155 illegal migrants land over weekend

It was another weekend of illegal immigrant mayhem as 155 boat people landed here.

Just before noon, the Armed Forces of Malta brought in 10 men, four women and an infant.

On Saturday, two groups were brought ashore within the space of six hours. At about 5 p.m., a group of 31, consisting of 22 men, eight women and a baby, landed at Ghar Lapsi.

Swimmers had alerted the police that the immigrants were resting on the rocks. Some of the immigrants, including the mother of the child, needed medical assistance.

Ironically, the swimmers also reported seeing a person on another speedboat inch closer to the immigrants' boat and taking away its outboard motor.

At 11 p.m., the AFM accompanied another group of 25, all male, to Haywharf.

Late last night, another two boats with 31 and 25 on board were escorted inland.

The police are investigating.

Early on Saturday morning, a group of 28, made up of 20 men, five women and three children, were picked up by an Italian tug boat 47 miles off Malta.

As they were being transferred to the AFM boat, four of the men had to be assisted because they were found to be suffering from burns on various parts of their bodies. Two of the men had to be hospitalised upon their arrival in Malta.

About 22 immigrants are believed to have perished on Friday, according to a sole survivor who was rescued by an Italian fishing boat some 74 nautical miles south of Malta.

Laura Boldrini, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees office in Sicily, said it seemed new records for drownings or missing immigrants in the Mediterranean would be set this summer.

It has become a sad ritual of death and desperation, she said.