400 Tunisians refused entry to Malta

About 400 Tunisian nationals were yesterday refused entry to Malta after they failed to produce the necessary documentation at the seaport, the police said.

The incident happened at 11 a.m.

The Tunisians were passengers aboard the Greek cargo and passenger ship Ariadne's Palace which was in transit from Tunisia to Genoa in Italy.

After berthing at Grand Harbour, close to the Sicily catamaran, a number of passengers with a valid visa were allowed to disembark.

But scores of Tunisians who had no permit to land insisted on getting off the ship too, police sources said.

The police, including the mobile squad, were called to the scene at once and occupied the quay to ensure that none of these Tunisians sets foot ashore.

An Armed Forces patrol boat assisted in the operation.

One of the immigrants was reportedly seen climbing down one of the ship's ropes and jumping into the sea.

But an intense police search carried out with the help of divers yielded nobody and police sources said the man could have made his way back on board.

The ship was allowed to leave three hours later, at about 2 p.m., the police said.

The Ariadne Palace is a frequent visitor to Malta and is used to transport containers and merchandise as well as passengers.

Supt Carmelo Magro from the Valletta police station is investigating. Assistant Police Commissioner Andrew Seychell was also on the scene.

The last incident concerning Tunisian nationals took place on December 31, 2000 when police guards at the seaport managed to stop some 200 from entering Malta illegally.

The police had been forced to fire warning shots in their bid to hold back the landing passengers.