(Adds new more detailed statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs)

The Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs said this afternoon that the criteria by which illegal immigrants are released from detention are already very well defined and all such persons have to go through a set procedure before being assessed as “vulnerable persons” and thus released.

Reacting to a call by the UNHCR for the release from detention of eight migrants rescued from a half-submerged dinghy on Tuesday, the ministry said the illegal immigrants in question are undergoing this process.

The eight migrants, who said they were the survivors from a group of 78, were brought to Malta on Wednesday and put into detention after interrogation.

The local representative of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) , Neil Falzon, said earlier today that the high commission had long been calling for a review of Malta’s detention policy, especially with regard to vulnerable people. He said that significant progress had been made by the Organisation for the Integration and Welfare of Asylum-Seekers (OIWAS) and vulnerable people were being released from detention much earlier than they used to.

But, he said, the migrants rescued last Tuesday were particularly traumatised and needed to be released and treated.

“We are especially calling for the release of the 15-year-old boy who is being held at Hal Far. He should not have been put in detention in the first place. He can hardly talk and stand,” Mr Falzon said.

Mr Falzon said the UNHCR had made arrangements, through an NGO, for a psychologist to visit him. He said the boy was feeling very lonely and was asking to at least be reunited with the other survivors, who are being held at Safi detention centre.

In a more detailed statement issued late this afternoon, the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs said all illegal immigrants who were rescued or intercepted at sea or who land in Malta are examined by medical practitioners soon after they land and given any medial assistance required. This practice was strengthened further last month with the involvement of representatives of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) who are now working in synergy with the local medical authorities.

"As per standard procedure established with Médecins Sans Frontières, these eight immigrants were first screened and treated upon arrival on Wednesday. This was then followed up by another examination by an MSF doctor and a visit by an MSF psychologist on Thursday morning. A further visit by the same psychologist was carried out this morning. The Ministry will be acting on the advice of the MSF psychologist in the further handling of this matter."

Regarding the suggested immediate release of these immigrants, the ministry reiterated that all illegal immigrants have to go through a set procedure and are made eligible for early release if and when they are found to be vulnerable.

"It is also worth mentioning that the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs, in collaboration with the entities involved, has recently broadened the definition of “vulnerable persons” to ensure that all those who require some sort of assistance are released from detention as quickly as possible."

Meanwhile, an AFM patrol boat and two German Puma helicopters are today continuing their search for the migrants reported missing. The search is being concentrated on an area between 50 and 40 nautical miles south of Malta. Three bodies were found on Wednesday and two yesterday.