Dutch students cause €13,000 damage to farmhouse

M Xuereb

Jul 15th 2009, 16:20

People need to learn to show some respect. I'm fed up of students continuing to be a nuisance.

Raymond Calleja

Jul 15th 2009, 15:54

What would we have said if these people where from Libya??? Shame on them they should be banned from coming to Malta once more.It good news that the owner got his money back.

Eric Hamerslag

Jul 15th 2009, 15:46

These yup's were indeed not language students visiting Gozo. There is an article in a Dutch newspaper - link underneath. They did not want to declared what they had done in the farmhouse, only God knows. They were very drunk and now they regret. I think that Mr. Ellul have made a righ decision by locking them for a couple of days. But refering to their double first names they are children from the aristocratic layer which seems to be a 'garantee' that these people allow them selves to behave like a yerk.
Therefor I say jiddispjacini to the people of Zebbug. Very soon I will be in St Paul's for some time and I love to be in Malta. And of course ..... I will behave meself.
http://www.ad.nl/reizen/3368597/Vakantiehuis_gesloopt_fikse_boete.html?reageer=1

adrian aquilina

Jul 15th 2009, 15:18

im not defending anyone who does such things but when people come to malta thanks to many maltese the place is already littered,maltese throw rubish in the street from their pockets and cars,leave a mess after barbeques,pollute the air with buses and cars blowing out black smoke,drive like they dont know how in a selfish way,shout in the street,sound their car horn at anytime,swear at each other..........etc...if the maltese cant show respect to this country,cant even drive properly or know when not to make noise with car horns or shouting then why are anyone visiting going to behave..they dont act like tis in the u.k. or in other countries i have lived so why when they come here?its because most people here are uncivilised and so they act that way too..
i feel sorry for the farmhouse..at leasr they got their money.

Antoine Camilleri

Jul 15th 2009, 14:40

@Margaret Richards
Or maybe because they could pay for damages. Accountability at the end of the day! We have to pay through our taxes for maintenance and damage illegals do. If Gozitans prefer we can send them a few illegal immigrants instead of Europeans.

Marthese Mussett

Jul 14th 2009, 22:46

how did you come to the conclusion that they were English Language students?Since when have they been boarding in farmhouses?They did wrong but at least they paid for the damage they caused.Please do not generalize about the foreign students either.Some of them are polite and give up their seat for me on the bus.Most 15 year olds sit on the pavement and are a bit loud,when I was 15 I did nt behave as a 33 year old sensible mum of 4 either!Yes they do spend money,on food,drinks,bus fares,beach umbrellas,even if they share an umbrella between 10!A friend of mine who s husband lost his job relies on these students to have a bit of income.I dont think so many families would host them if they did nt make any profit,as a lot of you are saying.Now that theseDutch pp paid their dues,how about catching the ones that vandalize churches,public gardens,phoneboxes,trees, roadsigns,schools etc etc...that we pay from our taxes,and making them pay for the damage

David Schiavone

Jul 14th 2009, 19:31

Further to the comments below, i also add up my personal experiences where such "students" (in inverted commas) shout in the streets of bugibba at 3am whereby the people in general would be sleeping (including me) and literally litter in the street. I also noticed some students doing damage on cars..How about going to the sea? Well these students literally share one sunbed/umbrella between a handful of them plus creating a big chaos at the sea throwing balls without any sense of direction whereby i was hit three times. I had to personally go and give them what we call in maltese - "HASLA TAJBA!!", We shall not also exclude the chaos they leave at public places and also the chaos they do in hotels..at the airport etc.. So whey do we need these students? Can we start promoting malta as a pure holiday destination targeted at more grown up youths like my age - 25? Why do we need such children of 16 17 in malta? With all due to respect to youths being 16-18 age group. Sorry but I can't stand this non-sense anymore..tried to for around 9 years..but now i am fed-up!!

C.Busutil

Jul 14th 2009, 17:31

For all those defending these angels that come to "learn" english -

last year I was at the Victoria Bus terminus waiting together with few other maltese for the Mgarr bus. Among those waiting happened to be an old lady gozitan lady who was going to Mgarr to welcome some relatives whom she had not seen for years. After waiting for about 30minutes twobuses arrived one from Marsalforn full of spanish students and "our" bus. All of a sudden these spanish students rushed towards all together, pushed us aside and boarded the bus instead of us. The poor gozitan woman was thrown on the ground with no respect for her age. We had to take her to hospital since she got badly hurt, what was to be a special day for her, embracing her daughter and nephews after so many years turned to be an awful experience. Later I learn that this not an uncommon practice by these students to rush towards a bus and push aside those waiting. I was told that another similar accident occured with a group of maltese and a big fight broke out.

These students need lessons in manners and not english.

J Bajada

Jul 14th 2009, 14:42

For all those who think that going to Gozo for a holiday means more expenses than going on holiday abroad, then do what you think is best for you. with a bit of good planning, a holiday in Gozo can turn out to be a lot cheaper than you think. why not ask Gozitans who work or study in Malta? have you ever thought of how much money gozitans have to spend when they are in Malta to study or work? (ferry, transport, accomodation, food, bills, travelling time, time lost waiting for the ferry or better still when the ferry is not working! etc, adding the 'normal' expenses which maltese also have) do you think it is just for a weekend? usually, it turns out to be for many years! forget the allowances, because that's peanuts when compared with reality. i know that because i experienced it myself. then, all the gozitans i know who own a farmhouse/flat, are more than willing to rent out their property to maltese. do you think tourists in Gozo who stay in farmhouses are aplenty? none at all. they come for 1 day. so stop generalizing or talking about discrimination suffered by maltese...

c.abela

Jul 14th 2009, 12:58

I agree about the spending too much money.. This year we didnt go for Xmas and instead in March we went to Barcelona on a cruise ship and spent about 100 euros less and it was more enjoyable. The number of ppl going to gozo on holiday is decreasing rapidly as most of the people going there on holidayare tourists.

Michael Spiteri

Jul 14th 2009, 12:35

@N.Azzopardi
How about you tell us Maltese to stop coming to Gozo and spend our money elswere? I can tell you for a fact that with the low cost airlines it will work out much cheaper to go abroad than visiting Gozo. And by the way, holidays abroad are always accounted for by fiscal recipts.

c.abela

Jul 14th 2009, 11:59

To those who said they were refused a farmhouse in gozo. I go to Gozo 3 times a year in different farmhouses with my family and have never been denied because I'm Maltese. Its more the Maltese that have a problem with gozitans than visa versa. I also agrtee that they should be fined more than rthe cost of the things they broke. We get fined for random things and tourists can do what they want?!

Mark-Anthony Fenech

Jul 14th 2009, 11:03

@ Margaret Richards: well said hehe..

Well justice was served, cannot add more to that.

J Brincat

Jul 14th 2009, 10:14

These guys may not have gone to a language school here in Malta. They were obviously getting (very) boisterous and are paying for their mistake. However talking about Language schools on the island (which i have worked for in the past) these are just an excuse for an underage drinking holiday. Are there any regulations or bodies maintaining control over these students and schools? The manner which all this is conducted appears to be that the schools "teach" their lessons, which in my experience tend to be full of hungover/distracted/uninterested students, just waiting for end of lessons so they can go back into the sun. The school relinquishes duty after lessons and that is where the problem lies. There needs to be some control as it is clearly evident that these students are underage drinking (and underage-alot-of-things for that matter) and it is only a matter of time before something terrible happens and it all comes crashing down. We need to maintain this important part of our economy but regulate and monitor it at the same time. off topic to this article but on topic for some of the comments coming out here.

Mark Galea

Jul 14th 2009, 09:13

@Margaret Richards
You could not have said it better. The best comment I read in the last days.

Moses Mula

Jul 13th 2009, 22:29

@ Margaret Richards, you are so right. But we have to keep strong and fight off their nastiness because these sort of people have to stop preaching their hatred on these blogs, and the sooner the better.

malcolm seychell

Jul 13th 2009, 22:25

@ Ms Richards

These people paid what was due.

if it happened with illegal immigrants we would have said...

Its stress, part of their culture, they cannot pay because they are poor etc etc

N. Bonello

Jul 13th 2009, 22:22

EUR 13,000 damages, sounds a bit on the high side. No details of damage are given.

Ronnie Gauci

Jul 13th 2009, 21:42

The usual slap on the wrist and everybody is free to go, happy as before! Does discipline exist anymore in Malta?? This reminds me of when a British tourist humiliated a local police offcer by stealing his hat a couple of weekes back, he was freed as if nothing has happened.

lgalea

Jul 13th 2009, 21:42

Margaret Richards
yes, they should be expelled and not allowed to come back to Malta.
Any foreigner who gets in trouble with the law should be expelled for life from wherever they come.

I had sent the following earlier on but it seems to have been lost in the internet.
adrian agius
Wholly agree with you.
They should be held responsible for everything that these rowdy and uneducated routs and rabble do.

N.Azzopardi
If the locals do leave rubbish at village festas that doesn't mean that we have to put up with foreigners doing what they want.

Malvin Debono
Revenue for the schools and destroying tourism with their antics.

Chris Mifsud

Jul 13th 2009, 21:23

@Margaret Richards

What a pointless comment .. Yes true , what these Dutch students did is very wrong and they were rightfully punished .

On the other hand , illegal immigrants who unlike the Dutch students , entered Malta illegaly, have caused MUCH MORE damage at the detention centres and unlike the Dutch students have NEVER paid for any of the damage they have caused .

That is why L Galea and L Vella did not comment .

David Schiavone

Jul 13th 2009, 21:22

Any type of vandalism committed by both locals and foreginers should be condemmned. Especially if this farmhouse was given them for holiday purposes whereby they should have left the place better then they have found it in the begining... I literally without any reserve condenm this accident and I fully agree that such students are eventually scaring away possible tourists. Such students create a huge chaos in paceville, whereby female students literally provoke maltese guys and pretend they are superstars. Take the H1N1 Case.. there where a number of students which where infected and which for sure infected some maltese people who had direct/indirect contact with these guys. Unfortunately we maltese tend to point our fingers towards dark-skinned people however we must not exclude these students since they literally abuse malta. I think the guys with the big pockets - i.e. the guys who are making a lot of money from these students should educate even more these students to be polite and prudent to us the maltese people. I am digusted by the way the students act in malta, they act as if they where in the Jungle. Do this in their country and you will get in jail.

James De Giorgio

Jul 13th 2009, 20:16

Well it's quite surprising since normally Dutch students are among the most respectful ones, and I would probably expect such conduct from either Spanish or Italian students, however this goes to show that any nationality is liable to stupidities.

What remains unclear is whether this action of theirs was a criminal one or not. It certainly doesn't sound civil and I agree with the comment below that they should have been fined for their conduct, apart from paying for the damages.

Kurt Saliba

Jul 13th 2009, 18:25

JIEN MA NISTAX NIFHEM L-GHALA INGIBU DAWN L-ISTUDENTI HAWN MALTA. HLIEF HSARA MA JAGHMLUX U MA NAQILAW L-EBDA EWRO MIN FUQHOM. L-BIERAH KONT L-GHADIRA U TAL-KIOSK TAL-GELATI HASIBNI L-LEADER TAL-ISTUDENTI U QALLI FIKOM L-HOBZ IGGIBU DAWN L-ISTUDENTI HAWN U QABAD IGERGER KEMM MA NAQLAWX FLUS MINNHON DAWN!!

Mr.John Elliot

Jul 13th 2009, 18:08

Actually this is one reason why we stopped staying in Bugibba, there used to be a notorous holiday complex that is usually full of overseas students, making a hell of a row and dirty the place, even late at night they used to knock on the bedroom doors and wakening up all the guests. after a few days we have had enough so i put in for a refund and sworn never to return again EVER! i reported the miserable holiday we had to the travel agent at the time but still waiting for an answer and a considerable compensation for a family of 4 from the UK> I say make the Dutch students pay through the nose, normally is the Germans are the rowdy once but this lot just don't care outside their country, why is Malta a soft touch regarding these louts degrading Malta's reputation i just don't get it, i thought the Maltese relay on income gnerating from tourists, sorry but you guys are going the rong way about it unless you put your foot down and distinguish between real visitors and trouble makers. Dissatisfied tourists.(Birmingham)

Robert Scullion

Jul 13th 2009, 17:56

@AZammit
"Three youths most probably East European, wrenched the car's side mirror but ran off as soon as they saw me."

How do you know there where East European .. did they have a big sign above there head, or are you just guessing? At 0300 in the morning it'll still be dark and any streetlighting wouldn't help much

Julia Gatt & Friends

Jul 13th 2009, 17:55

Yes i can relate to you Mr.Fenech in this matter, we too are Maltese and were refused to rent a Farm House for the weekend, it very much seems that the Gozitans prefer to rent them out to foreigners such as the once in the article who caused all this damage to their property then us the Citizens of Malta, we always thought that the Gozitans drop dead for a cent, in this case it shows clearly that they don't want our money because we are Maltese, it just doesn't make sence.Talking about discrimination between us the Maltese and the Gozitans.. well here is proof by many. The Mind boggles as usual with the Gozitans, we are off to Sicily instead, it worked out much cheaper in ay case. Caio from Siracus. now ocourse we are glad we chosen Sicily as oppose to Gozo.

v.pulis

Jul 13th 2009, 17:51

The fact that they pleaded guilty (they couldn't very well deny could they?) and paid for the damage they caused is immaterial. The culprits should have been fined over and above the cost of the damage. If I park in a non parking zone I am fined even if I plead guilty irrespective of the fact that I didn't cause any damage but simply broke the law.

Margaret Richards

Jul 13th 2009, 17:37

Seems Ms. Louise Vella, I Galea and the usual lot do not care about this incident. Most probably because it's caused by a European, not by an immigrant - anzi - a coloured immigrant - otherwise they would have filled up the blogs with their nastiness.

Charles Micallef

Jul 13th 2009, 17:13

This sort of vandalism is an every day occurrence in most hotels that host young students, on normal circumstances their respective tour operators apply pressure to the owners of the accommodation to hush things up, a matter of their parent’s money and not justice talks so the kids never learn that vandalism does not pay!

Ruth MIZZI

Jul 13th 2009, 17:03

" ... expressed regret for their actions!" Yeh right, pull the other one mate!!

Fenech MD

Jul 13th 2009, 16:43

And recently I tried to rent a farmhouse in Gozo and the owner refused because I am Maltese.

AZammit

Jul 13th 2009, 16:07

I agree with Adrian Agius, re damage in St Julians and envirions. Last week, in fact, on the 11June at around 0300 I actually witnessed an act of vandalism on my daughter's car. Three youths most probably East European, wrenched the car's side mirror but ran off as soon as they saw me. The following morning I lodged a report with the police and found out that there was literally a trail of similar destruction all the way from St. Julians right up to San Gwann.

M. Zammit

Jul 13th 2009, 15:15

Very expensive holiday they did have. Hope they enjoyed the fruits of their hard work. Well done to the courts for giving them a lesson. Congratulations to the police and owners for taking action.

Hope the same happens when acts of vandalism are perpetrated on public property but these are rarely caught... I do wonder why? No witnesses willing to come forward and the police stuck in police stations not walking the beats. I do wonder why police do not walk around localities instead of sitting in an empty police station guarding what?

c. camilleri

Jul 13th 2009, 14:56

Studying is conveniently used as an excuse because the really reason for coming is to have fun. While language schools find the goings good it is a fact that the behaviour of these students is frightening away many tourists from coming to visit us again while annoying the locals..

Malvin Debono

Jul 13th 2009, 14:52

@Adrian Agius

Language schools don't board people in Farmhouses in Gozo so I would start by getting your facts right. Secondly, bear in mind the amount of revenue these schools bring. Yes they are an inconvenience, but this needs management not condemnation.

N.Azzopardi

Jul 13th 2009, 14:42

@Adrian Agius
How can you generalize. Many Maltese do damages when they rent properties. Ask the Gozitans and they will tell you. As a matter of fact, most owners ask for a deposit before they rent you the place. Most students spend loads of money and behave properly, and you cannot keep anybody responsible except for the wrongdoers. Talking about the mess, you should go and see what is left after ach village festa (mostly by locals). Mr, Agius I'm sorry but you are out of order !

Daniel Azzopardi (Naxxar)

Jul 13th 2009, 14:32

@ adrian agius
Dutch teenagers do not come to Malta to learn English! I have worked with English language schools but I have never met a Dutch student. It would therefore be inappropriate to link English language schools to this incident.
Having said that, it is still a fact that a [small] amount of these students behave themselves in a way they would never get away with in their own home country!

adrian agius

Jul 13th 2009, 13:12

these are the kind of tourists we are very happy to welcome to our country. Anybody is welcome to come and see the mess they do in the St.Julian's, Swieqi, Msida areas. If it was for me i hold the language schools responsible for these touts!!!