President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said this morning that the migrant who killed himself “could have been my own brother”.

“Of course I am shocked and worried, with anyone who feels the need to take their own life. He could have been my own brother,” she said.

Times of Malta yesterday reported how Ghanaian Frederick Ofosu, 33, was found strangled with an electric cable in a Qawra building site on Saturday night.

He left a recorded message for friends explaining his despair, saying he was being forced to feel like a criminal when he had done no wrong, according to Ahmed Bugri, director for the Foundation for Shelter and Support for Migrants.

Meanwhile, Times of Malta today reports that migrants who risked losing their benefits unless they procured a passport from their country of origin would continue to enjoy the same rights after the government made a U-turn.

READ: Government U-turn on migrant rights

The 1,300 migrants who enjoyed Temporary Humanitarian Protection New (THPn) status were informed last November the status would end by October 31 this year. This meant they would lose all benefits and become deportable unless they obtained a passport.

Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said yesterday Cabinet had decided that migrants with THPn status would continue to enjoy the same benefits after October, irrespective of whether they managed to get identity documents.

Asked about this, the president declined to discuss the U-turn, but said she was pleased the government had recognised the dignity and value of those living on the island.

Last month Ms Coleiro Preca had urged the government to rise above populist sentiment when drafting migration policy.

Short-sighted solutions were unacceptable, she said, as there was a need for long-term, deep-rooted reforms to challenge the status quo.