Christian Peregin
Migrants refused to be rescued - Brigadier
Corpses probably not from same dinghy
The five Eritreans picked up by Italy on Thursday were in good health, had not been at sea for very long and refused to be rescued, the commander of the Armed Forces of Malta said yesterday.
Brigadier Carmel Vassallo said an AFM patrol boat gave the migrants crackers, water and life jackets the day before they reached Lampedusa and at no time was contact with them lost. The dinghy they were in was in good condition and the outboard motor was running.
His comments come in the wake of Italian media reports claiming that the Maltese gave the migrants fuel, started their dinghy's engine and abandoned them despite their poor state of health.
The migrants - two men, a woman and two teenagers - have claimed to be the only survivors of a group of 80 who had left Libya 20 days earlier and who slowly died off as a result of starvation and thirst after getting lost and running out of fuel. They also said they had been ignored by several vessels, except one that offered them bread and water five days before their rescue.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the migrants were in a terrible condition, emaciated and too weak to walk, when they arrived at Lampedusa on Thursday.
Sources said a doctor who visited the migrants yesterday recounted how the woman was still in a very bad condition but the other four seemed to be recovering.
However, Brig. Vassallo said the AFM had found the dinghy to be clean and it showed no indications of having been at sea for that long or of having carried such a large group of migrants.
He cast doubt on the migrants' entire story, claiming they were "fresh", "in good spirits" and "clean-shaven" and refused to be rescued by the Maltese armed forces because they wanted to reach Italy.
"At no stage throughout the journey, until they arrived in the territorial waters of Lampedusa, did we abandon them. We stayed there until we were certain the Italian Customs guards went for them.
"We give humanitarian assistance as necessary. I gave them what they needed," he said, although he did not say, when asked, whether or not fuel had been provided to them.
Last May, following a dispute between Malta and Italy over another boat of immigrants, the government had said it had the right to provide immigrants with assistance to continue on their way towards Italy.
"We had no right to bring these migrants to Malta. Our obligation is that if they are in distress we help them," the commander said. He defined distress as "being in imminent danger of dying" and at no stage were these five people in distress, he insisted.
"What I am saying is not that immigrants lie, but you cannot believe everything they say. When our soldiers were being told there were another 75 who had died at sea, they were seeing a clean dinghy, without any indication of having spent 20 days at sea.
"We are certain if there were 80 people they were not on the same dinghy, because it was not dirty. We find so much usually. The food they leave behind, the clothes, the smell... there was nothing of that," he said, although admitting the dinghy was a large one for five people.
The Brigadier also denied the rescued migrants were in a bad state of health. "One of them was walking almost normally on television yesterday. Even if you spend a day at sea your legs start to shake, let alone three or more days. But be sure he would not walk if he spent 20 days at sea."
He also dismissed Italian media reports that the Armed Forces of Malta was recovering corpses. The AFM said it sighted eight corpses in an advanced state of decomposition in the past two days in the Libyan search and rescue area.
"We are finding corpses in the sea but we do not think they were on the same dinghy," the Brigadier said.
Meanwhile, Agrigento Police Prefecture's Chief Umberto Postiglione has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The chief officer said that if what the surviving immigrants were claiming was true, then there was a case of breach of human rights.
17 Comments
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Joe Fenech
Aug 26th 2009, 09:25
All these accusation etc could be proved wrong by installing cameras in the AFMs boats and filming every event. In many western countries even a police car has used this technology!
lgalea
Aug 23rd 2009, 01:54
victor caruana
Cannot you even understand that only the citizens of each country have the inalienable right to reside in their own country?
A Cassar
Do you really believe that Cassar. I and many others don't because we are not fools or gullible. Repatriating a few does not mean repatriating the thousands that have been allowed to stay here living like leeches on OUR taxes notwithstanding that they do not qualify for anything. As for blood on our hands do you expect us to bring and allow all those who want to leave Africa to come to Malta?
WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO OBLIGATION TOWARDS THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS OTHER THEN TO EXPEL THEM FROM OUR COUNTRY.
victor caruana
Aug 22nd 2009, 20:30
I galea
can you tell me how on earth you or any other can claim that you are owners of some part or other of the planet?
A Cassar
Aug 22nd 2009, 19:02
@lgalea
May I remind you for the umpteenth time, that Illegal immigrants ARE repatriated. It is the process by which one decides if they are genuine refugees or illegal immigrants that is the problem.
Apart from a few, no maltese wants blood on his hand....be it a dead illegal immigrant or a refugee sent back to persecution!!!
lgalea
Aug 22nd 2009, 17:46
victor caruana
If you don't blood on your hands then support the expulsion of all illegal immigrants so that they would all know that they will be sent back whatever they do and not take the risk. As for blood on our hands it is blood on the illegal immigrants themselves for being so irresponsible and irrational as to undertake their journey to enter ILLEGALLY into another country which does NOT want them.
Edwin Mifsud
Aug 22nd 2009, 17:34
@Joseph Schembri
Did the immigrants bring video footage of whatever there excuse is for being given a refugee status?
Joseph Tonna
Aug 22nd 2009, 17:14
Commander AFM Carmel Vassallo is always truly right.
He is a very serious & respected person.
Respect should be grant to him.
He is the only person that knows completely the AFM difficulties !
victor caruana
Aug 22nd 2009, 16:15
However, Brig. Vassallo ..... cast doubt on the migrants' entire story. who is to be believed??
Just ask yourself (i) why the brigadier should lie?? and (ii) why should the immigrants should die??
I surely do not want blood on my hands!
Denis Catania
Aug 22nd 2009, 16:11
The facebook group Save Malta From Illegal Immigration commends the AFM for the action taken. This is what 95% of Maltese want. This was the promise of prime minister befrore the election, that we will help them continue with the journey to mainland Europe. If the EU wants us to pick them up than they need to sign an agreement, that they will pick them up from us immediately, after we bring them to Malta. Sorry Malta is full up.
C.ZARB
Aug 22nd 2009, 15:22
So let me guess. A person pays thousands to an organised crime to dangerously traverse a sea that should end up enter a country ILLEGALLY and we are expected to believe them rather the rescuers. We are talking here of people who constantly put their lives on the line to save people who abuse the maritime law in a sole bid to enter a European country illegally.
If some country think that they can do a better job then the Maltese then they should be encouraged to do this job themselves and take the immigrants to their own lands. Im sure that the Maltese government would not complain. And lets stop about this pathetic 'Malta gets the funds' excuse. If there was a referendum regarding whether we prefer to get EU funds for immigration and stick to immigrants or not then Im sure what would be the result.
L Camilleri
Aug 22nd 2009, 14:17
Italian news coverage present the Italians as the saviours and us Maltese as the villians in this story. This has become a political issue in Italy with the present government wanting to be seen as strong and resourseful,painting us as a scapegoat to plaster over the divides they have at home.
lgalea
Aug 22nd 2009, 14:15
Joseph Schembri
Get a life schembri.
I would believe the biggest Maltese liar and not believe a single word from an illegal immigrant.
Malcolm Fenech
Aug 22nd 2009, 14:09
@louise vella
Couldn't agree with you more. Some people want an investigation about the 'incident'. What about the hundreds that the AFM have SAVED while risking their lives?
@Igalea
Keep dreaming. I'm sure AFM would do so in a heart beat. But it's not up to them. It's up to the government AND the ever-so-silent oppostion.
@Joseph Schembri
I guess not. But the AFM sure didn't force feed us any footage of them saving other immigrants either. Although video recording any rescue mission is a great idea. It would erase any hipocrytically placed bull's eye from the backs of the AFM.
m azzopardi
Aug 22nd 2009, 12:03
This reminds me of the story of that somali woman who had claimed she was forced out of the open centre and she had no option but to sleep out. Then we got to know that she had stabbed someone etc etc.
Joseph Schembri
Aug 22nd 2009, 11:36
Does the brigadier have video footage showing their refusal to being 'saved'?
lgalea
Aug 22nd 2009, 10:11
AFM STOP BRINGING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND TOW THEM TO THE LIBYAN SHORES.
louise vella
Aug 22nd 2009, 10:04
It’s a matter of credibility. Should one believe the illegal immigrants or the Armed Forces of Malta?
The illegal immigrants come from an unknown background – no documents, no nothing. Their only concern is to be accepted in a European country. The annual reports of Malta’s Refugee Commissioner repeatedly say one of his problems is that asylum applicants often tell fabricated stories and present false or falsified documents. The whole system is based on saying what it is convenient at any moment, often with the help of persons close to the illegal immigrants.
On the other hand the Armed Forces of Malta are a serious and official Maltese institution, like Parliament, the Courts and the University. They are responsible and respected and highly professional. They are doing more than their duty to help illegal immigrants who embark on near-suicide trips in boats. The AFM deserve our thanks and especially the thanks of the illegal immigrants whom they save.
So my score for credibility is: AFM 100 marks, illegal immigrants 0.