FROM fish & chips to the uniquely designed Mini to high street legend Marks and Spencers - Britain has good reason to thank refugees.

All these quintessentially English institutions were made possible by people who sought refuge in this country.

But the endearing image of tolerant Britain is in danger of being exposed as a cruel myth as increasing numbers of people from deprived and war-torn countries look to us for help.

Instead of a sympathetic hearing, refugees in this country are being classed as second class citizens and reviled as scroungers by the press.

While TV images of refugee camps and convoys tug at our heartstrings it's a different story when the human cost of those far-away tragedies arrives on our doorstep.

What's often forgotten is that these people come from all walks of life - teachers, plumbers, doctors, shopkeepers - and most of them would ideally love to return home safely and live in peace.

In the meantime, with more refugees seeking sanctuary in our country, we have the choice of either helping them as guests or showing them the door.

"When we see a war on TV we feel very sorry for the refugees who are forced to leave their homes. Many are fleeing from extremely painful situations and things we couldn't really comprehend," explained Gisela Renolds, development and education officer at Global Link. "If they come to this country they should be treated with care and sympathy. We certainly shouldn't be scapegoating them and seeing them as a problem. We have the world's fourth largest economy and surely we can afford to help other people. Some of the language used by politicians and the media is very insensitive and worrying. Many refugees are well qualified. Given the chance they could actually contribute to the economy. I think people who are experiencing difficulties in this country should feel a sense of solidarity with them and understand that money used to support refugees isn't being taken from pensioners or homeless people."

Gisela has recently returned from Thailand where she visited the Mela Camp where 33,000 refugees now live having fled the tyranny of the military government in Burma.

"They are members of the Karen ethnic group and many have seen their villages burnt down and family members killed," she explains. "Although they are only given rice, fish paste and beans they make the most of their lives in the camp and are glad to be safe. There are a lot of skilled people there and they've set up eight secondary schools and 11 primary schools staffed by volunteer teachers. The week after I left another 4,500 crossed the border to escape the military who are ethnically cleansing the Karens or using them as forced labour."

Luckily there's many willing to help those less fortunate than themselves.

Nailing the myths

The whole asylum seeker issue is obscured by ignorance and media myths.

We're told refugee's flood into Britain because we're a soft touch but as the world's fourth biggest economy we help just 0.9 per cent of its refugees. Per head of population we rate ninth in Europe and it is poor, developing countries that are left to cope with the biggest refugee population. We're told they get huge benefits but the truth is asylum seekers only get 70 per cent of the benefits given to nationals - £10 in cash and £25 in food vouchers. Three laws in the last six years have reduced asylum seeker entitlements, reduced their rights to appeal and given them less time to prepare their asylum case or find legal representation. What's more, in this country there are 800 asylum seekers who are currently detained without charge or trial. Soft touch - you must be joking.

The real spleen of the newspaper columnists is most often directed at people classed as bogus asylum seekers - those thought to be here for economic reasons. These scroungers , we're told, are just here "on the make."

However, stop for a moment and consider the thousands of British nationals who flood into foreign countries each year looking for work and a better life. How would they feel if they were deported with the words "Get back to your own country" ringing in their ears?

The Real Story

And behind all the myths, there are human beings. Luckiden comes from South Sudan and fled the country after being imprisoned more than 20 times for standing up to the authorities. He has now been granted asylum and lives in Lancaster.

Here he tells his own story: "I believe in freedom of speech. I have my own principals but the Government realised I was against their policies so they started to harass me and put me in jail. I was put in jail more than 20 times because I would not surrender my opinions and it was very difficult for me. I was smuggled out through the desert and into Egypt where I decided to head for Britain because I spoke English. It is the official language in South Sudan. When I got to Britain I was very isolated and I was left in limbo for many years which was very depressing. I am now studying politics and international relations at university. I am very grateful to Hilton Dawson who has been a great help. At last I can say - I am a free man."

Last week we described Gisela as a support worker. She is in fact a development education officer for Global Link based in China St, Lancaster. For details call 36201.