One cannot declare to love God if he expresses hatred for his own brothers - Archbishop

Archbishop Charles Scicluna also spoke about the tragedies at hand, urging the public to show solidarity and not hatred to our brothers crossing seas.Giving an homily in Floriana, on the occasion of the feast of St Publius, Mrg Scicluna said that St Publius welcomed over 300 people at his own home for three days, distributing the wealth he had amongst them. "If we want to honour St Publius, then we need to follow his example. We can't celebrate his feast, only to then express words of hatred for our own brothers and sisters on social media. What is the point of celebrating St Publius then? One cannot declare to love God if he doesn't love his own brothers in Christ."He reminded listeners that back in time, the Maltese opened up their arms for St Paul, who was seeking refuge from storms at sea. "St Paul arrived in Malta as a prisoner. But the Maltese knew that foreigners often arrived without documentation, without pre-booking. St Publius did not send St Paul back home, instead he welcomed him in his home."

Funds for Somalia piracy project need to be shifted on to Mediterranean issue - Roberta Metsola
MEP Roberta Metsola said that Malta has been speaking up about the issue ever since it joined the EU. "It is time all member states realise that this is a challenge for Europe and not just countries in the Mediterranean. At this stage, I do not expect any more words or press statements. I expect concrete action, even from Maltese authorities."The MEP stressed that a distinction needs to be made between short-term plans to save more migrants from perishing at sea as well as a holistic permanent action plan dealing with the immigration issue. "Through political will, the EU has managed to eradicate piracy outside the coast of Somalia. The same can be done here. There are still funds allocated for that project, and it is high time these assets are transferred to deal with the issue at hand. People are not dying at sea because the number of migrants has increased, but rather because the Mare Nostrum Operation did not hold ground. People will continue crossing seas and seeking a safe haven."The problem is directly linked with the lack of stability in Libya. "Each day, we wake up hoping that negotiations within the United Nations will come to a solution. It is a pity that diplomatic procedures take so long, but we need to remain hopeful. The EU and other agencies have been warned not to ignore the fact that thousands of people from Libya are moving to Tunisia," Dr Metsola added.

All we are getting are statements of condolences. It's high time for bold actions - Miriam Dalli
"All we are getting are declarations of condolences and held minutes of silence. A few days later, it's business as usual. This should not be the approach taken - we need bold action to be taken, and a long-term solution to be reached," MEP Miriam Dalli said.The European Commission has said it will announce its position by mid May, but the MEP fears that by that time, more lives would have perished at sea. "There is the need to discuss with third parties, to reach solutions for stability in Libya and to ensure that the Triton Operation is addressing all needs. The collaboration of the Maltese government with Italy is a step forward, at least it's no longer a small member state against the world, but all member states have to act as one. Unfortunately negotiations take time, but we may just be too late, lives are at stake."

Smugglers in Libya operating with impunity - MOAS
Former AFM Commander, Brigadier Martin Xuereb, who now heads the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) said that we are in the same situation as that of October 2013, when 366 people died after a shipwreck off Lampedusa.The Mare Nostrum operation was created in response to those incidents, however because the European Union failed to persist, the Italian authorities stopped the service.  "We have gone round a full circle, and not only has the situation not improved, but it is worse than ever before. The situation in Syria is worse than ever before and the vacuum in Libya has allowed smugglers to operate with impunity.""Let us remember that when a person decides to cross the Mediterranean, he does so because he sees no other option; no other possibility. But what happens before or after becomes futile if a person perishes on the way to seek refuge. We need to seek stability in the countries of origin and the counties of transit. But meanwhile, governments of all member states need to put search and rescue at the top of their agenda," Brigadier Xuereb said.

EU needs to offer legal mode of transfer for migrants - ADITUS

Director of ADITUS Malta Neil Falzon said that unless the European Union offers the opportunity of legal migration to people seeking refuge, migrants will continue perishing at sea. “There is no legal manner in which these people can escape their country of origin, and travelling by boat is the only solution they see, even if it is unsafe. There are various ways in which these people can be assisted – providing a humanitarian visa is one of them, allowing relatives of those seeking refuge in a country to reunite with their loved ones through legal means is another.  “But it seems no government wants to take responsibility. All we’ve been saying is press statements that a solution needs to be found. “People have been dying at sea for years; this hasn’t started now,” Dr Falzon said. The ADITUS director expressed disappointment at the fact that non-governmental organisations are not invited to participate in discussions, despite the fact that members of such NGOs witness realities on the ground and are able to propose humanitarian solutions.

History will not forgive us if we keep looking the other way- Chris Fearne

Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne yesterday urged the European Union to stop looking the other way in regards to the humanitarian tragedy in the Mediterranean. Addressing a meeting between the European Ministers for Health in Riga this morning, Dr Fearne reminded that over 11,000 migrants attempted to cross from Africa to Malta and Italy, and on the way, as many as 1,600 persons perished at sea. “We can’t keep ignoring this. History will not forgive us if we do,” Dr Fearne said. “Let us be on the right side of history,” he added. He urged the health ministers to push their governments to address the situation, to avoid other deaths, adding that Malta’s hospital morgue is now filled with bodies of migrants.

 

There’s a million migrants in Libya waiting to cross over

The Deputy Procurator General of Palermo, Maurizio Scalia, has told the Italian media that from information received by his office, there are around a million migrants on the coasts of Libya, waiting to cross over. He was speaking at a press conference about an ongoing inquiry on a transnational network that is organising voyages by non-European persons in the direction of Sicily. There is, he said, an uninterrupted flow of persons.