughout World War I, Hong Kong was garrisoned by local defence and Commonwealth forces, including units of Indian infantry. The memorial obelisk bears the names of eight Hindu and Sikh soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the conflict.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for marking and maintaining the graves of members of the forces of Commonwealth countries who died in the two world wars. There are about 6,400 people from both wars either buried or commemorated on memorials in Hong Kong, according to the commission.

While gardeners routinely visit and clean the three military graves and the memorial in the cemetery, they are not responsible for the civilian graves, which had fallen into disrepair. Under the Hindu religion, loved ones are cremated. Only infants under the age of three are buried, and they were among those laid to rest at the graveyard.

Among the eight wreaths at the memorial was a white arrangement from the Chinese foreign ministry’s Hong Kong office.


Morris Cheung, senior head gardener of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, volunteered his expertise to the restoration effort. He did not know there was a Hindu temple in Hong Kong, despite having lived in the city for 30 years and said he hoped Hongkongers would visit the site and learn more about the contributions of ethnic minority communities.

“We need to let more people know about the local Indian community and the history and their contributions, especially in the second world war, in which a lot of Indian soldiers fought and died in Hong Kong for this place. Not too many local people remember that, which I think is so sad,” he said.

Li Ngai Ling brought her four-year-old son and husband to help in the clean up effort on Saturday, and said she wanted her son to learn about the city’s diverse history.

“The memorial is meaningful to Hong Kong as a whole. It is not only to a particular community. We are all living in the same city,” she said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×