"E' stata una motovedetta a fornirci il carburante e a intimarci di proseguire per Lampedusa. Ci hanno dato anche cinque salvagente; uno di loro ha acceso il motore, perché non avevamo la forza per farlo, e ci ha indicato la rotta. Poi si sono allontanati senza aiutarci, malgrado le nostre condizioni".
If the claims made by an Eritrean survivor of the latest tragedy regarding the alleged failure of the Maltese army to rescue the 5 survivors are verified, heads should roll in Malta.
The AFM claims that the five migrants were in apparent good health and clean shaven and that they refused to board the AFM patrol boat, not wanting to be rescued but to continue in a north westerly direction.
But UNHCR spokesman Laura Boldrini described the surviving migrants as extremely thin, too weak to walk and having severely bloodshot eyes.
Lawrence Gonzi has a moral obligation to order a public inquiry to determine the truth. Otherwise we are really living in a pariah state which turns its back on a tragedy is assuming the dimensions of a holocaust.
We are living in an environment where misinformation, prejudice and hostility towards migrants are the order of the day. Even sadder is the realisation that a good number of people feel that they probably deserved it for making such a treacherous crossing and blame the UNHCR for these deaths.
ReplyDeleteWe know where PNPL and Berlusconi's right wing utopia stand on this issue so it is time to think outside the box. What can we do to restore some civility and human compassion in this ongoing human tragedy? Should we campaign for a Libya that respects democracy and human rights; a Libya which does not use asylum seekers for political sway and financial gain or would it be an exercise in futility? Should we campaign for a stronger EU Commission which is able to take control through legislative initiative or would it be fruitless with a President who is more inclined to serve the interests of his conservative buddies? Should we campaign for a stronger Church which is able to mobilise its forces and for once do its duty to preach compassion and acceptance for our fellow man or is it too busy battling secularisation and moral relativity?
I am beginning to run out of ideas!