Frontex forgets Frattini's promise to Malta

sean grima

Feb 18th 2010, 15:19

1. pushing back boats is ILLEGAL. it is evident that all those writing about this have no legal knowledge.
2. the situation in rosarno was caused by italians shooting on innocent immigrants. their reaction is not justified, but you are trying to manipulate it to your ends.

colin stanley

Feb 14th 2010, 21:56

@ Victor Fiorini. if what Louise Vella suggested really happens, she doesn't have to write about anything, because we will have peace of mind that our culture will not have to change to please others,

lgalea

Feb 14th 2010, 21:11

Roberta Buhagiar Fortunately the vast majority of the Maltese citizens are not as naive as you and the other do-gooders.
http://it.notizie.yahoo.com/7/20100213/tts-milano-giovane-egiziano-ucciso-e-in-c8abaed.html

Louis Gialanze

Feb 14th 2010, 18:56

@Roberta Buhagiar. Please stop being naive and allowing your emotions to get the better of you. Malta's combined law enforcement and armed forces number no more than 4300 personnel in full compliment. I shudder to think of the consequences in the event of an illegal immigrant riot. Meantime take a look at the World News section and read for yourself the events unfolding in Milan. This is what lies in store for Malta because the immigration issue was mismanaged from the very start. Wake up Malta!

C.Zarb

Feb 14th 2010, 18:56

@ Roberta Buhagiar.

You just have to ask the immigrants to see whether immigrants are being exploited in Malta or not. Exploitation is natural wherever supply exceeds demand and people tend to do anything just to survive.

C.Zarb

Feb 14th 2010, 18:53

Malta is a small island, with no resources and a huge overpopulation problem which is there to be seen. There is currently 2 million immigrants waiting on Libyan shores, waiting for one chance to come to Europe and while many of them wouldn't want to come to Malta, some will eventually end up here. 10% of such number would result in 200,000 people. Do we actually have the resources or even the space to integrate these immigrants and give them a future? Both locals and immigrants know the answer perfectly and yet, the EU expects us to force immigrants to stay here, whether we/they like it or not. If any immigrant tries to leave Malta he is arrested and sent to prison while anyone who makes it to Europe after coming to Malta is prone to be sent here BY FORCE.

With all due respect but if this is the Western way of doing things, then I honestly don't want us to be part of it at all. I believe in human rights but not at the price of turning Malta in Europe's version of Ellis island.

Roberta Buhagiar

Feb 14th 2010, 18:37

@ Louis Gialanze - The situation of Rosarno in Calabria is different to the Maltese context. Here, migrants are not exploited by the mafia so the situation in Rosarno cannot be used as a basis for an argument about security in Malta. Spreading fear about security and migrants without any solid basis or evidence is tantamount to xenophobia. And no, security alone should not and does not override any other consideration. We are part of the democratic Western world precisely because we live in a system governed by the rule of law. Those states which override all human rights considerations because of their security concerns are totalitarian states. As far as I'm concerned, Malta is not yet a totalitarian state.

Franco Xuereb

Feb 14th 2010, 18:17

I can't understand why some fellow citizens are giving so much importance to the said Frontex operation.
May I put a simple question to you all? Can any one give us just one example, what had Malta gain from the start of the Frontex operation? As I recall when the said Frontex started, it did not know what it's mission was to start with as to whether to stop the influx and thus repatriate them back from where they had left or just providing a shuttle service..........then comes Simon Busuttil and say that the Frontex operation was a success. AH! Perhaps I'm living in a different island then Mr. Simon.
Let us not give the importance to Frontex and the bureaucrats in Brussels and start acting and take the bull from its horns in the interest of our home land.
But to do so we need a strong government who is willingly to act in the interest of Malta by repatriating them all back like the government of Italy namely Mr. Berlusconi, but until we have active a strong government we remain Status Quo.

Louis Gialanze

Feb 14th 2010, 18:11

Malta, and Malta alone is responsible for the security of our country. This reason alone should override any other consideration. The government's 'open arms' policy on immigration is seriously jeopardizing the security of this island. Frontex or no Frontex the onus lies on the Maltese authorities who are duty bound to ensure peace of mind and security for the citizens of Malta. Our combined law enforcement and armed forces cannot possibly contain a repeat of the events of Rosarno in Calabria, Italy.

josephsaliba

Feb 14th 2010, 17:54

Why moan about the relative poverty when we can show our christianity towards the really poor migrants, who fleeing from torture, wars and inhuman conditions end on our shores. We're proud of the maltese missionaries who went to seek the needy now the needy came to us. Let us lead the world to help them. At the same time the poliiticians will do their utmost to bring equilibrium and maybe one day democracy will also reign throughout the globe.

Roberta Buhagiar

Feb 14th 2010, 15:00

Perhaps some should remind Ms Louise Vella, who has now become the national expert on migration issues, that sending back ANYBODY to a country where there is a risk of torture or inhuman and degrading treatment violates the principle of non-refoulement according to international law; the 1951 Convention relating to Refugee Status and Article 3 of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights, to name just a few. Malta is a party of both these conventions. If you believe you are part of the democratic Western world, then you are also obliged to respect human rights. Otherwise you are merely employing the same mentality the dictator governments many of these migrants flee when they come to Europe.

Victor Fiorini

Feb 14th 2010, 14:38

@Louise Vella - But if what you suggest really happens, then what will you write about? You'd have nothing to live for, leaving your fans very disappointed!

Joseph Theuma

Feb 14th 2010, 11:34

Thanks frontex. In fact we dont need your offices in our country. Take your offices to where you need it most, in Somalia, in timbaktu. But dont expect any help from Malta. Our Armed Forces are for our own protection and not to protect illegal immigrants who are being held prisoners here. They want to go to europe and not to Malta. We dont need your help. With Frontex or without it, Malta will be better off. We will do like the Italians do. We will send all illegal immigrants back to Libya. Whether you like it or not. Italy does it, so will Malta do. And take your money with you.

louise vella

Feb 14th 2010, 09:15

So far FRONTEX has been a joke because it served as a ferry service transporting illegal immigrants from Libyan waters to EU territory. The reason why illegal immigrant landings in Malta went down by half in 2009 is not FRONTEX. It is Berlusconi's policy (in cooperation with Libya) of pushing the boats back to Libya. The weakness of this is obvious. Libya is volatile and if it quarrels again with Italy it will stop its cooperation. Even if the Italians continue pushing back the boats, they will not be as efficient. And Malta will start getting the influx of illegal immigrants.

Malta should insist that FRONTEX becomes a proper coastguard and takes over from Italy the task of pushing back the boats. Malta should cooperate with Italy even now to help in pushing the boats back to Libya.