Video: Migrants' ship makes port at last

@ Anthony formosa
please tell us that you're joking.

lanqas temmen certu nies....u tigi fid-dubju jekk tabadx tibki jew tidhaq b'kummenti bhal tas-Sur Formosa.

@jamie pace

From steps 1 - 4, I'm not sure if you pay taxes, but quite an ammount of our taxes are funding them. In the case of step 5, please wait a couple of years.

1. they get education from our money - as you know, education is free in Malta. Why is it free? Because you pay taxes.
2. They live with our money - Nowadays they also live with our ID cards since a few of them have been caught by police (What happened to them??)
3+ 4, I'm a university student, and I am already seeing a couple of them studying as mature students. I also guess some of them are taking up a free course at ETC.
5. They get the job - Simple my friend. Once you're qualified, you are awarded you job (if there's any left)

And mind you, not to mention to no-go areas they have already occupied in Malta.

@ Edwin Mifsud - well said indeed

@ Jamie Pace

Every job is a decent job in my opinion.

I respect a person who works in construction or as a garbage collector as much as I respect a lawyer or accountant.

For the time being they will take less paid jobs. I

n the future we will end up like the UK.

UK today is finished thanks to illegal immigration and so called political correctness.

@ Jamie Pace

To answer all your questions in one sentence I would use "We pay taxes they dont'". So thanks to us they are fed, sheltered, educated etc. with the money deriving from our taxes, money which could be spent a lot more effectively in infrastructure. The EU pays almost nothing. A rescue operation like the one carried out yesterday not only posed huge risks to those involved but it surely costed the Govt. thousand of Euros. Most probably even when they find a job they will not pay any taxes so to contribute a little. We are the ones being discriminated here as we pay for all things they get for free!!!

It is clear that the majority of Maltese citizens and also legal immigrants residing in Malta are becoming increasingly frustrated with this national crisis. This is a signal that we are going to be overwhelmed during the rest of the year. Frontex is a complete failure and the Libyan Foreign Minister assured Maroni that there would be patrols along the Libyan coast??????? I never see any real action being taken, only the UNHCR and the EU encouraging this influx to continue. Dr Gonzi and CMB are responsible for this and I feel that they betrayed the Maltese people are are never to be trusted again!!!!

Should we be rejoicing?

Dear Politicians will you please put pressure on the Government and starting sending these people to where they come from That is the last port of call.

How I weep for you - I watched the video clip with this article and felt nothing but pity - for the MALTESE PEOPLE! The immigrants that came ashore looked fit and well to me and dressed quite well. They hardly look like they are in dire need of anything. They are merely relieved, they know they have to play a bit of a waiting game for a while but they have made it to an EU state and will be "kept" forever now at the tax payers expense. I want to come and live in Malta (self supported and self funding!!) but I would have to meet a lot of criteria, quite rightly, in place to protect indigenous peoples homes and jobs. It is not right that these economic and illegal immigrants are allowed to land ashore and stay. Your island is already over populated and work is hard to find. How on earth are you supposed to accommodate these people? I do not pretend to know the answer - all I do know that if they keep on coming at the rate you were last year and already this year, you will be outnumbered very soon.

@jamie pace

1. They get education from our money....can you explain further? we pay taxes for them so they can get a proper education
2. They live with our money.....the EU funds caters for that. correct: the EU pays half, we pay the other half. you stand behind the EU as if its your wealth .
3. They study with our money....can you explain further again? we pay for their education from our taxes, they go to computer lessons and i can give you the name of the companies that provide them lessons if you want to
4. They qualify...qualify for what? job
5. They get the job...mention the jobs,just a few please!!!..waiting for ur reply....? builder, cleaner, handy man and soon in IT.

these are just few things which already harm our country, let's not mention the rest of the list

jamie pace
They can do the jobs you mentioned in their own countries but not in Malta. They have absolutely NO right to be here.

Michelle Dali, Anthony Formosa
I agree with you is that they should be repatriated forthwith otherwise kept in strict detention until they are.

The politicians and Gonzipn are aiding and abetting their traffickers by keeping the illegal immigrants here.

A Vella
It is not true that Maltese workers do not want to do the jobs. This is a myth perpetrated by the NGOs and those who employ illegal immigrants and pay them miserly wages because they do not want to pay decent wages to Maltese workers.

Anthony formosa
Why don't you go to their countries and defend them there or pay for their upġkeep in their own country?

Michael Cutajar
We do not want them to integrate with us and will do our utmost to see the last of them leave Malta for ever.

victor vella
AFFRONTEX free illegal immigrants ferry service to Malta

According to my calculations a 10 metre boat would be approx 3.60 meter wide. This works out at 36 square mtrs (without deducting the engine space and allowing for the tapering of the bow)
Now a grown up person sitting down needs an area of 0.30 square mtrs. Therefore in an area of 36 sq mtrs only a maximum of 120 persons would fit with no space at all left. The remaining 42 people would therefore have to sit on top of the others for long hours and in heavy seas covering approx 150 miles if they departed from the from the coast of Libya before being picked up.
Please tell this story to the marines.

162 migrants in mid-January is not a good sign...

jamie pace

1. They get education from our money....WE ARE PAYING FOR THEIR SCHOOLING
2. They live with our money.....the EU funds caters for that. That's a blatant lie. LODGING, FOOD, CLOTHING, WATER, ELECTRICITY, INTERNET, TELEPHONES, everything paid by US. The eu money which is something given back to us from the daily E154,000 which we pay the eu is simply to ameliorate their lodgings which they wreck over and over again
3. They study with our money....see 1
4. They qualify...for POCKET MONEY, TRAINING, JOBS, CHILDREN ALLOWANCE and they breed like rabbits, MOBILE TELEPHONE CARDS paid by US to conspire with their countrymen to come here, JUMP THE QUEUE AT HEALTH CENTRES AND HOSPITAL.....enough jamie?
5. They get the job...go to factories, Bulebel for instance, and see them working instead of Maltese citizens who have been discharged.

They are living like leeches on OUR taxes.

You know why jamie?
Because they find people like you who instead of raising your voice for your fellow countrymen who are being robbed of their jobs by the illegal immigrants you defend them.

Let's put responsiblity where it lies - Gonzi.

Since this 'phenomenon' started, and even now that it has reached crisis proportions, Gonzi has done nothing to prevent it or to take remedial measures.

At most Gonzi has spoken like an Archbishop in waiting and that is not good enough to defend and protect Malta's interests.

Are we to believe that they departed from Libya in such bad weather? Most probably they were carried most of the way on a mothership, perhaps organised by someone of high authority in Libya. If they are willing to attempt crossing in such weather, we should know what to expect next summer! What preparations are in place to deal with the expected invasion? The minister concerned should explain.

So you people out there still think EU membership is good for the average man in the street? Just wait till the migration season comes along and prepare for the worst. You can be sure we haven't seen the last of them.
May I suggest opening a further open centre, this time round in the Sliema/St Julians area. We in the south have had more than our fair share.
Meantime my contacts in Brussels inform me that the commission does not consider the levels alarming yet so may God have mercy on us for what we are about to recieve!

@Anthony Formosa
...are you trying to be sarcastic or what? Please elaborate especially on your 'I hope others also will' part as I find this highly offensive and aimed at intimidating the thousands who are genuinely hurt and angry that our island is being gradually and steadily overtaken by these pirates.
You should apologize for wanting this to happen even faster!

We have heard most of these comments before and by now we all know the situation.
What I am asking is what happened to that agreement Malta signed about three months ago and about which we made so much fuss and we even called it a victory for Malta. My question is: When are our dear EU members starting to take their share of this burden? That is all. The simplest of questions. The poeple have the right to know and be informed of what is happening because since that time nobody uttered a single word,

@ A. Briffa

You forgot Step 4.5

They will be preferred to the Maltese man or else the employer will be called racist.

Whilst these people enter malta without documentation, identification, finances and any goodwill for the country..... we turn down hundreds of visa applications to legally identified, qualified and work-willing people who `apply for visas` in Malta. Totally the opposite of what we should be doing.

So the people who follow the `legal way` get penalised... whilst immigrating to malta on a rubber dinghy get a preferred red-carpet treatment.

So we prefer attracting unskilled workers.... to skilled qualified & educated people? Brilliant.

I totally agree with Mr. Millam, 10,000 illegal immigrants each year for 10 years make it 100,000 and consider also that others already residing here will not remain doing nothing but will contribute in various ways to increase the population of Malta.

@A.Briffa....you re talking crap my friend...you re yet to mention any decent good job taking by these people...and to qoute you A.Briffa...
1. They get education from our money....can you explain further?
2. They live with our money.....the EU funds caters for that.
3. They study with our money....can you explain further again?
4. They qualify...qualify for what?
5. They get the job...mention the jobs,just a few please!!!..waiting for ur reply....

Maybe someone in Malta should start a "Population Clock" on the same lines as the "Doomsday Clock", every time another boatload, no make that a SHIPLOAD now, of illegals arrives, the "Population Clock" is updated to reflect the new status of the amount of people staking it out on the island: natural citizens, legal immigrants, illegal immigrants and all the rest that fall in-between!
KInd of a population census but the difference is that this would be updated on a (sic) daily basis, cuz, isn't that how often these illegals have been arriving lately.

Bill Millam
Los Angeles

@ jamie Pace
we are doing like the English people used to do in the 60's in England, now you must go to England and see the State the British people are in and HOW HAPPY they are with all these kind of People nearly from all over the world. we Must not repeat their MISTAKE.........

@ Anthony Formosa. Thanks to all those involved these people made it safe to shore, and I hope others also will

Whilst I too thank the people involved in the rescue operation who ensure that these illegal immigrants make it safely to shore, I, unlike you, do not hope others will 'make it also'. They should be turned back to make it safely to Libya where they came from.

Malta is a small country which is already overpopulated. We do not need illegal immigrants flooding into the country in a never-ending inward flow. Remember, they are paying criminals to get them illegally into our country. What do you think the criminals do with the money they 'earn' from this illegal activity? Buy homes for the truly needy people of Africa? I don't think so.

This silent invasion has to end. If the government doesn't act quickly to start repatriating people who do not qualify for refugee status, the situation will get out of control. These people should apply for asylum in Libya. Libya is vast, rich and at peace. They have no case for illegal entry into Europe to claim asylum.

@ jamie pace

It's very simple how they will get our jobs.

1. They get education from our money.
2. They live with our money
3. They study with our money
4. They qualify
5. They get the job

but why should anyone hire people who are in the country illegally anyway? Are we going to justify illgal immigration because they do jobs other Maltese don t want to do? The point is that we can not have Malta be full of Africans who threw away any means of identification whatsoever so as not to be sent back

Hooray! So they made it finally and now there are 162 more to house and feed. According to the Repubblica website, there are thousands of immigrants on the coast of Libya ready to leave. When is the govt. going to declare a state of emergency and refuse entrance to any more immigrants? Remember that now they're not coming in groups of 28 but in groups of hundreds.

They should be given water and food and sent back from wherever they came from. Simple.

So the year starts with 162 uninvited, unwanted and unwelcome guests on top of the thousands that are still in Malta, who have not been repatriated or relocated, despite many promises.

Are there any NGOs or do-gooders volunteering to keep them in their homes? Or do they expect all of us taxpayers to pay for their upkeep?

Can Gonzi come clean and tell us how much this exercise in involuntary charity is costing Malta?

Is he willing to hold a public consultation process?

Is he willing at least to speak up?

“I think we should have to have a strong border security. IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE FOR US TO ALLOW HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COMING THROUGH OUR BORDER WITHOUT KNOWING WHO THEY ARE. We should have an employer verification system, were when employers hire someone they find out what their work status is and hold employers accountable.”: Barack Obama

Ref: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiUzJB3nagw&feature=related

@ Anthony formosa
"Thanks to all those involved these people made it safe to shore, and I hope others also will."

Others also will what? To defend the rescuing of these people is understandable and commendable. But to pray that more arrive as is the gist of your comment is a bit masochist. i suspect that your closing comment was meant to spite the people who are worried about this crisis we are facing.

@dennis catania...reply to your question..where will this people work...and that they re taking the maltese jobs....just to correct you man...theres alot of jobs here in malta where these peolple can be engaged with,i mean alot of jobs,in construction,farming,bin disposers,street cleaning to mention a few...mostly these re jobs our fellow maltese wld refuse egoistically...these people will accept such jobs...they re not taking our jobs...how many somalian,ethopians,eritreans etc ve you found in banks,offices or even in government premises doing your white color jobs...most of them are not as learned as we re so the fear of them taking my job does not exist...once again welldone AFM for doing a great job,by bringing them to shore...

May I add a comment pls! For how long do we need to stretch our help? What if the tanker sank (was laden with oil may I remind everybody) due to the very bad weather....what would have happened...the final end for our economy and us.

When will the Gov declare Malta saturated? What do the UNHCR want the collapse of our economy and social problems.........why do they continue bullying with little Malta and say nothing to the EU, because they are afraid of the giant????

A tanker carrying more than 100 migrants finally managed to enter Grand Harbour this afternoon. Warm welcome why did'nt our government escort them to one of our 5STR hotels then. Sometimes being an illegal serves better. When is our government finally going to decide and stand up .............. help them yes but letting them invade this island no. The goverment needs to do its duty and work for the interest of this country and its citizens and not do just what others want it do the do............

It is a Wednesday and on wednesdays I usually turn on my telly to watch the PMQs in the house of commons. We should have PMQs in Malta. But anyways this is beside the point.

May I ask two questions.Can Prime Minister Gonzi or Dr Tonio Borg or any right honourable gentleman tell us which are those European Union Member states that are willing to take these immigrants? and the ones that made it to our shores yesterday? and last monday? and Friday?

They said the pact they signed a couple of months ago is in the interest of the Maltese. Can we please have a little bit less of talking and a little bit more of action please?

I feel like we have an analog Prime Minister in a digital world! Is he aware that scores of immigrants are coming to Malta not only in summer but in Winter as well? Is he waiting for a ship with a thousand of immigrants on board making it to our shores to take action?

Dont come up with the racist card. I am for multiculturalism, I am for integrating these people but this is a point of no return.

The only shore they should have been escorted to is Libya's port. How many more can we accomodate in this big open centre Malta has become for all illegals?

Thanks to all those involved these people made it safe to shore, and I hope others also will.

Denis Catania
You'll have to wait for your answer, as the song goes,
Until the twelfth of never,
and that's a long long time.

What is the cost to the tanker owners for such a delay?Wasn't Frontex supposed to stop them coming? or have I misunderstood and Frontex was meant to bring them here instead of letting them go where they want to?

Where will they fit in a overpopulated Island??? Where will they work in an Island with no work??? When is LawrencePN is going to get them freedom of movement through the volunteer burden sharing within the EU??? When???