Immigrants brought in after seeking help

Fourteen illegal immigrants were brought in on a patrol boat after they sought help yesterday when they encountered difficulties while passing through Maltese territorial waters.

The Armed Forces of Malta said that at about 10.20 a.m. they were alerted by the Italian authorities that the immigrants were drifting in a five-metre boat some 39 miles south of Malta.

The immigrants, all men, are assumed to be Sudanese, Kashmiris and Egyptians. Sources said they are to be detained at Ta' Kandja.

In the meantime, sources said another 14-strong group of immigrants are likely to be returned to Malta from Italy over the coming days. These are from the 166 immigrants caught off Sicily after they were given assistance off Gozo by the Armed Forces of Malta on September 9.

The majority of them, 148, were sent back to Malta by the Italian government on Monday. Eighteen were detained in Italy, four of them suspected to be traffickers, while the rest were either in hospital or unfit to travel.

Plans are in hand to repatriate most of the 148 who arrived on Monday on a chartered flight to Cairo. The few Moroccans with them would also be sent home shortly, the sources said yesterday.

Looking after the illegal immigrants is putting a big strain on the police force. Twenty-five police stations across Malta are closed because of the number of officers needed to guard the immigrants, escort them and keep a round-the-clock watch whenever they go to hospital.

Organisations fighting for immigrants' rights have been arguing that they should not be kept in detention: some immigrants have been held for over two years.