Wednesday, 15th October 2008 - 12:35CET

Migrant arrivals from Somalia double every year

The number of irregular migrants from Somalia has been doubling every year since 2006, with Somalis now forming the biggest group of migrants in Malta, information given in Parliament shows.

A total of 1,266 Somalis arrived in Malta this year, compared to 613 in 2007, 311 in 2006 and 146 in 2005. However there were 533 arrivals in 2004.

In all, 3,221 Somalis have arrived in Malta since 2002, of whom 1,666 are still in Malta.

The second biggest group of migrants is composed of Eritreans, with 1,583 arrivals since 2002, of whom 468 are still here.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said migrant arrivals in the year ending September 30 totalled 2,559. The population in closed centres totalled 2,001 while there were another 2,432 migrants in the open centres.

Between September 2007 and August 2008, Malta repatriated 269 migrants, including persons staying in Malta illegally.

The minister explained that migrants staying in open centres are entitled to a benefit of €4.66 daily, which rises by €2.33 for each additional child. Those in closed centres do not receive financial benefits but are given clothes, bedding and items for personal hygiene and a phone card of €4.66 monthly.

The minister was replying to questions by Labour MP Silvio Parnis and Nationalist MP Jean Pierre Farrugia.

Comments

deb bugeja (on 17/10/08)

it seems that somalia now forms part of the shengen. they come here as much they please to. just look at them ! do you think that they are poor or not being fed.

Gonzi is not taking his stand and is not putting our nation on the best interest. what are we going to do support and take all the somalis and africans just to please the unchr.

Edwin Mifsud (on 16/10/08)

@ Tony Cassar

You are right in every one of your statements, very right.

Which is why they should not be brought here in the first place.

Pressure needs to be made for either some other mega mile square country from Europe to come and collect them from the sea or better still send them back from where their sea voyage began.

It is a well known secret that the trip starts from Libya.

Even if it sounds inhumane but FULL HOUSE means FULL HOUSE!

l Galea (on 15/10/08)

Tony Cassar
So do you expect that if a million of them cross over to here we have to keep them?

Paul Muscat (on 15/10/08)

Although I pity the refugees, it is an other matter with illegal immigrants. Refugees should be given full unconditional support; the others brake the law and should be confined to an enclosed area permently. They are passing on the message that Malta is soft, otherwise the sheer quantities would not swell! Only the gulilble believe that unfavourable winds bring them here. Charity should be voluntarily and not forced on Maltese society unconditionally. We already give a lot, giving more to the detriment of our sons and daughter is suicidal. Those who want to play the missionary should do it at source. Beside if Africa is going to be deplited of its best people, more and more will leave that wreched land.
The EU should punish corrupt African dictators and corrupt European businessmen who do business with these dictators. The EU should do its utmost to create a "China" and a "Korea" in Africa and not use Africa as a source for exploitation of primary mineral resources! Where are the monies of the Congo diamonds? Where are the monies of Nigerian oil? Wher are the monies of cocoa, copper, coffee and logging?

mike quinn (on 15/10/08)

@ Tony Cassar...yes we know the difficulties and the expense, and the work involved, however every other country in europe manages it ......so what's the problem here??
A lack of committment,resolution, and direction comes to mind

P Debono (on 15/10/08)

SEND THESE SOMALIS BACK WHERE THEY CAME FROM! It is obvious that this is apart of a co-ordinated campaign involving human traffickers and the numbers do not lie. The Somali boats ALWAYS include a pregnant woman, they ALWAYS include some kids, they ALWAYS travel in boatloads of 100 or 28 and they ALWAYS submerge their dinghy on purpose when they arrive on Maltese shores so that they're rescued and taken on land!

Send them back before they drain the honest taxpayer's money even further!

Noel Cutajar (on 15/10/08)

@Tony Cassar - do you know that all your questions can be answered by another question? Why does the government give them freedom of movement if all your questions cannot be answered?

A. Coppini (on 15/10/08)

€4.66 x 2432 = €11,333.12 daily

€11,333.12 x 365 = €4,136,588.80 yearly

This money goes into these theives' pockets.... out of yours and mine.

I Abela (on 15/10/08)

Does anyone realise that the figures quoted above are incorrect or better still FALSE. Did anyone read the article? It is said that this year alone 2559 landed in Malta. And yet the Minister states that there are 2001 in closed centres. What is the Minister trying to say here? That none of the migrants, who landed this year, have been sent to closed centres. Or that the closed centres (ie detention centres) where totally empty this year and have been filled up with this years' migrants? Even though the mentioned figures are not realistic, if one were to calculate the benefits which the migrants get (as stated above) and the cost of their food and healthcare (as stated earlier by Dr. Gonzi), we are spending 50 Million Euro anually for these people. Now we all have to pay dearly for water and electricity because Enemalta is 55 Million Euro short. WOW

Mike Magri (on 15/10/08)

@ Mr. Tony Cassar

Tony, with so many "..Do You Knows..?" which you rightly pointed out, don`t you think that then we would be correct, if we send them back, (after some time with us), at least, to the country of their departure...( Probably Libya..!!), and LET THEM solve these problems themselves.....??!!??!!

WE MUST DO SOMETHING QUICK..... THAT`S FOR SURE...

a.cassar (on 15/10/08)

It is true, these people are fleeing their war torn country but we seem to be forgetting that Somalia is in the southern part of the horn of africa andbefore reaching malta they have topass through other countries endinf up in Libya where most of them have a job and save for their journey Northwards. So when they start out on their journey they are already out of danger.

Tony Cassar (on 15/10/08)

Everyone here seems to be making repatriation of failed asylum seekers sound like it's an easy job.

Do you know that to repatriate these people, they need to be identified first?
Do you know that ALL of them do not carry any form of documentation?
Do you know that they do not co-operate with the authorities and constantly try to mislead the authorities in trying to discover who they are or where they are from?
Do you know that they need travel documents ISSUED BY THEIR COUNTRY OF CITIZENSHIP to be sent back?
Do you know that some of these countries do not want these people back?
Do you know that most of these countries do not even have an embassy or consulate in Rome, let alone Malta?
Do you know that the embassies or consulates of these African countries issue travel documents to such individuals ONLY if the illegal immigrant in question requests it?
Do you know that if we try to send them back without the required documentation they would simply not be allowed to board the plane?

So please, STOP MAKING FORCED REPATRIATION SOUND LIKE IT'S A WALK IN THE PARK!!!!

Joseph Sciberras (on 15/10/08)

"Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of up to one million people." - from the BBC Website country profile.

So according to some people we should send these people back to face death! Very Christian of you, you should be proud of yourselves!

Simon Borg (on 15/10/08)

This should help to prove that these unfortunate people are are not economic opportunists trying to leech off of our welfare state but people fleeing from death and destruction. Is it a coincidence that violence in Somalia has been increasing substantially over the same period? We cannot solve this problem by sending them back to die, spreading them all over Europe or by increasing patrols. We must go to the root of the problem, which is a very biased international community that intervenes in the Balkans, Lebanon or East Timor but lets the situation in Somalia and Sudan get worse and worse. If I were born a Somali, I'd have no hope for my country, torn between the interests of Islamic extremists and corrupt western puppets. I'd leave too.

Raymond Sammut (on 15/10/08)

There seems to be a false belief in Malta that Somalis cannot be repatriated to Somalia. This is not true.

A quick search on the net, using obvious keywords, shows for example that the Ugandan government has just repatriated Sudanese and Somalis:

"Sources close to Uganda government say that the government has repatriated at least 31,819 Sudanese and Somalis who have been living in Uganda as refugees. Details in the 2008/09 ministerial statement to parliament from the Office of the Prime Minister show that the repatriated lot was part of the 170,000 Sudanese refugees living in the country."

The UK Home Office and the UNHCR also provide information on repatriation to Somalia.

It is up to the Maltese government to initiate bilateral contacts, and remedy the situation. There needs to be more questioning in Parliament on this issue, and follow up with decisive action on the ground.

John Borg (on 15/10/08)

I am intrigued by the fact that in recent months, after a long period of silence, we are now being flooded with near daily reports and data statistics of arrival numbers, "temporary" residence numbers, overall numbers etc. A sort of overdose effect, as if to numb the brain so that we are not shocked by these worrying statistics!
The band of merry dogooders and anti-racist wannabe's have gone silent too, so as not to provoke hysteria and knee jerk reactions from the everyday John citizen, who normally would not voice his/her concern. We cannot fall prey to this sort of daily dose of information, in hope that we will no longer be alarmed. We have every reason to be alarmed. Our country is at the cross-roads of a new era. Countries like Italy and the UK faced this problem decades ago and the results are there for everyone to see. A multi-cultural divide, with immigrants who refuse to integrate into society and local inhabitants threatened by into sumbission by the threat of being labeled as racists by those groups funded by our taxes to "look out for the rights" of people wanting to take over our tiny Island. Beware!

l Galea (on 15/10/08)

Remember last year when The Times reported that the President of the Somali community in Malta DEMANDED to speak to OUR President and Prime Minister to DEMAND more rights?

This clearly shows that they not only do not want to leave and establish themselves in Malta, but that their numbers also show that they are coordinating their countrymen arrivals in Malta.

This is already a totally unsustainable situation when also considering the fact that they have been given the right to bring their families, all in the name of family unification instead of repatriating them to be with their families.

Eric Soames (on 15/10/08)

There you go calling them 'irregular' like there was some spelling mistake on their credentials!! They're illegal and should be called so. Please call a spade a spade.

A Vella (on 15/10/08)

Of course something can be done. The government can put his foot down for a change, put aside its laissez faire stance on the matter and do what he should have done a long time ago- absolutely refuse any more illegals and start repatriating huge numbers . For example, why are there illegals in Malta coming from Nigeria and Tunisia? These can easily be sent back. The government is certainly not pleasing his own people. That is what needs to be done.

louise vella (on 15/10/08)

The first step towards a solution is to have a government determined to put the national interest above all other considerations.

Sonia Zammit (on 15/10/08)

It is not a problem for which there is a solution. It is a problem that is here to stay. And not only in our country, but all Europe. Why is anyone expecting any government to do anything ? As if anything can be done! If there was a solution someone (not from Malta) would already have forwarded.

Denis Catania (on 15/10/08)

Somalis and Eritreans are known to fight against each other. Are they separated in the detention and open centers?

Marvin Mizzi (on 15/10/08)

And these do not want to come here --- and if they wanted to come then what would the amount be??????????

David Seychell (on 15/10/08)

"The number of irregular migrants from Somalia has been doubling every year since 2006"

"A total of 1,266 Somalis arrived in Malta this year, compared to 613 in 2007, 311 in 2006 and 146 in 2005. However there were 533 arrivals in 2004."

Ok, let me do the maths: 2005=146, 2006=311, 2007=613, 2008=1,266 and hence in 2009, in Malta will arrive 2,532 from Somalia alone. Excellent news.

Edwin Mifsud (on 15/10/08)

emm............

Are we to expect 3000 pax of Somalies next year?

A Vella (on 15/10/08)

In a year they only managed to repatriate 269 illegals! Scarce outcome. The government should be trying harder to find means of identifying the true origins of the immigrants. Those caught lying or who do not cooperate should not even quailfy for protection. There are too many around. Each year more will come and with such a limited number of repatrations we will get always more illegals roaming in the streets.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Friday, December 5, 2008. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Migrant arrivals from Somalia double every year

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