The Home Affairs Ministry expressed disappointment that MSF forfeit the pledge it made last year to commit its resources to assist the Maltese authorities improve the conditions inside detention centres, opting instead to dramatise the issue to criticise Malta’s detention policy, a matter outside of MSF’s remit.
In its reaction to a news conference by Médecins Sans Frontières, the ministry said it recognised that crowding in detention centres was a concern.
International aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres said today that it had suspended its services at the detention centres because the conditions there were appalling and inhuman.
MSF, however, failed to appreciate that this situation was a direct result of the larger number of illegal immigrants that landed in Malta last year and the atypical arrival of more illegal immigrants during the first two months of this year.
In these circumstances, blaming crowding and the problems created by it on the Maltese authorities was both unfair and devoid of a realistic appraisal of the situation. This was especially so when considering that the Ta’ Kandja detention centre had just been expanded and was already full to capacity.
"The impression that MSF is trying to put across that the health problems being faced by illegal immigrants are down to Malta’s detention policy is grossly misleading and unrealistic.
"It should be evident that a degree of crowding in any reception facility in Malta, be it closed or open, is in the present circumstances, inevitable.
"It should be borne in mind that the purpose of our detention policy is to maintain security – even from a health point-of-view.
"In this regard, detention also ensures what is for us a priority - that the immigrants be treated for any infectious disease prior to their release into the community. The immediate release of illegal immigrants that MSF seems to be suggesting would only exacerbate these problems," the ministry said.
It reiterated that vulnerable persons were not subject to the detention requirement. Such persons had their freedom restricted only until such time as the necessary medical clearance was obtained – usually after less than a fortnight. The sheer number of arrivals experienced during the past two months unfortunately resulted in the handful of exceptions mentioned by MSF.
The ministry said it was ironic that during its press conference, MSF unequivocally declared that Malta needed help and solidarity to deal with the pressures of illegal immigration, while at the same time it also announced that it was withdrawing the assistance it was giving the Maltese authorities in dealing with the situation that existed on the ground.