Government complains to Tunisia over intensive searches of travellers

Malta has brought to Tunisia's attention the intensive searches being carried out on Maltese nationals departing from the North-African country, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg has said.

Dr Borg was replying to a caller on a Radio 101 programme who complained that Maltese travellers were being harassed and treated like second-class citizens at the airport when they were about to leave Tunisia for Malta.

The Foreign Minister explain-ed there had been an alert over possible drug trafficking to the island.

But while one appreciated certain security precautions of a temporary nature, the Maltese authorities had raised the issue with their Tunisian counterparts.

The subject would be raised again if the practice did not stop. He added that this was not merely an inconvenience to the Maltese but also bad publicity for Tunisia, if the country wanted to continue to attract Maltese tourists.