Author: Ahmed Nazeer

16-year-old stabbed

A 16-year-old boy was stabbed three times in the back near Star Cinema in Maafannu ward on Tuesday night, according to police.

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed the victim was taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial hospital for treatment following the attack.

However, Shiyam said it was too early to say whether or not the attack was linked to the controversial gang-favourite sport ‘Baibala’.

‘’We are still investigating the case and we haven’t discovered yet whether the stabbings are linked to Baibala tournament,” he said.

The government initially refused to authorise the annual Baibala Tournament this year after police expressed concern with the potential for violence between gangs during the competition.

However, permission was granted after a group of 150 players petitioned the president outside his residence.

Last month, a 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death after a football match between two gangs in the ’Maaziya’ football ground.

According to eyewitnesses, the victim was attacked by a group armed with knives and sticks.

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Dhoni captain appeals for help to save life of thalassaemic daughter

“This could be my one chance to save the life of my daughter.”

When Mohamed Faiz received a letter offering his eight year old thalassaemic daughter a life-saving bone marrow transplant in Italy, departing on October 25, he was ecstatic.

“It was amazing, I was surprised and thought we would never get such an opportunity,” he tells Minivan News.

But their dream was shattered when he learned that while the Italian regional government of Abruzzo would bear the cost of the operations, and the Associazione Genitori Bambini Emopatici (AGBE) would arrange accommodation, the offer was conditional on his paying food and all other living expenses for five months – a cost they estimated at US$4500 (Rf57,375).

The 46 year-old father of four has spent most his life trying to extend the life of the two of his children who suffer from thalassaemia, a crippling genetic disorder that affects the body’s ability to produce red blood cells.

The Maldives has the highest incidence of the disease in the world, and for those like eight year old Fathimath Shama with Beta Thalassaemia Major, the disease causes severe anemia and requires lifelong treatment.

According to the National Thalassaemia Centre of Maldives, Abdul Gafoor, there were more than 690 thalassaemia patients registered in the Maldives last year. Since then, 30 have fully recovered while 150 have passed away.

Separated for his wife and working as a dhoni captain, Faiz spends most of his monthly salary of Rf6500 (US$505) on his two children.

“I wasn’t able to save anything,” he says. “I spent Rf4000-5000 a month on the kids’ blood transfusions, Desferal (a drug used to moderate iron in the blood of transfused patients) and other kid’s stuff, mostly medical treatments essential for their wellbeing.”

The relentless financial pressure of caring for children with thalassaemia makes for “a hard life” he says.

“You have to struggle, and most of your time is spent thinking about the future of the poor kids,’’ Faiz explains. “It’s hard to handle the situation when you have to afford the same treatments every month, without any idea of when you might find a better way.’’

Faiz received word through the government one and a half months ago that Fathimath had been selected for a bone marrow transplant in Italy, a risky procedure with many possible complications and reserved for patients with life-threatening disease, but nonetheless offering a chance of recovery.

His other daughter, aged 18, needs to travel to Italy as well to serve as the bone marrow donor; according to the National Thalassaemia Centre of Maldives, only 10 patients in the Maldives have a donor sibling who matches closely enough to attempt a bone marrow transplant.

But despite beating those odds, and so close to a cure, Faiz has despaired of being able to afford the high cost of living in Italy for five months.

“The organisation will bear the cost of the operation, accommodation and tickets, but we were asked to cover all the other expenses,’’ Faiz says, awkwardly. “We have to stay there five months at least.”

He now believes the offer is the only hope his daughter may fully recover, and increasingly desperate, has resigned from his job to focus full-time on raising money for the trip.

“For an ordinary person like me, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Faiz says. “I would despair with the world if missed this only chance, the only hope to save my daughter. I would have to live knowing I missed a miraculous opportunity to make my daughter normal, and give her a real chance at life.”

Mohamed Faiz can be contacted on (+960) 773 4042, or (+960) 762 7899. Faiz’s Bank of Maldives account number is 7701-153358-101.

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Police deport three Thai women on suspicion of prostitution

Three woman from Thailand have been arrested for alleged prostitution and deported from the Maldives.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the three women were arrested on August 17, during the holy month of Ramadan, following a special operation by police.

“We discovered enough evidence for us to believe they were prostitutes,’’ Shiyam said. “They were working at a beauty parlour in Male’.”

Shiyam declined to reveal the ages of the three women, the name of the beauty parlour or the nature of the evidence uncovered, “as the case is still under investigation.”

“So far we have not linked the case to any Maldivians,” he added.

Last year, the Health Ministry warned of the spread of AIDS in the Maldives after an expatriate prostitute tested positive for HIV.

Senior public health officer at the Centre for Community Health and Disease Control (CCHDC) Abdul Hameed last year said prostitutes were keen to work in the Maldives because there was “high demand” for their services.

He said the practice was dangerous and carried a high risk of HIV transmission, and advised all Maldivians “to stay away from prostitutes who come to the Maldives.”

There were an estimated 34 HIV positive people in the country, “although records show 14,” he said.

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Jumhoree Party demands action against those who planned to burn Quran

The minority opposition Jumhoree Party (JP), led by MP Gasim ‘Buruma’ Ibrahim, has issued a statement urging the government of the Maldives to demand the US government take action against those who planned to burn the Quran on September 11.

Pastor Terry Jones, from the 50 member Dove World Outreach Centre in Gainesville, Florida, drew headlines worldwide after he announced plans to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The Pastor abandoned the plan on urging from the US government, including President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, telling US television network NBC that “even though we have not burned one Quran, we have gotten over 100 death threats.”

The pastor told NBC his goal was “to expose that there is an element of Islam that is very dangerous and very radical [and] we have definitely accomplished that mission.”

The US president meanwhile condemned the proposed burning as “un-American” and “a recruitment bonanza for al-Qaeda”.

Locally, the Adaalath Party and the JP strongly condemned the planned burning, describing it as an affront to 1.5 billion Muslims across the world.

Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said the Maldivian government had already taken action, noting that Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed had sent a letter to US authorities “explaining that the plan was against the spirit of Muslims and was not encouraged.”

Zuhair said he respected the call of the Jumhoree Party and all the others who protested against the burning.

Meanwhile, two protesters were killed and five were seriously in Afghanistan after security forces opened fire on the crowd, who were attempting to storm government buildings in Puli-Alam, the capital of the Logar province.

A plan to build an Islamic cultural centre and mosque near the site of the former World Trade Center in New York has also caused controversy.

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DRP Noonu Atoll wing’s leader arrested with suspected bottle of alcohol

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Noonu Atoll wing leader Mohamed Abbas has been arrested with possession of a bottle suspected to contain alcohol.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said that three men were arrested for allegedly carrying alcohol in an empty water bottle.

”Two men have been released now,” said Shiyam. “The bottle will be brought to Male’ for the necessary examinations.”

Shiyam declined to reveal the identity of the person under arrest, however he confirmed that Abbas was one of the two persons released.

Alcohol in the Maldives is strictly controlled and restricted to ‘uninhabited’ resort islands. Maldivians, who are constitutionally-obligated to be Muslim, are prohibited from consuming it in accordance with Islamic practices.

Online newspaper based on Noonu Atoll, Velidhoo Online (VO), reported that three bottles of alcohol were discovered inside Abbas’s backpack.

VO reported that the bottles were discovered by police when they were checked following their arrival from the Ranveli Resort of Noonu Atoll.

The paper also said that people had gathered near Velidhoo police station and held demonstrations to express disapproval of Abbas.

Deputy leader of DRP, Umar Naseer, said Abbas was not the leader of DRP’s Noonu Atoll wing.

”He’s just a normal DRP member, an activist,” said Umar. ”I have idea how this happened, but I know he did not drink, because his breath-test results were negative to alcohol.”

Umar said there were no alcoholics in the opposition DRP, and claimed that there were only alcoholics in the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

”Police should investigate the case and take necessary actions against any person who violates the law, without referring to which party he is in or what his post is,” Umar added.

Police recently discovered bottles of alcohol inside the car of MDP parliamentary group leader and MP Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik, however the government claimed the alcohol bust was a setup.

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“Hold down the poison pen” of Haama News journalist, demands Salaf

Religious NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf has demanded the editor of local news paper ‘Haama’ take action against one of the publication’s journalists, accusing him of “insulting the ‘Kaaba’”.

The Kaaba is the most sacred site in Islam, a cube-shaped building in Mecca which all Muslims around the world must face during prayers.

Salaf has sent a letter to the newspaper claiming that the article by Mohamed Naseer violated the Sunnah of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH), “and that the article was against the consensus of the scholars of Islam.”

“Although he has written many articles critisicing the religion, those articles were not read by the scholars, and therefore he was not exposed,’’ the letter said. “The constitution of the Maldives does not allow anybody freely criticise the religion.’’

“Before the poison of his pen reaches your news agency and people who looks after Naseer, we call on you to stop his pen,’’ the NGO threatened.

Salaf also recommended Naseer “to fear God and repent.”

Editor of Haama, Saif Azhar, told Minivan News today that the author of the concerned articles “was not a staff at Haama but a freelance columnist.”

“It was mistakenly published without being approved by the editor,” said Azhar. ”We removed the article as soon as people brought it to our attention.”

Azhar said the article was on the author’s view of eating and sleeping inside the mosque, something the writer noted that Maldivians had never supported.

”We advised him not to write articles like that,” Azhar said. ”We have never supported anti-Islamic articles or anything against religion, and it was just a mistake.”

State Minister for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed could not be reached for comment, and Ministry Spokesperson Sheikh Ahmadulla Jameel declined to comment stating that he was not a religious scholar or political appointee.

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Frustrated DhiFM journalist launches one man protest against housing ministry bureaucracy

DhiFM journalist Qufthaq Ajeer had spent two weeks trying to obtain the information for a piece on housing projects.

But today the frustrated reporter launched a one man protest against the Housing Ministry and bureaucratic inaction, by setting up camp in the ministry’s lobby and refusing to leave until the information was provided.

‘’I have been trying to get this information for two weeks,” he told Minivan News. “Every day they say tomorrow or the next day and it keeps going that way, so I thought I would try a new way today.”

“I decided to stay inside the office until either the police came to throw me out, or the Deputy Minister Mohamed Faiz came to provide me the information I need.”

The ambush was necessary because Faiz “never responds to calls”, he added.

When the journalist began protesting in the lobby, Housing Ministry staff tried to promise him he “would get the information tomorrow.”

“I am not confident with their ‘tomorrow’,” said Qufthaq. “I am trying a new way to see how it goes.’’

He waited inside the Housing Ministry’s lobby after the ministry closed and the staff had left the building.

An hour later, State Minister for Housing Akuram Kamluddeen arrived and disclosed the information Qufthaq had requested two weeks earlier.

Media Cordinator for the Housing Ministry, Mohamed Rashad, said he had “only learned today” that a journalist was trying to reach the deputy minister.

“The busy schedule and all must have been a reason for the long delay,’’ he said. “If the media unit had known about it before, he would have received the information he needed.’’

Bureaucratic inaction and a lack of cooperation from the civil service is the latest in a series of complaints by the Maldivian media.

Recently a Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) journalist was barred from entering the Criminal Court for a hearing.

A journalist from Villa Television (VTV) also complained that Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary group leader and MP Moosa ‘Manik’ obstructed him from interviewing another MP.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), acting on information received from the Maldives Journalist Association (MJA), earlier this week issued a statement expressing alarm at the “increasing hostile actions against independent media in the Maldives.”

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Corruption trial of Deputy Speaker postponed to November: Criminal Court

The Criminal Court of the Maldives has postponed the trial of Deputy Leader of the People’s Alliance (PA) and Deputy Speaker of the parliament MP Ahmed Nazim to November this year.

A statement from the Criminal Court said the delay in the trial, which began earlier this year, was caused by a “lack of information and necessary documents from the Home Ministry.”

The Criminal Court said it had now received the necessary pending document and that the trial would resume on November 9.

The Criminal Court attempted to summon Nazim in July, however he was being held in police custody and failed to receive the summons, the statement said, adding that it was only able to hold two of the scheduled five hearings.

In May last year police raided Nazim’s office, seizing a number of documents and hard drives as part of a special operation to investigate allegations of corruption.

In August last year, police concluded investigation into corruption charges concerning the former Atolls Ministry and sent five cases to the prosecutor general’s office.

On conclusion of the investigation, police charged former Atolls Minister Abdulla Hameed and Nazim with corruption, with Chief Inspector Ismail Atheef alleging that numerous quotations, agreements, tender documents, receipts, bank statements and cheques had been forged, and that Nazim had personally benefitted from over US$400,000 in fraudulent transactions.

Police investigations  focused on three main points in the ministry’s audit report for 2007 and 2008: the purchase of mosque sound systems for over US$138,000; the purchase of 15,000 national flags for over US$110,000; and the purchase of 220 harbour lights at a cost of over US$151,000 from businesses with close ties to Nazim.

According to Atheef, Eydhafushi MP Ahmed ‘Redwave’ Saleem, who was director of finance at the ministry at the time, actively assisted the scam.

Saleem has now joined the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

“In these cases, money laundering was involved,” Chief Inspector Ismail Atheef told Minivan News last year.

“I wouldn’t say money from these transactions was directly deposited to the accounts of Abdulla Hameed or Ahmed Saleem.’’

Police claimed Hameed played a key role in the fraud by handing out bids without public announcements, making advance payments using cheques against the state asset and finance regulations, and approving bid documents for unregistered companies and discriminatory treatment of bid applicants.

The first two cases of the ministry’s audit report reported by police revealed similar fraudulent transactions to purchase 150 harbour lights for over US$157,000 and the purchase of 15,000 national flags worth US$110,000.

Nazim has previously pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the former ministry.

During a hearing in March, State Prosecutor Abdullah Rabiu said Nazim was Managing Director of Namira Engineering and Trading Pvt Ltd when the company’s equipment and staff were used to create fake letterheads and submit proposals on behalf of unregistered companies.

More recently in July this year, Nazim and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Musthafa were arrested on suspicion of bribing MPs and a civil court judge, however Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed ruled that there were no reasonable grounds to grant an extension of the MPs’ detention based on the evidence presented by police.

“Both of them were arrested last night on charges of bribing a civil court judge. According to the information we have, they offered US$6,000 and a two-way ticket for a trip abroad, and exerted influence on a civil court case,” claimed the police lawyer in court.

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‘Formax’ burglar sentenced to four years and six months

The Criminal Court has sentenced a 19 year old man to four years and six months jail for robbing ‘Formax Computers’, a prominent hardware and software retailer in Male’.

Ali Latheef from the island of Villingili in Gaafu Alifu Atoll was found guilty of robbing the store following his arrest on March 7, while he was attempting to flee with laptops, pen drives, modems and other electronic devices.

He was caught by police after using a shovel to break the glass window of the shopfront.

Latheef reportedly covered his face with a mask when he realised that the place was under surveillance, however police officers patrolling the area witnessed the incident and arrested the man.

Spokesperson for the Criminal Court Ahmed Riffath he had no information regarding the matter.

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