The Indian national government have decided not to become a party in the Malta boat tragedy related court cases pending in Malta, Italy and Greece, Hindustan Times reports. Family members together with Malta Boat Tragedy Probe Mission chairman Balwant Singh Khera held a protest against this decision of the Indian Government. They insisted that the government should at least help the families in retrieving the remains of those who died.
Hindustan Times also reported that the Indian government stated that it took such a decision since it was “primarily an illegal act in which victims were travelling without valid travel documents”.
The tragedy, which happened on 25th December 1996 in the Malta-Sicily channel near Italy, claimed the lives of 290 youth, including 170 Indians, mainly from Punjab.
It was reported that the Punjab government was asked to issue death certificates for the victims’ families. However, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed said it was not possible as the identification of the bodies was most unlikely.
Regarding the list of victims, which Mr Khera asked, the minister Ahamed stated that an “advice” in this regard to the Punjab government had already been sent and it had been asked to issue the death certificates.
The Indian government stated that the Malta boat tragedy was “primarily an illegal act in which victims were travelling without valid travel documents”.
Maltese citizen of Pakistani descent Turab Ahmed Sheik has been charged with the death of the illegal immigrants. However, his trial was suspended because of a technical problem in the notification of the two defendants. Besides Sheik there was Youssef El Hallal, the Lebanese captain of the ship Yiohan that sank with the illegal immigrants on board. El Hallal has been arrested in Paris a week after, and the Sicilian authorities were seeking his extradition to Italy.
See also:
Malta boat tragedy on US-based Channel
By Roseanne Sammut - Sep 28, 2004, 11:46 CET
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