Another 78 illegal immigrants reach Malta

Seventy-eight illegal immigrants landed in Malta early yesterday morning, creating more headaches to the immigration authorities.

Police said a 30-foot fishing boat with the 78 people on board, including six women and 11 children, berthed near the Jerma Palace Hotel, Marsascala at 2.30 a.m.

One woman was pregnant while some of the children were not accompanied by parents, police sources said.

All the illegal immigrants are thought to be originating from Africa, mainly Sudan, Sierra Leone, and Somalia, sources said.

Police assisted the illegal immigrants and provided foodstuffs. Some needed medical assistance.

Two of the children were found to be suffering from dehydration and one woman was hospitalised.

The Civil Protection Department also assisted the police in the operation.

The illegal immigrants were split into two groups - children and women were taken to Lyster Barracks, while the men were detained temporarily at police headquarters.

Yesterday's was the second mass arrival of illegal immigrants in two days, after a boat with 65 exhausted occupants landed at Mgarr ix-Xini on Sunday.

The facilities for illegal immigrants at Ta' Kandja, Hal-Far and Safi Barracks are stretched to the limit, with a population of more than 600. This is an all-time high, according to police sources.

"We have reached crisis proportions. God forbid another boat with illegal immigrants comes in," the sources said.

Last month, the government announced it had set up a committee to deal with the sharp rise in the number of illegal immigrants.

Sources said the government had a contingency plan in hand and was trying to identify alternative premises which could house the illegal immigrants.

A lot of work is involved in repatriating the immigrants to their homeland, especially since practically all of them throw away their travel documents at sea.

The illegal immigrants are also a burden on the country's finances, with each person costing some Lm2.50 daily in maintenance - which works out at Lm1,500 a day based on 600 people.

Sources said it was also costly to fly the immigrants back home. Between January and August 14, a total of 67 illegal immigrants were sent home - at a cost of Lm11,500.

Official sources said the government was currently negotiating a readmission agreement with Libya, similar to the one signed with Italy.

This would give the Maltese authorities the right to repatriate illegal immigrants to Libya, once it was established that the trip originated from there.

"We are doing our utmost to ensure they don't choose the Malta route," the sources said.

A Libyan delegation is expected in Malta shortly to discuss this agreement.

The problem with human trafficking in the Mediterranean reached a peak in recent weeks, perhaps because those who organise the trips know the weather will not be so favourable soon.

On Monday, Italy appealed for European help to tackle a wave of illegal immigrants after another boating tragedy brought death to the country's shores.

No fewer than 51 illegal immigrants drowned in Sicilian seas in the last week alone.

In the first six months this year, some 12,124 illegal immigrants reached Lampedusa and Sicily - in stark contrast with the 2,759 that arrived in the same period last year.