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Malta to relocate 65 migrants after rescue ships defy Italy ban | ||
2019-07-08 | ||
Premier Joseph Muscat tweeted that "following discussions with the EU Commission and the German government", the 65 people would be transferred from the Alan Kurdi to a Maltese military "asset which will then enter a Maltese port". "All rescued persons on board will be immediately relocated to other EU member states," he added. The Alan Kurdi, which had been banned from entering Maltese waters after waiting off the island of Lampedusa in recent days, is the third rescue vessel in a week to make headlines. Far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has attempted to block Italian ports to rescue ships, as tensions rise over the international response to the migration crisis. Early on Sunday, dozens of shipwrecked Some 41 people were finally allowed to step off migrant rescue charity Mediterranea's Italian-flagged Alex, which arrived at the port on Saturday in an overnight operation that saw the ship temporarily seized by authorities. The boat's captain Tommaso Stella is being investigated for allegedly aiding illegal immigration, according to the Italian news agency Agi. 'IRRESPONSIBILITY OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES' Authorities on Lampedusa in late June seized a rescue ship belonging to German aid group Sea-Watch, which had forced its way into port with dozens of rescued An Italian judge subsequently ordered her freed, saying she had been acting to save lives, a decision which sparked Salvini's ire but may have encouraged the Alex crew. Two other investigations, on charges of helping people smugglers and resisting the authorities are still under way after Rackete forced her way past Italian customs vessels. "The irresponsibility of European countries obliged me to do what I did," Rackete said, in a message to the thousands of protesters who demonstrated in Germany on Saturday to support her. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer wrote a letter to Salvini asking him to rethink his policy, sources close to the German government said. "We cannot be responsible for boats with people rescued from shipwrecks on board spending weeks on the Mediterranean because they can't find a port," Seehofer wrote. Also on Sunday, Maltese authorities said they had rescued another group of 50 They are expected to arrive in Malta on Sunday evening.
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Posted by:trailing wife |
#1 Relocate to or next to Libya |
Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2019-07-08 04:18 |