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Updated | 535 asylum seekers arrive in Malta
535 asylum seekers were brought in by the Armed Forces of Malta. The two boats contained 227 men, 72 women and 34 kids, and 153 men, 36 women and 13 children respectively.
They are the first of arrivals of sub-Saharan asylum seekers from Libya this year, after controversial push-backs by the Italian and Libyan navies last year led to a drastic drop in landings and asylum claims.
Earlier this afternoon at around 2pm, the French maritime rescue co-ordination centre (MRCC) at La Garde informed the Armed Forces of Malta’s Operations Centre at Luqa Barracks, that a French naval vessel had encountered a 60-foot long vessel to the East of Malta.
The vessel was reported to have onboard some 200 Somali third-country nationals, amongst whom there were around 100 women and children. An AFM Air Wing helicopter was scrambled into the air to investigate the report.
The French naval vessel “La Meuse” was escorting the migrants’ boat in a position some 12 nautical miles from Malta, and made a mid-sea rendezvous with the AFM Maritime Squadron’s Austal-class patrol vessel P-21.
The Maltese seamen reported back that the migrants onboard were not feeling well, since they had drank seawater and requested to enter Malta. In the meantime, another boat laden with some 300 other migrants was reported in Dahhlet Qorrot in Gozo.
The migrants will be housed at a number of detention centres, namely Safi and the Hermes Block.
Adittional reporting by Miriam Dalli.
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Malta should give these poeple food and water and as soon as they are good enough to travel again like they did from north africa we should put them on the same boat and direct them or escort them to italy.it's a shorter distance from malta to italy,than from africa to malta these should wake up the italians and the rest of EU
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Antoine Vella, What would you do if you are confronted by a squatter and wants to take over your home? Am not talking about the political asylum seeker here but illegal migrant workers in search of a better land. Many of them do not want to come to Malta but seek Italy. That shows you their real intent. Anyone seeking asylum would not make preferences. When Maltese migrants went to Australia they applied through Normal channels to go and went there legally.
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Bhalma qalaghhom Sarkozy issa jiehu lil dawn ukoll ...mhux iz-zejt biss imissu jiehu imma dawn li piccaw minghajr dar ukoll.
Fittxu araw x'ghandhom bzonn u ibghatuhom Franza.
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Now let's see if "par idejn Sodi" will kep his promise, ie to have Malta's interest first. We will be invaded by these migrants. As some one here already stated, The Italians are working against us. Has Frontex started. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think it has, and migrants are coming in.
this in not a political issue, but all the leaders are to unite and stop this influx, otherwise, we will be the illegal immigrant within few months time, looking for better pastures, and leave behind what we have worked for.
Sr Gonzi, wake up and show the EU that we can NO MORE accept there people,. Why don't MR Giletti Accepts them at his home!!
What futre do our children have with these loads of people coming in. What about us, paying taxes, to feed these people, see them in branded clothes, now with cars, hi tech mobiles, free food, water & electricity and us? We have to work night and day and get taxed.
If our leaders really care, we have to stop this influx, otherwise, GOD Helps us.
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What the RAI journalist said yesterday is not what happens but what some Maltese would like to happen, judging from the comments on this and other news websites.
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Its the begining I guess. After what that Italian presenter said yesterday seems like the French and Italians are conspiring against us.
Jeff Cassar •
X'gost
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Why don't the 'grand armee' escort them to France? The French are after uranium in North Africa; they get oil and urnaium; we get illegal immigrants!
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Let us all rejoice!
The invasion has started.
Now it is time to see Gonzi's 'Par Idejn Sodi'!
It is also time to see how much those who praised us lately will take off load from our shoulders and take some of them to their mother country.
I have no doubt that at the end of the day we would be left all alone and have to cope all by ourselves!
It is time for Dr Gonzi to show his mettle That is where I am really worried!
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Tal Biza fgurnanata 550!
