Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1496971
4 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 APRIL 2023 4 NEWS KARL AZZOPARDI THE AFM have said migrants aboard a fishing boat drifting be- tween Malta, Italy and Greece's Search and Rescue Zone did not request to be rescued. "Written communication re- ceived by the AFM from the ship captain providing duty of care confirms that no rescue was re- quested by the people on board," a spokesperson said. On Monday evening, the Italia coast guard escorted the fishing boat, with around 400 migrants, back to land, after it spent days drifting in the Mediterranean. Rescue NGO Sea Watch claimed Malta ordered a merchant vessel not to rescue a group of 400 mi- grants, and just supply them with fuel. "Two merchant ships [were] or- dered not to rescue, instead one was asked by Malta to only supply the boat with fuel," the NGO said on Twitter. A group of 400 people in dis- tress were spotted by the NGO's reconnaissance aircraft after they left the Libyan port of Tobruk on Easter Sunday. Sea Watch said that two mer- chant ships near the migrant ves- sel were ordered by Malta not to rescue the people on board, "in- stead one was asked by Malta to only supply the boat with fuel." The NGO said that on Monday morning the migrant boat was in "huge danger" and was battling 1.5m waves. Replying to questions sent by this newspaper over the allega- tions being made by the NGO, the AFM said it fulfils its obligations and carries out coordination "in accordance with the applicable in- ternational laws and conventions, including its duty of care towards vessels sailing in international waters within Malta's Search and Rescue Region." "Reports concerning migrants in Malta's SRR are followed up im- mediately, and vessels which are not in distress are monitored ac- cordingly," the spokesperson said. AFM on Sea Watch accusations: migrant boat did not request rescue Maltese armed forces communicated with merchant ship to offer duty of care to migrant boat but claim no request for rescue was made Two merchant ships were ordered not to rescue the group of 400 migrants on board the fishing boat (below), according to Sea Watch (Photo: Twitter/Sea Watch International) CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Only one inmate was out on prison leave, and the spokes- person said action was taken against him through the loss of remission. "These rare episodes show that notwithstanding the on- going rehabilitation efforts, including drug rehab, there are few individuals that still decide to risk and abuse, even though they could end up facing tough consequences, including the loss of remission," the spokes- person said. The spokesperson also con- firmed that no drugs were found on prison grounds. "From the beginning of the year 721 tests were conduct- ed of whom only this case of these four connected inmates were found to be positive," the spokesperson said. According to Article 61 of the Prison Regulations, prison leave may be granted by the Director, in accordance with such general directions as may be from time to time given by the minister, to a prisoner un- der such conditions as may be determined by the Director in accordance with specific con- ditions. The stated reasons for prison leave include the birth, mar- riage or other special family occasion of prisoners' spous- es, children or grandchildren, and for compassionate reasons to attend the funeral of a near relative or to visit a seriously ill near relative. "Leave under this regulation may be granted by the Direc- tor," the same article later specifies. "The Correctional Services Agency practice a zero toler- ance to drugs inside prison and works hard, together with oth- er entities, to provide drug re- habilitation to inmates. Moreo- ver, routine testing is the order of the day to establish whether inmates made use of any illicit substance," the spokesperson said. Inmate one of four who tested positive for illicit substances during routine testing