Although Malta has already received almost half the number of irregular immigrants who came to Malta during the whole of last year, the current situation regarding accommodation for these migrants is “under control”, Parliamentary Secretary Tony Abela told The Malta Independent yesterday.
According to a report issued on World Refugee Day, 1,822 irregular immigrants entered Maltese waters and were transported ashore in 2005. To date, 866 immigrants have been brought ashore and this includes Tuesday’s massive boatload of 266 immigrants who were brought ashore in a concerted operation by the AFM. Around 200 of the total 866 have already been repatriated, Dr Abela added.
“Out of the 266 immigrants who landed on Tuesday, 220 were taken to Safi Barracks while the other 46 are being accommodated at Lyster Barracks in Hal Far. 232 of these migrants come from Morocco and Egypt so we should be arranging for them to be repatriated to their homeland in the next couple of weeks,” Dr Abela said.
Asked if the recent arrivals have put a stress on the accommodation facilities earmarked for immigrants, Dr Abela said that “we are coping well at the moment but this fresh influx has taken up precious space which was earmarked for other potential long term asylum seekers”.
Contacted yesterday, AFM Commander Brigadier Carmel Vassallo said that the operation to bring in the 266 immigrants went quite smoothly. He confirmed that the immigrants initially wanted to proceed to Italy but as they were in Maltese territorial waters, we had to abide by international regulations and take the immigrants on board.
Reports abounded yesterday that further large numbers of immigrants had been sighted off Malta’s coast. However both Dr Abela and Brigadier Vassallo said these stories were completely unfounded.
In the meantime, sources told this paper that the AFM was monitoring other reports of sightings of boats. Another group of 30 immigrants were brought to shore yesterday evening, bringing the total of immigrants that were brought to shore in 24 hours to nearly 300.