More than 500 Eritreans and Somalis thought to be fleeing the violence in Libya – among them dozens of women and children – arrived in two large wooden boats yesterday evening after a three-day journey across the sea.
About half those on the first boat wanted to resume their journey to Italy but the others asked to be brought ashore for medical treatment as some had drunk seawater and were feeling sick. They were escorted by the Armed Forces of Malta and brought ashore at Haywharf at about 5.30 p.m. where they were given first aid and taken into police coaches. However, about 100 others decided to stay on the boat and were still there until the time of writing.
AFM sources said they could not allow the migrants to go on their way since they had already landed on the island but neither could they force them off the boat. They are now expected to play a waiting game until the migrants accept to be taken in for processing.
The first boat was first spotted heading towards Żurrieq while the second one reached Marsalforn. Both were then escorted by patrol boats to the AFM’s base in Haywharf.
One of the migrants, whose leg had been amputated, arrived in a wheelchair while some of the women had to be taken away in an ambulance. However, the vast majority did not seem injured, even though they looked exhausted and tired of being crammed on a boat unable to move around.
This marks the first of what is expected to be a sustained influx of irregular arrivals by boat, as most of Libya’s coast remains unpatrolled for the first time in almost two years and good spring weather gives people the confidence to face the sea voyage.
The arrivals ironically came in the wake of allegations made by an Italian TV presenter on Sunday night that no immigrants had arrived on the island – despite thousands reaching Lampedusa – because Malta was “shooting” at them.
The allegations were strongly denied by the government which yesterday sent a protest letter to the Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry and RaiDue, on which the allegations by Massimo Giletti were broadcast. Meanwhile, many Maltese people were deeply offended by the claims and used social networks like Facebook to express their irritation.
During yesterday’s operation, the AFM did not let members of the press make “any contact” with the migrants, in sharp contrast to when they were allowed free access to the thousands of people evacuating Libya and coming to Malta on chartered flights and ferries during the first days of the conflict.
Reporters yesterday were kicked out of the AFM’s base midway through the processing of the first arrivals but, after objections, they were allowed back in. However, the AFM insisted that the press stick to taking photos or footage of what was going on, but “no interviews”.
It is understood that those who arrived will be placed in detention in Ħal Far.