Loujin died ‘miles away from Malta’ – Byron Camilleri
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Maltese.
The Minister of the Interior Byron Camilleri saw that he stressed that the 4-year-old Syrian girl Loujin Ahmed Nasif died “miles away from Malta” as he removed the phone calls to make an inquiry about her death in the search area and rescue of Malta.
Camilleri, who was pressed on the matter by the spokesperson for internal affairs of the opposition Joe Giglio during the question time of the parliamentary session on Tuesday, also stressed that the intervention of the Armed Forces of Malta in ‘that case avoided many more deaths.
This may be the case, but it is an assertion made amid accusations that Malta ignored a distress call for a number of days, only intervening when it was too late to prevent the girl’s death. An activist who works with Syrian refugees in Sicily, Nawal Soufi, recounted that she had been contacted via satellite phone by the girl’s father on September 3, and that she immediately contacted the Maltese authorities, who promised to assist. But assistance only arrived on September 6th.
Calls were made for an inquiry by the Maltese Council for Refugees, which brings together NGOs based in Malta active in the field of refugee rights.
The Maltese Council for Refugees awaits an inquiry into Loujin’s death
Camilleri’s statement comes as his ministry deals with the consequences that resulted from the arraignment of three police officers accused of kidnapping and assaulting foreign nationals.
The attacks occurred as the Malta Police Force carried out a number of highly publicized raids targeting foreign nationals to confirm whether they can reside legally in Malta, which occurred following a moral panic resulting from a fight that was involving foreign men in Hamrun last August.
While Camilleri defended the government’s often harsh rhetoric on migrants and asylum seekers, it appeared however that the effect of the dismissal of the police officers brought about a conscious change in tone.
Minister to fight racism by disseminating information about Malta’s ‘fair migration policy’
In Parliament, Camilleri, somewhat late due to the numerous raids that took place, emphasized that the authorities should not only focus on the foreign citizens themselves, but also on those who exploit them by employing them abusively or renting them substandard accommodation.
But even so, his insistence on specifying that Loujin died some distance from Malta – as if the expressions of grief and empathy shown by the activists and the Maltese public were somehow out of place – remains ‘ beat.