Studies into Casa Lanfreducci basement remains launched
Ministry says skeletal remains put into boxes by previous tenants
Mepa and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage have ordered the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation to conduct a number of studies including a condition report and an archaeological investigation into the basement of Casa Lanfreducci, the Infrastructure Ministry announced this afternoon.
In the meantime, the skeletal remains found bundled in boxes and abandoned on the site will be investigated and given a proper burial.
The ministry insisted, however, that no compelling evidence had been produced to show that the basement of Casa Cassar (Casa Lanfreducci) was a historical burial site.
Its statement was issued minutes after the Labour Party called for an inquiry into the removal of the skeletal remains from the site.
The NGO Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar is protesting that this basement was an extension of the crypt of Our Lady of Victory Church and must not be converted into facilities for the open theatre, which forms part of the Piano project.
The ministry said it was concerned about a statement made by Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar accompanied by a photograph, that suggested grievous breaches of antiquities and criminal laws when Casa Cassar was in possession of its tenants.
"The photograph shows human remains randomly piled in cardboard boxes labelled ‘Pasticceria Assortita’ which, the FAA says, were found in 2009 by the tenants of the property. The photo represents the exact situation the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation has recently found at the property when it first visited the site in connection with the present application to develop the site for cultural use. These cardboard boxes containing what appear to be human remains have not been touched pending investigations ordered by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage," the ministry said.
(The ministry did not say who the tenants were. However it was reported earlier this month that the basement of Casa Lanfreducci was until last month used by the Maltese Association of the Knights of the Order of St John. The building was leased for 50 years in 1991 and was restored by the Order. The lease was terminated by the government.)
The ministry said the human bones were packed in the modern card-boxes and placed in the basement of Casa Cassar by the tenants. Because of this displacement, the original location of these bones was still unknown. Had the bones been found in the basement as claimed, they should have been protected in situ and reported to the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage as required by Maltese legislation.
No such report was known to have been made to the Superintendence.
"It is clear from current investigations that a substantial volume of rock was cut and removed from the entire area of the basement’s floor by the tenants. Any archaeological features that may have once existed in the rock-bed would have therefore been irretrievably quarried away and lost during these works. Such works required a development planning application and should have been authorised by MEPA," the ministry added.
"It is a matter of concern that individuals who publicly hold the photographed human bones to be ‘sacred’ and the site to be of historic and archaeological importance, should have handled the alleged burial ground in such an amateurish and disrespectful manner during their tenancy of the property."
It reiterated its statement of January 14 that although burial in crypts under churches was known to occur, the notion that the basements of neighbouring houses were somehow used as extensions for burial was not what one might normally expect.
In any case, since excavation (under the planned development) would be minimal and would be strictly supervised as regulated by standard MEPA requirements for similar situations, in the unlikely event that anything specific was found, the normal action required by Maltese laws to protect any archaeological finds would be respected in full”.
"This commitment is a legal obligation, which obligation should have also governed the behaviour of the previous tenants of Casa Cassar."
The ministry said that as part of the present development planning process, representatives of the Grand Harbour Rehabilitation Corporation, their architects, as well Mepa MEPA and the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage have held a number of on-site meetings during recent weeks.
Independently, MEPA and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage had ordered the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation to undertake a number of studies including a condition report and an archaeological investigation to be carried out under the direction of the Superintendence. These studies were currently under way.
In the meantime, the remains bundled and abandoned on the site would be appropriately investigated and after that given a proper burial.
PL STATEMENT
The Labour Party has urged the government to withdraw its Mepa application for a development permit for excavations and conversion of the basement of Casa Lanfreducci and the crypt of Our Lady of Victories Church into facilities for the roofless theatre in Valletta.
Spokesman Roderick Galdes said the party was also calling for an inquiry into the removal of skeletal remains which had reportedly been removed at the site.
He said that statements about the site issued by the NGO Flimkien ghal-Ambjent Ahjar were worrying, especially if the government through these works, would be destroying items of cultural heritage.
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Ivan cassar
Jan 19th 2011, 21:18
@ Astrid Vella
Flawed as it might be the EIA system is the tool by which MEPA can asses the impact of a proposal. I would rather use this imperfect tool rather then having the Prime Minister, the Bishop, or any other person at that, decided what should happen single-handedly and behind closed doors. But then again I am after the prolonged protection of our heritage not to see my name in press headlines.
Salvu borg
Jan 20th 2011, 09:15
Seems like you are so lost against FAA that you didn't read the blog even though you blogged again after Dr Anthony Abela Medici(15 hours, 24 minutes ago) comment...http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110119/local/government-not-convinced-of-burial-site-argument
What is your agenda Mr Cassar?
Astrid Vella
Jan 20th 2011, 12:12
IvanCassar,what you really seem to have been keen on seeing in headlines is news of damage to St. John's.You are incorrect when you say"EIA system is the tool by which MEPA can asses the impact of a proposal" -MEPA's verdict in the St John's file was"Nothing can definitely guarantee that the project will not damage the structure of St John's" in fact,when asked whether he could provide a guarantee,the project architect -who would have supplied the EIA - refused.Given that his recommended systems failed miserably in St George's square(see below),can you tell me if you would still have gone ahead on his EIA?
I remind you that EIAs are paid for by developers.The Auditor is on record saying that he has rarely seen an EIA that is completely honest.Moreover the St. Johns Museum case did not rest on the issue of EIAs, it was principally an issue of financial and environmental national priorities,the finances saved now go to restore St Angelo,a far more urgent case.
It sounds to me that like DLH, you would have preferred a hole in the ground imperilling St John's and smashing all the underground passages rather than saving collapsing Fort St. Angelo.
Ivan Cassar
Jan 19th 2011, 21:09
@ Miriam Cremona
Facts are facts and do not change from discovering the burials of participants in the Great Siege to showing pictures of bones in a box and not even being sure where these came from as FAA has done.
“It is not an NGOs place to carry out investigations as to how, why, when and who.” It is the NGO’s place to do this when it assumes to bring facts to the public’s attention. Heritage protection needs public support and public support needs credibility, the sort of credibility FAA keeps losing with its Primadonna, unsubstantiated, press revelations.
Miriam Cremona
Jan 19th 2011, 16:36
What a shame that everything has to be split up or politicised. What facts is Ivan Cassar talking about? The facts as we found them were those as explained. It is not an NGOs place to carry out investigations as to how, why, when and who. It is the job of the authorities to carry out a serious study of the wealth which makes up the whole of Valletta and to ensure that these important sites are not abandoned to fate. If the authorities paid out of taxpayers money to safeguard Malta's heritage did their job, members of NGOs and the general public would be able to relax and would not need to report anything at all to anybody. As it is, FAA has reported directly to authorities several issues where heritage was at stake and these reports remained on the intray or floating somewhere in cyberspace and nothing was done.
Astrid Vella
Jan 19th 2011, 14:59
@ IvanCassar: Part1
Sir, you are being naïve, or, worse still, accommodating. Is it not obvious that we would far prefer to report cases to the authorities and then just sit back and take it easy instead of working for long hours on each case ourselves? Do you know how many cases we have taken to the authorities in the past, only to see them die there?
Two cases where we reported abuse which come to mind have been stalled before two different authorities for 9 months – in that time the Lanfreducci basement would have been totally refitted with all the pipe-work and drains necessary for multiple showers and toilets.
However it seems that is an option you would prefer, as long as lip service is done to ‘credibility’ while our heritage burns. Does that sound familiar?
Astrid Vella
Jan 19th 2011, 14:53
@ IvanCassar:Part2
I would remind you that the St. John’s Museum case did not rest on the issue of EIAs,in spite of what has been made out.It was principally an issue of financial and environmental national priorities,re creating a quarry and filling our tourist centre with noise,dirt,dust and heavy vehicles for years on end.The finances saved now go to restore St Angelo,a far more urgent case.
The EIA system was seriously flawed and not reliable in cases where not even the least risk could be entertained,which was MEPA’s verdict re the high risk of damage to St John's.I also remind you that DLH had backed this project where the developers assured us their methods would reveal fissures in the rocks at a depth of four floors-the same methods that later failed to reveal the tunnels three feet under the surface at St George's Square!
While I have every respect for the work that DLH carries out,there is no question that over the last decades the destruction of heritage has continued virtually unchecked.It is easy to sit around tables discussing matters,rather than facing the disapproval of those who would rather that the loss of our heritage remains hidden.
Ivan Cassar
Jan 19th 2011, 11:28
@ G Spiteri
If you don’t like the law you should strive to change it but you are never sanctioned to break it. This above the law attitude is dangerous. With the John’s Cathedral saga a very dangerous precedent, to which FAA was participant, took place ie the Prime Minister and the Bishop decided what should happen single-handedly and behind closed doors. As it is we were luck that the decision was the right one but would have happened if it was not? At the time DLH simply insisted that an EIA should have been commissioned so as to have a legally binding document to substantiate its arguments. Heritage protection is no forum for Cowboys and Primadonnas.
FAA has lost any shred of credibility it had with this!!!!
G Spiteri
Jan 19th 2011, 12:02
No. sorry, FAA has gained credibility in this!
As I said, look around you, read the blog, speak to people...the answer is there.
"Heritage protection is no forum for Cowboys and Primadonnas” I agree but unfortunately we keep on getting Cowboys actions from the Applicants and Prima Donna re-actions from the authorities!
Keep up the good work FAA!
Ivan Cassar
Jan 19th 2011, 09:46
@ Astrid Vella
Heritage protection and the NGOs involved in this hard work deserve much better then this. NGOs such as Din l-Art Helwa have worked hard to obtain the respect of the public, and institutions, which is essential if such NGOs and their demands are to be credible.
Before rushing to the press with the news Astrid Vella and FAA should have checked their facts and reported the obvious illegalities which took place when the bones were found.
I fully agree that the place should be preserved and protected but with their actions FAA have done a disservice to this site and to the heritage protection movement in general. I hope next time they will check their fact and go through the official channels as demanded by law instead of seeking easy publicity on the press.
G Spiteri
Jan 19th 2011, 11:02
What respect are you talking about? Look around you... if the people had to “wait and go through the official channels as demanded by law instead of seeking easy publicity on the press” this place would have already been bull dozed over and the paperwork still in the tray!
What is the press there for if not for such thing?
So the public should leave everything to DLH...As we should have done with the St John’s Cathedral saga. That was a joke!!
J S Borg
Jan 19th 2011, 08:17
I do remember the previous old building, whoever the architect was had no respect for the architectural aspect of Valletta. The whole site was cleared off and we had a fantastic mishmash structure, courses fuq il-fil, actually recently I watched some restoration of a bastion being done fuq il-fil as well. Sorry to say; what an eyesore. Considering the architectural features as well as the type of stone used, the whole building abutting the church, in my opinion was built in the same period. Also some contributors mention the great siege, was Valletta especially the church built before or after the siege?
victor rodenas
Jan 19th 2011, 10:25
Before The Great Siege Valletta was barren ground,it was used by the Turks to bombard The Three Cities because of its high ground.Just after the Siege the Knights brought huge amounts of money from Europe and started to built their marvellous city.These days there are very good books about The Great Siege and I recommend that we should read about the history of Malta and how our City was built.
Astrid Vella
Jan 19th 2011, 01:46
Could the Ministry of Infrastructure kindly illuminate us as to where FAA said that the bones "were found in 2009 by the tenants of the property" as FAA has never made such a statement.
In fact the wording of our press release made no reference to knights, but said: "Forensic tests which had been carried out show that these remains date back to the time of the Great Siege."
FAA hereby states that it has no idea when the bones were found or exhumed, or by whom, and calls on the Ministry to desist from mis-quoting it in this manner.
Raymond Sammut
Jan 18th 2011, 20:57
Casa Lanfreducci is not Casa Cassar. It cannot be. Casa Cassar is thought to have been the original house used by Girolamo Cassar to do his architectural work in Valletta. It would have been located elsewhere, and not attached to a church.
To me it appears that Casa Lanfreducci is a suspicious structure of no historical value, and never was part of the church. It is not hard to note that its iron railing is like that of the Police station and not like that of the church. Furthermore, the church and the house have stonework totally different.
This historic church would originally have had a churchyard, and people were interred beneath the churchyard because there was not enough room beneath the church. The house came much later.
Nobody in the Christian faith ever gets interred beneath a house. The Maltese government would have us believe that the chicken came before the egg --which is truly an insult.
adrian galea
Jan 18th 2011, 20:34
Who has decided these are archaeological remains from the time of the Knights and not evidence pointing to a criminal act?
Raymond Sammut
Jan 18th 2011, 21:18
What has been decided thus far is that forensic evidence suggests that the bones date back to when the church was built --soon after the siege. There is nothing to suggest that this is not an archeological site where people had been interred in accordance with the Christian rite.
adrian galea
Jan 18th 2011, 23:08
forensic tests done by?
Raymond Sammut
Jan 19th 2011, 10:06
@ adrian galea --You need to follow up previous reports by The Times. For example, "Basement contained ‘knights’ skeletons’" of Tuesday, 18th January 2011, makes a reference to forensic expert Dr Abela Medici who had recently been tasked with examining the bones.
We don't know the extent of the forensic tests carried out, but Dr Abela Medici leaves readers without any doubts as to the authenticity and location of these bones.
Ultimately it's up to the Maltese government to ensure that full investigation is carried out as required by Maltese law, and that results are made public through government publications --properly dated and referenced. I'm not convinced readers are being told everything the public is entitled to know about the existence of these bones.
Nor are we being told about the true history (or lack of it) of the structure that abuts the church. It seems to be quite certain that it is Casa Lanfreducci, but for some reason, a confusion is being created to lead people to believe that this is just a different name for Casa Cassar. I'm convinced that the original Casa Cassar was located elsewhere, and Lanfreducci is an illegal structure.
A. E. ABELA
Jan 18th 2011, 20:30
This could be a very important national historical concern and there is no room for the usual political misfits to capitalise on the situation, so please take your political grudges elsewhere and allow this discovery to be tackled in a professional and archaeological way as happens in Egypt, Jerusalem and many other countries. The government should proceed as follows –
a) Call on international renowned archaeologist who specialise on these particular situation, Mepa and the grand harbour whatever can never match such expertise,
b) Act according to their recommendations and
c) Take legal action (according to the results of the findings) against the tenements if laws were broken.
George Camilleri
Jan 18th 2011, 19:43
"The building was leased for 50 years in 1991 and was restored by the Order".
And what an awful job that was. I remember a good two-thirds of the facade was still standing when the Order got their hands on it. They cleared it all away and not one original stone was used in the reconstruction (not restoration) of the upper level of Casa Cassar. Not to mention the extensive use of concrete clad with wafer-thin limestone panels that easily crumble away.
John F Borg
Jan 18th 2011, 19:25
If it is so clear that a large "volume of rock was cut and removed from the basement's floor", maybe the ministry could enlighten us mortals why the so called previous tenants are not being prosecuted and even show photos of the alleged damage caused by same.
I personally believe this is all a coverup story to sanction the conversion of the site as proposed.
Same site could be easily turned into an attraction or locals and tourists alike.
Paul Borg
Jan 18th 2011, 23:49
Bull's eye John Borg! All of a sudden the Ministry it has turned all the attention away from the future plans over to what happened in the past. Very clever smoke screen. Before we know, they will say something like "The integrity has been compromised" or one of those fancey excuses they come up with, and they will put in the showers and toilets just the same.
Joe Azzopardi
Jan 18th 2011, 19:12
2)
Why are these finds only being made public now?
Did FAA give any weight to the above issues before rushing to the press with this sensational news?
Did FAA report the facts to the relevant authorities, as it is also duty bound to do by law and ever more its moral responsibility as an NGO meant to safeguard Malta’s heritage?
The idea that “the house as a whole should be used as backstage facilities and instead of making a tunnel invent something else” is indeed very good a sensible.
Paul Borg
Jan 19th 2011, 00:07
What is on your Agenda Mr Azzopardi?
If you are the same Joe Azzopardi who is the editor and photographer of DLH's Magazine VIGILO http://www.dinlarthelwa.org/images/Vigilo/vigilo38%20website.pdf (page 17!)
I am a DLH member who receives this magazine and I am very disappointed at your comment!
If DLH wants my membership this year it better stop just talking around that table and start speaking up about all that's going on which should be outraging you even more than the public!
S Bianci
Jan 19th 2011, 11:36
Where was DLH when all this started ...sitting round a table maybe?
If they are so big into this sort of thing why were they not keeping an eye on things happening at the site ....that way they would have found the 'findings" themselves!
Thanks to FAA and their quick action, this came to the public’s attention
MALTA'S HERITAGE IS THE MALTESE PEOPLE'S HERITAGE!
But in this, the St John Knights’ Heritage is Maltase and European Heritage!
Joe Azzopardi
Jan 18th 2011, 19:10
want to start by saying that I do not agree that this space should house backstage facilities. Having said that I have a few questions:
How was it that found these remains some years ago? (probably the lease holders).
1)
How was it that moved the remains from their original and controversial resting place, this being their respective burials not the boxes in which they are seen in the photos?
Does FAA agree that exhuming the bones and piling them in boxes in the same basement was the real desecration?
“Forensic tests which had been carried out show that these remains date back to the time of the Great Siege of 1565”. One is given to understand that it was forensic expert Anthony Abela Medici that carried out the tests when these remains where found so where is the documentation of the find, drawings showing each bone in its original position before removal, and most of all where is the evidence that the people involved in this find did what they were obliged to do by law and report the finds to the authorities?
Jesmond Micallef
Jan 18th 2011, 18:48
Does anybody here know some history about that "Ferro Battuto" (wrought iron) window on the front of the church right above the entrance. Is that genuine Knights of St. John hand work like the two present on the facade of the St. Francis of Assisi Church in Republic Street ? Is the hand railing also genuine period wrought iron too ?
m borg
Jan 18th 2011, 18:38
Now there’s a job for Inspector Cleuseau.
The boxes seem to be in a very good condition. The bones must have been put in the boxes just days, possibly weeks, before the photos was taken.
This means that whoever took the photos either displaced the bones himself or herself or has a very good idea as to who moved the bones.
Whoever is investigating the matter will need to interview Ms. Vella. Who took the photos? When?
Did Ms. Vella inadvertently land her friend in very hot water? Is this a case of a story told back firing on he or she who tells it?
Find out more in the next chapter of this intriguing tale: “Bones in the Basement” or should I say “bins in de beezemint”.
Raymond Sammut
Jan 18th 2011, 18:00
To me, the crux of what is coming out from the Maltese government are these admissions:
(A)
The ministry said the human bones were packed in the modern card-boxes and placed in the basement of Casa Cassar by the tenants. Because of this displacement, the original location of these bones was still unknown. Had the bones been found in the basement as claimed, they should have been protected in situ and reported to the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage as required by Maltese legislation.
(B)
"It is clear from current investigations that a substantial volume of rock was cut and removed from the entire area of the basement’s floor by the tenants. Any archaeological features that may have once existed in the rock-bed would have therefore been irretrievably quarried away and lost during these works. Such works required a development planning application and should have been authorised by MEPA," the ministry added.
Why did the ministry lease this historically significant site to a third party and without supervision?
Is this not a clear infringement of the Heritage Act by the tenants? Is not the ministry required at law to initiate legal proceedings in accordance with Maltese legislation?
a. zahra
Jan 18th 2011, 18:26
When the building was leased it was a bomb damages house, with just the facade standing. The Order bound itself to rebuild it. Government did the best thing possible at the time to rent it out and have it restored and rebuilt. It is the Order which must answer about how and why thuman remains were not treated with respect.
Joe Morana
Jan 18th 2011, 17:56
"The photograph shows human remains randomly piled in cardboard boxes labelled ‘Pasticceria Assortita’ which, the FAA says, were found in 2009 by the tenants of the property....... However it was reported earlier this month that the basement of Casa Lanfreducci was until last month used by the Maltese Association of the Knights of the Order of St John. The building was leased for 50 years in 1991 and was restored by the Order. The lease was terminated by the government.....The ministry said the human bones were packed in the modern card-boxes and placed in the basement of Casa Cassar by the tenants
"
Therefore a statement by the Maltese Association of the Knights of the Order of St John is solicited please .
Astrid Vella
Jan 18th 2011, 18:19
To put the record straight, at no point did FAA state that the bones were found in 2009 by the tenants of the property. All we know is that some time ago, forensic tests were carried out on the bones which were documented photographically.
victor rodenas
Jan 18th 2011, 17:51
These bones must not be buried.After The Great Siege very few knights remained alive and their names must be noted somewhere.Perhaps their relatives abroad want to do Carbon 14 testing on them,from DNA it is possible to know which is which.I know this cost money but these persons can be very rich and they want to do these tests at their own expence.By DNA the skeletons can be formed again,who knows,something like this will hit the World news...
JOe VELLa
Jan 18th 2011, 20:03
@victor rodenas
I remember in my childhood that St. John co-Cathedral, on the side it had all the open area used as a graveyard, said to be used for all those fallen during the Siege, it had a common pit in the center. The authorities of the day decided to place all the remains in a common ground that it is still standing in the center of this now yard.
In this instance the fact that the crypt is so well defined clearly guide us to believe that the remains belong to no common persons.
john borg
Jan 18th 2011, 17:50
Bloggers should remember some cardinal rules.. Labour is always right, and those of us who were in our teens in the 1980s, know this for a fact. the good thing is that we can speak without fears of any reprisals now.
just look at Roderick Galdes. Imagine a scenario under a labour government: a MEPA emplyee is a member of parliament shadowing his employer and sitting on the MEPA board. The auditor spoke against this but Joseph Muscat sweeps this under the carpet. he only quotes the auditor when it suits him!
Franco Farrugia
Jan 18th 2011, 20:26
So, in your view, just because Labour in the 70s and 80s wrought havoc in the country - which they did! - the other only political party should continue governing ad finitum and in a bulldozing manner, is that what you are saying?? Cos if that's what you think, I have news for you: that's not what many intelligent people think! So, in your opinion, the PL has no right to speak about anything, right? Is that so? So, why have an Opposition? Why not just a Nationalist government?!
I M Dingli
Jan 18th 2011, 21:54
Prosit F. Farrugia, I agree 100% with all your comments. This is not a political matter and thus should be at heart to every individual on this island.
It is a shame that these things have been allowed to happen, and this was for all to see right in the heart of our Capital City.
Shame!!
JOe VELLa
Jan 18th 2011, 17:49
Sir,
I took this issue at heart from day one, because it is in our nation capital, someone said one of the project is like an oil rig, and the other is a no no project. Who ever heard a downtown theater with no roof right in the heart of the capital city? Now they are ordering investigations. Investigate should have taken place before it all started.
It seem to me we have a Donquixote somewhere coming with big ideas that are only windmills.
victor rodenas
Jan 18th 2011, 17:29
I wonder what the Knights from all over the World are saying about this.I expected more comments to come from Maltese Knights,especially those who usually write in newspapers,why aren`t they defending their ancestors?Come on,be courageous like your ancestors,...if you know that it is wrong you should rock the boat.....
a. zahra
Jan 18th 2011, 18:20
If yoy read the report objectively and correctly, it is the knights who excavated the remains, bundled them in cardboard boxs and abandoned them, not caring about their sacrediness. Remember that when Casa Lunfreducci, then a bombed premises was leased to the Order, the Order had bound itself to restore and repair it, retaining the original facade. This they did not do because the dismantled the facade and were forced to rebuild it. It is the Order which has been lacking in this affaire, not the Government.
A.Busuttil
Jan 18th 2011, 17:27
Dr farrugia Randon and your association have nothing to say?
or you are calculating the dagage to the Goverment with your statment
Alfred Briffa
Jan 18th 2011, 17:10
Drajniha l-istorja. L-ewwel tohrog Astrid u warajha johrog jitlob l-inkjesti il-PL.!!!!
X'kumbinazzjoni din hux....imma kif ezatt....photocopy!!!!
Franco Farrugia
Jan 18th 2011, 17:36
What does your 'statement' have to do with this? What are you implying? Is the topic at hand worth investigating or not? THAT, and only THAT, is the important thing. But of course, for people like you, this is very unimportant as long as you look at the political side of things. What a poor mentality, to be sure!
Mario Galea
Jan 18th 2011, 17:09
PL wants inquiry about this about that about this and about that. And if we heed what labour wants, nothing will be ever done in this country. So if the PL wants an inquiry, let them do them themselves. We have no time to waste on frivolous themes.
Louis Vella
Jan 18th 2011, 17:15
Frivolous themes? Only people who do not give a hoot about our heritage reason like that! Grow up man u hallik mill-politika.
j camilleri
Jan 18th 2011, 17:22
So you and all the PN apologists are in favour to convert the crypt in a changing room, just because the PL is asking for an enquiry?!!
I am sure that if GOnzi and his friends convert your sitting room in a landfill you will say yes as well
Can you just please explain why the PL's deed is wrong as I am lost?!
Franco Farrugia
Jan 18th 2011, 17:40
'Frivolous themes'? I think that YOU, sir, are the 'frivolous' one among us. Is that the extent of your intelligence and your love of culture in this country? The least you can do is to keep an open mind about the subject and wait for a serious outcome to the 'investigation'. I do not give one fig to the political mileage the PL is setting itself upon at the moment - and good luck to them, seeing as how the present admin. is continually shooting itself in the foot! - but this is an important aspect which should not go unchecked. That place should have never been rented out to third parties in the first place! But that is the level of culture in this country.
Charmaine Marmara'
Jan 18th 2011, 17:01
gonzi isnt taking care of his own people let alone if he gives a "thing" about the bones !!! shame on you gonzi for this atrocity ....shame shame and more shame ....qtiltu pajjiz min kollox !!
J Apap
Jan 18th 2011, 17:24
I cannot but simply laugh. Nahseb Gonzi direttament qallum biex inehhuhom dawn l-iskeletri!! U iddahhaqniex... biex xi haga hk iddawruha politka!! Grow up... not everything is politics..
D. A . Agius
Jan 18th 2011, 19:49
Do you know how to read? Can't you see that the Order's Association apparently didn't give a hoot about these bones ?
"The photograph shows human remains randomly piled in cardboard boxes labelled ‘Pasticceria Assortita’ which, the FAA says, were found in 2009 by the tenants of the property."
"The ministry said the human bones were packed in the modern card-boxes and placed in the basement of Casa Cassar by the tenants. Because of this displacement, the original location of these bones was still unknown. Had the bones been found in the basement as claimed, they should have been protected in situ and reported to the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage as required by Maltese legislation."
"It is clear from current investigations that a substantial volume of rock was cut and removed from the entire area of the basement’s floor by the tenants. Any archaeological features that may have once existed in the rock-bed would have therefore been irretrievably quarried away and lost during these works. "
Now if you have read these, you should understand. Nothing short of the pot calling the kettle black!