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Corel Ville Housing contractor in legal dispute

The main contractor of the Corel Ville Housing Project, Javaz Construction, has sued Kaysorn Construction for unsettled debts of US$533,000 reports Haveeru.

Managing Director of Javaz Construction, Ibrahim Ali, told Haveeru that the civil case concerned the project’s client HDC-Pruksa Housing Private Limited.

“We also decided to claim US$1.3 million as compensation for the damage to the management of the company and US$7.5 million, as the company lost several potential projects due to false press releases issued to defame the company,” Haveeru reported Ali as saying.

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Teachers’ Association files cases with CSC

The Teachers Association of the Maldives has sent seven cases to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) concerning issues including wages, lack of modern work environment and support from the Ministry, reports Miadhu.

President of the Association Abdullah Mohamed told Miadhu that these issues also included the use of political influence by “some politicians” against schools not supporting certain parties.

The Teachers Association filed the claims after holding discussions with CSC, Miadhu reported.

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Lale student expelled in school stabbing incident

Lale Youth International School has expelled a 14 year-old student after he allegedly attacked a 13 year old student with a knife on Thursday.

A member of staff told Minivan News that the 13 year old victim required hospital treatment after suffering the injury to his arm, following a dispute over a girl.

“The parents of the cut student were very upset and contacted police,” the staff member said, noting that the implement used resembled a Stanley knife and had “left quite a scar”.

The student was expelled following a meeting of executive staff at the school. A source noted that the offending student had a history of “violence and behavioral problems” at the school.

“He failed the entrance exams at several other schools, came here and failed our entrance exam, but was still enrolled,” the source claimed, suggesting the matter highlighted “the lack of facilities available [to rehabilitate] juvenile [offenders].”

The source reported that police had fined the offending student Rf 50 (US$3.80) “as they said he was under age and it was the heaviest penalty available.”

However Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said police had no information concerning the issuing of an Rf50 fine, and noted that as the incident was a criminal act it would be investigated and the case sent to the Prosecutor General’s office.

“[The student] used a cutter to cut four inches on the other student’s skin,” Shiyam stated. “The injury was not so serious, but still the parents were concerned about the issue.”

Lale Youth International currently lacks a school counsellor after he returned to Turkey in mid-July, together with four other Turkish members of staff.

“The absence of a recognised counsellor has cost us, but other staff attempted to fill the gap without success,” the staff source told Minivan News.

“This incident underlines the fragility of the Maldivian juvenile system, as well as schools not properly screening students, and not giving them adequate care and education.”

Last month the school’s former principal, Turkish national Serkan Akar, was found guilty of assaulting children and sentenced by the Criminal Court to pay a Rf200 (US$14) fine.

Serkan had denied the charges against him, which included strangling and whipping a child with a belt.

Deputy Prosectutor General Hussain Shameem noted at the time that the Rf200 sentence was legitimate under the current penal code, which was drafted in 1968 and apparently not reflective of inflation.

In July the school’s Deputy Principal Suleiman Atayev, also a Turkish national, fled the country along with the computer studies teacher Yunus Yildiz.

Both staff members left seperately and did not inform the school they were leaving.

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HRCM conducts research trips on human rights

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has commenced trips to different islands seeking to determine the extent of human rights experienced by various people.

During this year the commission will visit the islands of Vaavu Atoll and Gnaviyani Atoll, and expects to complete Vaavu Atoll by the end of this month.

The Commission also it will meet with elderly people, teachers, students, expats and NGOs across the islands.

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Cargo plane slides off runway at Male’ airport

A cargo airplane that landed at Male’ International Airport slid off the runway, breaking a wheel and two runway lights, reports SunFM.

The radio station reported that strong wind caused of the incident and that nobody was injured.

According to SunFM the cargo flight from Sri Lanka was warned by the airport tower that the wind was strong across the runway and potentially dangerous..

The Civil Aviation Department is now investigating the case.

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Storm in Addu Atoll causes floods, RF millions in damages

A storm has hit Addu causing islands to flood and severely damaging houses and property on several islands.

Addu Atoll Councilor Abdulla Sadiq said that Gan, Maradhu, Maradhufeydhoo and Feydhoo were flooded due to the torrential rain,’’ Sadiq said, adding that Feydhoo was the most severely damaged with almost 600 houses affected.

70 houses in Maradhufeydhoo and 10 houses in Maradhu were also damaged in the flood, according to Sadiq.

“Almost 80 percent of the houses in Feydhoo were damaged, including property, and some are now inadequate for living,’’ said Sadiq. “People have been forced to move to their relatives’ houses.’’

In Maradhufeydhoo all the computers in the island school, the school library and the school office were damaged, Sadiq said.

The weather forecast for the area showed steady rain for the next few days as well, he added.

“We are trying to drain the floodwaters and settle the situation,’’ he said.

Although Gan was also flooded, the island has a good drainage system and the streets will drain automatically, he added.

He also estimated that the damage was set to rise to millions of ruffiya.

Meanwhile, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Southern Area reported that the airport and airport office of Gan in Addu were damaged, including the computers and some furniture inside the office.

The MNDF is are now active on the flooded islands and trying to drain the floodwaters.

Deputy Director General of the National Meteorological Department Ali Shareef said the whole of the Maldives will experience heavy rain during the next 24 hours.

”North and central Maldives will experience strong winds and heavy rain,” said Shareef, adding that the Addu Atoll would likely be spared the strong winds and heavy rain that would affect other parts of the country.

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CSC demands restored salaries be included in next year’s budget

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has called on the government to include the restored salaries for the civil servants in next year’s budget.

In September last year the Finance Ministry and the Civil Service Commission agreed to reduce the salaries of civil servants for three months because of the country’s poor financial circumstances. The matter became controversial towards the end of September when the Finance Ministry refused to restore all of the salaries to former levels.

The CSC has since taken the Finance Ministry to court, winning the first round in the civil court and forcing the government to appeal in the High Court.

At the same time, in its Country Report for the Maldives, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) acknowedged the “intense political pressure” but maintained that the restoration of public sector wages “would have a large fiscal impact”, and prevent economic recovery “in the near term”.

President of the CSC, Hassan Fahmy, said today that the commission had met with President Mohamed Nasheed to discuss the issue, and that he had told the commission that the salaries “could be restored soon.”

“Nine months have passed, and we have been trying to resolve the issue through the legal system,’’ Fahmy said. “When the Civil Court ruled that the Finance Ministry does not have the authority to give out orders to decrease the salaries of civil servants, instead of implementing the verdict, the government has appealed in the High Court.”

The High Court has yet to rule on the issue.

Fahmy said the commission wanted “the original salaries of civil servants to be included in the budget next year.”

“It cannot be said that salaries were ‘increased’,” Fahmy said. “It will be the ‘original’ salary of civil servants.”

He said the commission had also sent a letter to the president yesterday as well.

“If it is included in the budget, then it will be for the MPs to approve it [and not the government],’’ Fahmy said. “We hope the government will understand and take leadership to restore the salaries of civil servants.”

The President has meanwhile established a committee to hold discussions between the governtment and the CSC, according to a statement issued by the President’s office.

The Committee will be chaired by the President and will include Minister of Finance and Treasury Ali Hashim, Minister of Economic Development Mahmood Razee, Attorney General Ahmed Ali Sawad, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Dr Ibrahim Didi, President of CSC Mohamed Fahmy Hassan, Vice President of CSC Ahmed Hassan Didi, CSC member Dr Mohamed Ali, CSC member Khadheeja Adam, Secretary General of CSC Abdulla Khaleel.

The President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair and State Minister for Finance Ahmed Assad were not responding to calls at time of press.

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Police seize drugs worth Rf2 million (US$155,600)

The Maldives Police Service Drug Enforcement Department (DED) have seized 1.6 kilogram of suspected narcotics from a house in the Maafannu district of Male’.

Head of DED, Superintendent Mohamed Jinah, said the drugs were discovered last Friday when the police raided the house after receiving a tip off.

“There is no connection with the drugs and the people of the house,” said Jinah. “We are now investigating the matter to find the people connected with the case.”

Jinah said the drugs were caught with ‘raw packaging’, as it had been imported.

He said during the last two months drugs worth more than Rf2.5 million drugs were seized, and 40 people arrested in connection with the various cases.

On September 6, police revealed they had uncovered a new drug network operating inside the country, and discovered drugs worth of half a million rufiya.

The drugs were discovered inside a leased apartment in Male’. Four people were arrested in connection with the case.

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Boat sinks with Rf2 million cargo, 10 feet from jetty

A boat carrying cargo worth Rf2 million (US$155,600) from Male’ to Kulhudhuffushi in Haa Dhaal atoll sank this morning after hitting a shallow region in the lagoon.

Haveeru reported that the 99-foot vessel ‘Bahaadhur’ sank around 7:15am with 101 passengers, approximately 10 feet from the Kulhudhuffushi jetty.

The boat’s owner Mithur Mohamed Zuhair told the newspaper that he expected to save 10 percent of the cargo, which included washing machines, cement, food and electronic appliances. 70 percent was his own, Mithur told Haveeru, adding that the vessel was uninsured.

“I cannot believe that the incident occurred because of negligence. Although the sea was rough, it was not that rough at the time. The problem is the island’s channel through reef,” Mithur told Haveeru.

No injuries were reported.

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