[WATCH] Maltese divided on migrants standoff

MaltaToday asked people in Valletta whether they felt Malta should allow in the 49 migrants on board two NGO ships

7 January 2019, 5:18pm
by Massimo Costa

1 min read

People we spoke to in Valletta had mixed views on whether Malta should accept to take in the 49 migrants stranded on two NGO ships or not. (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday

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Two NGO ships, the Sea-Watch 3 and the Professor Albert Penck remain stranded off Malta’s coast with 49 migrants on board, after no country has given its permission for the vessels to dock at its shores.

Discussions are ongoing between Malta and other European Union countries on how to solve the issue.

MaltaToday went to Valletta to gauge people’s opinions on whether Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is right in closing the island’s ports to the humanitarian ships, or whether Malta should allow the migrants, amongst whom are children, to disembark in Malta, after over two weeks at sea.

It emerged from our vox pop that people's views are mixed on the matter, and while some think the government should be humane and give permission for the migrants to land on the island, others feel that the burden should be shared with other European countries, and that Malta's size meant it couldn't be expected to take in more people.

Sea-Watch doctor says situation is 'dire' for stranded migrants

Massimo Costa joined MaltaToday as a journalist in 2017.