Illegal Immigration in Malta

Most illegal immigrants who come to Malta pay money to human traffickers who then provide the boats to enable these immigrants to cross over from the North African Coast - usually from Libya

Human trafficking is an illegal activity - and illegal immigrants are themselves victims of this activity.

Some illegal immigrants have paid for this journey with their own lives

Some 18 months ago I myself came across one drowned immigrant whilst trolling some 8 miles north east of Malta.

A patrol boat searching the area subsequently found another 11 individuals who had drowned on this same occasion.

A magisterial inquiry was conducted on this incident.

Yioham Disaster 1996

The worst disaster at sea involving Human Trafficking occurred a few miles off the Sicilian coast in 1996 - The journey started in Malta on Boxing Day 1996 - the Labour Party was in Government

On 13 March 2009 it was announced that Ahmed Sheik Turab had been found guilty of the deaths of 283 Individuals and has been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment

Turab - a Pakistani National operated with impunity from Malta in 1996 - under a labour Government.

It has been claimed in Court that for this trip alone, the 400 Asians paid more than 1.2 million dollars - human trafficking is big business.

It should be remembered that although the Labour Party was in Government in Malta no concrete action was taken.

Should not his assets for instance been impounded? His bank accounts frozen?

Present Situation

Figures I am quoting are correct as at end February 2009 - clearly they change every day.

More than 12,500 illegal immigrants have arrived in Malta since 2002

In this period around 7,000 illegal immigrants have left Malta

There are currently around 5,500 illegal immigrants in Malta of which 2,235 are in detention centres awaiting the processing of their case and 2,137 are in open accommodation centres whilst the rest - more than 1,000 - are living in our community.

In 2008 a record number of illegal Immigrants arrived 2,775 as compared to 1,702 in 2007, an increase of 63 per cent.

Fact - Libya

Libya has a Population circa five Million;

Libya has had a budget surplus since 1966 as a result of its oil revenues;

Gaddafi has been in power since 1969 - and appears to be in total political control - although he has been reported recently as saying that corruption in Libya is rife;

Libya currently produces around 1.8 million barrels a day of crude oil and relies heavily on these oil revenues;

Last year Oil revenues for Libya were in excess of 30 billion Euros;

However the price of oil has decreased - and so has Libya's revenue - this makes Libya more amenable to discussion!

Most Illegal immigrants arriving in Malta leave from Libyan shores with the aid of human traffickers.

Libya appears to be doing little to control this human trafficking causing putting the lives of these immigrants at risk - and causing great harm to Malta

To date Libya has refused to give even to give Frontex permission to conduct surveillance close to its shoreline.

Distress calls are not answered by the Libyan authorities even when these occur in Libyan waters.

Yet Libya has been given 20 Million Euros by the EU to help strengthen Libya's border controls.

Malta - what can we do?

For several years we have been asking Libya to fulfill its international and humanitarian obligations - to no avail.

Illegal Immigrants continue to leave the Libyan coast and continue to arrive in their thousands on Malta's shores - causing severe human distress sometimes drowning, compounded by social, medical and financial problems.

Clearly we have been unable to persuade Libya to fulfill its obligations

Malta as a member of the EU must now state clearly and unequivocally that this is completely unacceptable and that the time for talking is now over

We must now be prepared to take all the necessary actions, diplomatic and if necessary also apply sanctions to Libya.

MEPs

If elected as an MEP I am prepared to take any action deemed necessary against Libya until Libya agrees to abide by international law;

An Ultimatum to Libya: fulfill your International and Humanitarian Obligations - or suffer the consequences;

I will campaign so that Libya will receive no benefits from the EU until such time as it starts to fulfill its humanitarian and international obligations.

Notes

Statement by the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs FOR JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS

1st March 2009 "UN working group has failed to appreciate scale of illegal immigration problem in Malta "

Feb 2009 during a visit to Tripoli, the EU's External Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero Waldner

The Director of the EU's Border Control Agency has admitted. "EU patrols in the Mediterranean are failing to prevent an increase in clandestine migrants reaching Italy, Malta" and that the "situation is alarming" September 2008

Mr Laitinen stated that traffickers are forcing immigrants to sink the boats they are sailing close to the coasts of Malta and Lampedusa so that they will be saved by Frontex vessels and taken ashore.