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Migrants brought in on Thursday insist they want to go to Italy
Migrants who where brought in yesterday briefly resist detention, insisting that they want to go to Italy.
18 October 2013, 12:00am
Jurgen Balzan
Jurgen Balzan
2 min read
A number of migrants who were brought to Malta yesterday, offered some resistance when they were taken to the Safi detention centre, insisting that they wanted to go to Italy.
Yesterday afternoon 129 migrants were brought to Malta, after a 24-hour ordeal at sea, in which they were rescued from a dinghy in the rough seas by a US Navy ship and later transferred to an AFM patrol boat.
In the evening, some of the migrants reportedly caused disturbance at the Safi detention camp where they were taken following their 24-hour ordeal - protesting that they wanted to be sent to Italy.
Sources said the commotion started some migrants objected to being held at detention centre.
As is the case with most of the migrants who reach our shores, the persons who were brought in yesterday were promised to be taken to Italy after paying a fortune to smugglers in Libya.
The Police Rapid Intervention Unit was called to Safi after the migrants started throwing objects at at detention officers. However, the commotion only lasted an hour as calm was restored by the detention officers by 9pm, sources said.
The 129 migrants brought in yesterday afternoon at first claimed to be Somalis, however following initial interviews it resulted that the all-male group included 70 persons from Gambia, 36 from Senegal, two from Nigeria, 3 from Sierra Leone, one from Guinea, six from Guinea-Bissau, 10 from Mali and one from Burkina Faso. One of the migrants required medical attention and was referred to Mater Dei Hospital.
The migrants who were in distress 55 miles south of Malta arrived in Malta - the closest safe port of call - following an operation coordinated by the Armed Forces of Malta.
This week, a state of emergency was declared in Sicily and the island of Lampedusa was declared unsafe because of the influx of migrants over the past few weeks. However, Italy also announced increased patrols in the Mediterranean following the deaths of hundreds of migrants sailing in overcrowded boats.
On Friday, at least 33 people died when their boat capsized between Malta and Lampedusa, however the death toll could rise to 200. Eight days earlier, more than 350 migrants died in another shipwreck off Lampedusa, one of the deadliest such incidents in recent years.
Since the beginning of the year, Malta has almost 2,000 migrants reached Malta, while 35,085 migrants reached Italy's coasts with 73% meeting the legal criteria for asylum.
Jurgen Balzan was a MaltaToday reported from 2011 to 2017.
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They want to go to Italy? Who are we to stop them? Who made us God? Put them on the first Ferry to Italy and let them go. Shame on the Maltese government to keep them locked up in detention camps. If the EU Ms Malmstrom wants to help these unfortunate people, she would insist that the Maltese government release these people from bondage and escort them to Italy on one of our AFM boats. Where are the EU, the UNHCR and the profitable NGOs? Why don't they give these people their rights and move them all to Italy. That is where they want to go anyway. As as a matter of fact when the AFM rescues these people they should ask them if they want to proceed to Italy, the AFM should proceed with them to Italy.Yes something similar to a Push Forward, except on a voluntary basis. The EU, the UNHCR and the NGOs should put their money where their mouths are and take these unfortunate people off our island. They don't want to be here and honestly, we do not have the room for them to stay. As a matter of fact I always wondered why any of these illegal immigrants come to Malta in the first place and not go to Lampedusa where they are guaranteed a safe passage to Mainland Europe.
Paul Pandolfino •
It seems to me that most of these refugees can be returned back to their countries where life is just normal. Govt should act quickly to get rid of them. i am sure it will have the approval of the majority of the Maltese.
Paul Sammut •
Are there any suggestions coming from the NGO's regarding this issue. Will they be gathering round for a public demonstration?
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Il gvern missu johrogilhom passaport malti u jkunu jistghu jmorru fejn iridu. M'hawnx min se jixtrih bi ftit flus issa?
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This is the thank you we get for having them rescued from certain death !!! SO PLEASE do us all a favour and send them to wherever they want to go together with the ones in Safi .What the authorities are not realising is that at this rate Malta will be over populated with immigrants and this is not a joke or me being racist this is dangerous for the safeguarding of our population ...We are a very very small island ...So to all goverments concerned stop the talk and please get serious with your actions and a final thank you to our friends in Brussels ...a bunch of double faced hypocites is what you all are !!
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Kollox spicca u tbiddel : beggars can be choosers!
Vera inkrdibli!
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Salvino Giusti - F'wiehed mill paragrafi hawn fuq hemm spjegat li l-ahhar wasla ta' immigrant tirrapresenta 6 (sitt) npajjizi Afrikani differenti. Wisq nibza li minn wahda ta' tfittxija ta' ezilju jew refugju, il-problema ma wiccan ser tikber bla kontroll ghal wahda ta' mass exodus ta' cittadini Afrikani imexabba mill-faqar u l-gwerer tribali li jirrenjaw f'pajjizhom.
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Salvino Giusti - F'wiehed mill paragrafi hawn fuq hemm spjegat li l-ahhar wasla ta' immigrant tirrapresenta 6 (sitt) npajjizi Afrikani differenti. Wisq nibza li minn wahda ta' tfittxija ta' ezilju jew refugju, il-problema ma wiccan ser tikber bla kontroll ghal wahda ta' mass exodus ta' cittadini Afrikani imexabba mill-faqar u l-gwerer tribali li jirrenjaw f'pajjizhom.
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Salvino Giusti - F'wiehed mill paragrafi hawn fuq hemm spjegat li l-ahhar wasla ta' immigrant tirrapresenta 6 (sitt) npajjizi Afrikani differenti. Wisq nibza li minn wahda ta' tfittxija ta' ezilju jew refugju, il-problema ma wiccan ser tikber bla kontroll ghal wahda ta' mass exodus ta' cittadini Afrikani imexabba mill-faqar u l-gwerer tribali li jirrenjaw f'pajjizhom.
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Salvino Giusti
Il-protesta li saret il-bierah minn grupp kbir ta immigrant irregolari gewwa c-centru ta' Hal Safi tista' toffri soluzzjoni dejjiema lil pajjizna. Dawn ipprotestaw bil-qawwa ghax ma jridux jibqghu Malta. Qalu li jridu jmorru l-Italja. Nimmagina li din ix-xewqa hijja wkoll mifruxa fil-wisgha fuq mijiet ta' immigrant ohra (jekk mhux fuq l-immigrant kollha) li jinsabu fic-centri ta detenzjoni u ohrajn miftuha.
Nistaqsi - Inkunu konformi ma obbligazzjonijiet internazzjonali jekk lill dawn noffrulhom ghazla li jiffirmaw dikjarazzjoni f'dan ir-rigward fejn nghidulhom li sabiex nissoddisfaw parzjalment ix-xewqa kollettiva taghhom, bi flus li nircievu mill Unjoni Ewropeja, ser nixtru vapur zghir, nimbarkawhom fuqu,u neskortawhom sa barra l-ibhra territorjali Maltin. B'hekk, nikollhom il-liberta' li jmorru fejn iridu, il-fuq jew lura l-isfel minn fejn gew sabiex jigbru l-flus li hallsu biex gew ingannati.
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Ibghatuhom kollha 'l hemm, lilhom u lit-tletin elf u iktar, afrikan li hawn Malta. Ahna fejn dhalna, fl-Ewropa jew fil-gungla afrikana!!??
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Who are we to have the temerity to stand in their way? Goodbye.
ALBERT FENECH
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Tajba din! jidhlulek f'darek, imbaghad iridu jaghzlu s-sodda li jridu jorqdu fuqha.
Imissu l-Gvern jaqbad u jibghathom kollha l-Libya, minfejn gew.
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Watching the video footage of these migrants' arrival, I knew immediately that they were not from Somalia. Somalis and Eitreans have a physiognomy peculiar to that region and are easily recognizable. If they intend to apply for asylum, then that right needs to be given but none of their countries of origin is unsafe and they should be repatriated without delay if, and as soon as, their asylum application is refused.
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Once the EU insists so much that illegal immigrants are saved and brought to the nearest safe port, why then it does not give them the right to choose where they want to go in EU member-states ?Why condemn them to live in a country against their wishes, once the EU is NOW against push-backs to their own country ?
