Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/488485
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 1 APRIL 2015 4 MATTHEW VELLA AS the crucial date on the future of spring hunting edges closer, hunters like Lino Farrugia of hunting lobby FKNK and Mark Mifsud Bonnici of the St Hubert Hunters (KSU), no long- er want to appear inimical to German conservationists CABS. The Campaign Against Bird Slaugh- ter (CABS) on Monday revealed a total of 127 active clap netting sites photo- graphed over 30% of the islands using an aerial survey – a sharp increase over last year's 51 sites, testifying to the increase in lawlessness under the present administration. When CABS carried out aerial drone flights in the past to monitor illegal hunting, Mifsud Bonnici 'shot' down the surveillance method as "nothing but a publicity stunt", while Lino Farrugia of the FKNK threatened to report CABS on privacy invasion charges. Now, following the reports on illegal trapping, both men have "unreserv- edly" reiterated their condemnation of the illegal netting activity. "It is inconceivable that some still persist with flouting the law to the detriment of all law abiding hunters and trappers," Mifsud Bonnici said, while demanding the "highest penal- ties" for the poachers. "KSU maintains its full cooperation with the enforce- ment authorities in eradicating an un- desirable element of Maltese society that consider themselves above the law and lauds all genuine efforts to ar- rive at this goal." On his part, Farrugia condemned the breaches, again saying that this re- flected badly on the "thousands" who respect hunting laws. "The FKNK will increase its pressure to fulfil its policy of zero tolerance with whoever may be apprehended and found guilty in court." Farrugia's claim of zero tolerance has its limits. In 2010 he declared that "the zero tolerance to which FKNK is committed concerns convictions of serious violations of hunting and trap- ping laws and regulations," in reaction to the arraignment of FKNK member David Briffa on the assault of CABS volunteers. Trapping invasion CABS said that nearly all of the sites spotted this spring had also been found active in October, when trapping was allowed by the govern- ment. "The derogation for trapping in autumn revived the black market for live songbirds and led to a mas- sive increase in bird prices which in turn also encouraged illegal trap- ping in spring," CABS Wildlife Crime Officer Fiona Burrows said. She pointed out that the opening of the trapping season last autumn also led to a massive increase in the smuggling of protected finches from Italy, with at least 2,093 birds seized by the authorities in only six months. In the last two weeks CABS teams have been monitoring the sites on the ground. "When we see some- body trapping we gather video evi- dence and call the police," Burrows added. So far the police have been called 11 times, resulting in the apprehen- sion of seven poachers and the sei- zure of seven pairs of clap nets. Sev- eral electronic bird callers were also found and confiscated. A total of 18 live birds – linnets and greenfinch – were confiscated. The worst areas for illegal trapping were Dingli (20 sites), Birzebuga (11 sites), Fawwara (9 sites), Zurrieq (8 sites), Bahrija (6 sites), Zejtun (5 sites) and Gozo (32 sites). "The police told us that since au- tumn's open season for finches it is now allowed to possess nets with small mesh size, and possession of ringed finches is also allowed, so confiscation of these items, even if found active in spring, is not always possible," Burrows said. This loophole means that since the equipment is still in their possession the trappers have the possibility to continue trapping illegally, CABS said. News Projects Malta Limited, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Malta, hereby calls for the submission of proposals leading to the award by the Government of a services concession for the management and operation of healthcare and ancillary services from the sites at St. Luke's Hospital, Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital and Gozo General Hospital through the grant, for a specified term, of the right to exploit such services. Interested parties are invited to obtain a copy of the Request for Proposals (RFP) document either by collecting it from the offices of Projects Malta Limited at The Clock Tower, Level 1, Tign� Point, Sliema, Malta or by a request to Projects Malta Limited on admin.projectsmalta@gov.mt. The RFP document will be provided against the payment of a non-refundable fee of five thousand euro (€5,000). Sealed bids complete with all required documents are to be submitted up to noon (Central European Time) on Tuesday, 19 th May 2015. Submissions are to be delivered by hand to Projects Malta Limited on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m (Central European Time) at the address below: Projects Malta Ltd. The Clock Tower, Level 1, Tign� Point, Sliema, Malta Request for Proposals Services Concession for the redevelopment, maintenance, management, and operation of the sites at St. Luke's Hospital, Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital and Gozo General Hospital REF: PML /04/2015 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Projects Malta 20 x 3.pdf 1 Friday/March27/2015 9:5912AM In campaign mode, hunters no longer hit out at CABS for doing their job Muscat keeps pressure on PN over works-for-votes Gozo scam MAT THEW VELLA PRIME Minister Joseph Muscat has kept up the heat on the Op- position after it emerged that whistleblower Joe Cauchi, who was left some €50,000 out of pocket by the Gozo ministry when carrying out private works for constituents, had communicated with the Na- tionalist Part y. Cauchi says that former Gozo minister Giovanna Debono's hus- band Anthony commissioned him to carry out private works for which he was paid from the minis- terial budget. The matter is being investigated by the police. "I am stating a fact: PN secre- tary-general Chris Said knew of this, having in black and white, a declaration by a person that he had built somebody a place that was paid for by the government. And he did nothing," Muscat said of emails sent by Cauchi to Said, demanding he be paid for his work, after the PN went into op- position. "Now the Opposition leader says he got to know about it before Chris Said 's press conference. I want to know what the Opposi- tion leader told him: in my view this is the tip of the iceberg," Mus- cat said. Simon Busuttil said yesterday he was never told of the "works for votes" scam despite a meeting two years ago with the contractor making the allegations. The Nationalist Part y leader said he met Gozitan contractor Joe Cauchi, the whistleblower in this case, in 2013 but the alleged scam was never mentioned to him. "When Mr Cauchi met me, just two months after I was elected part y leader, his complaint was that he was still awaiting payment for work carried out as a contrac- tor during the previous adminis- tration," Busuttil said when asked about this meeting. The meeting happened a full year before Cauchi raised the al- legations in an email to PN secre- tary general Chris Said. Muscat, whose part y's electoral slogan for the local council elec- tions is 'Malta ottimista' (Opti- mistic Malta), claimed that he could attest to the public's opti- mism during his electoral rallies. "I think this is a concrete sign of optimism… you can't make it up," said the prime minister, who en- joys a lead in MaltaToday trust ratings of 15 points over his rival. "We are in mid-term elections that are usually won by the Oppo- sition, and I am working to have the government win these elec- tions, if only by just one vote." He said his part y had proved that much can be achieved by an ener- getic government. "People become restless when they see a sluggish government… there is much more to be done but you cannot do in 24 months what takes five years to complete." He accused the Opposition of being incoherent in its political message, saying the PN first ques- tioned the possibilit y of attract- ing a €200 million investment in private-public healthcare, and then claiming that somebody had already been earmarked for the investment. "First they say it's im- possible, then they claim it is pos- sible because somebody is being pegged for the project… what's the real message? Unfortunately, they are all over the place." Muscat touched on the subject of road infrastructure to say that councils had been left in debt and chasing finances because of cer- tain extensive roadworks that had delivered good qualit y but emp- tied their coffers. "It's a time for a game-changer in the matter of transport… the roads councils have built have left them in debt. They are good roads but no cash was left to build other roads." Getting a bird trapping site ready for use