Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1234806
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 APRIL 2020 CORONAVIRUS CRISIS MATTHEW VELLA MALTA'S Good Friday was anything but the day of reflection that the island's Catholics mark: instead, it was the day the island's government gave notice to mi- grant rescue charities that the COVID-19 pandemic had shut down the ports to asy- lum seekers and refugees. On Thursday, the Maltese government unanimously approved a Cabinet decision to prevent migrant rescue charities and other vessels from bringing into Malta people rescued at sea. As of yesterday, a group of 47 asylum seekers were adrift in Maltese waters without water or fuel. The boat, reportedly at sea for over 36 hours, was carrying a pregnant woman and chil- dren, and faced the risk of being left to drown on Easter weekend. Another 150 rescued migrants were stranded aboard a rescue vessel. Malta's controversial decision mimics that taken by Italy, which struggling un- der the COVID-19 pandemic that has shut down the entire country, is refusing to allow rescued migrants in its ports. The Italian decree ultimately also placed disproportionate burden on Malta as the first European port of entry for migrants, but also placed the border countries on the precipice of international human rights law violations. "We have taken a unanimous decision, our plan has three principles: our ports do not offer a safe port of entry for migrants; we will not allow migrants into Malta; we cannot guarantee their rescue," Robert Abela said on Good Friday. "The reality is that… it's not that we are unable to assist to search-and-rescue ob- ligations, but at this moment while all the country's resources are dedicated to con- trol the spread of COVID-19, you cannot stop that effort to sail hundreds of miles out of your country to save migrants. This is something that cannot happen. Physi- cally we cannot do it." It was the most hawkish statement yet by Malta's new prime minister on migration after Malta allowed the disembarkation of over 60 migrants on Thursday night, but wrote to the European Commis- sion saying that the island does not have the necessary resources for mass rescues and said that its port would be closed for illegal migrants. Sea-Eye at sea Sea-Eye's rescue vessel Alan Kurdi is currently out at sea, having been refused food and medicine after a 24-hour period of waiting for a re- sponse from the Italian coastguard. Migrant rescue charity Sea-Eye re- ported that Italy tried to relay the call for help to Malta, with Malta's rescue coordination responding: "Do not try to push this onto Malta," according to the NGO. Sea-Eye said the Alan Kurdi is not suitable for the accommodation of the current 150 migrants it is holding, and told coastguards that in the next 48 hours, food was going to be required. How- ever, Libya, Italy and Malta have declared their ports unsafe and made clear their intention not to allow further disembarka- tions. "It's not acceptable that we see multi-million rescue packages for the European indus- try, but at the same time, it's claimed that COVID-19 dries up Maltese solidarity: Cabinet of Ministers say Malta is no longer safe port for rescued migrants at sea, NGOs outrage while social media erupts with inf lammatory comment there are no resources for the protection of migrants," Gordon Isler, Sea-Eye chairman said in a statement on Friday. The Maltese navy was also ac- cused of sabotaging the migrant boat after an official from the P52 boat boarded the migrant vessel roughly 20 miles southwest of Malta and damaged the engine before leaving the boat to drift, a migrant said in a mayday call to the NGO Alarm Phone, which later shared an audio recording of the call with The New York Times. "The Malta military is coming and cut the cable of elec- tricity for the motor," a man can be heard saying. "They are not want anybody come to Malta – they say that." But foreign minister Evarist Bartolo said Malta "cannot han- dle anymore" taking in asylum seekers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bartolo took to Facebook to pen his thoughts on the gov- ernment's decision to prevent migrant rescue charities and other vessels from bringing into Malta people rescued at sea. T h e minister said that as most of the country is "practically stuck inside", Malta's resources are already over- stretched. "Our doctors and nurses are already working inhumane shifts, while our police and army are work- ing from morning till evening provid- ing food supplies and enforcing our strict quarantine regulations," he said. Bartolo also said that with Malta being the smallest EU state, one can- not expect the country to take the full weight of the migration crisis during a pandemic. He called on the EU to recognise the reality in Libya, highlighting the "racket going on in the middle of a civil war". He also said that Malta has contin- ued to assist and help those in distress under various government admin- istrations, sometimes exceeding its legal obligations. "But the truth is we cannot handle anymore... When your neighbour's house is on fire, your du- ty is to help. When both houses are on fire, your first priority is to try to stop the fire in your house," the for- eign minister said. While saying he was shouldering the responsibility for his statement, he rejected the "inhumane tone" used by many people. Still, indirectly referring to NGO rescue boats such as the Alan Kurdi, Bartolo said that assisting and urging human traffickers at this stage, Ports closed to asylum seekers Foreign minister Evarist Bartolo said migrant rescue boats were assisting human traffickers in Libya by encouraging their passage through the Mediterranean The Maltese navy has been accused of sabotaging the rescue of asylum seekers at sea