A video of some asylum seekers getting rowdy before a fire broke out at Marsa Initial Reception on Wednesday is part of the investigation into the incident, a government source has said.
The reason for the fire is still unknown but 20 people have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Footage taken by one of the staff members, showing about four detainees thrashing a table, is being investigated.
No link between the video and the fire, which happened later that day, has yet been established, the source added.
On Wednesday afternoon, thick smoke could be seen billowing out of the centre which is currently being used – along with the migrant centre in Safi – to detain asylum seekers including unaccompanied minors. This practice has been condemned as unlawful by a number of NGOs and the UNHCR.
At some point in the morning, a group of detainees had held a peaceful protest to demand their freedom, said the source, who asked for anonymity. “It is unfair to say that the protesters started this fire as it could have very well been someone else,” he said. “There has so far been no connection made to the protesters.”
He said peaceful protests were frequent, held by detainees out of frustration of being held in there for months on end. However, they were often resolved by dialogue with staff, he added.
About 480 detainees were rushed out of the centre as the fire was being brought under control and about 70 of them have since been relocated to Malta’s biggest open centre in Ħal Far, said the source.
Despite reports that open centres have reached maximum capacity, he said there was a constant flow of people entering and leaving the Ħal Far ‘Tent Village’ and space has been found for these asylum seekers.
In a statement on Thursday, the UNHCR said that while it condemned all violence, it reaffirmed that detaining people for prolonged periods had a detrimental effect on their mental and physical wellbeing.
It said “detention of asylum-seekers in a manner that is not within strict legal basis needs to be addressed as a matter of priority”.
The founder of human rights NGO Aditus, Neil Falzon, who has campaigned vigorously against the unlawful detention of asylum seekers, has repeatedly invited the authorities to engage in talks over the issue but to no avail.
“We have offered our services, our expertise and our good will. Our calls have been repeatedly ignored,” he said.
In October, a court ruled that the illegal detention of asylum seekers for over 10 weeks is un-lawful but nothing is being done to address the issue, Dr Falzon complained.