Leisure Clothing is owned by the Chinese government, so this is now a diplomatic issue
We in the press have to be acutely aware of the fact that both the Maltese government and the Chinese government will now collude to treat the arrest and indictment of two Leisure Clothing directors as the straightforward prosecution of two factory bosses who were doing wrong.
But what we are dealing with here is of much greater magnitude than that.
Those two Chinese directors currently held on remand are the fall guys.
There is no way on earth that they would be trafficking people and exploiting them for a factory owned by the Chinese government without the Chinese government’s full knowledge, cooperation and approval.
This is now a state-to-state matter. A factory owned by a foreign state is under investigation for trafficking human beings into the territory of another state and exploiting them on that state’s territory.
It is a major diplomatic incident, except that it is not strictly speaking an incident at all because the events have been so protracted over time, which makes them more offensive still to Malta.
China’s behaviour in this regard has been utterly outrageous. It sets up a factory in Malta and then proceeds to traffic people into our country and exploit them here. What we have here is a foreign state, breaking Maltese law with criminal activity in plain sight and with the authorities turning a blind eye for years until the story exploded in the press.
This goes way beyond the indictment of those two Chinese directors. This is now a matter that affects diplomatic relations. The prime minister has no choice but to comment, and journalists should be at the gate of the Chinese embassy.
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http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-11-19/local-news/Two-Leisure-Clothing-directors-denied-bail-after-accused-of-9-charges-including-human-trafficking-6736125992
Bear in mind that the factory seems to be a front for unloading containers – changing seals then shooting off into the EU with Made in Malta labels .
Well if that helps this government’s export figures I guess it must be alright.
Now let’s hope that those two Chinese directors don’t end up this way.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1028680/GRAPHIC-CONTENT-Public-execution-China.html
Muscat got the Chinese refusing to submit any plans for their ’embassy’ and Leisure Clothing the Chinese Ambassador as spokesman.
And now for a state of the art industrial estate in Pembroke. What was it he said about China and Malta being very old friends?
What if they excavated a tunnel to the sea shore? What if they took over the white rocks complex too. Who is to say that they would not start operating in other manners from our shoreline also.
I agree with your reasoning.
The Chinese are seasoned experts at arm twisting.
On a completely different note: I’m watching TVM and can’t believe the words coming out of Ian Castaldi Paris’s mouth. He is really confirming that he is now one of josephmuscat.com’s world. I wonder when his iced bun is due. What a lackey! Shame on him.
Ian who?
Here he is. Just to refresh your memory.
http://youtu.be/bg2CREkBPHM
Turncoat. Shame on you, Ian.
Rumor has it that Ian Castaldi Paris will be contesting the Fifth Electoral Division for the MLP
This was a major problem with the PN, they did not ask for psychological assessments for their candidates and they got lumped with these losers.
Another to join JPO in Joseph’s Skip.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-11-19/local-news/7-000-single-mothers-on-benefits-urged-to-work-1-200-employed-single-parents-to-get-in-work-benefit-6736125986
Look who was in Bulebel this morning, buoyant labour supply eh?
‘..The 1,200 single parents who are employed will start receiving the in-work benefit, which was announced in last Monday’s budget speech. The benefit seeks to widen the gap between the minimum wage and social benefits, discouraging people from relying on the latter…’
That’s easy, just linearly remove social benefits, or in newspeak, taper these and the gap widens. Muscat’s also been telling women to please stop being too finicky with the nature and quality of available jobs. His example being how cleaners must do with night shifts, single mothers included.
One race to the bottom.
It looks good on those generational Labourites of the typical “hamali’ and lazy persuasion.
Where will they now get easy money to do their nails and buy pancake make-up and cigarettes?
Jo sure pulled a fast one on them.
When the prime minister finally comments about this, I’m sure he will play it down as insignificant.
He will also blame the previous government for it and then tell us how efficient the police are under his watch.
He is so predictable.
Ian Castaldi Paris is in search of a plum post. There he is on TVM vomiting all over the Nationalist Party to please Labour. Viva chi regna.
They need someone like him at this moment when the government is under siege with courts stopping two major projects, casinos and public transport.
They will use anything and anyone to deviate attention from the real problems this country is facing.
Let’s see if someone also tries to challenge the new power station contract after the terms of reference seem to have been so drastically changed.
Well put.
So Ian Castaldi Paris turns from a prospective candidate on the PN ticket, to mayor of Lija on the PN ticket to a low level political laghqi?
Why – does he want his old job of Chairman of the Northwest Nature Reserve back? Jaqaw hemm xi tender sabiha gejja?
Poor Lijani who wasted their votes on him – in this case it was a situation of the Machiavellian nutar leading the trusting fools.
Keep in mind that he was always pushed into positions of trust within the PN by Robert Arrigo. (Something anyone even slightly close to the PN would know)
Is this part of a plan to destabilize Simon Busuttil to ensure that the PN lose the next election?
Is someone playing the same dirty game that was played on Lawrence Gonzi to ensure that the last election was lost?
I rate Castaldi Paris with Robert Musumeci.
In all my comments over the years, and in my memoires, about Maltese-Chinese diplomatic relations I have never faulted the Chinese side.
This incident is quite different. While I can imagine that in a huge country like China, cases of corruption, ill-treatment of workers, etc., could take place on the initiative of individuals without the knowledge of the authorities, the same does not apply in tiny Malta, where the Chinese community and business interests are far more limited, and far more easily monitored by a very big embassy.
It does not look promising for the more massive involvement of China in Malta.
The haunting poetry of a Chinese factory worker who committed suicide http://wapo.st/1sDeSQK
The welfare and safety of the Chinese people currently working at the factory is of great concern.
How are they being protected right now, if at all?
Mr Han is a naturalised Maltese citizen yet the police found his suitcases packed and a ticket to China via Rome.
Is there a dual nationality agreement with China or any extradition agreement? Is there a reason he needed to have Maltese citizenship in relation to his function at Leisure Clothing?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141119/local/leisure-clothing-directors-deny-human-trafficking-charges.544806
[Daphne – Chinese citizens cannot hold another passport. The police asked that he be held on remand precisely because they cannot extradite him from China.]
And do you Daphne, or anyone else for that matter, think that Joseph will do anything that might ruffle Li Keqiang’s feathers?
And poor Sai Mizzi, she really must be having a hard time trying to sort this out on behalf of Malta Enterprise.
After all, with the salary she is getting she is doing something about it? Yes? NO? So what are we paying her for?
According to The Times report Bin Han has Maltese nationality. Did he get it through the sale-of-citizenship scheme or through marriage with a Maltese woman?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141119/local/leisure-clothing-directors-deny-human-trafficking-charges.544806
[Daphne – As somebody who has been running a factory here for many years, he would have got Maltese citizenship through naturalisation. He wouldn’t be the only one, either: most of those who set up and ran factories in Malta for years have Maltese passports now.]
One detail which may have escaped you: the Chinese ambassador/ diplomat visited Dr Chris Said at the PN HQ to try and dissuade Medialink journalists from reporting anything about Leisure Clothing.
The PN general secretary told the ambassador that he does not interfere with the journalists’ work as long as they report the truth.