84 migrants brought to Malta

Louise Vella

Jul 7th 2012, 18:15

Only last Sunday on TV Dr Gonzi gave a public guarantee that every boat in distress or claiming to be in distress or pretending to be in distress will be escorted to Malta by the Armed Forces of Malta. He said a boat "carrying 27 persons," just to show how out-of-date he is. The boats with 27 stopped coming some 3 or 4 years ago. Now they carry 80 or more or even more than a 100. Let me say that no leader of any government in any country has ever given such a guarantee which facilitates the work of the people smugglers and amounts to an invitation to the thousands of sub-Saharan Africans waiting in Libya to come to Malta in any numbers.

Eddy Privitera

Jul 7th 2012, 12:24

INFAKKAR FTIT LI QABEL IR-REFERENDUM DWAR L-UE, KIENU TQASSMU KARTI BIL-KLIEM:

" JEKK NIVVUTAW IVA, INSIRU EWROPEJ. JEKK NIVVUTAW LE, INSIRU AFRIKANI " !!!

QIEGEHD JIGRI IL-KONTRA- QEGHDIN INSIRU AFRIKANI , GHAX IL-MAGGORANZA IVVUTAT IVA !!!!!

Joe Xuereb

Jul 7th 2012, 10:55

I would give anything to interview these people coming off their little dinghy (via an interpreter of course as I imagine their native language is the only language they speak. Welcome to Europe as an economic migrant, madam!). Their only resource is being a baby-factory, one a year, so work - such as it is - would be out of the question in any case. Failing that, I would give anything to be a fly on the wall to see how the processing procedure is carried out. The questions asked. And above all, hearing from the horse's mouth the things they would aspire to once Europe is reached.
With regard to the people who refused to disembark on Malta and continued onto Sicily and hopefully, Rome. I would be interested to know what their aims are having attained their place of choice. Surely, when migrating, one has plans. Hey mister! (via interpreter), what are your plans once you are on the streets near Stazione Termini in Rome? Or wherever?

@Ms.D. Galea (6th July 00:51). Ms. Galea, with regard to your comment earlier on (quote):

And within hours of this;

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120705/local/border-control-illegal-immigration-discussed-with-libyan-under-secretary.427311

The Libyans are making fools of us and our government.


And yet on 4th July your comment was thus: (quote)

Ms.D. Galea (4th July 18:00

'Did it occur to anyone on just how desperate these people must be if they rather willingly risk their lives on a small boat under this blazing hot sun?'.

Is there some confusion going on? Maybe there are a couple or more of Ms. D. Galeas? Maybe Ms. D. Galea is not unique after all?

@Zeppi Azzopardi. You are so right these people are our brothers and sisters (not forgetting that the deepest rifts exist between siblings). However, we have to go our separate ways when these 'brothers' start to affect each other's quality of life wouldn't you agree? Think man, think? Your skin is at stake. Come on now, don't be selfish. Unless of course, your brain has been addled to such an extent by this 'barbuljata' that you are now suffering from what is called the Stockholm Syndrome.

Guido Farrugia

Jul 6th 2012, 23:27

Kuntent Peppi Azzopardi li gew aktar min hutu? Jien m-hiniex!

Roderick Cristina

Jul 6th 2012, 10:59

I would like to express my gratitude to the Libyan authorities for the way of thanking us for our help during their civil war! We really appreciate your efforts. …When are the authorities going to learn and send these boats back from where they came from??? Enough is enough, everything has its limit. We’re ruing our country and above all Europe!!

Clint sammut

Jul 6th 2012, 10:47

send them all back or they are going to keep coming

Steve Demicoli

Jul 6th 2012, 10:05

Our politicians (both sides), clergy etc seem to be hypersensitive to the wants and demands of those who violate country borders and all those NGOs etc who try to justify it and insensitive to the needs and concerns of the majority of the Maltese population - ie they come in groups of approx 50-100 per week (especially now in Summer), go through the time and resource consuming process of trying to figure out who they really are and eventually concede rather generously to their 'asylum' demands then occasionally a few of them (usually single figures) go to USA and rarely a family goes to some EU 'partner'. What is the logical conclusion for this tiny island?

Charles Mizzi

Jul 6th 2012, 09:41

Xi dwejjaq ta nies.

James McIntosh

Jul 6th 2012, 09:21

If anyone believes that the country of departure cannot be determined, or that mother ships at sea cannot be traced then they truly are blinkered. With the technology presently available spy satellites can detect even small boats and watch them but nobody has the political will to carry this out. Does anybody really believe that these boats only become in "distress" once Malta is sighted or a passing ship, at this point any papers are destroyed to prevent proper identification and to prevent repatriation since country of origin cannot be established. This is a common ruse by the illegals to be sure of rescue according to maritime law, and it works every time. Money in the bank for the traffickers. Job well done. Lets do it again tomorrow. Come on you spineless politicians, sort this mes out, or I promise you a change of career.

O. Grixti

Jul 6th 2012, 09:15

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120623/local/Sending-migrants-back-is-not-wrong-.425553

This was said 2 weeks ago by our Foreign Minister, as this is what the majority of the Maltese people want. We need to see WORDS put in ACTION now to be credible!

We the electoral do not forget very easy especially on this issue.

Wenzu Vella

Jul 6th 2012, 09:06

Let’s face it these are not immigrants these are people forcing themselves unto others. These are not refugees but opportunists looking for an easy life. The UNHCR washed their hands because it has become to hot for them to handle so they are deeming everyone as refugees.

Immigrants are people like me who satisfied the requirements of the host countries before we even left. These are people who get in small boats cross the demarcation line make use of modern technology to be rescued and that is the start of the problem and it will be a problem long term.

As a human being I am not against them. As an orderly emigrant from Malta I am against them because Malta does not need immigrants it is too small and already over populated to be able to provide work and accommodation for extra thousands of unskilled people that can be harmoniously integrated with the main stream population.
The administration is well aware of the situation and is letting international law interfere with its duty to act in safeguarding the interest of the country and its people to implement a cut off point that enough is already enough.

Joe Fenech

Jul 6th 2012, 09:05

There is nothing wrong with this. This is fulfilling Gonzi's vision of fairness. It is a just thing to share the country 50/50 with these hard working, intellectual people. It will make Malta richer economically and culturally.

Alfred Vassallo

Jul 6th 2012, 09:02

Why doesn't the government run a shuttle service to and from Libya for these immigrants at a price AT LEAST we can make some money out of it because NOW the situation has deteriorated to this absurd level.

Charles W. Sammut

Jul 6th 2012, 08:42

http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/artikkel.php?artid=10058504

Translation from the above article in a Norwegian newspaper:


In deepest secrecy, the government has prepared a return accord with Somalia.

It means that asylum seekers from Mogadishu and other southern somali regions can be sent back by force.

Somalis are the biggest group of asylum seekers to Norway. All in all, 1422 asylum seekers from Somalia came to Norway in 2011.

Last week, hidden meetings were held among state secretary Pål Lønseth (Ap) [socialdemocrates] and Somalia’s home minister, Abdisamad Mo’allin Mohamud.

VG Nett [this paper] knew before about the meeting but chose, for reasons of security, to wait with publishing the information until the minister had left the country.

The visit’s objective was, seen from the government’s part, to start working on a return acoord with Somalia. This happens after all winter long there has been raging a debate on the government’s asylum policy, among other things about forced returns to Ethiopia.

=========================================

Abdisamad Mo’allin Mohamud That's the man to contact, Dr Toni Borg and put a stop to this imvasion.

V. Cauchi

Jul 6th 2012, 08:32

Two points emerge from this short article which provide ample food for thought:

1. The first boat was shadowed for some time before it was noted the boat was taking water.

2. 40 migrants (out of 43) refused rescue and kept on a steady course to Sicily.

Conclusion: It looks like we are not so keen in giving immediate help to migrants on the high seas, whatever their situation. Even so, if we decide to give them help, they do not enthuse at all about landing in Malta.

Which shows many a thing about our status as a tiny island and our membership of the EU. About time political leaders facing an election call a spade by no other name.

B Grech

Jul 6th 2012, 08:14

Some would have you believe that there are only 4,000-6,000 sub saharan immigrants in Malta at present. If the figure were 20,000 I would find it less hard to believe.

carlos ellul

Jul 6th 2012, 08:08

Illegal immigration is the consequence of decades of colonialism and bad strategies which left Africa in a miserable state. These bad decisions have been mitigated by weak and egoistic EU strategies meant to keep immigrants 'safe' in the lesser EU countries backyard garden.

Malta should have never messed into this issue by signing the Dublin 2 treaty. Its an unfair treaty meant to turn the Southern EU nations into buffer zones between immigrants and those nations who became rich by colonizing others. No wonder why once the mistake was made, our shortsighted politicians had tried to revert it.

Its evident that years of negotiating and rapporti had lead to nothing. Now the choice here is simple. Either we keep on forcing immigrants to stay in Malta, despite knowing that they've got no future herei or else we put our foot down and pull the plug out of the Dublin 2 treaty, risking to end up in the EU bad books in the process. A truly Catholic and nationalist party would know what to do.

Ms D. Borg

Jul 6th 2012, 08:04

Only yesterday La Repubblica site carried an article on Somalia. Prime Minister Ali was quoted as saying that Al Shabab have been defeated and a new constitution will come to effect in August. Peace has finally returned to the region. So how about returning all Somalis back to their country?

N. Agius

Jul 6th 2012, 07:53

What a mess we' re in! Our incompetent politicians are responsible for letting this happen. We have to give an ultimatum to the EU. After that we should start accompany them back to Libya.

Barney Camilleri

Jul 6th 2012, 07:45

Beware!
On a BBC interview it was said yesterday in one country alone Nigeria, a country twice the size of California in a few years time it will have its population equal to that of all the U.S.A. the rate of birth is uncontrollable.
Is this what we really are looking for. A country under the British of emigrants leaving as skilled workers, to a country under the P.N. of Africans claiming to be camel herders and they keep coming.

Louise Vella

Jul 6th 2012, 06:51

What do you expect? Malta is twice as generous as any other EU country in dishing out refugee status and humanitarian status. So they come to Malta. UNHCR keeps telling them that they are welcome in Malta. So they come to Malta. UNHCR has been telling the Maltese to expect more and more of them. So the Maltese have been conditioned to expect more of them. All this shows there is a network trying to turn Malta into a refugee colony.

Louise Vella

Jul 6th 2012, 06:49

Dr Gonzi is responsible for all this because in the last 8 years he has failed to speak clearly about our country’s gradual invasion by illegal immigrants. He has failed to reflect public opinion. If anything he has been making welcoming sounds which the illegal immigrants and their traffickers interpret as a willingness to put up with their goings-on. The only time Dr Gonzi soft-pedalled on his favourable discourse on illegal immigration was in the run-up to the elections to the European Parliament. He made another favourable gesture towards the influx when he appointed a Refugee Commissioner
proudly presented to the press as “a former Jesuit”. We see the result. Malta gives refugee or humanitarian status at twice the rate of any other EU country. To top it all Dr Gonzi is now minister for home affairs, including the AFM.

carlos ellul

Jul 6th 2012, 05:54

Don't worry. Thanks to the government's careful and effective immigration plan, 4 of them will probably end up being sent to Europe. The rest? Well, we'll force them to stay here whether they like it or not. If they manage to escape, build a better life in Europe and are caught then they will be resent here (Dublin 2 treaty). That's the humane thing to do.

Dan Vella

Jul 6th 2012, 02:27

mamma mia poor Malta

Lucky Okocha Achebe

Jul 6th 2012, 01:24

Somalis will continue invading Malta as far as the inviting generosity of the refugee commissioner who had been granting subsidiary protection for Somalis who were born in South Africa [some of them are working as interpreters at the refugee commissioners office], in Kenya, Uganda, Yemen, Soudi Arebia...is available.
they had protection in those countries..the only reason they came here was the fact that they were invited by the relatives who are already here. how come you expect Somalis to go elsewhere when such people along side hundreds of Somalilanders being granted undeserved protection.
Israel declared 60,000 eritreans [ the eritreans believed went to israel when gaddafi made an agreement with italy] as economy immigrants, whereas malta is granting them protection. this is also an other beckoning for eritreans.

Ms.D. Galea

Jul 6th 2012, 00:51

And within hours of this;

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120705/local/border-control-illegal-immigration-discussed-with-libyan-under-secretary.427311

The Libyans are making fools of us and our government.

GL Calleja

Jul 6th 2012, 00:36

Get a load of this. A PATROL BOAT CREW INITIALLY DETERMINED THAT THE BOAT (DINGHY) WAS NOT IN DISTRESS". So the patrol boat shadowed the dinghy and all of a sudden, out of the blue this dinghy developed a leak and started taking in water. Maybe we are a bunch of Cwiec, but how much of a Cwiec do they think we are? Malta is known to force these people to live in detention camps and now also accused of killing one of them and yet they still want to come to Malta? Or is it maybe they have learned that Malta could be used as a convenient stepping stone to get to the other EU States or maybe even a bigger stepping stone to be able to get into the United States? Maybe our Patrol Boats should carry a supply of spare dinghies so they can supply these illegal immigrants with a new fresh dinghy every time they run into trouble and that way they are better equipped to reach the rest of Europe. The only losers with that proposition is that it would hurt the profitable Maltese NGOs.

Carmel Vella

Jul 6th 2012, 00:00

Just another 84 illegal aliens today. The birth rate in Malta is probably lower than the rate at which all these people arrive here.

DR EMMANUEL BEZZINA,MA,MAG.JUR.[EU Law],LL.D.,

Jul 5th 2012, 23:12

And then that flourishing ROCK became known as COME & GRAB IT Island..................yeah!!

John Spiteri Jones

Jul 5th 2012, 23:09

There only one person in this little island who can tackle this situation and you know who that person is, hes the one whose not allowed to make his voice heared, the one who s been branded racist, Think of him in the comming election.