'Malta has nothing to be ashamed of'

The Safi and Hal Far detention centres are bursting at the seams with frustrated irregular immigrants. Massimo Farrugia and Herman Grech report on a crisis with no end in sight.

Daniel, a young Nigerian, shouted out at reporters from across the fence of the Hal Far detention centre as his peers, visibly surprised by strangers and cameras, cried: "We want freedom!"

Hailing from the Bakassi peninsula - a resource-rich region caught up in a long-simmering border dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria - the 33-year old says he was persecuted as the leader of a youth NGO fighting institutional corruption.

He now organises prayer services for Christians from different denominations inside a tent-cum-chapel at Lyster Barracks.

"I was a persecuted human rights fighter. This is why I fled from my country," he said, pulling off his denture to expose his broken teeth.

Many detainees scrambled to call out the other immigrants when they noticed the unannounced, well-organised and choreographed visit of journalists. Within seconds, scores of Africans were clinging to the fence protesting and explaining their ordeal.

Some banners, seen hanging by the immigrants' quarters, summed it all up: "Oh God, come and save us", "We are not criminals. We are not slaves".

Journalists commented that the immigrants inside some of the compounds - especially in Safi's abysmal Block B - looked like "caged animals". Army personnel said the 1950s block would be closed shortly.

Located barely a kilometre from the airport, detainees at the Safi centre said it was their wish to leave Malta for any other destination, other than their homeland.

A man who claimed to be a civilian rights activist from Sierra Leone said he was forced to flee his country because the government had made his life hell. "I was declared a wanted man and I had no choice but to disguise myself and get out."

A 20-year old man from Sudan, whose wrinkled face had more in common with that of a middle-aged man, claimed his entire family had been wiped out by the rebels.

A 23-year old Somali asked why the authorities were finding it so hard to determine his case when news agencies were reporting that thousands of people were fleeing Mogadishu as fresh fighting broke out. "I don't know if my family is alive," he cried.

A 28-year old Eritrean, who claimed to be a teacher, said deportation would effectively be his passport to death.

Many detainees urged journalists to go inside the actual housing compounds or tents to experience for themselves the squalor they were living in.

Both army officers and Police Commissioner John Rizzo highlighted the regular fracas caused by immigrants in the detention camps, despite ongoing maintenance.

Lt Col Brian Gatt said many inmates were even refusing to comply with the most basic hygienic standards.

The army, he said, provided them regularly with cleaning materials - while some responsible immigrants made an effort to maintain their premises, others did not.

"Some even blackmailed the other immigrants and urged them to refrain from cleaning up the place to impress the MEPs" (who are inspecting the premises today).

Touring the new C block at Safi, complete with new facilities, Lt Col Gatt said the detainees living under tents were refusing to be transferred there as they insisted that they should be granted freedom. "This compound will however be used in the coming months," he said, referring to the anticipated arrival of more immigrants.

The officer admitted that most of the immigrants were suffering from boredom, but put some of the responsibility on the shoulders of NGOs who, he said, have hardly turned up to organise activities in the last three years.

He insisted that the army was going out of its way to respect the immigrants' customs and demands. Even the meals have been changed to ensure they are more suited to their dietary habits.

Army officers and soldiers stressed the importance of establishing a good relationship with the immigrants. "It's not just a job for us. Most of us see it as a humanitarian mission which requires patience and dedication," a soldier said.

A few are also learning the immigrants' languages to facilitate communication.

The behaviour of some of the immigrants clearly showed that the seclusion and long months in detention had psychological repercussions. However, when asked, the Police Commissioner assured reporters that all detainees were receiving the necessary medical assistance and that such services would be beefed up. He said that no fewer than 250 immigrants are escorted to hospital every month.

In this regard, an Eritrean immigrant narrated the humiliation he felt whenever he was handcuffed to go to hospital. "I am no criminal. What have I done wrong?" he cried.

But both Lt Col Gatt and Mr Rizzo said there have been too many attempts to escape during such visits and the authorities could not take any chances. Asked why journalists were not permitted to go inside the immigrants' actual quarters, the government's adviser on immigration, Martin Scicluna, replied:

"You have seen for yourself how it (the journalists' presence) can lead to disruption. The presence of journalists inside the fence would have been difficult to manage."

Inevitably, the access of journalists to detention centres has been a lower priority, in light of the immense problem the government was facing, Mr Scicluna added.

Malta has nothing to hide or to be ashamed of, he said, adding that the benefits of putting over 1,000 irregular immigrants into open centres have to be weighed with great care and sensitivity against the cultural, social and political implications.

Crisis numbers

¤ Over 2,000 asylum seekers and refugees are in closed or open centres.

¤ Over 1,000 individuals have been granted asylum or humanitarian status.

¤ Since being set up, a total of 5,583 irregular immigrants have passed through detention centres.

¤ A total of 1,822 immigrants landed here last year, compared with 1,388 in 2004 and 502 in 2003.