Journalists barred from centre

Migrants at the Ħal Far open centre, situated in a converted aircraft hangar, yesterday protested against the lack of adequate sanitary facilities for the more than 400 residents.

The peaceful protest started at 7.30 a.m. when migrants bar-ricaded the main gate with an iron skip, mattresses, metal bed frames and pieces of wood. The centre's coordinators were not allowed in.

Migrants said the 11 mobile toilets, 11 mobile shower cubicles and eight cooking stoves were not enough to cater for all the people who lived at the centre.

The protest ended five hours later after a lengthy meeting between migrants' representatives and the director of the Organisation for the Integration and Welfare of Asylum Seekers (Owias), Alex Tortell.

Talking to the media after the meeting, Mr Tortell promised that his organisation would be acting on the complaints.

He said the problems at the centre were caused because of an increase in the number of people being released from detention, putting a strain on existing resources.

"Within the limitations we have we will increase the number of toilets and see how we can improve the conditions," Mr Tortell said.

While the meeting was under way, journalists were prevented from entering the centre on orders given by Oiwas.

It was at around 11 a.m. when Mr Tortell and service manager Sarah Borda Bondin were allowed into the compound after migrants lifted the barricades. They were accompanied by police officers.

However, migrants objected to the presence of the centre's two Maltese coordinators who are employed by Oiwas. They remained outside.

"They don't respect us," migrants shouted pointing their fingers at the coordinators.

The air was cleared after the meeting when it was explained that the coordinators took directions from the Oiwas headquarters. The coordinators returned to work once the protest ended.

Migrants who spoke to journalists while the meeting was under way said toilets were dirty and they were only cleaned once a week.

"We risk infection. Life is not good here," one of the migrants com-plained. Another lamented the extreme heat in the hangar which serves as a dormitory, while others said the number of stoves was not enough.

Yet another said the gas used for the stoves was closed off after midnight. Waving a payslip in the air, the migrants said €14 per month was deducted from their allowance as a fee for bedding.

Migrants also claimed they were not allowed to take a fridge or a washing machine to the centre.

When asked about these complaints, Mr Tortell did not delve into specifics but insisted it would be impossible for all the residents to bring white goods into the centre.

"We are looking into the complaints and if we see the need we will increase the number of fridges," he said.

The open centre is a converted aircraft hangar and most residents are Somalis. There are also some mobile homes on the grounds, which house families.