Record number of asylum applications processed

sean grima

Jan 16th 2010, 12:09

i do not profess to being an expert on somalia. however, the article you mention does state that somiland is a "breakaway" region. first of all, we do not know that somalis here are from somaliland, and not from the rest of the "failed state" (i quote from the same article) of somalia. if they are not from that area, possibly, it might not be safe to send them there.

i am not contesting the fact that they did not qualify as refugees - however, the Refugees Commissioner, who would have examined their cases individually, decided that they deserved humanitarian protection. i am sure the Commissioner is more qualified that you and me to decide whether they can return to a safe place.

the JRS document i mentioned in an earlier post disputes your claim that Libya is a safe place!

Muscat D

Jan 16th 2010, 10:26

They did not qualify as refugees because according to our laws, namely the Refugee Act section 17, their application for asylum has been dismissed. They cannot be sent back because it is not safe, but they came from a safe country, ( Libya, Egypt etc) so do not qualify for refugee status. Asylum shoppers in other words.
Subsidiary protection is a supplementary term adopted in our law because of an EU directive. The Geneva Convention does not mention it I believe. So please don't lump those having subsidiary protection with refugees. They are to different things. The refugees' application passed , the others' was dismissed.

http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/fsj/asylum/subsidiary/fsj_asylum_subsidiary_en.htm


Did you know that according to the National Geographic magazine, the north of Somalia , Somaliland is stable and at peace. You do need a villa with a pool to be safe. That is why they are economic immigrants. They did not go to Somaliland . They pick and choose.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/countries/somalia-guide/

sean grima

Jan 16th 2010, 08:26

@D Muscat: you omitted to mention that 1397 people were granted HUMANITARIAN PROTECTION although they did not technically qualify as refugees. i explained what it is and it does not amount to "economic migration". i didn't know there are scheduled flights to mogadishu - since you seem to think that these people have it so good back there, and are only here because they are greedy, you might want to hop on one of the flights to enjoy life there. you seem to be hinting that these people already have a good life and are here to buy a villa with a pool!

C.ZARB

Jan 16th 2010, 08:03

Yepp the JRS website is the most unbiased site regarding immigrants!

Muscat d

Jan 16th 2010, 00:10

@Sean Grima
But I did quote the whole picture. Even gave the link. They can never be refugees because they are Asylum shoppers seeking to go not to the first safe place, but to Europe, where benefits are better. Once they do that, they are no longer refugees but economic migrants.

You took Ms Vella to task for mentioning the ratio of 1 per 1000 for genuine refugees. I too mentioned refugees, so I did "quote the whole picture" as you put it. It is you who is now trying to include those with subsidiary protection. Read your first post again.

Incidentally ,did you know that there are scheduled flights to Mogadishu and other cities in Somalia?

sean grima

Jan 15th 2010, 23:48

i would suggest that prior to making further sweeping statements people have a look at the following document. it is not to say that all asylum seekers are victims or good/honest people (neither are all maltese) but that many of them are genuine cases who are trying to improve their lives and those of their children as we would all do:

http://www.jrsmalta.org/Do%20They%20Know.pdf

sean grima

Jan 15th 2010, 23:35

please quote the whole picture. besides the 19 refugees - According to Maltese law, refugees are people who face a real risk of persecution upon return to their country because of who they are (their race, nationality, ethnicity, or membership in a particular social group) or what they believe (their religious or political beliefs) - 1397 were granted a subsidiary form of protection, meaning they are not illegal.this includes humanitarian protection this kind of protection has been granted mostly to people coming from countries where there is war or violent civil conflict that makes it impossible to return home safely.

Muscat D

Jan 15th 2010, 21:11

@Sean Grima
You are right. The rate of refugees is not 1 per 1000 but 7 per 1000 in 2008. In all there were 19 genuine refugees .The rest were granted subsidary protection and so are not refugees as per Geneva Convention. The reason is that refugees have to go to the first safe country and most pass through five or six to arrive here.

See page 77
http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=2550

C.ZARB

Jan 15th 2010, 21:02

@ sean grima

That is why open minded Europe is against the Dublin treaty which FORCES immigrants to stay in the countries at the EU frontiers, whether they like it or not (ie they are sent in prison). Oh wait, its not 'open Europe' that is against it but Malta. The rest are happy to allow others to suffer the consequences of their 'openiness to different cultures' (known in the past under the term of colonisation)

Joe Anastasi

Jan 15th 2010, 19:36

Now this a real statistic to be proud of. Bravu il Gvern !!! How long before there is no place in Malta for us Maltese and we have to start moving out. CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.

Raymond Sammut

Jan 15th 2010, 19:27

@ Alfred Bugeja Following independence, a genuine refugee would be sent from Malta to Rome for processing and consideration. Malta's economy is too small to accept this kind of responsibility, let alone playing host to thousands of illegal aliens as is the case presently. Gonzi will never admit the gravity of the situation and of its long-term consequences. The Maltese people can vote Gonzi out of office at the next election, but the illegal aliens will remain.

sean grima

Jan 15th 2010, 19:23

Reactionary ultra-conservative people who refuse to open up to people coming from a different culture background, showing their ignorance, fear and isolationist mentality. what a superiority complex! just another myth like that of the sicilians who would invade us after EU accession!

Tony Caruana

Jan 15th 2010, 19:04

The whole of Europe suffers under the socialist yolk with its decrepid multiculturalism. All over Europe voices of concern blare out but what do we get?...more immigrants.This is a crime with consequence.

joe camenzuli

Jan 15th 2010, 18:57

Some of you talk like that cause you haven't been in a situation where the family bread winner lost his job and replaced by one of these illegals.

Joanne Micallef

Jan 15th 2010, 18:56

@ Mr Alfred Bugeja - True, though our than Prime Minister Dr Borg Olivier was intelligent and thoughtful enough to negotiate a clause which limited the number of refugees our tiny island could and would accommodate. Dr Eddie Fenech Adami on the other hand thought it was best to enter the EU no matter what and at whatever social and demographic cost, since as per EU orders he gave up this clause. Guess one Prime Minister was in it for the good of this nation and us people whilst the other………..

Joseph V. Grech

Jan 15th 2010, 18:47

@Franco Farrugia - It is people like you who should feel ashamed not Louise Vella and anyone objecting to the situation Malta is in as a result of illegal immigration! (note: not just from Aftica!). I personally knew Ms. Vella as a teacher - she always took her duties seriously and always sought the good of her young pupils - at times even choosing to speak about those who abused school children and toddlers! Her stance in this respect earned her the admiration of most Maltese but might have brought her the enmity of others, including some ''holier than thou'' entities whom we need not name here! My friend, you are well advised to stop attacking those who are trying to keep Malta safe - and financially stable - for yourself, your own children! You yourself would be just as OBSESSED as you say Louise is if you really choose to consider the illegal immigration issue as objectively as she does...

Alfred Bugeja

Jan 15th 2010, 18:30

@ Louise Vella You ask if the Maltese people have agreed to the expenditure of the Refugee Commissioner's office. Well, actually, they did when they voted for Independence in the 1963 referendum. The Geneva Convention was one of the first UN Conventions that the first Prime Minister of these independent islands signed soon after we got our constitution.

Franco Farrugia

Jan 15th 2010, 18:17

@ Louise Vella: What a serious chip on your shoulder you have, to be sure. My goodness, I thought that with the new year, you would have started afresh, but no ... you are OBSESSED! You seem to have made it your life's mission. It is really serious when one considers how many people may depend on you for their education.

Raymond Sammut

Jan 15th 2010, 17:43

What this report is really saying is that human smuggling flourished under the Gonzi government, and that the illegal aliens on Malta number in the thousands. This is not hearsay but official. Gonzi did not bring them to Malta because he upholds Christian values. They are in Malta because the human smugglers sent the illegal aliens to his door at Castille.

sean grima

Jan 15th 2010, 17:32

i wonder from where you got the 1/1000 figure. most of the immigrants who arrive w/a visa come from east african countries such as ethiopia, eritrea, sudan and somalia - countries ravaged by civil war, drought, hunger, dictatorships etc. they may not be nice to look at, in unkempt clothes, but since when have poor people looked nice?

louise vella

Jan 15th 2010, 16:20

“Record number of asylum applications processed”

Is this something to be proud of? How many votes will GonziPN win for having processed a record number of asylum applications?

“This was due to the considerable beefing up of human resources at the Refugee Commissioner’s office in recent years”

How much is running this office costing to the Maltese taxpayer every year? Did Maltese voters agree to this expenditure?

“it also gave immigration authorities more time to conclude the difficult process to obtain the documents required to repatriate failed asylum seekers to their home countries.”

Can GonziPN tell us how many failed asylum seekers it sent back to their home country in 2009? How many illegal immigrants are still roaming the streets of Malta in 2010?

Muscat D

Jan 15th 2010, 16:17

......and the percentage of asylum seekers given refugee status is ?

louise vella

Jan 15th 2010, 16:02

What the Office of the Refugee Commissioner should do first of all is to lay down a clear distinction between real refugees and economic migrants who enter Malta illegally in the guise of refugees. The confusion between the two categories is encouraged by do-gooders, such as UNHCR and JRS which instead of sticking to their turf, that is refugees, try to take responsibllity of so-called "mixed groups". These may have 1 genuine refugee out of a group of 1000 but UNHCR and JRS try to claim refugee rights for all of them. Of course once illegal economic immigrants are in a country they are difficult to send back. Everybody knows the asylum system is abused on a large scale by so-called "rights groups" and such abuse has been undermining the credibility and effectiveness of the asylum system. The Office of the refugee Commissioner should start by guaranteeing the system against abuse by NGOs.