President appeals for compassion on migrants

President George Abela appealed for people to maintain Malta’s “true character of hospitality” in his first reaction to the Government’s announcement that it was contemplating deporting asylum seekers this week. Asked for a comment on the Government’s plan to send a group of Somali asylum seekers back to Libya, a spokeswoman for the President – who, as a lawyer in 2002, represented a group of Eritreans battling deportation – appealed for people “to maintain, even in these challenging times, our true character of a hospitable, welcoming and, above all, humane people”. “The President feels that this issue of immigration is a delicate and complex matter with no easy solution. The President has, however, full faith in the generosity and compassion of the Maltese nation as a whole. “Our people are not racists at all and we have a long tradition of welcoming and absorbing visitors from north, south, east and west.” He also appealed for the international community to show tangible solidarity with southern states, which, like Malta, cannot handle the immigration phenomenon on their own. On Tuesday, arrangements were made for two Air Malta flights to return a group of about 70 asylum...