Army Minister Manuel Mallia has some more explaining to do here
Tweedledum and Tweedledee will have your boat searched with no explanation.
Letters to the Editor, Times of Malta
Saturday, July 13, 2013 by
Edgar Gatt, Swieqi
Yacht searched
Sailing out of Msida marina, I was stopped by four soldiers who informed me that I could not sail out before my boat was searched. The soldiers stated that all boats leaving the harbour were to be searched.
I have been stopped by the authorities in other countries and been asked to produce the boat’s documents but my yacht has never been searched.
Had I refused, I was afraid that they would have asked me to go back to their base and that would have meant a waste of my time, so I accepted. The soldiers were polite and courteous and, initially, I thought that they were looking for some escaped convict.
However, it was not just a cursory search, they opened all the drawers and even looked under the mattresses. I felt this was a breach of my privacy.
Can the ministry responsible for the Armed Forces of Malta kindly inform mariners whether it is legal to search a private yacht without a search warrant? Such a document is required by the police to search a private house. So am I to understand that four soldiers at the rank of privates have more power than the police?
If so, this is a very worrying situation, which takes us back to the early 1980s, when patrol boat personnel had the habit of waking yachtsmen in the middle of the night to check whether they had the permit to anchor in a particular bay or not.
In my opinion, this kind of power wielding does not promise well for the yachting business.
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This kind of thing needs to be highlighted in the likes ot The Times, but I do hope that Mr. Gatt has also taken steps to gain clarification directly from the ministry.
Probably they were looking for Mary Swan ?
We will soon have road blocks manned by the C Company of the AFM. Manuel Mallia will find a reason to justify them.
Seeing as the Navy is involved, this is clearly a case for Admiral of the Fleet Lord Louis Muscatbatten of Burma(rrad) to look into.
No wonder Norman Vella was kicked out from PBS. They wanted the slot for Bundy.
Ha jifqaghna Tweedledee bl-ispjegazzjonijiet! Is this becoming a regular occurrence?
On another note, Bundy taghna llkoll. Vilment instead of TVHemm.
The soldiers must have thought that they had boarded one of the boats of Joseph Muscat’s navy.
News Flash: ‘Minister for National Security, Mallia, Bolsters Border Contol Staff By Hiring Cheap Immigrant Labour.’
It shows how ridiculous these people are. The above letter reminded me way back in the early seventies when our house was ransacked on the thought that some new ties were stolen from the Customs Dept. Anki l-marixall kien gie mal-pulizija !!
Reader has a right of action.
Very good speech by Claudette Buttigieg in parliament just now. She highlighlited a very important point: Tweedledum and Tweedledee prepared this whole ‘push back’ saga ages ago. You cannot claim a ‘push back’ policy for local consumption, and a ‘migrants integration’ policy for international media.
Maybe he should have his soldiers search Romanian women with pushchairs and suspicious jerry-cans in the vicinity of the Mainguard. You never know what they might find.
Will the Armed Forces be searching Pawlu Muscat’s boat when he’s leaving Mellieha Bay with Joseph Muscat on board?
I think Mr. Gatt, or others who fear the same treatment, should rename their boat “Lady Jo” and put a sign at the on the bow with the words “Destination: Tunny Net, Ghadira.”
They should also greet any soldiers demanding to come on board with the salutation “Don’t you know who I am?”
I am morally convinced that they will have no harassment on their boat.
I believe they tricked this man and obtained his consent. Next time video record them. You have every right to record what goes on with your property.
Inform the Army that only with a magistrate’s search warrant can they search the boat. You have every right to enjoy your property without interference.
Know your rights.
You are the master. They are the slave.
Not quite. When army personnel search your car during a road block (because, you know, this is Ulster during The Troubles, and not EU-member Malta), they do not require a search warrant, as long as a senior NCO is present.
I suppose a boat is a bit like a car in the definition of private property. But I stand to be corrected.
All those who have power tend to abuse their powers including police forces and other law enforcement agencies all over the world. I think that among these abuses are road blocks. I was subject to what I think is an abusive search of my luggage by Swiss custom officials when travelling by train close to the border to Switzwerland. The authorities may justify similar abuses as they are necessary in the detection of crime. Nevertheless this does not condone abusive actions.
Searches should only be carried by the police were there is reasonable suspicion of an illegal activity.
Id-dghajjes taghkom, taghna lkoll.
One friendly advice, never leave the boat unattended during any search, especially if you have jerry-cans full of water.
A Sailing We Will Go. A Sailing We Will Go. Hi Ho the Cherio.
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X’poza ghandhom dawn it-tnejn. Tal-life man.
Maybe they were looking for Leo Brincat’s colour television sets.