Malta refuses to let migrant ship dock, awaits EU deal | |||
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Video Credit: Reuters Studio - Duration: 01:17s - Published
 Malta refuses to let migrant ship dock, awaits EU dealMalta plans to keep 57 rescued migrants aboard a private ship anchored just outside territorial waters until the European Union finds a way to rehouse them, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Friday. Olivia Chan reports. |
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Malta refuses to let migrant ship dock, awaits EU deal
Malta refuses to let a migrant ship dock as the country waits for a deal with the European Union.
Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Friday (May 1) that he plans to keep 57 recused migrants aboard a private ship.
It is now anchored just outside territorial waters until the EU finds a way to rehouse them.
The migrants were plucked from a dinghy earlier this week inside Malta's search and rescue zone by a commercial fishing vessel chartered by the government.
In a news conference, Abela says, quote, "This is not Malta's problem, although we are doing more than is expected of us.
Other EU member states must shoulder the burden too." The country has seen a surge of migrants arrival at the start of this year, with some 1,500 reaching its shores by early March, compare to 3,400 for all of 2019.
Abela's government says its reception centers are full and had complained that EU allies have not always followed through on pledges to take in migrants.
Malta started employing private boats to intercept would-be migrants before they reached the island when the new coronavirus hit in March.
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