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Visas Granted for Chinese Family to claim daughter’s body

Date: 15/09/06 – For Immediate Release

The mother of Shao Wie He, the young Chinese woman who was tragically beaten to death by her husband and his lover in Rawmarsh nine months ago, has been granted entry to the UK to collect and perform funeral rites over her body.

Shao Wie’s mother and aunt couldn’t get a visa for the UK and when local MP John Healey was told last week he took the case up directly with the authorities in China.

“Shao Wie He’s family are from a village in rural China”, explained John Healey, “They were finding it hard to deal with the government authorities and couldn’t get the visitors’ visa they needed to come to Britain to collect her body and perform the necessary Chinese funeral rites.

“There were problems with the family’s details, with finances for the visit and with practical plans for Shao Wie’s mother, He Wie Ying, to make the trip,” John Healey said, “After the tragedy of Shao Wie’s brutal death, the recent months have added more agony for her family in China”.

“But the British Consulate team in China have been brilliant. They pulled out all the stops and with the UK Chinese Association pledging to fund the family’s visit, I got confirmation of the clearance through in less than a week. The British Consulate has also offered to send a Chinese civil servant to travel with Shao Wie’s mother, which will be a real reassurance to the family”.

The MP had been asked to help by the Chinese Association in Sheffield and by local councillor Mahroof Hussain, who also raised the problem with MP Denis MacShane.

John Healey MP paid tribute to Andrew Wong of the Chinese Association: “Andrew Wong has helped us deal directly with the family in China and the Chinese community’s offer of financial help was crucial in getting the go-ahead to issue the visa”.

Andrew Wong said: “I received a phone call from Shao Wie He’s aunt in China last month and was shocked to learn that her body was still in the mortuary six month’s after she was killed and that the family couldn’t come to Britain to arrange the funeral. I contacted Cllr Hussain and the two Rotherham MPs, Denis MacShane and John Healey, who all offered their help. The visa application has been granted based on the assurance of the Confederation of Chinese Associations UK to sponsor the total cost for their return trip and the short stay while they are over here. The case would not have been solved without such swift intervention and I would like to offer my gratitude to all who have helped.”

Cllr Mahroof Hussain said: “The family have suffered a terrible tragedy over the last 6 months, but due to the courage of the Chinese Association in Britain, Richard Burns of the British Consulate-General in Guangzhou and local MP John Healey, we have managed to help get the visas required to make the trip".

"Hopefully He Wei Ying can make arrangements to travel to the UK soon to carry out all the necessary rights over her daughter's body and take her back home to China".

"I would like to look at this case in more depth with other councillors to make sure that any family in a similar situation in the future does not go through the same stressful and heartbreaking events that He Wei Ying has done.  I would also like to thank MP John Healey for all his hard work and commitment on this case".

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Notes for Editors

1 More information is available from John Healey’s constituency office, call Ellen Tomlinson on 01709 512465.