Has Malta finally had enough?
This is old news—as of yesterday, thanks to reader Charles for alerting us.
(Note: we’ve had cable problems where I live so didn’t get this up sooner. The NGOs might well have stopped the proposed push-back by now.)
From the Times of Malta:
The authorities have booked an Air Malta plane to ferry migrants to Mitiga airport in Tripoli an midnight and 4am, informed sources said this afternoon.
The development comes as the prime minister confirmed earlier this afternoon that the government was considering all options, including the possibility of sending back to Libya migrants who arrived today.
By 5.30pm tens of NGO volunteers gathered outside the back entrance of the police headquarters in Floriana to stop trucks from leaving.
Earlier, they complained that their representatives had not been allowed access to the group. The migrants, totalling 102, arrived this morning and are being held at police headquarters. It is understood that only the men – about 70, will be sent back.
Earlier, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said:
“All options are being considered in the national interest, but no decision had been taken, Joseph Muscat told timesofmalta.com.
“This is not push-back, it is a signal that we are not push overs,” Dr Muscat said when questioned. When asked whether the government would repatriate the migrants if that action was illegal, Dr Muscat reiterated that all options were being considered.
Readers, it’s only common sense that every time a boat arrives and the migrants get tickets to America or some other European country (which has been part of the pattern for Malta–US State Dept. policy) they will keep coming! Send them back a few times and the word will spread. Who wants them to stay?
A group of 11 non-governmental organisations said this afternoon that the government must not return the migrants who arrived in Malta this morning to Libya.
[….]
“We, the undersigned 11 NGOs, are shocked that the government is even considering sending back to Libya the group of migrants that arrived this morning. The group of 102 included 41 women and two babies. All are Somali, which means they could very well need protection.
[….]
The NGOs said that it was certain that the migrants would face gross human rights abuses if returned to Libya.
So don’t send them to Libya—send them to Somalia.
We are all aware that Somalia is improving and that their new President even came to America to encourage Somalis to return and re-build their own country. And, besides even at the height of Somalia’s terror problems, wealthy Muslim Saudi Arabia was flying illegal Somali Muslims back to Mogadishu and I don’t recall a single NGO squawking about that!
So who are the NGOs opposing push-back? I see the Jesuits are busy as usual. They were behind pressuring the US into taking some of the previous Somali illegal aliens to your towns and cities in America. And the ‘People for Change Foundation’ sounds suspiciously like a George Soros enterprise.
These claims are backed by the research of solid human rights organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.”
Aditus foundation, Jesuit Refugee Service (Malta), Migrant’s Network for Equality, SOS Malta, Malta Emigrants’ Commission, KOPIN, Integra Foundation, Foundation for Shelter and Support of Migrants, Organisation for Friendship in Diversity, Koperativa Kummerc Gust and People for Change Foundation said…
Everything you need to know about the mess in Malta can be found in our lengthy Malta archive, click here.