'Migrants turning parts of Marsa into no-go areas'

Labour MP Joe M. Sammut complained yesterday that parts of Marsa where illegal migrants lived had become no-go areas for the Maltese.

He told Parliament in an adjournment speech that while he was not a racist, the interests of the Maltese needed to be protected.

Parts of Marsa had become no-go areas to the extent that even a senior police officer had admitted that he was afraid to go there after certain hours.

It was fair to help people who were in need but it was simply unacceptable that these same people rendered parts of Malta as no-go areas. The state needed to restore order, Dr Sammut said.

He said there had been several instances where Maltese were attacked, including an army officer who was recognised on the bus as having served on guard duties with the migrants. In this case even the SAG had to intervene.

Therefore soldiers who risked their life to save the migrants were now being attacked by these same people! This too was unacceptable. These people needed to respect Maltese laws if they wanted to continue to be hosted in Malta. Dr Sammut said he also wanted to know how, reportedly, some properties in the same areas of Marsa had been bought by the migrants. How could these people afford to buy property if they were said to be poor and were receiving free medical care and other assistance, including mobile phones and clothes? Did they have money? What, exactly, was going on? If they had funds, where had they come from?

Dr Sammut said the law should be applied to all, Maltese and migrants. He had defended Maltese in court who were alleged to have worked illegally. But had ETC inspectors looked into how so many migrants waited every morning to board their vans to work? If these people were working, they should be paying tax.

He was not saying that deserving people should not be helped, Dr Sammut said, but the law was there for everyone.

Another problem was how the No. 13 bus to Birzebbuga was always full up with migrants going to the camp at Hal Far, to the detriment of the residents of Birzebbuga. The ADT should either raise the number of buses on this route or introduce a different service for the migrants, he said.