Ariadne Massa
Foreign students witness their coach driver being beaten
Traffic blocked by striking bus drivers in St Julians, yesterday. Photo: Jason Borg
A chauffeur was beaten by three minibus drivers who ambushed his coach in Żebbuġ yesterday, jumped on board and started bashing him in front of over 50 terrified foreign students.
Mario Muscat, 61, an employee of Supreme Garage, was shuttling past St Dorothy's School when the mini-bus drivers blocked his path and began hurling obscenities.
"They were swearing at my dead, my family... you name it and shouting loudly. I just stood back and did not utter a word," he told The Times.
The incident happened at about 9 a.m. when the drivers, who he said he had never met in his life, suddenly boarded the coach and punched him in the face, knocking off his spectacles and attempting to force him off the bus.
"I was seeing stars and felt dizzy. Why should I be attacked? I'm not a strike-breaker. I'm not taking their work, merely carrying out my job," he added.
While the drivers on board hit Mr Muscat, others were banging on the side of the coach, attempting to break the windscreen, scaring the students out of their wits.
"The poor students later huddled around me trying to help," Mr Muscat said. By the time the police arrived to intervene, the cowardly bullies had ran away but, luckily, Mr Muscat had memorised the number plate of the vehicles.
The police are investigating.
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10 Comments
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Anthony Pace
Jul 18th 2008, 01:03
Liberaize the public Transport Please ! for Malta's sake!
E. Grima
Jul 17th 2008, 14:22
This has become an intolerable situation. These thugs should have their licences withdrawn....FOR GOOD! It's a pity that only 17 arrests have been made. There should be more..much more. That is the only way that these people may, perhaps, learn their lesson and realize that might IS NOT right. But then I wonder if they will ever learn!
The service they give has never improved, even though the fares increased considerably. Just go to City Gate at around half past one in the afternoon and the answer is there for you. Queues of people everywhere without shelter from sun or rain and most of the buses either locked up or not there at all. This happens day in day out especially on the Rabat route! To add insult to injury the 'so called' despatcher is either absent or half drunk!
Clean up your act ATP!!!
Paul Bonnici
Jul 17th 2008, 14:19
I hope witnesses of such incidents assist the police and take photos and videos of these criminals as evidence. Nowadays many people have camera phones, they should use them to bring thugs to justice.
The police should also make use of technolgy to videos and photographs these trouble makers. I suggest the police encourage people to email them photos or videos of demonstrators to assist them with investigations. The police guarding Minister Gatt's residence should also be issued with recording equipment to record movement of suspicious people. A camera is a big deterrence of crime.
DVella
Jul 17th 2008, 12:35
Do we have a 'terrorist act' in Malta??? Why can't we lock up these animals indefinitely without trial . . . they are not fit to be counted amongst the members of society!
Ben Buhagiar
Jul 17th 2008, 12:14
I can only imagine what stories these students will tell when they go back to their country. I hope some action is taken to stop these events.
anna tabone
Jul 17th 2008, 11:58
Third world country !
David Grech
Jul 17th 2008, 11:54
Remember this incident the next time you put your children on a Mini-bus to go to school. Get transport liberalized, I'll be the first to draft my proposal to render a good quality service. There is no competition in the market, just a bunch of bullies who want to run the show.
Nice way of greeting the foreign students to Malta. Ridiculous!!
Frank Vella
Jul 17th 2008, 10:55
And such mini bus drivers transport out children to school!
Mine not anymore! In future I will give them a lift....
Renato J. Costigan
Jul 17th 2008, 10:51
Mr. Bugeja as President of the Mini-Vans Association go on television
and condemn this kind of VIOLENCE.
Not crying (dmugh tal-kukkudrilll) because there are members of your
union in jail (not granted bail). They are there because they allegedly
broke the law. What do you think, they do what they have done
without the police taking action? Those days are over that the
police see nothing with no arrests.
a.cassar
Jul 17th 2008, 09:59
These kind of people are not worthy to walk our streets and should be locked up for a long,long time besides making them pay for the damage they have caused. I doubt that the trauma the driver and the students went through during the barbaric attack will go away so these criminals should be made to pay. finally I hope that their licenses are withdrawn and never given back.