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SUPPORT: David Heyes
SUPPORT: David Heyes
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Innocent set for move

Eve Dugdale
5/ 4/2006

AN ASYLUM seeker who found a safe haven among parishioners in Ashton after being tortured in his home country has been told he may have to leave Tameside.

Innocent Nkung, who has won the support of MP David Heyes as well as new Tameside mayor Sean Parker-Perry, fled the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo after being arrested for campaigning for elections. He has completed countless hours voluntary work in the borough, including teaching children French but was told this week he may be forced to move to south Manchester.

The National Asylum Support Service have found the 35-year-old former teacher a house in Rusholme where he can live until he hears if his application for refugee status has been accepted. Up until now he had been living with a family in Hurst Cross, but they were growing very short of space.

Innocent said: "I am very grateful to be in this country and I will move to Rusholme because anywhere is better than the Congo. People in Tameside have been so nice to me, so I'd like to remain living here. Here is where I do all my voluntary work and I have a lot of supporters here. David Heyes MP has been so good to me and if I had to move he wouldn't be able to help me."

Innocent has been told if he manages to find rented accommodation under £200 in the area he may be able to stay.

MP David Heyes says he is worried Innocent could be taken away from his entire support network if he is moved out of the area. He has written to NASS to ask them to try to keep him in Tameside.

"When asylum seekers arrive in the UK they are dispersed and Innocent was sent to Ashton sometime ago. He's has unpaid jobs here, built up a support group and been very active in the voluntary sector. But because of the dispersal policy he can be relocated at anytime and there is a risk that could happen," said Mr Heyes.

"There is a risk he may be returned to the DRC where it's a dreadful repressive regime and given his history there's no question in my mind his life would be at risk."

Anyone who thinks they may be able to help Innocent should ring 07871 676129.


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Most recent 2 of 2 user comments

   I live on Hartshead and have never heard of what you're talking about. I am friends with an asylum seeker woman who has a child my sons age-she just about scrapes by with her weekly ¿¿35 food budget and hand me down clothes and toys. She's had a crap life-was raped and beaten in her home country and some people round here are mean to her now after all she's been through. Nice of you to preach hatred through the internet 'angry resident' but not have the courage to give your name to be used with your comment. Maybe you should move to the deep south of america with your twisted views... otherwise why dont u volunteer as the next bnp candidate-sure you'd be excellent.
Kerry Etchells, Ashton
12/12/2006 at 13:06
   I can well imagine that some of these asylum seekers are good people and give respect to us the people who pay taxes to keep them, but the 17 families placed in the flats on Hartshead estate (when the Home Office broke all regulations by bringing more than 1 family into a community), are rude to to the residents of Hartshead estate, drink in the street in the early hours, knife incidents and stories of them selling drugs from their large very newish cars (Who is paying for that & all the posh toys & mobile phones?) people who walk past are being told to f... off. The police/ambulance sirens hardly ever heard before now sound like we are in New York. We work hard, pay a lot of council tax, our houses will be de-valued because of this, therefore so should the council tax be reduced. If the asylum seekers wish us to even consider them, even though we are paying for their keep and many others like them as well, then they should give that respect back. That is not a lot to ask when we the workers are keeping their large families in luxury. They own many many things that we cannot afford. most of us on the estate bought these houses when they were much cheaper then they are now. We live on a respectful estate, that does not mean we have a lot of money, but we are polite and respectful and proud of our estate and do not want it or our lives spoiling. I feel very sorry for the people who are paying a lot of money to live in these flats with these people. So, come on if you want us to feel "sorry" for these people, then give us some better reasons, whatever they have suffered is no reason to treat people who are assisting them with so much rudeness ang aggression.
Angry resident, Hartshead Estate
17/07/2006 at 09:07
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