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The Maldives College of Higher Education has announced that it wants to establish a University by Presidential Decree.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Rector Dr. Hassan Hameed, said the college had proposed a draft decree to the President’s Office on December 18, after approval by the College directors.

In 2005, President Gayoom announced that the government would grant university status to the Maldives College of Higher Education in 2007. The President also stipulated a university must be established within an independent framework.

Since Gayoom’s announcement, the College has been working to meet the goal.

Dr Hassan said the regulation proposed to the President was drafted to international standards, which he claimed was proof the college supported an independent University.

“Our goal in the 5th National Development Plan was to carry out preparations until the end of 2005,” said Dr Hassan. “Five years ago, the Government gave us indication of plans to establish a University. Our work is being carried out according to this vision. We plan to proceed with the work we couldn’t finish in 2005.”

Dr Hassan went on to say that the college has reached every one of its short-term goals and the rest of the work would take 2-6 years to complete. He said the final opening date for the University is now up to the President.

The draft university regulation gives the College six months until it would begin to work under University status.

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Police arrested nine people in Male’ on Friday suspected of involvement with local gangs.

They were between 16 and 24 and were reportedly bearing weapons near Taise Yard when they were apprehended by Police.

According to the Maldives Police Service, who were making a routine patrol when the arrests were made, weapons confiscated included wooden sticks, steel bars and cricket bats.

The Police action comes after a raise in the level of gang violence in Male’. Earlier this month ten people, including three police officers, were injured and many properties damaged as rival gangs battled each other on the streets of the capital.

So far, police say a total of nine people have been arrested in connection with the disturbances but that investigations are far from over.

This most recent violence is believed to have been sparked by two incidents: the beating of a thirteen-year-old boy, hospitalised earlier this month, and an attack on a man at Trends restaurant on 17 December.

The incidents sparked retribution and violence throughout the night of the 17th. Armed gangs were seen roaming the streets with swords, knives, bats and other weapons.

The police have been heavily criticised by the local press and public for not taking more action quicker. But authorities insist they did everything in their power to stop the violence and have since raised the number of police patrolling the streets.

Commenting on the most recent wave of violence, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said the gang warfare is unprecedented and “totally shocking”.

Police Spokesman, Corporal Shiyam, says the violence is not political, but rather the result of long standing gang rivalries.

The growing gang culture in the Maldives is closely linked to widespread heroin addiction.

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A recent survey has revealed that the number of people living in poverty in the Maldives has reduced since the 2004 tsunami.

The study, known as the “Tsunami Impact Assessment Survey”, shows that the number of those who earn less than Rf 15 per day decreased by 30 per cent between June 2004 and June 2005.

The Ministry of Planning & National Development, which administered the survey, said that following the tsunami, the average incomes of Maldivians decreased but that the country recovered from this quickly.

Additionally, the survey found that only a small percentage of the total population had obtained severe damages due to the natural disaster.

Other findings show that educational and health services offered to inhabitants of the islands that were most affected have greatly improved as the local populations have been transferred to islands with much better services.

What’s more, as the populations in these islands have increased, the quality of the services have also increased and improved.

According to the United Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (UNSIAP), “Poverty in Maldives differs from that in many other developing nations mainly because a large segment of the population is highly susceptible to external global shocks and has limited ability to effectively manage risk.”

The group points out that although the number of Maldivians who earn less than Rf 15 a day has decreased, up to 42 per cent of the country still lives on less than that amount, which is just USD 0.17 over the international poverty line.

When speaking of the recovery effort, former US President Bill Clinton, who recently published a report on lessons learned from the tsunami said: “Only 30 to 35% of the people have been put back into permanent housing, we have to do better than that.”

But President Clinton’s report was followed by the publication of “Tsunami Recovery in the Maldives 2004-2006”, which wrote: “In the case of the Maldives, the tsunami reversed whole decades of developmental success. Looking at what we have accomplished, it seems fair to say that UNDP has honoured its dedication to help regain lost development momentum and to establish a system that respects and encourages the rights and aspirations of all Maldivians.”

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which published the report, said that it expects to achieve its primary aid objectives in the Maldives by the end of next year.

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The State budget for 2007 was passed by the People’s Majlis on Thursday.

In the sitting, which was the last this year, the budget was passed by a majority of 36 votes out of the 45 members that were present at voting.

The voting was preceded by a prolonged debate on the budget, which itself was followed by discussions. The budget was then sent to a 15 member ad-hoc committee as stipulated in Majlis regulations.

Not a single amendment was proposed by the committee in the report, although 21 recommendations were passed on to the government.

In the discussions that followed the committee report, however, members proposed numerous amendments on various areas of interest. But not one of these 47 amendments was passed when put to vote, which led some members to protest.

Some of the amendments included suggestions to: consolidate all social security allocations for various government offices under one ministry, to provide health insurance to all citizens and to avoid a budget deficit even if projected revenue is not achieved.

Other suggestions were to make provisions for providing school uniforms and books free, to reduce office administrative expenditure by 50 per cent and to make Majlis approval essential for budgetary reallocation.

In addition, amendments to allocate 12% of total budget each year for Health and Education and limiting the budgetary spending to 60% of GDP were also suggested.

Some of the members who protested after the amendments failed to pass expressed regret that proposals made in the public’s interest, such as those involving education and health, were being rejected.

All speakers at Thursday’s meeting stressed that the government needed to give more importance to the recommendations made in the report of the ad-hoc committee.

State Minister Abdullah Jihad attended the Majlis and finished the discussions.

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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has said that it expects to achieve its primary aid objectives in the Maldives by the end of next year.

In a recent report titled “Tsunami Recovery in the Maldives 2004-2006”, the UNDP writes that in 2007 its Shelter and Harbour projects, which work towards both recovery and reconstruction, will be completely phased out. As a result, this will make way for other programmes that will go beyond recovery and assist the Maldives in achieving international development targets.

According to the UNDP, the combined efforts of the Maldivian Government, development partners, and various humanitarian agencies have helped put the Maldives “back on the path” of regaining the development momentum that was lost due to the tsunami.

“In the case of the Maldives, the tsunami reversed whole decades of developmental success,” writes the report. “Looking at what we have accomplished,” it continues, “it seems fair to say that UNDP has honoured its dedication to help regain lost development momentum and to establish a system that respects and encourages the rights and aspirations of all Maldivians.”

UNDP also said that it supports the Maldivian Government in promoting good governance. And it went on to assure that the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), which was created by the government to assist with the tsunami, was a body “to be recognised as a model for how other governments can effectively coordinate response to major crises”.

But some critics expressed beliefs that more could have been done. They say that because NDMC eventually announced that only the government was allowed to distribute tsunami aid and assistance, further development of Maldivian civil society had been stifled.

These critics disagree with UNDP and say that the Maldivian Government is not promoting “good governance”, but rather oppression and dependency. According to them, Gayoom prevented NGOs from establishing themselves in the Maldives after the tsunami only so that the social services to be provided would not erode the Maldivian public’s dependence on the government. This, they say, was a great opportunity squandered.

Furthermore, just last week, the UK-based charity Maldives Aid, published a report that seriously criticised the state of the recovery effort made by international aid organisations and the government.

The charity, which coordinated a large chunk of aid from the UK after the tsunami said: “There are serious shortcomings in the reconstruction projects taking place in the Maldives at present. The international aid organisations and the Government of Maldives need to address these issues immediately.”

Former US President Bill Clinton, also recently published a report on lessons learned from the tsunami recovery and in it said: “Only 30 to 35% of the people have been put back into permanent housing, we have to do better than that.”

The international media has also launched a stinging attack on the charities’ overall work. The Guardian newspaper in the UK wrote on December 21: “Bureaucracy, poor planning and the cynical withholding of money by some governments and charities are believed to have caused the inordinate delays in the four countries most affected – Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Maldives.”

But despite the criticisms the UNDP is certain that overall, tsunami relief and development in the Maldives has been a success. It does, however, believe even more should be accomplished.

“Although much has been done,” writes the UNDP, “many challenges remain. More than 10,000 people are still internally displaced, and there is a shortage of funding in many sectors, including the critical areas of shelter, harbours, livelihoods, water and sanitation.”

It continues: “it is essential that development agencies and the wider international community continue to support the Maldives and other affected countries as they struggle to recover from this unprecedented natural disaster.”

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Journalists from across the political spectrum joined forces this week in an appeal to President Gayoom to scrap his plans to introduce draconian new defamation regulations, that reporters fear will severely limit press freedom in the Maldives.

Seventy four reporters signed a petition expressing concern that the proposed new laws will have a negative effect on the country’s nascent free media.

“The public is unaware of the implications of defamation regulations and there is no legal system to protect journalists. Therefore, we fear that execution of such a regulation at present will hinder the practice of journalism and wipe out freedom of reporting from the Maldives”, the petition stated.

The petition’s signatories included reporters from opposition newspapers, such as Minivan Daily, as well as from pro-government journals such as Haveeru and Aafathis. Employees from TV Maldives and radio station Voice of Maldives, both state-run enterprises, also signed the petition.

The proposed new regulations were drafted by Justice Minister Jameel but fall under the remit of Information Minister Mohamed Nasheed. The regulations have been severely criticised at home and abroad.

In a detailed report published in July, Article 19, a London-based freedom of expression pressure group with significant expertise in defamation laws, said there were “serious problems” with Nasheed’s proposed legislation.

“It is of particular concern that the definition of defamation is extremely broad,” Article 19 said.

Article 19 pointed to Articles 1(a) and 2(a) of the regulations, which states that defamation includes statements that damage a person’s “honour”:

“Under international standards, the only legitimate purpose of a defamation law is to protect reputations. Honour, however, is a subjective notion that goes well beyond the idea of reputation, which is the esteem in which other members of society hold a person. If restrictions on freedom of expression are based on subjective notions, they will inevitably fail.”

Article 19 is equally concerned that the regulations do not protect journalists from defamation even if the information they report is factually correct. According to the legislation, not only does a journalist’s article have to be truthful, it also has to contribute to “social harmony.”

The pressure group went on to condemn the regulations as “confusing”, “internally inconsistent”, and “poorly drafted.”

Journalists within the country fear that the regulations are a flagrant attempt by the government to silence its critics, who have become increasingly emboldened in the past eighteen months as political restrictions in the country have eased.

Under the proposed regulations, newspapers found guilty of defamation could be sued up to Rf. 1,000,000 ($78,000), ten times higher than the Rf.100,000 in blood money the law stipulates a murderer should pay to the family of their victim.

“These defamation laws will replace police batons as the regime’s favoured response to critical reporters,” said a representative of Minivan Daily, a newspaper that has seen dozens of its reporters jailed and intimidated by the government since it was granted a license to print in the Maldives in July 2005.

The Information Minister, however, insists that his new regulations, which change defamation from a criminal to a civil offence, are a vast improvement on existing laws that permit the imprisonment of journalists.

The government also says it hopes the new regulations will improve the quality of reporting in the country, which is often criticised for being slanderous and poorly researched.

But this argument is unlikely to hold much sway amongst the country’s press corp., particularly opposition journalists, who are routinely physically assaulted by the police, jailed by government-controlled judges and vilified in anonymous websites that are alleged to have close ties to the regime.

If the journalists’ appeal to President Gayoom goes unheard the defamation regulations will be implemented on January 1. The regulations are due to be imposed by presidential decree, thereby circumnavigating parliamentary scrutiny in the People’s Majlis.

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The Finance Minister, Gasim Ibrahim, was hospitalised on Thursday morning after contracting what is thought to be the Chikungunya virus.

Gasim was reportedly rushed to ADK Hospital at around 2:30am suffering high fever, one of the symptoms of the potentially deadly virus.

The virus has spread across the Maldives like wildfire in the past two weeks, claiming a number of lives.

Hospitals and health post are reportedly packed with patients who have been diagnosed with the fever. One such hospital, IGMH, in Male’, is so full that it is not admitting any more patients.

Health experts say the fever is being spread through mosquitoes and that heavy rains over the last couple of months have increased the number of those infected.

As a result, the Department of Public Health is now calling on the public to drain every possible entity that harbours standing water, as they are favourable for mosquito breeding.

An official from the department said that as of December 19, 135 Maldivians had been suspected of being infected with Chikungunya, which also recently broke out in both India and Sri Lanka.

Gasim’s ill heath temporarily postponed the debate over the 2007 budget in Thursday’s session of the People’s Majlis.

Speaker Ahmed Zahir told parliamentarians that Gasim was unable to attend the session because he is “suffering from a fever… which seems to be Chikungunya.”

State minister Abdulla Jihaadh stood in for Gasim during the debate.

Gasim is the Maldives’ most powerful oligarch, controlling a billion-dollar business empire believed to employ some 10 percent of the country’s workforce.

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The police have arrested “senior members” of street gangs accused of orchestrating three days of violence that rocked Male’ earlier this month.

“Those arrested are those who were directly responsible for the violence,” a police spokesperson told Haveeru, a government newspaper, on Tuesday.

“We are currently interrogating them. The investigation is ongoing,” the police spokesperson added.

Ten people, including three police officers, were injured and tens of thousands of rufiyaa worth of property was damaged as rival gangs battled each other in the capital on 16, 17 and 18 December.

The police say a total of nine people have so far been arrested in connection with the disturbances.

The violence is believed to have been sparked by two specific incidents, the beating of a thirteen-year-old boy, who was hospitalised earlier this month and, on Sunday 17 December at around 11:30pm, a violent attack on a man at Trends restaurant.

The incidents sparked retribution which saw trouble escalate throughout the night of the 17. Armed gangs were seen roaming the streets with swords, knives, bats and other weapons.

The police were heavily criticised by members of the public for failing to quell the violence soon enough. The police, however, insist they did everything they could to stop the violence.

Gang warfare in the overcrowded capital has now reached a level which the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) says is unprecedented, and “totally shocking.”

The growing gang culture is in part blamed on widespread heroin addiction among the country’s youth population.

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Maldives Aid, A U.K. based charity, has published a new report seriously criticising the state of the recovery effort made by international aid organisations and the government.

The charity, which coordinated a large chunk of aid from the U.K. after the tsunami struck two years ago, says: “There are serious shortcomings in the reconstruction projects taking place in the Maldives at present. The international aid organizations and the Government of Maldives need to address these issues immediately.”

In its report, Maldives Aid complains of a serious lack of communication with internally displaced persons (IDPs), who have lost their homes as a result of the disaster. “The Government of Maldives has a duty to inform and communicate with the Islanders of the progress of the re-housing projects,” says the report.

It goes on to accuse Island Development Committees of corruption and says: “Often relatives and close friends of the island Chiefs are being given priority in situations like distribution of aid donations, food, money and even reconstruction of houses.”

The report features an island by island analysis of the state of the recovery. Kolhufushi in Meemu Atoll is top of the list. “800 plus IDP’s live in temporary shelters and 50 houses were to be reconstructed by Red Cross. Reconstruction work was ongoing when Maldives Aid visited the island last year November. According to the island office, the work has been stopped and there is no news of when or whether it is going to re-commence. This situation leaves 800 or so displaced persons living in inadequate short-term temporary housing,” the report says.

Six other islands are mentioned in the report. The criticism comes after a rash of bad headlines for governments and international aid organisations over their recovery work, not just in the Maldives, but across the region.

Many have complained about the slow progress of redevelopment generally.

“Considering that it has been two years since the tsunami, we can say that there is not enough effort being made to provide aid to those affected,” said Ahmed Saleem, President of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives on Thursday.

“We have received, and continue to receive a lot of complaints about that. We are looking into it,” he added. His remarks come after a barrage of criticism against the network of organisations trying to redevelop regions damaged by the tsunami.

Speaking about the general situation of recovery in all regions, United Nations Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Miloon Kothari described news that out of US$6.7bn committed by governments and charities to the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand, US$3.3bn has not been spent as “very disturbing”.

“It should really not take this long to build permanent housing. I do not accept the explanation that it is going to take four to five years, in some cases, seven. I’m an architect, I know how long it takes to build a house,” he told the BBC.

Former US President Bill Clinton, who recently published a report on lessons learned from the tsunami recovery has said about the overall recovery effort: “Only 30 to 35% of the people have been put back into permanent housing, we have to do better than that.”

The international media has also launched a stinging attack on the charities’ work overall. The Guardian newspaper in the U.K. wrote on December 21: “Bureaucracy, poor planning and the cynical withholding of money by some governments and charities are believed to have caused the inordinate delays in the four countries most affected – Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Maldives.”

But the aid organisations are furious about the bad headlines, which they say are the product of “bad journalism” and lack of insight. They have virulently argued back, saying the suggestion they have more money than they can use is “disingenuous” and “irresponsible.” They say they are working hard to “build back better,” and not just replace houses, but add proper infrastructure.

Joe Lowry, and IFRC spokesman, insists the overall picture is not as bad as this latest news suggests. “The Maldives has shown the best progress,” he said in a phone conversation on Friday. “We said that it would take us probably five years to complete our programmes, we are two years in and we have already spent 40% of our money, more in Maldives.”

“The headlines are disappointing for us because it shows that the message of what we are trying to achieve has not been understood,” he said, speaking to Minivan News.

The Planning and National Development Ministry has also reiterated that it has plans to rebuild 2 980 houses, and has said work on 1 141 is already underway, with 158 completed.

The full text of Maldives Aid’s report is below:

Maldives Aid

Crisis in the Recovery following Tsunami

There are serious shortcomings in the reconstruction projects taking place in the Maldives at present. The international aid organizations and the Government of Maldives need to address these issues immediately.

Following the survey Maldives Aid conducted a year ago, few of the issues and concerns raised in the Maldives Aid report have been addressed.

There remains a serious problem with communications and the flow of information to the Internally Displace Persons (IDPs’). IDPs have a right to know when and how they will be given permanent housing. The Government of Maldives has a duty to inform and communicate with the Islanders of the progress of the re-housing projects.

In some cases the IDP committees are non-functional or have issues with the IDC (Island Development Committees). Internal corruption in some islands leaves the victims frustrated and helpless. Often relatives and close friends of the island Chiefs are being given priority in situations like distribution of aid donations, food, money and even reconstruction of houses.

Sector findings:-

Meemu Atoll Kolhufushi: 800 plus IDP’s live in temporary shelters and 50 houses were to be reconstructed by Red Cross. Reconstruction work was ongoing when Maldives Aid visited the island last year November. According to the island office, the work has been stopped and there is no news of when or whether it is going to re-commence. This situation leaves 800 or so displaced persons living in inadequate short-term temporary housing.

Meemu Atoll Muli: Repair work has been stopped on 103 houses in this island due to a problem with getting the funds to the relevant people. This concerns UNDP and Island Development Committee.

Meemu Atoll Dhiggaru: The reclaimed land has been washed away with the sea wall by the tsunami. Unfortunately this has resulted in houses being too close to the sea and during the monsoon season the waves will again destroy housing. There is an ongoing erosion of the island. The island office has taken up this issue with relevant authorities in the government but to no avail.

Thaa Atoll Madifushi: Among the 54 houses the British Red Cross is reconstructing, 24 houses have been handed over to the IDPs’. 72 houses meant to be constructed by the government of Maldives have not yet started construction. There is widespread unhappiness with the 119 IDPs’ that remain in temporary shelters, living in cramped conditions.

Thaa Atoll Omadhoo: although there are no IDPs on Omadhoo there was extensive damage to the islands electrical system when the Tsunami hit the island. Throughout the period since the Tsunami the islanders have repaired the electrical system themselves. It is believed the electrical system is now dangerous. The island community has written on numerous occasions to the relevant authorities for assistance and, after 2 years, there is still no help forthcoming.

– Laamu Atoll Kalhaidhoo: some of the IDP’s from this island are living at camps in Gan. The rest are still living with families and friends. The government has promised to repopulate the whole island to Gan however there is still no news when the new houses are going to be reconstructed for them in Gan. The IDP’s themselves doesn’t want to repair the damages to their houses in Kalhaidhoo since it might be a waste of money if they are moved to Gan.

Haa Alif Filladhoo: Tsunami victims from 7 houses are still residing with families and friends in this island. Money to repair these houses has still not been distributed to these people and recently the community of this island held a protest at the island office shutting it down for over a week and demanded they resolve the matter and distribute the money equally and fairly.

Hulhumale: It remains of real concern to Maldives Aid the condition in which Tsunami victims are living in the temporary and inadequate housing.. There has been little improvement in their condition even though this was highlighted in the Maldives Aid Report a year ago.

Maldives Aid calls upon the Government of Maldives to get organized and address the appalling rate of recovery following the Tsunami. The Maldives is a tiny country with a tiny population of IDPs’, there is no excuse for this small number of people to still be living in temporary shelters.
Maldives Aid also calls upon the International Aid Organizations and community to engage more fully with the Government of Maldives and to steer them to complete their obligations and promises with regard to re-housing the Tsunami victims.

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