Trouble In Kolhufushi

Hundreds of islanders on Kolhufushi, Meemu Atoll have begun protesting around the Island Office after the government issued new proposals for tsunami recovery works.

Eyewitnesses say that around 200 locals gathered outside the office this morning and barricaded the Deputy Island Chief, Ismail Shakir, inside, throwing leaves and branches into the building. Protesters have also refused to let the Island Chief, Yusuf Sidqi, into the office, according to the reports.

According to Sidqi, who was left stuck by the island harbour, unable to get into his office, the protesters have raised the flag of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and cut down seven coconut trees.

The government issued a notice to islanders early today saying it would rebuild 55 houses damaged or destroyed by the tsunami on their original site, instead of a new site that had been proposed.

“We want to settle on the new zone. The zone is very close to the Island Office and the Health Centre…the old houses are very far away from these places,” said one protester who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal.

The government’s statement also said it would only offer compensation payments for repairs to another 132 houses, rather than repairing the houses themselves. That means residents would have to do the renovations on their own.

Controversy & Coconut Trees

The current disturbances are the latest in a long line of problems in Kolhufushi. Since the tsunami struck in December 2004, conflict between residents has caused serious setback for authorities trying to repair damage to the island.

Many people are still living in temporary housing and much of the repair and reconstruction is only partially completed. Most of the work is currently suspended and residents are getting increasingly fed up with the situation.

“Nothing has been done so far…because the government was unable to settle the land dispute, the Red Cross had to focus on other islands…We are very dissatisfied with how things are going on,” said the resident.

Many islanders complain bitterly that agricultural land has been destroyed and many coconut trees have been felled, depriving them of a local food source.

It is still unclear exactly how many trees have been cut down. Atoll Chief for Meemu, Mohamed Naeem says all 1376 coconut trees have already been felled and the government has replanted 411 already. He says compensation had been paid for a further 460 mature trees, with a little less money given for 505 immature trees.

But Island Chief Sidqi says Naeem is “just a robot” and has got it wrong. He claims 600 trees have been felled, with a further 776 to be cut down if and when building restarts.

There is further confusion over the number of people who live in Kolhufushi. According to the preliminary results of last year’s government census, which some island administrators say is unreliable, the island has a total population of 811. But Island Chief Sidqi told Minivan today the population is 1 276.

Slow Recovery

There has been a lot of disagreement between islanders and the government over where houses were to be built. Most residents said they were happy with plans to move all settlements to the centre of the island, bringing them closer to health facilities. The scheme would replace two existing villages on the north and south sides, with a settlement in the centre of the island.

But those plans were halted after five families objected. Since then the recovery work on the island has ground to a halt and the government has struggled to find a solution.

The British Red Cross pulled out of the island in June last year, halting all their activities in Kolhufushi. They gave two principal reasons for leaving. “1) lack of agreement within the community and between the communities and the Government on repair and reconstruction beneficiary lists and, 2) lack of community and Government consensus on the location of the new zoning plan and who will live there.”

It is still uncertain whether the Red Cross will be able to resume work, or if it will be forced to withdraw funding. The Head of the British Red Cross Mission to the Maldives, Jill Clements, has described the situation on Kolhufushi as “very sad and very frustrating.”

The plight of the people of Kolhufushi has been a high profile issue ever since the tsunami, with ex-Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan and President Gayoom both making visits.