BirdLife yesterday accused hunters' lobby FKNK of having a "xenophobic attitude" referring to controversial statements by secretary Lino Farrugia over BirdLife Malta's executive director Tolga Temuge, a Turkish national.

On Monday Farrugia said the government was pushing out hunters from rural areas to "make way for foreigners", referring to BirdLife's raptor monitoring camp for foreign and local ornithologists.

Farrugia continued saying the ban on hunting in the afternoon during September was devised by the government as a "collective punishment" on hunters, and that the country should be enjoyed by locals. He said foreigners criticising Malta should be declared persona non grata, and claimed Malta had succumbed to foreign leadership, referring to Temuge.

Yesterday BirdLife said the FKNK conveniently ignores the right of the rest of the population to venture into the countryside, and that the lobby's xenophobic attitude "is increasingly becoming apparent."

Joseph Mangion, President of BirdLife, said the organisation acknowledged the right of hunters to hunt at certain periods and on certain species, "but that right carries with it the obligation to respect the law, respect third parties and help to stop illegal hunting. The FKNK administration appears to be desperate to move the focus from the issue of illegal killing of protected species."

The government has banned hunting after 3pm for 15 days from September 15, coinciding with the peak migration of raptors.

Lino Farrugia on Monday called on hunters and trappers not to allow foreigners to provoke them and not to allow them inside their property.

Since the beginning of the Raptor Monitoring Camp organised by BirdLife, foreign and local ornithologists have been witnessing the killing of protected species including Honey Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Osprey, Montagu's Harrier, Common Kestrel and Flamingo among others.

"The indiscriminate slaughter of protected birds in Malta is a concern for all Europeans and should not be used for short sighted political gains by our politicians. No political party should think that they can gain leverage by appeasing one side over the other. Everybody, including law abiding hunters, will benefit through the full implementation of national law and the Birds Directive and it is the responsibility of our elected representatives from both parties to safeguard our environment and enforce the law," Mangion said.