During a seminar organised by some government bigwigs (in Gonzi’s day), I had the temerity to ask whether Malta, with a resident population density of 1300 per sq km, could support 1 million+ tourist arrivals per year, and whether the government’s policies to encourage higher birthrate were sustainable. I was, of course, poo-pooed.

So I’m glad you debunked the ‘population density’ argument by applying it to both illegal immigrant and tourist arrivals. Either both are unsustainable or none at all. But you cannot claim that 10,000 illegal immigrants will spill the jug over, while encouraging yet more tourist arrivals beyond the current 1,000,000.

Malta was never known as the capital of rational thought, but jeez.

Apologies, Gary, I should have of written more clearly. I did not mean international maritime treaties. Mallia and Muscat gave an impression that the captain disregarded a direct order. The whole premise of refusing entry was that the commander disregarded a ‘rule’ to head back to Libya.

Yet he didn’t. Times of Malta had a PDF attached from the Rome rescue coordination centre. I can’t find it now, but it was a 2-part instruction to the Salamis to proceed to a set of coordinates, pick people up and head to the nearest safe port.

Nowhere was any Libyan port mentioned or suggested. The communication was just ‘nearest safe port’.

My area is, admittedly, aeronautical, not nautical, but I believe much of the same is true, and with an ambiguous message like that the commander IS expected to exercise discretion.

In addition to Daphne’s corrections to your gross misinformation, Malta isn’t even the most densely populated country in Europe. Monaco and Gibraltar surpass it, and like you’ve been told, the metric is useless as Malta can be considered one large city, like Singapore.

Also, population density in itself is meaningless. What matters is how many people can be supported – the carrying capacity of a country (food, water, hospital capacity etc.)

In the summer months, tourism doubles the population in Malta, yet no one goes thirsty or hungry.

There is no ‘us and them’, Chris. There is ONE human race, and one EU, both of which we are a fully integral part of. The moment you understand that, the happier you will be.

Really this is nothing new. Back in the 1980s demographers discussed this issue ad nauseum. Immigration isn’t the problem, it has always been a historical mechanism to relieve pressure on developing countries.

Think of the Italian mass exodus to the US in the early 20th century.

What has changed is countries wanting to protect their labour force, as well as the greater complexity of entering a country.

But even the labour force issue seems to be a fluke. Take for instance the Polish immigrants to the UK. They haven’t displaced British jobs, they filled gaps. In a generation or two, their children will be fully integrated Britons.

But there are rules:

SOLAS – chapter V (Safety of Navigation) – obligates the masters to provide assistance to any person in distress at sea, regardless of nationality or status of that person, and mandates Contracting Governments to co-ordinate and co-operate in assisting the ship’s master to deliver persons rescued at sea to a place of safety; and adds a new regulation on master’s discretion.

SAR – Annex to the Convention – obligate parties to assist the master in delivering persons rescued at sea to a place of safety and requires appropriate operating procedures for maritime rescue co- ordination centres to initiate the process of identifying the most suitable places for disembarking persons found in distress at sea.

We can debate the morality, but the legal position is clear for all parties concerned.

The fact is that the captain carried onto Malta despite being told to go to the port of nearest safety (Tripoli) by the Italian authorities who were co-ordinating the rescue (hopefully in liaison with Libya).

The captain has discretion, but – in my opinion – this does not mean he can go where he feels like contrary to given instructions (unless, of course, there is a compelling reason).

Someone has to be in charge, otherwise there will be chaos which could pose more danger to those people at sea who need assistance.

It ain’t but it sure feels like it.

1: Malta is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The most in Europe.

[Daphne – The usual rubbish myth. In real terms, Malta is actually a city, not a country, so the density of population has to be compared to that of other cities. It’s certainly not more densely populated than, say, London or New York. Larger countries may have plenty of open space and rolling hills, but it is not as though you can plant a bunch of people in the middle of them. People live in towns and cities, not on the frozen expansive wastes of Finland or in the Scottish hills.]

2: Yes we are part of the EU. Commissioners from fellow EU countries won’t help us. We don’t need money, we are not the toilet of the EU.

[Daphne – Judging by the comments people of your sympathies are now posting all over the internet, we are indeed ‘the toilet of the EU’. I trust you realise that by saying we are ‘the toilet of the EU’ because of African immigration, you are saying that African immigrants are human excrement.]

3: To show them that we are not pushovers. This is common sense. If you give 1 homeless person money he and all his friends will keep hounding you continuesly.

[Daphne – Continuously. When did you last give money to a homeless person?]

4: If you leave a door wide open expect people to walk through it. Would you leave your house door open?

[Daphne – Another argument rooted in gross ignorance: a house is not comparable in legal terms or any other terms to a state. A house is personal property, protected at law. A state is not personal property and the laws which apply are different. Malta is not your personal property. Remember that always.]

Good. The world needs to know that Malta are no push overs. If you read the comments underneath these stories on international news websites you will see that most of the people commenting agree that Malta cannot keep accepting illegal immigrants.

[Daphne – There are also lots of people who agree that children should be raped for the delectation of adults. It’s a worldwide booming business. Crime and human rights are not a matter of popular vote. Your failure to understand this is spectacular. Yours is the ‘f’dari hadd ma jindahalli’ syndrome: you can beat your wife and starve your child and make fireworks in your garage.]

There is nothing racist about wanting to protect your country from this silent invasion. There is nothing illegal either especially in this particular case.

Also the ‘fate’ of sub Saharan Africans on Libya is a total exaggeration. If that were the case please explain how they managed to get to Libya , earn the thousands of dollars it costs to pay the human traffickers and freely leave the country.

It’s a tough call, between your own business interests and the fate of your grandchildren, but I suggest you tell them to take their investments elsewhere.

You take care of the GDP drain and I’ll sort out the brain drain. If we can’t win we can make sure it’s scorched earth until 2018.