10 ms·

Malta: an island of secrets and lies

182 points by Thevet 9y ago

arca_vorago 9y ago
It's worth noting an abnormal amount of high level persons in the military industrial complex are Knights of Malta, particularly the CIA heads. Just an fyi.
- smcl 9y ago
  I think this is different. Malta the EU country doesn’t seem to have much in common with that Rome-based sovereign order of Malta organisation, other than the name of course.
  - toyg 9y ago
    Yes and no. The now-Rome-based order used to actually rule over Malta, before being forced out by Napoleon Bonaparte and relocating to Italy. It's unlikely they will ever regain ownership of the island, but they are still considered almost a sovereign state, despite not actually holding any territory. They do have a sizeable presence on Malta, including a free lease on their historic fort, which is used for their activities and considered extra-territorial like an embassy. The independent government has traditionally been friendly towards them, as they were towards the Catholic Church in general. During the Cold War, it is alleged the order used the island as a safe base for espionage activities directed towards Italy, usually in concert with other NATO organisations. A number of shady Italian personalities had links to the order and owned properties on the island; this is why Maltese corruption is hardly a surprise to most Italian researchers.
  - 24gttghh 9y ago
    This does not appear to be entirely the case[0]. >The Parliament of the Republic of Malta has ratified today the agreement set out in 1998 between the Maltese Government and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, pursuant to which Fort St. Angelo, the oldest fort in Malta, shall be granted in concession to the Order for a period of 99 years. Please do not construe this rebuttal as an agreement with the GP that the SMOM is some kind of Illuminati organization. From what I can gather, it looks like the group is a quasi-sovereign Red Cross type entity today. [0]https://www.orderofmalta.int/2001/03/13/two-centuries-order-malta-flag-flies-fort-st-angelo-beside-maltese-flag/ https://www.orderofmalta.int/2001/03/13/two-centuries-order-...
- runeb 9y ago
  And? What is the significance and why is it worth noting?
  - aluhut 9y ago
    something something Freemasons and Illuminati
  - creep 9y ago
    Because it's an interesting anomaly, considering the apparent corruption. Why is everyone so quick to offense when someone mentions the CIA outside of tech?
    - j_koreth 9y ago
      It doesn't have anything to do the island of Malta
      - creep 9y ago
        Okay, thanks.
- chrisbennet 9y ago
  Conspiracy Thinking and Pattern Recognition https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/conspiracy-thinking-and-pattern-recognition/ https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/conspiracy-thi... “We conclude that illusory pattern perception is a central cognitive mechanism accounting for conspiracy theories and supernatural beliefs.”
- neaden 9y ago
  Do you have any citation for this? It sounds, well, made up. Also as mentioned The Knights of Malta haven't had anything to do with the island for over 200 years.
  - arca_vorago 9y ago
    I went about my day and just got back. I had no idea this would strike such a nerve. Yes, here is my citation, though it's unlikely to be seen now that I've been massively flagged for pointing out something relevant. I think anyone who is genuinely curious would find some very interesting things in this treaty between the government of Malta and the SMOM. https://foreignaffairs.gov.mt/en/Treaties%20Series/Documents/Sovreign%20Military%20Hospitalier%20order%20of%20St.%20John%20-%20Fort%20St%20Angelo%20Agreement%20-%205%20December%201998.pdf https://foreignaffairs.gov.mt/en/Treaties%20Series/Documents... Beyond that there is a rich history of the relationship between SMOM and the government of Malta, the SMOM and other orders that reside on Malta, and how they connect to the Vatican/Rome. Really it was something I noticed when researching the history of the OSS and CIA, that so many CIA people were also SMOM. That's what led me down the path of reading up on them.
    - neaden 9y ago
      This doesn't really seem to back up what you were saying though, about the CIA and the Order of Malta. This is just pretty much setting up an embassy.
- blue1 9y ago
  Since 1798, Knights of Malta have been based in Rome (where they have their tiny extraterritorial palaces). They have nothing to do with the island of Malta anymore.
  - cornholio 9y ago
    > They have nothing to do with the island of Malta anymore. Allegedly. ALLEGEDLY !!!
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
m_fayer 9y ago
I found this interesting after spending a few weeks there this Summer on a whim. Everything about it is just so improbable. Tiny ancient place, Arabic-descended language, Mediterranean climate, built environment like some cross of Crete and Jerusalem, Catholic culture and social mores, English food-and-drink, and now also ugly sprawl and car-culture, receding nature, people everywhere. All that and crawling with the families of minor Russian oligarchs and unashamedly advertising all sorts of tax-haven services. Just... weird.
- neaden 9y ago
  I wonder if corruption is to some degree inevitable in any country this small. How do you deal with international companies and billionaires who are richer than your entire nation?
  - ajmurmann 9y ago
    Hah, that's a fascinating point to me because I always thought small countries made corruption harder because everyone will know what's going on. I wonder if for the reasons you describe the is more corruption but it has less negative impact because everyone is watching and eventually gets paid off.
    - garmaine 9y ago
      The trickle down effect of corruption is very real and noticeable on small island nations.
    - barrkel 9y ago
      Small countries have small elites that are far more likely to have gone through the same educational institutions and run in the same social circles. A corruption of back-scratching at the top, where consequences and laws are for the little people, rather than a culture of pervasive bribery. Ireland is corrupt like this - not for major crimes, just lots of little things, like planning permission and speeding points on driving licenses. Nobody wants to make a big stink because everybody swims in the same small pond, and what goes around comes around. Here's a case study on the topic of speeding points: https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/oct/03/irish-independent-ireland https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/oct/03/iri... ; speeding points corruption is an ongoing political issue that has brought down multiple justice ministers, primarily due to the attempted coverups (trying to silence Maurice McCabe).
yardie 9y ago
Part of our travels took us to Malta. My family spent a few months there and got to be embedded in Maltese culture. Hard to do as a tourist because while the Maltese are nice they are not inviting to strangers. Since the Crusades they've been a softball between Eastern and Western empires, coming in and telling them what's what. I was just a fly on the wall but what I learned is Malta is a mix of old world families and familiarity and new world, EU, business rules. Where even billionaire megayachts get duty-free fuel smuggled in from Libya through a series of handlers. It's also something I really enjoyed about that island. The big box stores were on equal footing or disadvantaged to local, small shops. Everyone had a friend or family member who dealt in one speciality or another. The rock bottom price wasn't reserved for friends or family. Little haggling was even necessary. The price you paid was the best price you were going to find. Whether that be sailboat parts, limes, or rabbit. I really miss it and look forward to going back.
- atombender 9y ago
  There's also a heavy mafia presence, and organized crime in general. When Italy cracked down on organized crime, some maafia elements moved their operations to Malta. The recent killing of a Maltese journalist was almost certainly related to organized crime [1] [2]. It's amazing how much violence they've had for such a small country [3]. That said, Malta is awesome, and this is not really something you see as a tourist. The scuba diving is some of the best in the Mediterranean. [1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/03/italy-accuses-malta-failing-counter-organised-crime-murdered/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/03/italy-accuses-ma... [2] http://europeanpost.co/mafia-seeing-malta-as-a-little-paradise-italian-anti-mafia-commission-warns/ http://europeanpost.co/mafia-seeing-malta-as-a-little-paradi... [3] http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-11-20/news/50-unsolved-murders-since-1972-3238133761 http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-11-20/news/50-un...
  - purrcat259 9y ago
    Honestly... the mafia presence / organised crime bit is either totally over my head or very much overblown in international media. Source: Maltese born and bred, 24 years and counting.
andriussev 9y ago
Personally, Malta is a great country but the political part is complicated and makes it hard to expect good but controversial change, ex: attempts to lower the number of cars on the road. If someone tries that, they might do some good but it's very likely to make a lot people unhappy and everyone knows everyone, voting for political parties goes for generations (15-16 year olds chanting for Labour party because their parents and grandparents did that -- even though they can't even vote yet). Hard and drastic changes are needed but you won't get reelected if you do that... Apart from that, the occasional xenophobia and selfishness is visible. From a dev perspective, iGaming (online gambling) is booming and raising the prices of rent making it more difficult for locals. Poor get poorer, eh..? Source: Living in Malta for almost 2 years now. P.S. The trick is not to read too many news, not having interest in politics, enjoying the weather and ignoring crappy people.
- antisthenes 9y ago
  > P.S. The trick is not to read too many news, not having interest in politics, enjoying the weather and ignoring crappy people. That trick is applicable in any part of the world.
  - vkou 9y ago
    You may not be interested in politics, but I assure you, politics is interested in you.
- nkrisc 9y ago
  > The trick is not to read too many news, not having interest in politics, enjoying the weather and ignoring crappy people. That only works for so long until the crappy things and people you've been ignoring have festered long enough that they start inserting themselves into your life and it's too late to stop them.
  - ersii 9y ago
    Have you actually tried to do this, though? I'd say most places becomes a lot better if you stop engaging the mainstream news and politics, even Sweden seems quite sane after doing so. I've found it gives you time and energy to focus on your actual life surroundings.
Numberwang 9y ago
Its a bizarre place for so many reasons. Us swedes are everywhere because of igaming. No one in Sweden ever thinks or talks about Malta, but we are enough Swedes here to be counted as a small city.
- kzrdude 9y ago
  What's igaming? I'm kind of guessing online poker.
  - Numberwang 9y ago
    Yeah, basically online casinos.
  - purrcat259 9y ago
    The palatable name for any sort of gambling/betting related sector really. Gets annoying when I tell people that my hobby is gaming and they think I'm a closet gambler.
rumcajz 9y ago
Btw, there was another murder of a journalist few days ago, this time in Slovakia: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/28/slovakian-journalist-was-investigating-political-links-to-italian-mafia https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/28/slovakian-jour...
zwieback 9y ago
We worked with ST micro in Malta, they had a bunch of good MEMS engineers there, weird place for that.
Feniks 9y ago
Fitting for a country founded by real Templars.
- dragonwriter 9y ago
  Malta wasn't founded (or ever ruled by) the Knights Templar, though it was for a period ruled by Knights Hospitaller, the other of the two best-known crusading orders (and the one that still exists, known now as “the Sovereign Military Order of Malta”.
mehrdadn 9y ago
Seems like an appropriate place to leave a link to this video: https://fb.com/10157136069225329 https://fb.com/10157136069225329
mcs_ 9y ago
I worked for different sports book, casinos and poker companies there. Gaming licenses there are regulated and the environment is toxic. My work experience was very bad. Despite the regulations for that industry, mafia still drives the entire sector and is not something hidden.

182 points by Thevet 9y ago

It's worth noting an abnormal amount of high level persons in the military industrial complex are Knights of Malta, particularly the CIA heads. Just an fyi.

smcl 9y ago
I think this is different. Malta the EU country doesn’t seem to have much in common with that Rome-based sovereign order of Malta organisation, other than the name of course.
- toyg 9y ago
  Yes and no. The now-Rome-based order used to actually rule over Malta, before being forced out by Napoleon Bonaparte and relocating to Italy. It's unlikely they will ever regain ownership of the island, but they are still considered almost a sovereign state, despite not actually holding any territory. They do have a sizeable presence on Malta, including a free lease on their historic fort, which is used for their activities and considered extra-territorial like an embassy. The independent government has traditionally been friendly towards them, as they were towards the Catholic Church in general. During the Cold War, it is alleged the order used the island as a safe base for espionage activities directed towards Italy, usually in concert with other NATO organisations. A number of shady Italian personalities had links to the order and owned properties on the island; this is why Maltese corruption is hardly a surprise to most Italian researchers.
- 24gttghh 9y ago
  This does not appear to be entirely the case[0]. >The Parliament of the Republic of Malta has ratified today the agreement set out in 1998 between the Maltese Government and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, pursuant to which Fort St. Angelo, the oldest fort in Malta, shall be granted in concession to the Order for a period of 99 years. Please do not construe this rebuttal as an agreement with the GP that the SMOM is some kind of Illuminati organization. From what I can gather, it looks like the group is a quasi-sovereign Red Cross type entity today. [0]https://www.orderofmalta.int/2001/03/13/two-centuries-order-malta-flag-flies-fort-st-angelo-beside-maltese-flag/ https://www.orderofmalta.int/2001/03/13/two-centuries-order-...
runeb 9y ago
And? What is the significance and why is it worth noting?
- aluhut 9y ago
  something something Freemasons and Illuminati
- creep 9y ago
  Because it's an interesting anomaly, considering the apparent corruption. Why is everyone so quick to offense when someone mentions the CIA outside of tech?
  - j_koreth 9y ago
    It doesn't have anything to do the island of Malta
    - creep 9y ago
      Okay, thanks.
chrisbennet 9y ago
Conspiracy Thinking and Pattern Recognition https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/conspiracy-thinking-and-pattern-recognition/ https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/conspiracy-thi... “We conclude that illusory pattern perception is a central cognitive mechanism accounting for conspiracy theories and supernatural beliefs.”
neaden 9y ago
Do you have any citation for this? It sounds, well, made up. Also as mentioned The Knights of Malta haven't had anything to do with the island for over 200 years.
- arca_vorago 9y ago
  I went about my day and just got back. I had no idea this would strike such a nerve. Yes, here is my citation, though it's unlikely to be seen now that I've been massively flagged for pointing out something relevant. I think anyone who is genuinely curious would find some very interesting things in this treaty between the government of Malta and the SMOM. https://foreignaffairs.gov.mt/en/Treaties%20Series/Documents/Sovreign%20Military%20Hospitalier%20order%20of%20St.%20John%20-%20Fort%20St%20Angelo%20Agreement%20-%205%20December%201998.pdf https://foreignaffairs.gov.mt/en/Treaties%20Series/Documents... Beyond that there is a rich history of the relationship between SMOM and the government of Malta, the SMOM and other orders that reside on Malta, and how they connect to the Vatican/Rome. Really it was something I noticed when researching the history of the OSS and CIA, that so many CIA people were also SMOM. That's what led me down the path of reading up on them.
  - neaden 9y ago
    This doesn't really seem to back up what you were saying though, about the CIA and the Order of Malta. This is just pretty much setting up an embassy.
blue1 9y ago
Since 1798, Knights of Malta have been based in Rome (where they have their tiny extraterritorial palaces). They have nothing to do with the island of Malta anymore.
- cornholio 9y ago
  > They have nothing to do with the island of Malta anymore. Allegedly. ALLEGEDLY !!!

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

m_fayer 9y ago

I found this interesting after spending a few weeks there this Summer on a whim. Everything about it is just so improbable. Tiny ancient place, Arabic-descended language, Mediterranean climate, built environment like some cross of Crete and Jerusalem, Catholic culture and social mores, English food-and-drink, and now also ugly sprawl and car-culture, receding nature, people everywhere. All that and crawling with the families of minor Russian oligarchs and unashamedly advertising all sorts of tax-haven services. Just... weird.

neaden 9y ago
I wonder if corruption is to some degree inevitable in any country this small. How do you deal with international companies and billionaires who are richer than your entire nation?
- ajmurmann 9y ago
  Hah, that's a fascinating point to me because I always thought small countries made corruption harder because everyone will know what's going on. I wonder if for the reasons you describe the is more corruption but it has less negative impact because everyone is watching and eventually gets paid off.
  - garmaine 9y ago
    The trickle down effect of corruption is very real and noticeable on small island nations.
  - barrkel 9y ago
    Small countries have small elites that are far more likely to have gone through the same educational institutions and run in the same social circles. A corruption of back-scratching at the top, where consequences and laws are for the little people, rather than a culture of pervasive bribery. Ireland is corrupt like this - not for major crimes, just lots of little things, like planning permission and speeding points on driving licenses. Nobody wants to make a big stink because everybody swims in the same small pond, and what goes around comes around. Here's a case study on the topic of speeding points: https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/oct/03/irish-independent-ireland https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/oct/03/iri... ; speeding points corruption is an ongoing political issue that has brought down multiple justice ministers, primarily due to the attempted coverups (trying to silence Maurice McCabe).

yardie 9y ago

Part of our travels took us to Malta. My family spent a few months there and got to be embedded in Maltese culture. Hard to do as a tourist because while the Maltese are nice they are not inviting to strangers. Since the Crusades they've been a softball between Eastern and Western empires, coming in and telling them what's what. I was just a fly on the wall but what I learned is Malta is a mix of old world families and familiarity and new world, EU, business rules. Where even billionaire megayachts get duty-free fuel smuggled in from Libya through a series of handlers. It's also something I really enjoyed about that island. The big box stores were on equal footing or disadvantaged to local, small shops. Everyone had a friend or family member who dealt in one speciality or another. The rock bottom price wasn't reserved for friends or family. Little haggling was even necessary. The price you paid was the best price you were going to find. Whether that be sailboat parts, limes, or rabbit. I really miss it and look forward to going back.

atombender 9y ago
There's also a heavy mafia presence, and organized crime in general. When Italy cracked down on organized crime, some maafia elements moved their operations to Malta. The recent killing of a Maltese journalist was almost certainly related to organized crime [1] [2]. It's amazing how much violence they've had for such a small country [3]. That said, Malta is awesome, and this is not really something you see as a tourist. The scuba diving is some of the best in the Mediterranean. [1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/03/italy-accuses-malta-failing-counter-organised-crime-murdered/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/03/italy-accuses-ma... [2] http://europeanpost.co/mafia-seeing-malta-as-a-little-paradise-italian-anti-mafia-commission-warns/ http://europeanpost.co/mafia-seeing-malta-as-a-little-paradi... [3] http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-11-20/news/50-unsolved-murders-since-1972-3238133761 http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-11-20/news/50-un...
- purrcat259 9y ago
  Honestly... the mafia presence / organised crime bit is either totally over my head or very much overblown in international media. Source: Maltese born and bred, 24 years and counting.

andriussev 9y ago

Personally, Malta is a great country but the political part is complicated and makes it hard to expect good but controversial change, ex: attempts to lower the number of cars on the road. If someone tries that, they might do some good but it's very likely to make a lot people unhappy and everyone knows everyone, voting for political parties goes for generations (15-16 year olds chanting for Labour party because their parents and grandparents did that -- even though they can't even vote yet). Hard and drastic changes are needed but you won't get reelected if you do that... Apart from that, the occasional xenophobia and selfishness is visible. From a dev perspective, iGaming (online gambling) is booming and raising the prices of rent making it more difficult for locals. Poor get poorer, eh..? Source: Living in Malta for almost 2 years now. P.S. The trick is not to read too many news, not having interest in politics, enjoying the weather and ignoring crappy people.

antisthenes 9y ago
> P.S. The trick is not to read too many news, not having interest in politics, enjoying the weather and ignoring crappy people. That trick is applicable in any part of the world.
- vkou 9y ago
  You may not be interested in politics, but I assure you, politics is interested in you.
nkrisc 9y ago
> The trick is not to read too many news, not having interest in politics, enjoying the weather and ignoring crappy people. That only works for so long until the crappy things and people you've been ignoring have festered long enough that they start inserting themselves into your life and it's too late to stop them.
- ersii 9y ago
  Have you actually tried to do this, though? I'd say most places becomes a lot better if you stop engaging the mainstream news and politics, even Sweden seems quite sane after doing so. I've found it gives you time and energy to focus on your actual life surroundings.

Numberwang 9y ago

Its a bizarre place for so many reasons. Us swedes are everywhere because of igaming. No one in Sweden ever thinks or talks about Malta, but we are enough Swedes here to be counted as a small city.

kzrdude 9y ago
What's igaming? I'm kind of guessing online poker.
- Numberwang 9y ago
  Yeah, basically online casinos.
- purrcat259 9y ago
  The palatable name for any sort of gambling/betting related sector really. Gets annoying when I tell people that my hobby is gaming and they think I'm a closet gambler.

rumcajz 9y ago

Btw, there was another murder of a journalist few days ago, this time in Slovakia: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/28/slovakian-journalist-was-investigating-political-links-to-italian-mafia https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/28/slovakian-jour...

zwieback 9y ago

We worked with ST micro in Malta, they had a bunch of good MEMS engineers there, weird place for that.

Feniks 9y ago

Fitting for a country founded by real Templars.

dragonwriter 9y ago
Malta wasn't founded (or ever ruled by) the Knights Templar, though it was for a period ruled by Knights Hospitaller, the other of the two best-known crusading orders (and the one that still exists, known now as “the Sovereign Military Order of Malta”.

mehrdadn 9y ago

Seems like an appropriate place to leave a link to this video: https://fb.com/10157136069225329 https://fb.com/10157136069225329

mcs_ 9y ago

I worked for different sports book, casinos and poker companies there. Gaming licenses there are regulated and the environment is toxic. My work experience was very bad. Despite the regulations for that industry, mafia still drives the entire sector and is not something hidden.