A group of 154 illegal immigrants were ping-ponged between Malta and Italy yesterday as both countries refused them entry after they were rescued by a Turkish cargo ship from two separate boats.

Although the immigrants were picked up closer to Lampedusa than Malta, the Italian authorities insisted that the migrants should be taken to Malta because the incident took place in its Search and Rescue region.

Malta, however, insisted that, in terms of international conventions, the migrants had to be landed at the nearest safe port, which in this case was Lampedusa.

The rescue was coordinated by the Armed Forces of Malta, which directed the nearby cargo ship to pick up the immigrants after it was informed that they were in distress.

According to the ship's crew, the immigrants appeared "aggressive" and "nervous". It later transpired that 25 of them were injured, seven required urgent medical aid, some had fractured limbs and one of them was a pregnant woman.

Although the vessel tried to make its way to Lampedusa in accordance with its obligations, an Italian naval vessel was dispatched to make sure it did not enter territorial waters, leaving the boat stranded some 17 nautical miles from the Italian island.

Medical assistance was later requested by the vessel and an Italian doctor was hoisted onto the ship from an Italian patrol boat.

Meanwhile, the UNHCR plead-ed with Italy and Malta to let the migrants disembark, saying the conditions on board were problematic and the weather was worsening.

"As always, the legal aspects and the national jurisdiction can be assessed at a second stage.

Landing should be immediately allowed in order to provide the shipwrecked with health care and humanitarian assistance," a spokesman for UNHCR said.

In a similar case on March 16, Malta had refused entry to an Italian frigate that rescued migrants 40 miles off Lampedusa. They were later taken to Italy.

The Labour Party said the standoff between Malta and Italy confirmed the need for the plan of action proposed by the party.

It insisted that under no circumstance could the immigrants be accepted in Malta. The government, it said, should not give in to the Italian government's pressure or to the threat that the case would be taken to the European Union. The PL promised its support should the government take this course of action.

Malta, the PL said, had suffered enough because of the lack of goodwill at an international level and the time had come for the national interest to come first and foremost.

cperegin@timesofmalta.com

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