Author: Ahmed Naish

Government awards fisheries loans to 32 women

The government awarded loans worth MVR1.6 million (US$103,761) yesterday to 32 women under a programme to encourage female youth entrepreneurs in the fisheries sector.

Deputy minister of fisheries and agriculture Ahmed Hafiz told Minivan News today that the loan scheme offered loans of either MVR50,000 (US$3,242) or MVR100,000 (US$6,485) to develop fish products.

“As stated in the government’s manifesto, the loans were aimed for youth to encourage youth participation in the fisheries industry,” he said.

A World Bank report released in February revealed that the unemployment rate for women aged 15 to 24 was three times higher than for men in the same age group.

At 22 percent, the Maldives also has the highest rate of youth unemployment in South Asia.

Hafiz explained that loans worth MVR5.8 million (US$376,134) will be issued under the programme with 60 percent allocated for female youth entrepreneurs.

However, 60 percent of the 176 applicants were not young women, he noted, adding that the ministry will award the rest of the loans after the evaluation process.

Hafiz said the response from the public was “good, it was better than we expected.”

The loan programme is funded from the government budget.

Hafiz noted that that the MVR50,000 loans were awarded without collateral. The loans have to be repaid to the Bank of Maldives in five years at an interest rate of six percent.

In March, the government issued MVR8.6 million (US$557,717) worth of loans to 14 boat owners and fishermen under a fisheries loan scheme.

Although 60 percent of the funds were earmarked for youth, President Abdulla Yameen noted at the time that only three of the 14 recipients were young fishermen, and urged more youth – the “target group” – to apply.

President Yameen has pledged to create 94,000 jobs for Maldivian youth. Last year, the government introduced a youth unemployment register, cleared the criminal records for many youth offenders, and launched the ‘GetSet’ entrepreneurship programme.

The anti-corruption watchdog in April ordered the youth ministry to re-evaluate applications submitted for the ‘Get Set’ loan scheme, noting two youth ministry staff were among the proposed recipients.

 

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Maldives to build Chinese-friendly hotels and resorts

The tourism ministry has announced plans to build Chinese-friendly hotels and resorts in the Maldives to cater to increasing tourist arrivals from China.

Tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb leased the island of Kalhufahalufushi in Thaa Atoll for resort development to the China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC).

The global engineering contractor is set to become the first Chinese company to invest in the Maldives and in the tourism industry.

Maldivian resorts were designed to cater to European holiday makers, Adeeb said. But with the new deal “Chinese tourists will see hotels that are designed for them. But tourists from other countries will also go there.”

The number of Chinese tourists visiting the Maldives tripled from about 100,000 in 2010 to more than 300,000 last year.

With a total of 363,626 arrivals in 2014, Chinese tourists accounted for nearly one-third of arrivals with a 30 percent market share, representing the single biggest source market for tourists to the Maldives.

Adeeb said CMEC will now undertake a feasibility study and propose its development concept and other details to the government, adding that a lease agreement will be signed before the end of the year.

The tourism minister said he expects CMEC to invest at least US$200 million in the Maldives.

He also said islands leased by the current administration for resort development will open for business in 2016.

Adeeb claimed development is proceeding rapidly due to concessions from the government, such as waiving import duties for construction material and providing sovereign guarantees for foreign loans.

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Vice president defends Islam textbooks

Criticism of Islam textbooks from a Western perspective is “inappropriate for the education system of a 100 percent Muslim nation,” Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed said yesterday.

Jameel declared that Islamic sharia and history will be taught in Maldivian schools.

The vice president’s remarks comes after human rights NGO Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) published a report saying textbooks used to teach Islam promote anti-Semitism and xenophobia, and glorify jihad or war.

The report said only the textbooks made for grade one, two and three, introduced this year, are free from xenophobic narratives.

Criticism of the Islam subject cannot be accepted as “sincere,” Jameel said.

The new school curriculum was formulated to ensure that the Maldives remains an Islamic country, he said, and special focus was given to the Islam subject.

The new Islam syllabus and textbooks will help overcome “challenges” posed by changes the Maldivian society is experiencing, he said.

Punishments prescribed in the Quran must be taught in an Islamic country, Jameel continued, and all Muslims must take pride in Islamic history.

Muslims were the “main architects” of civilisation since the time of Caliph Umar, he said.

Jameel said it is obligatory upon a Muslim people to teach children about the successes of the Islamic civilisation, the challenges it overcame, and wars waged by Muslims in self-defence.

Human rights, freedom of expression, and other fundamental rights guaranteed in the constitution must be exercised within boundaries set by Islam.

The constitution states that Sunni Islam is the state religion and that no law contrary to Islam shall be enacted in the Maldives.

The vice president made the remarks in a meeting with heads of private colleges in the Maldives.

He urged the educators to “work together to maintain the Maldives’ Islamic identity.”

The MDN had said that from fourth grade onwards, “the xenophobic material gradually increases to the point where the radical outweighs the moderate.”

Two whole pages of the eleventh grade textbook were dedicated to “fruits” of jihad, claiming that the ultimate fruit of jihad is martyrdom, for which the reward in Islam is an eternity in heaven, the report read.

The textbooks describe the Ahmadiyya sect as a “plot by the British to destroy Islamic unity,” and says Muslims educated in the West, or Muslims who speak for secularism are considered co-conspirators with the West to undermine Islam.

“Due to the prevalence of these radical ideas, the text books fail to primarily instil a positive interpretation of Islam that is manifested in the [2008] Maldivian Constitution,” the report concluded.

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Nasheed denied right to fair trial, concludes Bar Human Rights Committee

Former President Mohamed Nasheed was denied the right to a fair trial ahead of his conviction on terrorism charges in March, the UK’s Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC) has concluded in its trial observation report.

The BHRC’s findings echo widespread criticism from foreign governments, the UN, and international human rights organisations over the apparent lack of due process in the 19-day trial.

Following its third legal observation mission to the Maldives from February 26 to March 6, the BHRC found that there was “a clear appearance of bias on behalf of two of the three judges, such as to vitiate the fairness of the entire proceedings.”

Two of the three judges presiding over the trial had provided witness statements to the 2012 investigation of the case.

Nasheed was also “deprived, as a self-representing defendant, of adequate time and facilities to prepare his defence,” denied legal representation at the arraignment hearing the day after his arrest, and the criminal court failed to adequately guarantee the right to a public hearing.

The BHRC is an independent body and the international human rights arm of the Bar of England and Wales.

The mission, undertaken by Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, BHRC vice chair and barrister at Matrix Chambers, assessed the trial on compliance with international fair trial standards, in particular Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

On March 13, Nasheed was found guilty of terrorism and sentenced to 13 years in prison over the military’s detention of criminal court chief judge Abdulla Mohamed in January 2012.

“Serious concerns also arise regarding the unexplained delay of 15 months post-election in pursing criminal proceedings against Mr Nasheed, the overall speed at which the terrorism trial before the criminal court took place, once the new charges were laid, the limited time given to his defence team to prepare and the refusal by the court to permit defence witnesses to be called,” the report stated.

“In light of the above, Mr Nasheed’s conviction cannot properly be regarded as safe.”

The prosecutor general had withdrawn previous charges of illegal detention against Nasheed in early February and pressed terrorism charges on the day of his arrest (February 22). The surprise trial began the next day.

In several recommendations made to the government, the BHRC called for an investigation of “all serious allegations of violations of due process and fair trial rights through independent and impartial processes and hold to account those found responsible for those violations.”

The committee also recommended reforms to “strengthen the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.”

The BHRC advised the government to adopt a new penal code, evidence code, and criminal procedures law to codify fair trial and due process guarantees in the constitution, and “institute mandatory training in fair trial rights and guarantees, including those arising under the ICCPR, for all judges, at all levels of seniority.”

Following international criticism of Nasheed’s conviction, President Abdulla Yameen had called on all parties to respect the criminal court’s verdict.

Meanwhile, during the Maldives’ Universal Period Review in Geneva on May 6, foreign minister Dunya Maumoon claimed that Nasheed chose not to appeal his 13-year sentence and that due process concerns regarding the trial were procedural and not substantive.

Criticism of Nasheed’s trial had “mainly focused on the process and not the merits,” she said.

But Nasheed’s office contends he was deliberately denied the right to appeal after the criminal court failed to provide necessary documentation within the ten day appeal period specified by the Supreme Court.

Amnesty International had meanwhile called Nasheed conviction a “travesty of justice” while the UN human rights chief said the opposition leader was sentenced after a “hasty and apparently unfair trial” and noted “flagrant irregularities.”

The UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers noted “serious due process violations” such as denial of the opportunity to present defence witnesses, which led her to believe “the outcome of the trial may have been pre-determined.”

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Jumhooree Party accepts president’s invitation for talks

The opposition Jumhooree Party (JP) has officially accepted the president’s invitation for dialogue without conditions and assigned a four-member team to represent the party.

The JP said in a statement today that it hopes “political, social, and economic problems facing the Maldives” can be resolved through discussions.

President Abdulla Yameen had sent official invitation letters to the three allied parties today and appointed two ministerial teams to represent the government.

The JP promptly informed the president’s office that its representatives are deputy leader Ameen Ibrahim, MPs Ilham Ahmed, Abdulla Riyaz, and Hussain Mohamed.

However, at a press conference of the opposition ‘Maldivians against tyranny’ alliance this afternoon, Ameen questioned the sincerity of the president’s offer and called on the government to release detained opposition leaders and supporters.

Ameen said the continuing detention of main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) chairperson Ali Waheed, Adhaalath Party president Sheikh Imran Abdulla and JP senior member Sobah Rasheed is “unjust”.

“If the calls for dialogue is sincere, the government’s unjust brutality should stop. Unless it is stopped, what is there to talk about?” he said.

The opposition parties on Thursday had welcomed President Yameen’s call for talks, but had demanded the release of leaders arrested from the May Day anti-government demonstration.

Adhaalath Party spokesperson Ali Zahir told Minivan News today that the party will make a decision after internal discussions.

Ameen meanwhile noted that the opposition has repeatedly urged the government to hold talks to resolve the political crisis triggered by the arrest and imprisonment of former President Mohamed Nasheed and former defence minister Mohamed Nazim.

While the government insists that the demands to release Nasheed and Nazim are unlawful and beyond the president’s constitutional powers, Ameen said calls for releasing detainees within legal bounds were not unconstitutional.

Asked if the alliance expected a positive outcome from the talks, Ameen said the opposition has not lost hope, but would learn whether the government is sincere when the talks commence.

Meanwhile, the criminal court yesterday extended the remand detention of Imran and Ali Waheed by 10 days and seven days, respectively. The pair were arrested with court warrants in the wake of the May Day protest and accused of inciting violence.

Ameen was also arrested along with Imran and Ali Waheed, but the High Court last week overturned the criminal court’s order to hold him in remand detention for 15 days. All three were members of the alliance’s steering committee and had been on the front line of the May Day protest march.

Ameen said the prolonged detention of the opposition leaders and protesters arrested from the demonstration is “unacceptable” as police have interrogated the detainees and concluded investigations.

Imran, Waheed, and Sobah are kept in small cells apart from the rest of the prison population on Dhoonidhoo, Ameen said, adding that their punishment was similar to criminals serving 25-year jail sentences.

The opposition leaders have met the police upon request, shared information, and do not have criminal records, he added, questioning how they were found to pose a danger to society.

Malé mayor Mohamed Shihab said the MDP believes the detained leaders are “political prisoners”.

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Petition demands MP apologise for ‘discriminatory and bigoted’ tweets

An online petition has been launched calling for ruling party MP Riyaz Rasheed to publicly apologise for saying “islanders” will not be allowed to come to protest in Malé.

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) estimates about 7,000 people traveled to the capital from across the country to participate in the May Day mass anti-government demonstration.

“Raajje therey meehun [islanders] will no longer have the opportunity to come to Malé, protest on the streets of Malé, assault and harm police,” the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP for Thaa Vilifushi tweeted on Thursday.

“Islanders cannot come to protest in Malé anymore. The security forces will not give that opportunity anymore,” he tweeted yesterday.

Boatloads of opposition supporters converged on Malé on May 1 for the largest anti-government protest in over a decade.

Nearly 200 people were arrested following a police crackdown on the 20,000-strong protest march. Police used tear gas, stun grenades, pepper spray and baton charges to disperse protesters when they attempted to enter the restricted Republic Square. Dozens of protesters were injured in clashes and a Specialist Operations (SO) police officer was severely beaten.

The opposition ‘Maldivians against tyranny’ alliance has since announced that it is planning to stage another mass demonstration in Malé.

Riyaz’s tweets has sparked an outcry on social media with many Twitter users referring to constitutional rights to protest and travel within the Maldives.

However, the lawmaker remains defiant in the face of the public outrage, saying the constitutional provisions do not allow “arson and beating police.”

“No matter how angry MDP gets, islanders should not be allowed to come to protest and create turmoil in Malé,” the PPM parliamentary group deputy leader tweeted last night.

The controversy comes ahead of a by-election due to take place on June 6 for the vacant Dhiggaru constituency parliament seat. The PPM is fielding former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s son Faris Maumoon as the ruling coalition candidate.

The Avaaz petition was meanwhile launched yesterday and has 246 signatures as of the time of publication.

The petition urges Riyaz to “publicly apologise for his discriminatory and bigoted views against people who are not from Malé.”

It referred to articles 41 and 32 of the constitution, which guarantees freedom of assembly and the right to travel within the Maldives.

“As a Member of Parliament, who is constitutionally obliged to advocate for the rights of ALL citizens, we believe MP Riyaz Rasheed’s views are completely unacceptable and abhorrent,” reads the petition.

According to the 2014 census, 39 percent of the Maldives’ 341,256 population resides in Malé, one of the world’s most densely populated cities.

In the past three decades, thousands of people from the atolls have migrated to the capital in search of jobs, better education and healthcare, making Malé a congested city of exorbitant rents.

The UNDP’s Human Development Index report released last year revealed stark inequalities between Malé and the rest of the country.

“Where one is born within the Maldives determines many of the opportunities and choices available to a person,” the report stated.

“Come to Male’ to pay rent and beg with ministers. Don’t come to Male’ for your rights!”

“Islanders should not come to Male’ for any other reason except paying rent.”

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High Court upholds detention of MDP chairperson, Adhaalath Party leader

The High Court has upheld the criminal court’s order to hold Adhaalath Party leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla and main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party chairperson Ali Waheed in remand detention for 15 days.

However, the appellate court has released Jumhooree Party deputy leader Ameen Ibrahim from police custody, overturning the criminal court’s 15-day remand order.

The three leaders of the allied opposition parties were arrested from their homes with court warrants on the night of May 1. All three subsequently filed appeals at the high court challenging the legality of the criminal court’s remand detention orders.

The arrests followed a crackdown on the May Day anti-government demonstration. Nearly 200 people were arrested after protesters clashed with riot police.

The opposition leaders were accused of inciting violence against the government and threatening police in their speeches on May 1, which police contend led to protesters assaulting police officers, damaging property, and disrupting public order and safety.

The High Court noted in the verdict in Ameen’s case that according to police an intelligence report and an audio recording of Ameen’s speech as evidence to the criminal court.

The criminal court judge accepted the report but did not accept the CD with the recording. Police had said at the appeal hearing that the report did not have a verbatim transcript of Ameen’s speech.

The criminal court judge had not determined whether Ameen had incited violence and encourage criminal offences before deciding that he posed a danger to society, the three-judge panel of the High Court ruled unanimously.

In Ali Waheed and Imran’s cases, the High Court ruled that the criminal court order was lawful. The judges dismissed procedural issues raised in the appeal and noted that police do not have to submit enough evidence to prove guilt to be granted a request for extension of detention.

However, in Ali Waheed’s case, judge Ezmirelda Zahir issued a dissenting opinion, while judges Ali Sameer and Abdulla Hameed issued the majority opinion to uphold the lower court order.

Waheed saying that protesters must go home after freeing imprisoned ex-president Mohamed Nasheed was not sufficient to determine that he threatened police or posed a danger to society, Zahir noted in her dissenting ruling.

All three were members of the opposition ‘Maldivians against tyranny’ alliance’s steering committee, which organised the protest.

Journalists were not allowed to observe the appeal hearings under a new rule that bars media from appeals of detention orders.

The criminal court has meanwhile issued an arrest warrant for JP leader Gasim Ibrahim, who is currently out of the country. The business tycoon is accused of funding the May Day demonstration.

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Court issues arrest warrant for Gasim

The criminal court has reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim.

Local media reported last night that police had sought the warrant to arrest the business tycoon over allegations of funding the May Day anti-government mass rally.

The opposition MP and chairman of Villa Group is currently out of the country.

A police media official told Minivan News that police could not reveal information on arrest warrants for specific individuals.

“But we are seeking arrest warrants related to the May Day protest,” the official said.

Nearly 200 protesters were arrested from the 20,000-strong demonstration on May 1, including main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) chairperson Ali Waheed, Adhaalath Party leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla, and JP deputy leader Ameen Ibrahim.

The arrest warrant follows the tax authority freezing the bank accounts of several companies owned by Gasim over allegedly unpaid rent and fines. The government has, however, denied the opposition’s claim of unfairly targeting Gasim’s business interests.

A day before the May Day rally, tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb accused Gasim of funding the protest “while hiding in Bangkok” and hiring Sheikh Imran under “a contract” to topple the government.

Gasim promptly denied the allegation in a tweet. He had reportedly traveled to Thailand ahead of the protest.

Imran and the other leaders of the allied opposition parties are being held in remand detention for 15 days. They are accused of inciting violence against the government during the May Day rally.

On May 1, opposition protesters called for the release of imprisoned ex-president Mohamed Nasheed and ex-defence minister Mohamed Nazim.

JP spokesperson Ali Solih told Minivan News that the party has not been able to confirm if the warrant has been issued, but “we can’t say it won’t happen under the present circumstances.”

Solih accused the government of attempts to “intimidate” political opponents and “create fear among the public.”

He noted that Gasim’s support was crucial for president Abdulla Yameen’s victory in the 2013 presidential election.

“Is this is the reward for all the work Gasim did to bring this government?” he asked.

Following a fact finding mission last month, Amnesty International expressed concern with the “rapidly deteriorating” human rights situation in the Maldives.

“There’s a climate of fear spreading in the Maldives, as safeguards on human rights are increasingly eroded. The authorities have a growing track record of silencing critical voices by any means necessary – be it through the police, the judicial system, or outright threats and harassment,” Amnesty’s Maldives researcher Abbas Faiz told the press in New Delhi.

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Audit flags deficiencies in control of expatriate workers

An audit of the immigration department has identified deficiencies in the issuance of quotas and work permits as well as monitoring and enforcement measures.

The performance audit examined the “control of expatriate workers” in the Maldives after November 2012 and found that 68 percent of sampled quotas were issued against specified criteria.

The quota limits the number of expatriates that can be employed by a local business and is calculated based on the type of work. It is generated using an automatic formula in the ‘Xpat online system.’

“We observed the number of quota generated by the system through the use of the formula was more than were requested by the employers,” reads the audit report made public on Monday.

“Hence, the use of the formula resulted in issuing more quotas than was required. Such instances indicate that the [immigration department] did not consider the economic needs when quotas were issued.”

The audit also found that the department had not inspected all worksites before issuing quotas.

“This resulted in incorrect issuing of quotas; a police investigation report revealed issuance of quotas in respect of nineteen worksites that did not exist,” the report stated.

Of a sample of 40 quotas and employment approvals, 27 quotas and 13 approvals were issued when criteria were not met.

According to the 2014 census, there are 58,683 expatriates residing in the Maldives. However, the department of national planning has said the figure was much lower than numbers recorded by the immigration department.

NGO Transparency Maldives (TM) estimates there are 200,000 migrant workers in the Maldives – two-thirds of the country’s population.

A government report in 2011 revealed human trafficking to be the Maldives’ second most lucrative industry after tourism – worth an estimated US$123 million a year.

The Maldives ratified an Anti-Trafficking Act in December 2013, but TM says implementation, monitoring and enforcement of laws and regulations are crucial to prevent human trafficking.

Monitoring and enforcement

The department has not conducted research to determine the number of skilled and unskilled immigrant workers needed in the Maldives, the report observed, while the absence of a “sound policy framework” has resulted in a rapid increase in migrant workers.

Tackling illegal migration has since become “one of the main objectives of the department.”

The report noted that the absence of effective enforcement measures prior to 2014, after which the department “started conducting frequent investigations and they have strengthened their enforcement measures such as levying a fine on employers violating the regulations.”

“However, the [department] made slow progress in areas such as improving efficiency, staff capability quality of data and maintenance of complete data on the Xpat Online System,” it added.

The department began using the system in November 2012, but accurate information prior to then is not available as “migration of data from the labour ministry system…was not performed in a planned and systematic manner.”

“However, between 26 November 2012 and 31 December 2013 there were 9,914 expired work permits that were neither renewed nor cancelled,” it added.

As of September 2014, the department was owed MVR27.3 million in unpaid visa fees. However, apart from blacklisting the employers, the department “has not used its powers such as fining or holding passport of the employers.”

While the department implemented the US-donated PISCES border control system in August 2013, the audit observed “difficulties with entering and editing data”.

The system is not integrated with the Xpat online system, “which is hindering the achievement of the [department’s] objective in minimising illegal immigration.”

The department also failed to maintain data on workers who left under the government’s ‘Voluntary Departure Programme.’ The actual number of workers that departed under the programme is unknown.

The accuracy of the Xpat system cannot be ensured either, the report continued, as it cannot be used to trace workers who have left.

Information in travel documents “does not necessarily match with the information recorded in the system.”

“The employment approval of those leaving the country using a travel document would not be cancelled from the system,” the report noted.

Additionally, the department has not handled complaints “in a systematic manner.” The audit found that some complaints had not been attended to for over a year.

Recommendations

The auditor general’s office recommended that the department follow its standard operating procedures in issuing quotas and permits, conduct thorough checks at all stages, and take action against employers with unpaid work visa fees.

The audit also advised formulation of a framework on the number expatriate workers needed in the country.

The department should also “create a culture of serving the public,” evaluate staff capacity and workload, and recruit more staff where necessary.

A survey conducted during the audit revealed that a significant number of employers were not satisfied with the department’s services.

The department should also ensure that deposits collected from employers should only be used to deport workers. The audit office also advised revising deposit rates “at regular intervals to reflect the costs likely to be incurred.”

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