Updated: 115 migrants being brought to Malta
AFM patrol boats are this evening bringing to Malta 115 illegal immigrants found in distress on a sinking dinghy some 20 miles south of Malta.
The drifting dinghy was first reported by a fisherman and two patrol boats and a rescue launch were deployed to the scene.
According to initial reports, the migrants are 81 men and 34 women. They are claiming to be Somali and had left from Libya.
Some were sea sick.
The crew of the rescue launch gave the migrants food, water and life jackets before they started to be transferred to the patrol boats.
The first group arrived in Malta at around 8 p.m.
Another boat, carrying 84 migrants, was spotted 90 miles off Malta earlier this week but returned to Libya after being intercepted by the Italian Navy. A baby born on the boat was airlifted to Malta with its mother for treatment at Mater Dei Hospital.
The last arrival of migrants was a group of 44 who landed at Marsascala on July 25.
Video shows the first few migrants to be brought to Malta after they jumped into the sea on seeing the Maltese launch approach..
31 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Raymond Sammut
Aug 18th 2009, 00:27
@ Franco Farrugia
No one is kidding anybody. The Times poll shows clearly that 31% of readers do not view the feast as a religious activity. This continuing abuse by illegal immigrants and their traffickers has led to 700 drownings this year alone and to overstretched resources on the tiny economy of Malta. There is no kidding here, and there is nothing anti-religion about it. This is a very serious issue and the Maltese government is clearly not doing anywhere near enough to remedy the situation. People have a very legitimate reason to raise their concern. No one has the right to try and shut them up or label their views anti-religion.
Marcel Dingli
Aug 17th 2009, 11:01
And what makes you all think that a change in Government would mean the Labour Party governing??? It could be a clean sweep within the PN too !!!
alan cox
Aug 17th 2009, 10:32
The government is definitley immune to the cries of the people when it comes to stop and send back illegal immigrants. But one thing stands out from this phenomina, to all those who think a change of government will put a stop to all this. It´s the extraordinary silence of the PL oppostion party. I honestly believe that a Labour government would make no difference to the situation.It has gone beyond the limits of bilaterial talks ,burden shareing , and politics and whatever I am afraid. Hard facts speak for themselves. They keep coming by the boat loads and someone has got to do something about it. Bear in mind the women getting pregant.... and how many females were there on this boat?
Mark Galea
Aug 16th 2009, 13:36
May every bloggers' family receive what he/she wishes to others.
Sandro Pace
Aug 16th 2009, 09:59
Somalia now has a central government, which is threatened by Al Qaeda backed militants. They want the country in anarchy for various direct and indirect reasons, including piracy, and flooding europe with islamic illegal immigrants.
Europe can no longer be held responsable for the mess africa is in.
If this trend is to persist, ie Malta take all the brunt and weight by self-inflicted damages on dinghies, than it is expected that the government take immediate action, distress or no distress. Even if this mean non-compliance with outdated obligations.
lgalea
Aug 16th 2009, 09:27
Chris. A. Park
We ar no longer gullible to believe that 115 people on an overloaded rubber dinghy had made it all the way from Libya. They can tell it to the marines.
Keep them locked up and send them back to Libya.
GONZI WE ARE FED UP WITH YOU AND THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
GET RID OF THEM FORTHWITH.
g.c.Forte
Aug 16th 2009, 08:38
@ Chris.A.Park............Very well said, and I agree much with no. 2. and I wish to know if there`s an agreement between Malta and Italy, that say " If imigrants enter Italy from Malta, will be sent back to Malta,and if imigrants enter Malta from ITALY,will be sent back to Italy " If this is true,means that we can send back to Italy, imigrants coming from Europe,like Bulgarians,Russians,Rumanians and others with white skin. But it is a fact that we are keeping these people ( especially girls ) to work where Maltese girls cannot work or do not want to work !!!!! example ; I leave it to you to think. Like all of you, I do not like this situation, but deep down I feel that it is not the imigrants faults, they want to free themselvies from their countries which the Europeans left them in this miserable state of life. I still say that all legal / illegal, white, black ,yellow or any other colour imigrants are a burden for Malta.
Martin Abela
Aug 16th 2009, 08:02
As usual they are now somali, since these cannot be repatriated. This week 49 immigrants were sent back to Ghana. Those anyone know how much hassle and problems they gave the AFM and the Police, a close friend of mine was one of the escorts, the police have been ordered to work at 0630hrs, they returned home the next day at 0530hrs. Some of the police had been night till 0500hrs and others were on duty when they landed back in Malta, The AFM are given no form of compensation, and the police get only the overtime hours they work.
These peaceful Ghanians gave the Police trouble when they were being collected, at the Police depot were there were a number of scuffles and in Ghana at the airport were they started threatening their escorts. OOOh and by the way it was supposed to be 60 ghanians and not 49, were the heck did the rest vanish, they escaped from detention or were not just unaccounted for. I hope Minister Mifsud Bonnici reads this and at least arranges extra compensation for the Police/AFM they surely deserve it since they take all the risks.
M.Bezzina
Aug 16th 2009, 05:59
@Charles Sammut
The message seems to have arrived.
Head for Malta, not Italy.
Well said Charles!!Because we are holier than the pope!!Fejn irridu!!
Muscat.Pat
Aug 16th 2009, 00:44
Maltese and other EU passsengers are denied passage if they are more than 6 months pregnant. They will be even scolded for endangering the baby. In this case, using the baby to enter illegally is condoned and even welcomed! This is "politically correctness gone astray"! Using babies as blackmail has become a common thing to enter Malta.We cannot be responsible for all the Africans unless these are bona fide refugees. We are full up! No one has the right to bully me in helping thousands if not millions of people. I have a right to a normal life; so do our children! Enough is more than enough.
Tonio Azzopardi - Floriana
Aug 16th 2009, 00:33
Soo dhawoow - The Sea Has (again) given life!
R. Balzan
Aug 16th 2009, 00:07
It's encouraging to see so many people here are expressing their joy that human lives have been saved...
Franco Farrugia
Aug 15th 2009, 23:48
We read the comments underneath ...... as we celebrate the religious feast of Sta Marija ... yeah, like, who are we kidding!
N. Bonello
Aug 15th 2009, 22:56
Notice 81 men and 34 women.
Now lets be honest (for once) there is no end to the situation is there. Mismanagement over the years of this situation has put us in a check mate position. Anything now is just way too little too late.
What a waste of resources (and my money).
malcolm seychell
Aug 15th 2009, 22:43
The message will be clear tha now they should target Malta.
Unless the government is going to adopt the same strategy as Berlusconi we are in real trouble.
Now more women will start coming then they used before.
Burden sharing will not work.
Only an Eu policy to send them back can work.
C.ZARB
Aug 15th 2009, 22:03
We send 45 and meanwhile 115 immigrants reach our shores. Is that why we have given the payrise to our MPs?
Nicholas Gatt
Aug 15th 2009, 21:47
Dear Mr. C Vella, why do your comments have to be politically motivated? What difference is a change government going to make? I never heard the Labour Party say they would return them to Libya if in government.
Mary Borg
Aug 15th 2009, 21:11
A big WHEN are the governments are getting together to start thinking about solving the problems from wherever these people come. I'm sure that they wouldn't leave if they weren't desperate. Who would endanger his life and the life of his family including little kids if they weren't that desperate?
Joe Fenech
Aug 15th 2009, 21:08
Charles Sammut :
Weak politicians, my friend!
Alexander Morana
Aug 15th 2009, 21:01
These will make up the 49 repatriated to Ghana, 84 returned to Libya by an Italian Navy boat? Why can't the AFM return them back!!!! Must be a Mother ship dropping them off in Maltese territorial waters. They know that the Malta hasn’t the guts to return them back to Libya.
1 step forward, 3 backwards.
Chris. A. Park
Aug 15th 2009, 20:55
Some facts are being ignored by hasty bloggers here:
1. these illegal migrants were in distress, as their boat was adrift, taking in water, without lifevests and other.
2. Malta has no repatriation agreements in place at any level with Libya, unlike neighbour Italy. The Italians are paying out of their nose in terms of WW2 reparations, a highway's construction between Benghazi and Tripoli plus other investments unspecified to the ongoing oil and gas purchases ENI does from Libyans.
3. Those illegal migrants intercepted on the international high seas of the sunny Med. are repatriated, not those that make land or territorial waters of Sicily or Lampedusa.
An Maltese aircraft enthusiast will testify to an increased overfly traffic of Italian naval aircraft to the south of Malta, as overheard on their radios. Local fishermen have also noted same besides the presence of Italian naval, coast guard, Guardia di Finanza or Carabinieri boats afoot. It's plain in the eyes of all to see!
More Libyan enforcement on their shores is needed. Otherwise, high time the UE considers a blockade of sorts.
David Muscat
Aug 15th 2009, 20:33
Repair the dinghy or give them a new boat and send them on their way.
Charles Sammut
Aug 15th 2009, 20:24
This must be like the Santa Marija convoy to those NGOs who owe their existence and funding to illegal immigrants.
And of course our political leaders are on holiday.
Adriano Spiteri
Aug 15th 2009, 20:05
NGOs must be celebrating then!
More burden ashore Dear Simon. As Europe, rightly, fails to share the burden as you proposed: we keep collecting the unwelcome.
Charles Sammut
Aug 15th 2009, 19:53
The message seems to have arrived.
Head for Malta, not Italy.
A Camilleri
Aug 15th 2009, 19:40
Knowing that they will not be returned back it is only obvious that their destination will be Malta. Any doubts about that? Thank Mr Government for making the Malta destination so attractive to these illegals. Dr Marini will be more than happy now that his policy has paid off and the new immigrants' route will now be towards Malta.
C Vella
Aug 15th 2009, 19:37
Dear Prime Minister... are these migrants going to be returned to Libya just like what happened earlier this week? Can't wait for the election and a CHANGE in government!
m azzopardi
Aug 15th 2009, 19:32
i cannot understand why we do not send the boats back like the italians do?!?!?
joseph zammit
Aug 15th 2009, 19:32
lets call this a modernized convoy for sta.marija!
Joseph Pace
Aug 15th 2009, 19:28
eyy....not haywharf but Libya...what are we waiting for to adopt the same procedure as the Italians are doing?
BBorg
Aug 15th 2009, 19:26
Lets put up a welcome party followed by the return trip.