The issue of illegal immigration in Malta needs to be addressed at its source, and not at a point of departure to the island, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said today. Grech said he had no doubt along with Malta’s partners in the EU, the migration problem could be finally addressed, and not just “swept under the rug”. This comes after three boats carrying 270 migrants in the vicinity of Maltas Search and Rescue zone were taken to Lampedusa, Italy, among claims that Maltese forces were actively “hindering” the boat’s rescue and after Prime Minister Robert Abela held talks with new interim leader in Libya Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. “I’ve always been clear: the question of immigration is something that needs to be taken seriously, we can’t view it just as some issue that we address in a populist way,” Grech said today in an interview on NET. “We can’t just leave behind a person – children, women or men – who are in danger or at risk of dying.”

Source: Libya Today April 11, 2021 11:26 UTC