Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/768342
maltatoday, SATURDAY, 31 DECEMBER 2016 3 TIM DIACONO THE 14 migrants who were recently re- leased from the Safi detention centre are still living in a state of limbo, as the home affairs minister confirmed that the authori- ties still plan to deport them. The migrants, who had failed to obtain asylum but were later granted a form of protection status, were amongst those ar- rested in November as part of a joint-EU programme to deport failed Malian asylum seekers. However, they were released from deten- tion a few weeks later after a delegation from Mali failed to identify them as Malian nationals. Home affairs minister Carmelo Abela confirmed with MaltaToday that the mi- grants had previously self-identified them- selves as Malian with the Maltese authori- ties. "These persons were interviewed once more by the police authorities with a view to establishing their nationalities," he said. "The authorities will still seek to return these people to their countries of origin, although at this stage they still have the op- portunity to return voluntarily." Meanwhile, the news that representatives of the Malian government had travelled to Malta to verify the identities of the mi- grants, has made waves in the Malian press. This is because it sharply contradicts claims by Malian foreign minister Abdoulaye Diop that his government would not help the Eu- ropean Union in the identification and re- turn of failed Malian asylum seekers. The EU announced earlier this month that it had signed a deal with Mali that will see it provide funds to the West African country in return for its agreement to ac- cept failed asylum seekers and up its game in fighting human smugglers. However, Diop has insisted that such a deal was never signed and has demanded that the EU deny that such an agreement has been reached. News website MaliActu has reported that Malian migrants are already being deport- ed from France to the capital Bamako, and that they are arriving at the Malian airport in handcuffs. It also quoted an unnamed Malian mi- grant as saying that Malians "are being treated like dogs" in Malta. "When we asked why this was, we were told that it was our government that au- thorized this," the migrant was quoted as saying. "After braving the Sahara and the sea and suffering imprisonment for a year before being released, it is appalling that it is ultimately our own government that fa- cilitates our repression. We are being be- trayed by our own government." When asked to comment on Diop's de- nial, Carmelo Abela said that the "compe- tent Malian authorities" had in fact sent an identification team to Malta. The team remained in Malta for a few days so as to conduct interviews with irregular migrants who had self-identified with the Maltese authorities as Malian nationals. The team's presence in Malta was sepa- rately confirmed by Gianluca Cappitta, a lawyer who has filed a court case to free the nine remaining Malian migrants from the detention centre on the ground that they weren't given enough time to appeal the removal orders that had been slapped onto them the moment they arrived in Malta. "The migrants I spoke to told me that they had been vetted by an identification team who asked them a few questions, mainly about their identity and about which part of Mali they hailed from," he told MaltaTo- day. tdiacono@mediatoday.com.mt MATTHEW VELLA A new law making it illegal to smoke in a car with anyone under the age of 18 will come into force tomorrow. The law, aimed at protecting children from second-hand smoke, was announced in last year's Budget speech. Motorists will have to suppress their urge to smoke any kind of tobacco – in- cluding electronic cigarettes – until they arrive at their destination, if they want to avoid a €50 fine. The ban applies to all tobacco products including e-cigarettes. It also enjoys the support of the Tobacco Industry Advisory Council (TIAC), and health minister Chris Fearne has rejected concerns that the government was inter- fering in people's private lives. "The laws allow the authorities to inter- vene in people's private lives in matters where public health is concerned," he told MaltaToday earlier this year. "The aim of this ban is to safeguard the public health of minors." In Malta smoking was already restricted in all enclosed public spaces in April 2004. Malta was one of the first EU states to ban smoking in bars and restaurants. The government says the ban will im- prove the health of minors whose par- ents smoke at home, citing studies from Canada where a similar ban reduced the prevalence of smoking inside cars but also did not increase the prevalence of smok- ing at home. Under the new law, which kicks in to- morrow, passengers caught smoking will subject both themselves and the car driver to separate fines. An awareness campaign dubbed 'You Smoke They Smoke', has already been doing the rounds, and police officers and wardens have undergone training to apprehend abusive smokers. The €50 fine for those caught red-handed is nowhere near the fines slapped abroad for similar breaches. In Scotland, smokers' rights campaigners were up in arms against a £1,000 fine for smoking in cars with minors. The law there was pushed in a private member's bill by Liberal Democrat MP Jim Hume, whose mother died of cancer caused by second-hand smoke. A similar law came into force in England and Wales in 2015, although there have been difficulties over enforcing the ban. 'Extremely damaging' Research shows that second-hand smoke can cause seri- ous conditions including bronchitis, pneumonia and asth- ma. "Children are at particular risk from the effects of pas- sive smoking because they have an increased risk of developing chest infections during their first five years," Dr Charmaine Gauci, the su- perintendent of public health says. "Babies who are exposed to cigarette smoke are also at a greater risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death. As well as making children more vulnerable to ear infections, such as otitis media, passive smok- ing makes children more likely to develop asthma." Several countries have legislated banning of smoking in public places but smoking in cars has been given particular attention as levels of second hand smoke in cars can be extremely high. "Research from Canada showed that the car's confined spaces are particularly dangerous in presence of smoking because second hand smoke caused by smoking reach a toxic level quickly, even if one attempts to open the win- dows or operate the ventilation system," Dr Gauci said. "Other studies in Canada highlighted that a single cigarette smoked in a stationary car with its windows closed can produce a level of secondhand smoke 11 times higher than the level found in an average bar where smoking is permitted. In a moving car, the level of sec- ondhand smoke produced by a single cigarette can be as high as 7 times the average level of a smoky bar. Researchers noted that in the con- dition with the least airflow (motionless car, window closed) levels of fine respirable par- ticles (known as PM2.5) were over 100 times greater than the US Environmental Protection Agency's 24-hour standard for fine particle exposure and 15 times the EPA's 'hazardous' rating." The levels of toxins from smoking in cars can reach high counts very quickly. Second-hand smoke con- sists of a mixture of gases and fine particles that is either emitted from a burning cigarette, cigar, or pipe, or exhaled by smokers. In all, second-hand smoke contains at least 250 toxic chemicals, including more than 50 carcinogens. "Second hand smoke exposure is particularly harmful for children because they have smaller lungs and weaker im- mune system. Children are a vulnerable group who cannot decide for themselves and dependent on the actions of their caregivers," Dr Gauci said. News Law banning smoking in cars with minors enters into force Australia In the Australian Capital Territory, a smoking ban in cars with minors under the age of 16 has existed since May 2012. An on the spot fine of AUD $250 is applicable, or court fines up to AUD $5,500. Similar bans are in place in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. Bahrain and UAE Since 13 April, 2009, smoking in cars with accompanying children is banned in Bahrain. In the UAE it is banned in the presence of children under 12. Canada Smoking with anyone under the age of 16 present in a vehicle is currently banned in the Provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and Yukon Territory. Smoking is banned in vehicles with persons under the age of 19 present in Nova Scotia. Cyprus Smoking in vehicles with minors under the age of 16 is prohibited. France It is forbidden to smoke in private vehicles in the presence of children under the age of 12 since 2015. South Africa A law prohibiting smoking in private vehicles with minors under the age of 12 has been voted. United Kingdom On 1 October, 2015, smoking in vehicles with passengers under 18 was banned in England and Wales, except in convertibles. It is also illegal for drivers under the age of 18 to allow other passengers to smoke in their car, regardless of their age – however drivers under the age of 18 will be permitted to smoke in their car as long as no passengers are present. It is a criminal offence for any driver to fail to stop a passenger illegally smoking in the car while a passenger under the age of 18 is present. United States A smoking ban in cars with children is being tested in several states. It is banned in certain counties and cities of Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, New Jersey, New York, Kentucky, and Alabama. Where is smoking in cars with minors illegal? Released Malians still in line for deportation 'At this stage the migrants still have the opportunity to return to their home countries voluntarily' – home affairs minister Carmelo Abela. Photo: James Bianchi