AFP
France probes migrants' mass-landing in Corsica
France launched a probe yesterday and called for a European summit to combat illegal immigration, a day after 124 self-proclaimed Kurds landed in Corsica.
Immigration Minister Eric Besson underscored that the French Mediterranean island could not be allowed to become an entry point for illegal immigrants and mooted a European conference as an investigation began into who the traffickers were.
The migrants, who claimed they were Kurds from Syria, were dropped off near the southern town of Bonifacio last Friday by a boat which then departed, officials said.
It was the biggest known mass-scale landing on the French island of migrants, who usually try to enter Europe by sea through Sicily, Malta, Greece and Spain's Canary Islands.
The 57 men, 29 women - five of them pregnant - and 38 children were initially lodged in a gynasium in Bonifacio but yesterday they were being flown to mainland France to be housed in detention centres in cities such as Marseille and Lyon.
Each "case will be individually assessed", the immigration ministry said, adding that the migrants "will get an interpreter, a medical check-up, information on aid in case of voluntary return and legal help".
Besson earlier said some of the migrants identified themselves as Kurds from Syria and others said they were from North Africa.
Some of the immigrants resisted being shifted out from the gynasium but were forced into buses. Many had refused a meal late last Friday in protest against plans to relocate them.
Several rights groups slammed the government response. The League of Human Rights (LDH) said their transfer to detention centres went against the tenets of the French Republic.
"They are not 'illegals' living underground in France but refugees who after having arrived on French territory have the absolute right ...to seek exile," it said.
And Ava Basta (That's Enough), a local organisation espousing racial equality, denounced their transfer, saying it would have preferred them to "benefit from hospitality and solidarity that Corsicans have displayed in the past".
But Corsica's prefect, Stephane Bouillon, said the immigrants could demand exile and added that they were being moved from the gymnasium to ensure "better security and more salubrious surroundings".
Bouillon, the regional governor, said an investigation had been launched "since they were clearly brought in by traffickers whom we are now seeking actively... to dismantle such networks." The adults were grilled by police before being sent to the detention centres.
The immigrants were all devoid of identity papers but appeared in good health and were suitably dressed for the European weather, Bouillon said. "They said they did the journey in several stages across the Mediterranean and were transported up to Corsica on a cargo vessel," he added.
A source close to the case said the vessel in question was either Russian or Ukrainian.
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sean grima
Jan 28th 2010, 13:29
whatever the age, it so happens that my arguments are backed up by law and ethics, yours are mere wishful thinking
sean grima
Jan 27th 2010, 08:40
your arguments are alarmist, trying to create mountains out of molehills.
Trevor Lorenzo Mizzi
Jan 26th 2010, 16:13
@ sean grima,
Fly them back at no matter the cost, it will be much cheaper in the long run.
Once the word gets out they would not bother to try to invade again, as it will be a futile effort.
sean grima
Jan 26th 2010, 11:18
@TL Mizzi: man, your defence would be to turn the boats back, risking their lives again. of course, you could choose to fly them back, but you would probably then argue that maltese taxes are being wasted on those flights.
Trevor Lorenzo Mizzi
Jan 25th 2010, 21:55
@ sean grima,
" to compare the poor africans who come on boats with the turkish armada or the axis forces requires a very fertile imagination"
It is a very apt analogy.
I repeat, when it comes down to the crunch , defend your homeland from invasion of any form shape or size.
sean grima
Jan 25th 2010, 20:07
to compare the poor africans who come on boats with the turkish armada or the axis forces requires a very fertile imagination.
Guze Xerri
Jan 25th 2010, 17:45
To S. Grima, It is funny how you accuse others of painting certain groups with the same brush, yet you do it yourself with this quote from your blog : "to the old-fasioned, anachronistic menatlity you people have." That is just great isn't it !!, us old fogies are all the same according to you. Why not have a referendum to see if the Maltese public agrees by majority on the invasion of their homeland by people coming here at their will and in any numbers? Even just a two day fair sampling by the Valletta City Gate, asking the same question to all age groups? Life experience of the older generation should not be counted out Mr. Grima, they can teach you a thing or two and maybe prevent you from making expensive mistakes that you would had to learn the hard way from.Oh, I must have been dozing off in my old age when they legalized perfidy and unfaithfulness to one's country and made it a virtue, silly me. Foolishness is never the going thing.
Trevor Lorenzo Mizzi
Jan 25th 2010, 17:14
@sean grima, "The majority of maltese do not reflect the majority of comments on these blogs. that is because the new, young generations (whether young in age, or spirit) have a different mind set to to the old-fasioned, anachronistic menatlity you people have." I love how you lump everyone in Malta of a certain age group together like that, it shows your false enlightened liberalism for what it is. Giving away the nation of your birth on a silver platter to any invader has never been or ever will be the avant -garde hip right thing to do, not in the past, present or future. No matter how you choose to dress it up and to try to justify this action to your self and others under any guise.Sensible level headed people of any age group, in any country, do not want their nation invaded by anyone, and no amount of untruths and self delusion can change that. The maltese mindset of 1565 was the same mindset of 1941 and it is the mindset of today when it comes down to the crunch of defending your homeland from invasion of any form shape or size.
sean grima
Jan 25th 2010, 08:59
@ TL mizzi, lgalea: the majority of maltese do not reflect the majority of comments on these blogs. that is because the new, young generations (whether young in age, or spirit) have a different mind set to to the old-fasioned, anachronistic menatlity you people have. your arguments are simplistic as they are restricted to the fact that these people come here without a visa, which, as I have repeatedly explained, does not make their stay illegal. wiser people, including maltese and world leaders, have looked beyond the mere absence of a visa, and agreed that a country will not send a person back to his/her country unless it is safe, whether or not s/he came her without a visa.
lgalea
Jan 24th 2010, 18:05
louise vella
Totally agree with you. The only way to stop the ILLEGAL immigrants invasion is to send every one of them back to get the message that they shall not be accepted because they are ILLEGAL.
sean grima
Perhaps they should appoint you because you seem to be an expert in welcoming ILLEGAL immigrants.
Trevor Lorenzo Mizzi
Jan 24th 2010, 17:44
@ sean grima,
Stop being a naive spokesperson for these invaders.
It is clear no one in Malta wants these people and it is now abundantly clear no European nation wants these illegal invasions. The tide of what little sympathy there was for these illegals is changing rather quickly and common sense is prevailing France has had enough of its failed multicultural experiment as the Paris riots by maghreb and sub saharan african people can attest to. You are convincing no one with your inane arguments, level headed thinking people are in the majority and rightly so. You are so keen to mock bloggers who do not share your Peter Pan world view.
sean grima
Jan 24th 2010, 13:43
france is full of african immigrants for decades - perhaps they should appoint louise as their immigration consultant, given that she seems to be an expert!
louise vella
Jan 24th 2010, 12:45
I'm expecting the reaction of Medecins sans Frontiers and the other French NGOs which have over the years criticised Malta for not being welcoming enough to illegal immigrants. I'm expecting the reaction of all those French members of the European Parliament who in the past ciriticised Malta.
louise vella
Jan 24th 2010, 11:34
The landings in Corsica follow the same pattern we have seen in Malta the last eight years. Traffickers get paid to bring illegal immigrants close to a European country. Then do-gooder NGOs and UNHCR start beating the same drums: refugees, asylum seekers, right of asylum, children and pregnant women ... The illegal immigrants are already briefed and kick up a fuss for the cameras, with protests and posters. It's high time the navies of the EU follow the example set by Berlusconi and joined together to push back the boats to where they came from. Otherwise the invasion will never stop but get bigger.
louise vella
Jan 24th 2010, 11:31
Malta is no longer alone in raising the alarm. Even big countries like France are now understanding Malta’s plight, because the crisis has reached their shores too. France has called for a European summit a day after 124 illegal immigrants landed in Cosrsica. Thousands and thousands of illegal immigrants have landed in Malta in the last few years.
We agree with the French. Neither Corsica nor Malta can “be allowed to become an entry point for illegal immigrants”.
The illegal immigrants “told police they had wanted to go to Scandinavia”. As the Scandinavians are among Europe’s most active do-gooders, they should take the illegal immigrants to Sweden, Norway and Finland.
“The immigrants were all devoid of identity papers but appeared in good health and were suitably dressed for European winter weather”!! We know this story.
"The UNHCR calls upon the French authorities to ensure that each person seeking the protection of France can access a process seeking asylum which will ensure them fair and complete examination of each case". We know these stories of UNHCR and other NGOs too.