Labour leader Joseph Muscat said this morning that a detailed inquiry is needed on the management of migrants in closed and open centres after yesterday's death of a migrant in a Detention Service van after an alleged beating.
This shocking case, he said, was the third case of a person dying while in custody during this legislature, the others being the death of Nicholas Azzopardi after an incident at police headquarters and the death of prisoner Spiteri in prison. Spiteri was a police informer who died of a drug overdose.
Dr Muscat told One Radio that the PL was being careful and responsible in the way it commented on the migrant's death and would not seek to score cheap political points as the PN tried to do last night.
However the migrant's alleged killing needed to be strongly condemned and those responsible had to shoulder their responsibility.The PL would insist on transparency.
The three deaths in police custody led one to reflect on the state of affairs in the sector of home affairs, which was now under the political responsibility of the prime minister.
Dr Muscat recalled that the PL had insisted that those responsible for the management of migrants should be adequately trained. The government, he said, needed to be resolute as what had taken place could not be justified.
An inquiry should be held on the procedures being followed in the management of migrants in the closed and open centres.
FUEL PRICES NOT REFLECTING INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENTS
Questioned on the cut in fuel prices announced yesterday, Dr Muscat said prices here were not reflecting international price movements.
Calculations showed that should international price movements have been followed, local petrol prices should have gone down by 16c and not just six cents.
The price of diesel should have gone down by 11c and not just 2c. Even if, as Enemalta said, the last diesel consignment was imported in April/May, prices should still have been cut by 4c.
The same situation applied to LPG. The gas price earlier this year rose in Malta faster than abroad and it was now down only slightly.
However, Dr Muscat said, he would not be surprised if power tariffs went down when the election approached, with the government now having realised that prices could be reduced.