Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/791658
5 MIRIAM DALLI THE arrest of nine Malian migrants that lasted three months – before be- ing released for lack of documentation from their country of origin – was not a show of force, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said yesterday. Abela was invited for a phone-in on RTK's radio programme 'newsbook', where MaltaToday's executive editor, Matthew Vella was invited as a guest. As Abela went on about the need for "a holistic" approach to migration, which would include solutions for member states who are complaining of a shortage of skilled workers, Vella asked: "If this is the case, then why or- der the migrants' deportation? Was it just a show of force at an EU level to give the impression that something's being done?" The minister insisted that this was not the case, pointing out that a depor- tation can only take place if the coun- try of origin sends over the necessary documentation for a readmission. "This fear that a migrant will be sent back immediately if he or she doesn't present the necessary documents is baseless, because documentation has to come from both ends," Abela said. He was referring to the new require- ments set by the Office of the Refugee Commissioner, which are now set to be changed again following public uproar. He insisted that the rounding up of the Malians was an EU initiative, not Malta's. An identification mission from Mali came to Malta which iden- tified 10 of 33 Malians held by Mal- tese police. Following the visit, nine were kept in detention with the Mal- tese authorities awaiting the arrival of documentation from Mali to make the deportation possible. The documents never arrived and the migrants were finally released from detention. The minister said a solution on EU level was required to address the "grey area": in Malta, there are some 1,300 people who are failed asylum seekers but have been granted temporary hu- manitarian protection (THPn). There are those who remain in Malta because the authorities have not been able to return them, through no fault of their own. Years roll on and these individu- als would have integrated in Maltese society, working and paying taxes. "This is the grey area which we need to discuss, also in view of how people coming to Europe can contribute to the EU's economy. But Malta can't act independently if we want to achieve consensus on a common asylum policy. Building a wall is wrong… as wrong as an individual country acting on its own, disturbing common policies." maltatoday, SUNDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2017 News Click hsbc.com.mt/onestepcloser Call 2380 2000 Visit your local branch SMS send text message "PERSONAL LOAN" to 7900 2380 (Normal SMS tariffs apply) HSBCMalta HSBC_MT #OneStepCloser Best view ever This year, enjoy a new experience with our Personal Loans. *Terms and conditions apply. Offer valid until 28 February 2017. Approved and issued by HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c., 116, Archbishop Street, Valletta VLT1444 which is regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority. NOFEES * Abela: Arrest 'not a show of force' because they were of a different brand than what he had been used to taking. Abela said that the migrant's condition had improved after he had been given the medication prescribed by the detention centre's doctor at Mount Carmel. However, Jean-Paul Borg – an activ- ist with human rights NGO who worked closely with the migrants and was allowed access to the centre – told MaltaToday that Diara's allergy attacks only stopped once he [Borg] had personally delivered the original medication to him at Mount Carmel. "When he originally arrived in Malta, he had difficulties visiting doctors because he was only in possession of a police card and various clinics ask for an ID card when presenting oneself for a visit," he said. "However, at one of the clinics he was prescribed Neo- clarityn. "When he was sent to detention, he was not in possession of his pills and soon started getting allergy attacks – this at a time of great stress as he was basi- cally behind bars under threat of deportation. No one at the detention centre bothered obtaining the pills for him and he became suicidal. "When he was at Mount Carmel, I called personally with the pills, which were delivered to be by one of his flatmates, and from then onwards his condi- tion went back to nor- mal." Borg said that the doctor who saw Diara repeatedly refused to give him Neoclari- tyn, which only costs around €20 a packet, probably because they didn't have any in stock. "He wanted to take his own pills. He didn't trust other types of pills, because they had had negative effects on him in the past." The nine Malian migrants were released earlier this month after three months in detention, but Abela has insisted that they will be deported once the authorities re- ceive their documentation. While they were locked up, the minister repeatedly played down concerns that they were being subjected to inhumane condi- tions, arguing that maintenance works were recently carried out on the detention centre and that no NGO had personally complained about its state to him. Addressing nine newly promoted de- tention services officers on Friday, Ab- ela announced that CCTV cameras and a telecommunications system will soon be installed at the detention centre. In his speech, he twice urged the officers to treat detained migrants with respect and dignity. "Although a detention centre is what it is, you must never lose sight of the fact that you are dealing with human beings, each with their personal histories that are often not so positive," he said. "You must never lose sight of the human element, and must always treat these people who are passing through difficulties with dignity and re- spect." tdiacono@mediatoday.com.mt site is prone to slope instability and to excessive subsidence". To mitigate this impact the con- struction methodology has been de- signed having regard to the geologi- cal characteristics of the site. "However, any excavation and construction works have the poten- tial to create additional stress and exacerbate instability on this part of the plateau," the report warns. The scale of the impact is deemed "uncertain" at this stage, pending revisions to plans to address these concerns. In a separate report the Environ- ment and Resources Authority (ERA) has also expressed concern in this regard, warning that the proposed works on the hospital en- croach upon the plateau's edge and pose geological stability risks. This aspect of the hospital project is re- quired to be further assessed. The ERA has also expressed con- cern on how the removal of blue clay will impact the underlying perched aquifer and the catchment of rain- water. One of the solutions being consid- ered is the erection of piles to stabilise the slope. The ERA is also calling for a visual and landscape assessment of the pro- posed hospital to better determine the nature of the visual impacts re- sulting from the proposed increase in the building height of the building abutting the plateau's edge, from two to four floors, and how this affects the visual setting of the Rabat-Cittadella backdrop. The site lies on a plateau, and with- in 185m of the Rabat-Cittadella Area of Archaeological Importance. The development will involve the construction of a 225-bed diagnostic, treatment and clinical facility over four storeys, to support all inpatient beds, with additional future capacity for another 80 beds, and with a roof- top helipad for an air ambulance. It also foresees the construction of a medical school over four storeys, including two lecture halls and thea- tres and 12 classrooms, anatomy and other laboratory facilities, meeting rooms, and offices. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt An earlier rendition of the new Gozo medical campus that will be constructed by the Vitals Healthcare group, and run by Barts. The ERA has expressed concern on how the removal of blue clay during construction, will impact the underlying perched aquifer and the catchment of rainwater