***image1***Father Dionysius Mintoff is a seventy-five year old San Franciscan priest who is the head of the Peace Laboratory in Malta.  He merits to be introduced as the Father of the Eritrean Refugees in Malta, for there is no one who cares for them as much as he does. According to Mrs Elisabeth Chyrum, EHDR-UK�s human rights officer, �Father Mintoff is a highly dedicated, committed and caring human being and he has done a lot for the Eritrean refugees in Malta.�  He struggles to see that justice comes into play in regards to the existence of our Eritrean compatriots.  He has challenged the dismissive mechanism the Maltese State employed in dealing with the refugees and helped them appeal their cases through a renowned lawyer. 

Father Mintoff continues to play a key role in keeping the refugees going in these times of despair. He has published numerous articles on local newspapers and one can confidently say that he is the principal advocate our Eritrean brethren have at the moment. He has released a press release, on 5 Sept 2002 under the title of �Do not demonise the Immigrants�, after a riot broke out in the Maltese camps where the refugees are being held.   

This interview with Father Mintoff was conducted early this month.   

Awate: Father Mintoff, could you please tell me something about yourself? 

Fr Mintoff: I am Franciscan priest and I have been working in the San Franciscan order for the last forty-seven years.  I have been the chairman for the Commission of Peace and Justice for the Franciscan order in Europe for three years. I was also involved in launching the idea of San Franciscan International, that is, a Franciscan order that observes activity regarding human rights. 

Awate: How did you come to know about the Eritrean refugees, Fr Mintoff? 

Fr Mintoff: That is a good question.  We have got this complex which is called the Peace Laboratory in Malta. At this complex education for peace has always been our aim. The Peace Lab is where we work and pray for peace. In this complex we have a library and an accommodation centre. We also have a radio station and a meeting place. In front of our complex there is a big barracks that used to house hundreds of soldiers during the war. The government, after it picked up the Eritreans [at sea], they needed a place to house them.  First they put them in prison.  Later they realised there was no law that said they should be in prison. Well, they took all the immigrants and put them in these barracks.  So they became our neighbours. You know this place is just across the road, so I used to go and see them. They are good neighbours.  At first, nobody was allowed to enter the premises and see them.  But later I managed to get in to see them; now I am a frequent visitor.  

Awate: Interesting. Can you please give me a brief and general picture on the condition of the refugees? 

Fr Mintoff: Well, the place is not bad. There are people from Somalia, Nigeria, Ethiopia and of course Eritrea. There are 700 people from Eritrea in there.  

Awate: I understand you also have Eritrean women in the camp.   

Fr Mintoff: Yes, we have seventy couples and forty children. But yesterday there was a new addition � a baby was born.  

Awate: Do you know the baby�s name? 

Fr Mintoff:  Yes, the name it Sedel (phonetic).  The father�s name is Yousuf and the mother�s name is (� inaudible) so they named the baby Sedel.  

Awate: Is it true that the refugees� appeal for asylum has been rejected? 

Fr Mintoff: Yes.  

Awate: So how are the Eritreans taking this? 

Fr Mintoff: Of course, they are very sad. 

Awate: I would like to ask you about your knowledge on the situation in Eritrea.  

Fr Mintoff: After I had met the Eritreans I started to look into the history and culture of the people. I know there were other San Franciscans that went down in Eritrea as missionaries. I know of the wars. I have also learned that the Commission (for immigrants) and UNHCR all say that they give refugee status only to those who are at war.  

Awate: But what is their definition of war?   As far as many people, including the refugees, are concerned Eritrea is still at war [against its own citizens] socially, economically, morally, psychologically, spiritually, you name it.  

Fr Mintoff: That is what you think but they do not have the same opinion about Eritrea. They say it is really peaceful there now.  Let me tell you this: for the first time immigrants have managed to appeal their case with the assistance [of the locals] in a court of law.  This has never happened in the past. When they turned to us for assistance we helped them by bringing one of the best lawyers in Malta, Dr George Abela, to submit their case to the court.  Unfortunately, all the appeals were rejected. I think this is unconstitutional. 

Awate: You may have touched on this earlier ... what do you think is being done to provide humanitarian aid to the refugees?  

Fr Mintoff: They are well treated at the camps. As you know Malta is a small country and this issue is not looked at favourably from the people of the people of Malta. On the other hand, not all the media is helping in giving a good picture of these people. Not that I agree with them but the people here in this island think that these people are criminals, they are going to take away other people�s work and so forth.  So the public opinion is very much against them. 

Awate: Is it true that some of the refugees have been sent back to Eritrea? 

Fr Mintoff: I can�t say anything for certain about that. 

Awate: You did mention something about UNHCR.  Has it been involved in the matter?  

Fr Mintoff: They have to.  This is their job, you know. An UNHCR representative came over and held meetings with various organisations and saw the refugees and others as well.  

Awate: What about the Eritrean government? Any involvement? 

Fr Mintoff:  I do not know.   

Awate: Can you briefly depict how a refugee spends his/day in the camp? 

Fr Mintoff: That is a very big problem. The day is very long for them for they do not have anything to do.  

Awate: What do you think the Eritrean Diaspora should do to help? 

Fr Mintoff:  I think they should write to their respective governments and tell them the true situation in Eritrea.  They know the situation better than I do, and I cannot say as much as they can say.  What I know is what I gather from the papers. They have to write to international organisations. 

Awate: Are you in contact with some human rights activists at the moment? 

Fr Mintoff: Oh yes.  I am also in touch with Amnesty International. 

Awate: What about Eritrean activists? 

Fr Mintoff: Yes, I know a couple of them.  The more we work with them the better. We can do our part from here and they can do their part from there.  

Awate: If Eritrean POWs [in Ethiopia] who have been officially released through the help of the Red Cross refuse to return to Eritrea, don�t you think your politicians will understand the gravity of the situation in Eritrea? 

Fr Mintoff: I believe the Commission [for emigration] here follow the UNHCR line that there is no war in Eritrea rather than other sources. 

Awate: What would you like to see in regards to the refugees, Father Mintoff? 

Fr Mintoff: I wish they get good and proper treatment on the basis of the human rights beliefs. 

Awate: Any message you may want to pass to the Eritrean communities or anyone else? 

Fr Mintoff: My message to Eritrea is that �Justice is another word for Peace�. Where there is justice there is peace. If all of us and all the countries work for justice then we won�t have shortage of peace.  

Awate: That is very interesting and very touching.  Well that concludes our interview, Fr Mintoff.  I thank you on behalf of Awate.