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Updated | 157 Somali migrants rescued, two dead
157 Somali and Eritrean refugees were brought to Malta in three rescue missions, following two separate dramatic rescues at sea yesterday. Two of the migrants were found dead.
16 August 2012, 12:00am
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Karl Stagno-Navarra
2 min read
PICTURE: AFM
Two Armed Forces patrol boats sailed into Haywharf Maritime Base this morning, bringing 149 migrants to Malta, after being intercepted at sea on two different boats.
In a statement issued this morning, the Police said two groups of migrants were brought in by the AFM in the early hours of this morning. The first group consisted of 90 migrants, including 11 women. The second group consisted of 59 migrants, including 9 women.
It added that 2 dead bodies were also brought in by the AFM.
The first group of migrants was rescued by a merchant ship some 70 miles to the South West of Malta.
The ship - Victoria 6 - communicated to Malta's Rescue Coordination Centre, that a number of migrants, found to be drifting on a sinking dinghy were in a serious condition, and had two bodies on board.
The captain accepted to take the migrants on board, but two reportedly fell into the water as they were being taken aboard. A subsequent search for them yielded no results.
Meanwhile, a second dinghy with another group of migrants was intercepted by an AFM patrol boat.
The migrants were taken on board the patrol boat, while another set out to sea to evacuate the other group of migrants who were rescued by the Victoria 6.
Sources said that at least 20 of the migrants were referred to Mater Dei Hospital for medical care.
Today's migrant arrivals have bring the total of landings to 1,700 since the beginning of summer.
149 migrants were brought to Malta last night, with the AFM having intercepted a second migrants' boat after having earlier assisted a merchant ship which picked up more than 50 migrants from a dinghy.
The AFM said some of the migrants in the first group were in poor health. They were picked up by the merchant ship Victoria 6 some 70 nautical miles south of Malta.
Two persons fell into the sea while being transferred and were reported missing. An AFM air search for them yielded no results. Another two migrants were found dead in the dinghy.
The merchant ship transferred the migrants to a patrol craft for landing in Malta in the early hours of this morning.
A patrol boat with the second group of migrants also arrived in Malta after midnight.
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300 NEWBORN "DEMM MALTI" PER YEAR AGAINST 1000 (GOD KNOWS FROM WERE) ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
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300 NEWBORN "DEMM MALTI" PER YEAR AGAINST 1000 (GOD KNOWS FROM WERE) ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
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Has Brussels ordered an IMPACT ASSESSMENT on the impact all these illegal migrants - poor and destitute are having on a small island nation of 400,000. Is there a limit of how much we can take in. Are they thinking the sky is the limit. And where is our prime minister and our home affairs minister. Are they sleeping. And how about our leader of oppostion. I will not say AD leader as they are utterly useless as well. Enough is enough 16,000 in 10 years is not sustainable. What happens to our free social services in say 5/10 years; What about the impact on our little island, culture and security. Is anyone really asking these questions. Enough is enough.
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SAve the migrants as is our duty and then send them to LIbya again as LIbya is a free country today. Malta is being invaded live. Has anyone read about the new Australian commission report about illegal migrant crossing. They are in the process, if they haven't done so already, to pass a law to take illegal migrants coming to Australia by boat to some island and place them in a detention centre until their asylum request is processed or be sent back to where they originally came form. Now Australia is a huge continent with a lot of space. And here in Malta we are inuended day in and day out, for the past 10 years with 16000 unwanted migrants on our small little island of just 122 Sq miles. This is insane. We have no space. Someone commented about he vacant properties. These properties belong to maltese people and they worked for them or inherited them. also, how about the social cost involved - medical services, schooling, social services, welfare, food, housing, etc etc, etec, With these kind of migrants, we sure are not going to fill our purse. As most of the funding is government funding or they will need to send the little money they earn back to their families, unless another law is passed where they can bring their relatives over for more handouts.
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Dr Gonzi said his policy is twofold. First he gives all illegal immigrants in a dinghy a guarantee that they will be brought to Malta. Second he would like the EU to take them off our back as a sign of burden sharing. The EU does not want to share the burden. So we are left with the first part of the policy. Dr Gonzi is guaranteeing all illegal immigrants that if they leave Libya by boat they will be brought to Malta. No questions asked. No limits to the numbers. So Dr Gonzi is inviting an unlimited number of illegal immigrants to come to Malta and if necessary they will have the first claim to our hospital services. Thank you Dr Gonzi.
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So 160 illegal immigrants in one day. The British minister who was recently in Malta told us bluntly not to expect any burden sharing because that would amount to a call factor to other potential illegal immigrants. That was bad news for Malta. But at least it showed that the minister was protecting British national interests. On the other hand Dr Gonzi has been trumpeting around that he will always send the AFM to pick up illegal immigrants on dinghies. That is more than a call factor. This is an invitation to an endless number of illegal immigrants to jump on a boat and while in the middle of the sea call for help. Is Dr Gonzi defending Malta’s national interests?
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The facts of the case as reported in the press call for a police investigation of the captain and crew of MV Victoria 6. The police should not rely on mere hearsay but should establish the true facts.
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Dr Gonzi said his policy is twofold. First he gives all illegal immigrants in a dinghy a guarantee that they will be brought to Malta. Second he would like the EU to take them off our back as a sign of burden sharing. The EU does not want to share the burden. So we are left with the first part of the policy. Dr Gonzi is guaranteeing all illegal immigrants that if they leave Libya by boat they will be brought to Malta. No questions asked. No limits to the numbers. So Dr Gonzi is inviting an unlimited number of illegal immigrants to come to Mlata and if necessary they will have the first claim to our hospital services. Thank you Dr Gonzi.
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The facts of the case as reported in the press call for a police investigation of the captain and crew of MV Victoria 6. The police should not rely on mere hearsay but should establish the true facts.
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So 160 illegal immigrants in one day. The British minister who was recently in Malta told us bluntly not to expect any burden sharing because that would amount to a call factor to other potential illegal immigrants. That was bad news for Malta. But at least it showed that the minister was protecting British national interests. On the other hand Dr Gonzi has been trumpeting around that he will always send the AFM to pick up illegal immigrants on dinghies. That is more than a call factor. This is an invitation to an endless number of illegal immigrants to jump on a boat and while in the middle of the sea call for help. Is Dr Gonzi defending Malta’s national interests?
