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Friday, August 3, 2012, 18:39

Update 3: Patrol boat brings in 86 migrants

Video: Mark Zammit Cordina

An army patrol boat this evening transferred 86 migrants, allegedly Somalis, to Haywharf. They arrived at around 7.30 p.m. Six women, two men, a girl and a baby, who required medical assistance, were taken to Mater Dei Hospital.

Photo: Mark Zammit CordinaPhoto: Mark Zammit Cordina

The AFM said in a statement it received a report that that there was a boat, possibly carrying irregular migrants, around 30 nautical miles south of Malta.

It sent an Islander aircraft to the area and located the dinghy proceeding in a northerly direction.

The army then sent its patrol boat, which was in the area, to investigate.

There were 86 migrants on board, 60 men, 24 women, a girl and a baby. They said they were from Somalia.

The migrants were transferred to the patrol boat and proceeded to Haywharf.

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John Azzopoardi

Aug 5th 2012, 13:42

Mr xuereb, you need to keep your comments to a minimum as they are too long and people have no time to read them. I stick to what I said.

D Muscat

Aug 4th 2012, 19:59

The same statistics apply to the UK and to other countries. Why should Malta be different? It is not irrelevant. What happened there is happening here, now.

In the UK only 13% of Somalis were working after five years in the UK. (please don't ask for link as I couldn't find it but I remember seeing it and posting a comment with the link in an article in the times once) . It's a cultural thing, it's easier to sponge off the natives. They are always going to see what they can get out of the system and use it to their advantage. Forget about them paying your pension. It's not going to happen.

Having thousands upon thousands of unskilled labourers ready to undercut locals, and providing them with free food, accommodation, health care etc will definitely depress wages and provide unfair competition to the Maltese unskilled worker who has to provide for the food accommodation and other needs himself.

Immigrants can afford to accept lower wages as their basic needs have already been met by the government. A prospective Maltese employee will have to compete against a illegal immigrant armed with these advantages. If he does accept, he will have to provide for food and accommodation from his meager wage effectively placing himself in a worse position than an illegal immigrant. Any policy which makes it easier for immigrants to work will place more stress on jobs available for the lower classes. Remember jobs available are not infinite. The more jobs are taken by illegal immigrants, the more people on the dole. It is a fallacy to say that they are jobs Maltese do not want to do. They will do them- at a decent wage. Before illegal immigrants came, the jobs done by them were carried out by Maltese. The Maltese have now been pushed out of the market by the undercutting of wages.

I agree with you on there being no political will to crack down on people working illegally, both Maltese and immigrant. Employers employing people illegally should be fined heavily. That would at least provide a better if not a level playing field for prospective employees.

Robert Callus

Aug 5th 2012, 11:44

Save for the last paragraph I find your comment a complete contradiction. Do they work in cheap labor or get things for free? It can't be both. No one in his right mind would work in those conditions if he's getting things for free. (The things for free is a myth actually. I don't know about the UK but in Malta the only things they get "for free" aside from detention is a brief spell in an open centre)

As for the last paragraph, it's what I've been trying to say all along. It's my main point actually - that government inefficiency is not only harming the immigrants but also Maltese workers. Yet when I pointed it out, there were people (not you) who disagreed with me just because my suggestions didn't sound "kontra l-klandestini" enough for them. Thus they automatically assumed they must go against the interests of the Maltese - even though it's actually the exact opposite.

stephen koludrovic

Aug 5th 2012, 13:06

@ D.Muscat,
Toally agrre with you. It is because of these African immirgrants undercutting the Mthat almost 20% of the Maltese are now ending up on the poverty line.

david debattista

Aug 4th 2012, 13:47

WE have enough to worry about . over population, unemployment, uncontrollable behaviour,, corruption, lack of individual rights , abuse of all short and form, high tariff, discrimination ,,,,,,,, we have enough problems in our country NO DON'T HAVE ROOM FOR MORE !

Charles Grixti

Aug 4th 2012, 13:56

Joe, love your 'long' discourses and look forward to reading them. Obviously, you are a deep thinker and not easily fooled. Kudos.

And by the way, the 'snippets' for ADD people is what the Media has instilled in people, especially the young generation, ensuring they are kept constantly entertained with discordant pieces of information that never delve deeper into the issues and making sure they can never connect the dots.

Barney Camilleri

Aug 4th 2012, 12:17

Scott Mcclskey
I hate to admit it because our authorities have no back bone they are strong with the weak but weak with the strong. In other words let them come, it is only a simply matter of raising fuel tax on the people. But hush if we have to deal with big brother the E.U. because they do not want any more of these emigrants. Ask the Germans for a start.

Thomas Rubicon

Aug 4th 2012, 11:13



But is the PL (Labour Party) putting enough pressure on this failed government (PN)!

Or is the PL, like the PN, occupied with "other matters"?

And what are our 5 - 6 MEPS, champions of Malta at the EU, doing to eliminate this threat to the tiny Maltese Island? Are they vociferous enough???
Or have they too become complacent, to look nice with other bigger nations and their pals at the EU?

Even Alternativa Demokratika are "too soft and lenient" with this MASS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION threat!

So, to hell with all of them - my voting card will stay put.


B. Cachia

Aug 4th 2012, 11:40

Actually, the second part of the policy, such as it is, contributes to creating the problem in the first place by adding to the incentives people have to come here. It's clear that the whole strategy has failed, mainly because it was based on an unbelievably poor understanding of human nature.

Colin Stanley

Aug 4th 2012, 12:59

@T. Rubicon. i agree , both parties are avoiding this problem, unfortunately for us all.

Scott Mccloskey

Aug 4th 2012, 10:23

yes andrew you are correct but why do it illegally? how many safe countries did they pass through to get to europe? and why europe? I think we all know the answer to that because we are total mugs. we give them shelter, food, clothes, and most importantly money.Europe has major problems of it's own and we do not need this huge burden at the moment.

James Dewar

Aug 4th 2012, 11:29

Re "at what point did it become acceptable"... I would say at the point where the attempted entry is illegal or intended to be. That by any standards is unacceptable especially to a small island community.

B. Cachia

Aug 4th 2012, 10:01

Robert, the policies you mention will make immigration more attractive and possibly increase the number of "arrivals". The key to solving the problem is, on the contrary, to implement policies that are consistent with Malta not being a country of immigration, which in fact it is not and cannot be. The message must be "it's no use going to Malta because all that happens is that you stay in detention until you're repatriated".

Even if the Government were to be unwise enough to implement your policy, from an economic perspective it would be extremely harmful to Maltese workers because it would significantly lower the market price of labour in Malta, and it would probably lower market wages for many categories below the minimum wage (in other words, it would be the Maltese too who would have to work illegally at lower wages, or they would have to accept unemployment).

Robert Callus

Aug 4th 2012, 10:23

@B Cachia

I disagree on both counts.

1) Detention is not a deterrent. We have one of the longest and harshest detention policy in the EU and they're still coming. The ONLY reason for present detention (where most of the money is going) is a show of force by the government to attract votes. Otherwise it is completely unnecessary.

2) Even worse on the economic part, for one simple reason: Legally or not, they're working anyway. They need to live. Granting a temporary work permit for failed asylum seekers will mean more taxes to be paid and less unfair competition, definitely not more.

In this case the ONLY reason government doesn't change policy is to appease his business friends. Who are obviously happy with this state of affairs.

B. Cachia

Aug 4th 2012, 10:50

@ Robert Callus:

1) We do not know whether indefinite detention combined with a removal of subsidiary protection would work or not because we've never tried it. Such a system would mean that only those qualifying for refugee status proper (around 5% of arrivals) would be granted residence. Obviously, our current policy, with residence being effectively granted after a mere 18-month detention period, and a better than 50% chance of being granted some form of protection, is hardly likely to deter anyone.

2) Enforcing the existing laws and ensuring that only immigrants with work permits are actually working is perfectly feasible in our small country. In addition, point no. 2 is closely tied to the first point also. The more you open up the labour market to immigrants the more attractive you make immigration. And the more immigrants we get, the greater the economic blow to Maltese workers, who will have to accept lower wages and possibly unemployment. So the key is to stop or greatly limit immigration.

Seamus Riolo

Aug 4th 2012, 11:45

agreed completly with B. Cachia. I don't know were you get your information from Robert that they pay taxes... Most of the Maltese don't have a good enough job to pay taxes.. because in order to pay taxes you must earn nearly 8,000 euros a year, and you won't get that with minimum wage!! in order to find a job good enough to pay taxes you must usually have studied and have something to show for yourself.. or know people.. how many illegals have one of these?

Charles Grixti

Aug 4th 2012, 12:54

@Robert Callus

B. Cachia is absolutely correct in his assessment of the impact of illegal immigration on the wages of the Maltese workforce. In fact, a study carried out by the Canadian Government found a direct correlation with the number of immigrants (whether legal or not) and the depression of wages and the loss of bargaining power of Unions . The study showed that even when unskilled workers arrive, this has a dampening effect on all salaries and wages and will bring down the earning power of most categories of workers, even professionals. In other words, a race to the bottom.

The only ones gaining from this scenario are the owners of Capital that employe people. Perhaps this should give you a clue as to why nothing is being done about illegal immigration. And this does not even begin to address the social impact and problems down the line that you are causing when you allow a culture that is inherently supremacist implant itself on a tolerant and egalitarian society.

Robert Callus

Aug 4th 2012, 09:19

Please read my comment above. A substantial amount of migrants, mostly young in age, are already paying taxes and helping in the pensions time bomb. If government didn't choose the wrong policy and has some political will against illegal employment this would much more.

While burden sharing, the deportation of those non-eligible for protection etc.. are fine, the financial aspect should mostly be tackled by making the right policy with those who are here.

C Briffa

Aug 4th 2012, 09:51

Ilek ma tmur taghmel xi petizjoni sabiex ma jsirux aktar festi gewwa malta hemm turi kemm inti korrett f' dak li qed tghid li " u ssemulix quddies u religjon ! " ghax dawn il-festi issir suppost ghal qaddisin li huma parti mir-religjon
Taf ghal min hawn flus ghal ghazien ghax dak tarah sejjer il-bahar mal-familja skuzi mal partner u l unknown children u jien immur ix-xoghol, issa ghidli min hu piz fuq il-pajjiz.

Anthony Falzon

Aug 4th 2012, 09:59

EZATT CLAYTON,

B. Cachia

Aug 4th 2012, 10:04

Robert, it's highly unlikely that they will actually earn enough to actually pay taxes or that they would even be willing to do so, coming from the culture that they do.

Seamus Riolo

Aug 4th 2012, 11:49

Already paying Taxes Robert? i'm gonna tell you the same, read my response to you above ^^^, Not even most of the Maltese earn enough money to pay taxes.. let alone illegal comers... do you seriously think most of the illegals have a decent job that earns more then minimum wage in order to be entitled to pay taxes? lol

D Muscat

Aug 4th 2012, 11:53

@Robert Callus

" A substantial amount of migrants, mostly young in age, are already paying taxes and helping in the pensions time bomb"

I'm sure that as a group they are taking out MUCH more than they are putting into the system. Most work for a minimum wage so they are not paying any taxes. The NI does not even start to cover the free health services, accommodation and food they received from the first day they came here not to mention the cost of sending a patrol boat to save them, which costs thousands.

Immigrants do jobs at a lower pay, hence depress wages for the whole sector, which means that less taxes and NI end up in the government coffers.

Remember also, that these people will one day be old and will expect to get a pension. I'm sure that having thousands of people who did not work the full forty years and then having, having worked only at minimum wage will do wonders for our pension time bomb when they too get a pension.

Data collected in Norway and UK show that immigrants claim benefits at a much higher rate than the national average. 40%f will still be claiming after 20 years in the country.
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/227

One final point. Every single cent we are spending has to be borrowed. It is not us but our children who will have to pay it back.

Charles Grixti

Aug 4th 2012, 13:16

@Robert Callus

So we are led to believe that illegal immigrants are here to solve our Pension problems and are working to solve it for us as we speak? This is a lot of hogwash on many fronts.

1. These immigrants are net takers and not net contributors. Most are living on tax-payer money and therefore are not only not contributing to the tax base, but are actually eating from it.

2. In order to contribute to the tax base, a workers has to have a high enough salary, which these mostly unskilled and illiterate arrivals definetly do not.

3. If they are employed, and that is a big IF, they would be employed illegally so therefore they will not pay any contribution or taxes.

4. Add to this the fact that the Pension Timebomb is a creation of the private Financial industry to scare the people to accept private pension schemes (yes it is a very lucrative business for them) and Governments the world over are colluding with them since they would rather take the money paid by NI contributions (in fact they started doing this years ago) to use for other things, such as strengthening the miliary budgets, bailouts to banks and industries on the pretext that they will create jobs that never materialise or simply to dispense amongst their friends and supporters in the corporate world under various projects or honey deals.

5. If the so-called 'Baby-boomers" are coming of age and collecting their pensions is a crisis, then what will it be when the present generation's turn comes around (and yes youth does not think it is possible but the years roll on) to collect theirs, seeing that the population today is about three times that of the Baby-Boomer generation? Who is going to support these in their old age - nobody I would think. Back to the past in the future and everyone on their own and fending for themselves and not expecting anything from government other then to collect taxes.

Alfred Azzopardi

Aug 4th 2012, 09:18

Just remember my dear friend that each illegal immigrant is costing the Maltese taxpayer 18,000 euros every year. These last three months over 1000 have arrived.....and still counting.

Clayton Borg

Aug 4th 2012, 16:29

Din ta' 'nsara maltin' dahlet moda tipruvaw tnigsu biha .
1) mhux kull malti huwa nisrani ; allura tinponix it-twemmin tieghek fuq haddiehor .
2) karita' taghmila jekk tista u ma min trid : mhux obligata fuqhekk u bil-fors . Hemm mhux karita' imma taxxa / serq .
Grazzi tal-hin tieghek .

B. Cachia

Aug 4th 2012, 10:10

He's perfectly right, it is our Government that must solve this problem by making it futile for immigrants to come here in the first place. Offering them carrots, and giving some of them visas to the UK or the US will only encourage more of them to come. This is obvious to anyone with any common sense at all, I think.

Fran Abela

Aug 4th 2012, 09:49

What is the Labour Party's policy regarding illegal immigration. They do not seem to be bothered about it and just letting the government sort the problem by itself.

B. Cachia

Aug 4th 2012, 11:49

Fran, I'm not sure what their policy is, but what is certain is that they will have to take much more determined action than the current administration, as their electorate is being affected directly and cares more about the issue. A recent UNHCR survey, with all its flaws, showed that people are much more sensitive to this problem in the south of Malta than they are in the north, where the phenomenon has not yet arrived in full force.

Charles Grixti

Aug 4th 2012, 13:28

@Fran Abela

From what one can glean, it appears that the PL policy would be exactly like the PN one in regards to illegal immigration. Why? Because if it weren't, JM would have been haranguing the Government with indignation and spelling out what the PL will do to solve this problem once and for all. Since you nary hear a peep either their leader or the MPs, one can safely deduce that there would be no change of policy on this one.. And when you think about it, why should there, after all are not both the PN and the PL the puppets of and beholding to the EU?

mario debono

Aug 4th 2012, 07:38

Who is unemployed ????? Imorru jahdmu fir ristoranti jew fil bini min jghid li ma sabx xoghoel. Min jghid li m hawx xoghol giddieb

Barney Camilleri

Aug 4th 2012, 09:11

Lawrence Fench
So what is the problem?
South Africa was virgin land other than a few tribes. Since the whites went, they worked hard and developed the land, it had become interesting land for illegal emigration, today the resultis is for all to see it become a blessing for some elite Africas who like the white are emigrant settlers but by the sheer number they took over, and most others be they so called Blacks, Indians or White live in shacks. This is progress for some.

R. Cilia

Aug 4th 2012, 09:17

Mario Debono, tghidx hmerijiet. Inti tippretendi li persuni li jaghmlu 3 jew 4 snin jistudjaw fl-universita jmorru jahdmu fir-ristoranti? Hekk irid il-gvern tieghek biex ikun jistgha jghid li m'hawnx qaghad.

Mr Edward Vella

Aug 4th 2012, 09:10

Dear Mr Debono

It seems to me that you got it all wrong. I understand that no one disagrees that humanitarian treatment should be given to these invaders - the argument here is that we are being taken for a colossal ride! And people who reason like you do, are their prime victims! Under the disguise of getting away from whatever life threatining situation in their country, they are heading to where they imagine that the honey is. S Bugeja below rightly asks the question - why don't they head to closer countries, where they would be out of danger?

It would be naive to think that those already here do not communicate and possibly direct their brethren what to do and where to go, and whom to speak to - it must be a grand organisation!

This is what we are paid back by the Libyans after our assitance - first it was a political move by Gaddafi to milk the EU, now a blind eye is being turned on the criminal money making organisation who is processing this humanity.

So definitely no whitewashed graves here - this is genuine sentiment coming from those who do not wish to see our traditions and values disappearing through this unwarranted invasion - and by the way the politicians are surely aware that the elections are coming.

Mr Stephen Borg

Aug 4th 2012, 07:24

Honestly I think that this has noting to do with mass and our Cristian duty. I like to compare this situation to a small boat which can be compared to Malta which is already full of people and if you add more people there is a risk that this small boat would capsize and drown and even those on the boat would end in harms way. I fully agree that they are human beings and they deserve better but we are a very small island with limited resources and cannot continue taking migrants because one day it would become unsustainable and I am not speaking like this because these people's skin is black I am referring to all migrants irrelevant of their nationality and colour.

Paul Pulis

Aug 4th 2012, 07:27

Mario, int ukoll uman, tad-demm u l-laham. Ipprova idhol f'xi pajjiz bla dokumenti u ara kif tispicca.
Irid jintlahaq bilanc bejn il-hniena u l-ordni. Aqra r-rapporti ta' Cameron, Merkel u Sarkozi u tara kemm irnexxa l-multi kulturalizmu. Dawn il-pajjizi huma l-gganti tal- Ewropa. Ahseb u ara l-effet fuq Malta.
Re Sunday mass, no I do not attend. By the way how many of these poor people were taken in by the Vatican State, which is in Europe is sovereign and all embracing.

B. Cachia

Aug 4th 2012, 10:25

Mario, il-Kristjanezmu tesprimieh bl-azzjonijiet personali biex tghin lill-ohrajn. Decizjonijiet dwar il-futur tal-pajjiz, li jaffettwaw Maltin ohra u jaffettwaw ukoll lill-uliedna u wlied uliedna ma tistax tohodhom bl-istess mod kif tiehu decizjoni li taffettwa lilek biss. Malta mhix xi proprjeta li ghandna u nistghu naqbdu u naghtuha karita. Hija ta' generazzjonijiet futuri daqs kemm hi taghna u ghandna d-dmir nghadduhielhom kif sibniha jew ahjar minn hekk.

Lawrence Ellul

Aug 4th 2012, 10:52

Taf ghala l'Maltin ma jmorrux jahdmu fir-ristoranti u fil bini, ghax mhux lesti li jithallsu bix-xejn bhal ma jhallsu lil imigranti illegali u xejn ma jidher. U l'gvern jafu dan u ma jaghmel xejn sur Mario Debono ::::

Mary Pace

Aug 4th 2012, 12:37

Oqbra mbajda kieku nhallu kollox ghaddej u nkorragixxu l-illegalita. Ma nkunux nsara jekk naghlqu ghajnejna u nhallu li ma jzir xejn u il pajjiz u il-poplu diga 'overpopulated' jitkisser.

B. Storace

Aug 4th 2012, 08:24

It would be even cheaper if some enterprising soul GAVE them one GPS navigation phone before they embarked on their journey to Europe. Using modern technology they would be able to go directly to their land of choice, be that Malta or mainland Europe.

B. Cachia

Aug 4th 2012, 10:34

Joe, at the end of the day politicians listen to only one language - votes. Even a couple of thousand voters who consider this to be their priority and vote accordingly, would make a big difference. Even those who must always vote for the same party could make a difference by deciding among the candidates according to their stance and record on this vital issue. Our fate is in our hands, we cannot blame anyone else.

Charles Grixti

Aug 4th 2012, 13:40

@B. Cachia

Nowadays, I do not think the politicians even care about votes, otherwise the Government would have tackled this issue to the people's satisfaction.

Government and the State have become non-responsive and democracy is a sham and in name only. Political parties are just a front for the same gang in the employ of the hidden rulers and it does not matter who gets elected, it is a two-headed one party system and they each get a chance at the money trough in turn just as long as they implement the globalist agenda that is being directed from a supra-national level. The same system is found all over the world.

carlos ellul

Aug 3rd 2012, 23:20

Voluntary Burden Sharing at work!

Anthony Galea

Aug 3rd 2012, 22:02

I hardly think Christian values have anything to do with immigration, unless as an example of Christian charity and brotherly love-bearing witness to that ideology I would cite JRS, the Maltese Curia, the Vatican itself.

What do 'Christian values' have to do with referenda?

joe briffa

Aug 4th 2012, 07:32

Values and Gonzi are two different matters that really do not go together,one has the value and gonzi has no value...

GL Calleja

Aug 3rd 2012, 20:13

"And our politicians are on holiday." Oooooooops I didn't know they ever left. " Good luck Malta you will need it." No kidding.

George Joseph Cauchi

Aug 3rd 2012, 19:43

The EU will not do anything. We happen to be a small buffer state between mainland Europe and North Africa and they are quite content with the situation as it is. Being a small state there is a limit to how many migrants we can take and soon, if nothing is done to stem the flow, we shall have some problems to deal with on top we already have.

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