The Elections Commission (EC) has decided to introduce electronic voting for the upcoming presidential election in 2013.
The decision was made with unanimous support of the five members on the commission.
The EC said in a press statement today that the commission would make recommendations to parliament to amend elections laws to allow use of electronic facilities.
A task-force is to be formed shortly to formulate plans to obtain the facilities, build public confidence and raise awareness.
A group of women on the island of Hanimaadhoo in Haa Dhaal Atoll have taken over the island council office in protest on non-payment of six-months worth of wages for sweeping and cleaning the island.
Haveeru reports that the women gathered outside the council office yesterday and stopped anyone from entering. After leaving the area late in the afternoon, the disgruntled women together with some youth on the island blocked the three gates of the council office this morning.
Hanimaadhoo Council Chair Abdusalam Ali said he was allowed to enter the office only to send a message to the Finance Ministry.
He explained that the women were owed a total of Rf150,000 (US$10,000) as remuneration for six months. The protestors meanwhile insist that they would not leave the office until they were paid.
A 16 year-old boy was admitted to Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) this afternoon after being severely injured in a residential house fire in Maafannu Piyaji.
A spokesperson from IGMH, Zeenath Ali, said that the boy was currently in the hospital’s intensive care unit after suffering after his lungs were affected by the smoke.
‘’According to doctors his body was burnt less than five percent, but because his lungs were affected by the smoke his condition is severe,’’ Zeenath said. ‘’His palms, knees and feet were injured in the fire.’’
Zeenath said he was brought to the hospital around 3:05 pm this afternoon.
The fire incident occurred around 2:05 pm this afternoon according to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) fire department.
The MNDF said the fire started on the ground floor of the three storey building.
According to a statement issued by the MNDF, the firefighters were told the boy was still in the building and eventually found him on the third floor of the building.
The MNDF said the boy was immediately taken to hospital in a MNDF vehicle.
‘’The MNDF firefighters searched the house to there was anybody else inside the house, but there was nobody else inside,’’ MNDF said in the statement.
The MNDF said that the fire was controlled at 14:35pm, and noted that it affected the second and third floor of the building of the house.
The mother of a man who was arrested in a police raid on Galolhu Masodige on Friday night has claimed that officers threw a two tear gas canisters into a house containing a three month old child and a five year old girl.
Fahmeedha Shakeeb alleged police entered the building without a court warrant to arrest her son, Ihusaanudheen Rasheed, for alleged assault of a 23 year old man.
”The police force arrived at Masodige to arrest my son and broke into the house,” she claimed. “My son asked them whether they had a court warrant to enter the house, but they said they did not so my son asked them to leave the house if they did not have a warrant.”
Shakeeb claimed police officers then threw a tear gas canister into the building despite her protestations that there were women and small children in the building.
“My son came downstairs and surrendered himself to the police. [During the fighting afterwards] the officers attacked him and his friends who were inside the house, using batons and pepper spray inside the house,” she said. “After he was taken outside the house along with his friends who were also arrested, an officer threw another tear gas canister into the house which affected my three month old grandchild, a five year old girl and their mother.”
She claimed the baby was already in a critical medical condition after being born prematurely, and had to be taken to the hospital after the incident.
”The five year-old also had breathing difficulties, she vomited that night and the police actions had caused her to suffer distress, imagine what it would be like to a child to see a police force armed with batons,” she said.
Shakeeb alleged that police had a “personal grudge” against Ihusan after he resigned from the police force.
Police have previously raided the property in relation to stabbing incidents in Male’, and in June last year knocked down the exterior wall after allegedly discovering a cache of weapons.
”We have been raided police for more than once, but what can we do, because we are poor people nobody cares, the police do whatever they want to do,” Shakeeb claimed. “I did not say anything to the police, but all I said was that they cannot enter the house if they did not have a court warrant.”
Shakeeb claimed that last time police arrived at the house to arrest her son she tried to clarify what happened and when she questioned a police officer she was pushed to the ground.
”After that I don’t go near police officers who come to raid our house, they will do whatever they want and we cannot do anything,” she claimed.
She also alleged that the police officers used foul language in front of the children, and that one of the officers referred to her as ”Nagoobalha” .
A witness to the raid also told Minivan News that police threw tear gas canisters into the house while the children were inside.
”A Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Councillor carried the baby to his house, and a Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officer passing by also stopped by and told the police that they should not do that, he was in MNDF official uniform,” the witness said.
”That happened near my house and I was there too, I saw injured people being dragged out of Masodige and thrown into a police vehicle,” he said.
Another person familiar with the matter told Minivan News that a police officer who was a close friend of Masodi gang phoned him while Ihusan was taken to Dhoonidhoo on a police speed boat, and alleged that police were about to give Ihusan an electric shock “to control him”.
”The police officer later told me that he fainted on the boat after the electric shock and was taken to hospital,” the person alleged.
A police source told Minivan News that the use of electricity to subdue Ihusan was “definitely not true” as there were no such electrical devices available to officers.
The source said that officers were called to the scene to “rescue” a 23-year-old man who was being attacked, allegedly by members of the Masodi gang. The three officers were attacked on arrival, and called for reinforcements. The reinforcements were also attacked, and resorted to using tear gas.
The police source could not confirm that tear gas had been used.
In addition, the source said that it was not necessary to have a court order to enter a property in such a situation, “as police are well within their right to use force when attacked.”
The source said no reports of a woman or child being affected by the raid had been received, but if there were any involved who wished to file a complaint could approach a number of services, including the Police Integrity Commission and the Human Rights Commission.
Twelve individuals were arrested during in the raid, including three minors. The source said the minors might have been associated with the Masodi gang.
The source also told Minivan News that three police officers were injured in the raid, and that one officer was subsequently sent abroad for medical treatment.
Head of the Police Integrity Commission Shahindha Ismail told Minivan News that the commission had received no complaints regarding the raid. The family affected said they had no intention to make a complaint.
The lagoon of industrial island Thilafushi has been cleared of floating garbage to allow vessels to enter and dock at the harbour without difficulty, reports Haveeru.
According to a statement by the Thilafushi Corporation yesterday, the cleaning effort was proceeding apace and the corporation expected the lagoon to be completely cleared this week.
The corporation explained that garbage was floating freely because of spillage from barges discharging garbage at the island.
The Male’ City Council’s waste management section has informed the corporation that it would be monitoring garbage disposal at Thilafushi, the press statement revealed.
The Elections Commission (EC) has cancelled a by-election it announced in July to replace a Thulhaadhoo councillor after the High Court ruled that the dismissal of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Councillor Umaira Abubakur was unlawful.
Sun Online reported that EC Chair Fuad Thaufeeq confirmed the by-election scheduled for September 20 has been cancelled.
Umair, the sole DRP representative on the five-member council, was dismissed by four Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) councillors after she ostensibly failed to attend ten consecutive meetings, six of which were emergency meetings called in her absence.
Umaira was reportedly participating in a training programme for newly-elected councillors.
Making statements in the media and on public forums “in a way that could undermine the dignity and prestige of courts” could lead to lawlessness, social discord and the “destruction” of the nascent democracy in the Maldives, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has warned.
In a press statement issued yesterday, the JSC claimed that criticism of the judiciary by any individual or group could “pave the way for a [pervasive] spirit of not bowing to the constitution and legal judgments [among the public].”
“And making such statements could completely destroy the constitutional and legal system established in this country through the hard work of the Maldivian people while in its infancy and pave the way for disagreement and quarrel, division and discord, in the entire country,” it reads. “Therefore, the commission urges all parties not to make such statements or commit any action that could undermine the dignity and eminence of the courts.”
The Supreme Court claimed that Ibra’s remarks encouraged “the illegal curtailment of the tasks of the judiciary” and could lead to “the loss of peace and security of the Maldivian state and plunge the nation into unrest”.
Prior to the Supreme Court issuing its statement, the JSC conducted “an emergency meeting” and decided to ask police to investigate Ibra’s remarks.
Ibra’s remarks came after the Criminal Court barred journalists from observing the corruption trial of Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim on August 25.
“Judges are issuing verdicts any way they please. The effort we have to make against this is not inconsiderable. It was citizens who came out and ousted Maumoon from power. The matter of judges too can only be sorted out by citizens rising up,” Ibra, former Male’ MP and first elected president of MDP, was quoted as saying in newspaper Haveeru.
Ibra told Minivan News last week that his remarks did not constitute a criminal offence and he strongly criticised the Supreme Court for considering themselves “above the law or a law unto themselves.”
JSC Chairman and Supreme Court Justice Adam Mohamed
Former President’s member on the JSC and outspoken whistle-blower, Aishath Velezinee, told Minivan News that Supreme Court Justice Adam Mohamed had in his capacity as JSC Chair asked that police investigate Ibra, and then had the Supreme Court issue its statement.
“What are the police going to do? It sounds like the highest court in the land has already issued its verdict,” she said.
Both the JSC and the Supreme Court in its respective statements referred to article 141(c) of the constitution, which states: “No officials performing public functions, or any other persons, shall interfere with and influence the functions of the courts.”
Ibra however pointed out that he did not “say anything about an ongoing case” that could be construed as either undue influence or interference.
The group of lawyers, represented by Ali Hussein and Ismail Visham, contended that regulations drafted by the JSC containing the evaluation criteria conflicted with both the constitution and article 15 of the Judges Act. The lawyers requested that the regulations be abolished and the shortlist be cancelled.
Judge Abdulla Didi
In addition, the lawyers claimed that two shortlisted candidates had close ties with two members of the commission – the spouse of Judge Abdulla Didi and business partner of Lawyer’s Representative Ahmed Rasheed – suggesting a clear conflict of interest as neither had recused themselves from voting in the JSC panel.
The lawyers explained at a press briefing on Thursday that the evaluation criteria was skewed to favour graduates of the Islamic College by awarding higher marks for Kulliya certificates.
At the first hearing on Thursday night, the Civil Court granted a temporary injunction ordering the JSC to halt the appointment process pending a final ruling.
Lawyer's Representative on the JSC Ahmed Rasheed
The JSC responded with a press statement insisting that the process was legitimate and constitutional.
Following the Civil Court order, the JSC held a meeting on Friday and decided to appeal the court order at the High Court.
Prompted by the JSC’s two press statements in the past three days, the group of lawyers sent a letter to the commission today arguing that while the constitution assured the court’s dignity and respect, “in past years the commission has not acted in a way that upholds the dignity and eminence assured by the constitution.”
The “respect and dignity assured by the constitution” is not intended only for the courts, the lawyers noted.
Moreover, the lawyers argued that the JSC issuing two press statements in the space of three days was an “attempt to unduly influence judicial proceedings” since the case was ongoing at the Civil Court.
“Contempt of court is a rule applied against any attempts to influence the process of an ongoing court case,” the letter explained. “This is a crime under provisions 86, 87 and 88 of the Maldivian penal code.”
Moreover, the lawyers argued that the JSC’s actions obstructed a right guaranteed by article 42 of the constitution to every citizen regarding “justice, transparency and impartiality” of all judicial proceedings.
“Therefore, if the commission has planned to do anything that could influence the ongoing case, stop such efforts immediately,” the letter concludes. “And if it is not stopped, we will be forced to take legal action again.”
Representative for the lawyers suing the JSC, Abdul Hameed Abdul Kareem, told Minivan News today that the JSC was looking for a lawyer to appeal the court order.
“All prominent lawyers support this cause, providing assistance in different forms,” he said.
Tourists on the first Mega Maldives flight arriving in Male’ direct from Seoul in South Korea this morning were greeted by bodu beru dancers and airport staff handing out coconuts.
As the plane taxied off the runway, two of the airport’s fire engines shot water cannon in an arc over the plane. The 158 bemused passengers were greeted at the top of the stairs by CEO of Mega Maldives George Weinmann, and accompanied through immigration by pilots and flight crew.
Speaking at a press conference of local and South Korean journalists later this morning, Weinmann observed that while the flight was not the first direct flight from Seoul, it was the first such scheduled service and the first for a Maldivian carrier.
All four of the airline’s routes launched this year, he observed, were to cities not previously served by direct flights including Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and now Seoul.
“We believe this will increase the total demand for the Maldivian [tourism] product, and also create new opportunities for trade such as exports to Korea,” said Weinmann, a former rocket and satellite engineer with aerospace giant Boeing.
Weinmann said the decision to fly to Korea was influenced by the discovery that South Korea was operating five flights daily to Hawaii, such was the appeal of the iconic tropical destination to the Korean market.
“The flight time to Hawaii from Seoul is nine hours, similar to the flight time to Male’, and the total price of hotels is also similar,” he noted. “This will allow for the development of a lot of new business and trade.”
A water cannon salute greets Mega's first flight from Seoul
Korean arrivals to the Maldives increased 54 percent in 2010 compared to the previous year, from 16,000 to 24,000, suggesting that the country was a rapidly growing market for the Maldives. Weinmann has previously told Minivan News that Mega’s niche is to have flights from Asia that arrive during the day, thus avoiding the need for Asian visitors to overnight in Male’ or Hulhule’ while waiting for daytime transfers.
MD of the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), Simon Hawkins, acknowledged that the South Korean market had been neglected as far as tourism promotion was concerned, in favour of traditional markets such as Europe.
“We aim to remedy that, now that we have identified South Korea as an emerging market. We want to appeal not just to honeymooners, but also families and organisers of meetings, conferences and exhibitions,” he said.
Chief Commercial Officer of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, Prasad Gopalan, meanwhile cited a report stating that South Korea was ranked third in rising numbers of millionaires, after India and China.
“We have done our research – South Korea is an emerging market for the Maldives,” he said.
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