Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has defended his government's decision not to hold an inquiry into the way migrants were rescued from a dinghy 44 miles off Malta last Saturday.

The 55 migrants were controversially separated into two groups, with 28 being brought to Malta on an AFM patrol boats while the rest were taken to Libya on a Libyan boat.

Some of the migrants who came to Malta have claimed that their colleagues were never told they were being taken to Libyam and thought they were being taken to Italy. Among them was a migrant who alleged that he was separated from his pregnant wife, who is now in Libya.

Dr Gonzi said that he was convinced, on the basis of explanations given by the AFM, that the army had acted in line with international norms and obligations. He said he was therefore confident that the rights of the migrants who were sent to Libya had been respected.

The UNHCR and the Jesuit Refugee Service both raised questions about the rescue operation over the past few days.

The AFM has so far refused to explain what criteria were used to separate the migrants during the rescue operation.

See also

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100722/local/somali-migrant-separated-from-pregnant-wife-during-rescue