Author: Minivan News

MTDC sells Herethera resort for US$33 million

The Maldives Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has sold the Herethera Island Resort in Addu City for US$33 million to Singapore’s Canaries Private Ltd.

Of the four companies that submitted bids following a public announcement to sell the resort on December 18, MTDC said in a press release on Monday (March 31) that the Singaporean company submitted the highest bid.

The agreement to transfer lease holder rights for the resort was signed on March 31.

The press release also noted that following the sale of the resort property the MTDC has repaid a loan obtained from the Bank of Maldives for developing the resort.

In June 2013, MTDC’s board of directors decided to sell Herethera – the government-owned company’s biggest asset – for US$30 million to a company with a majority stake owned by local tourism magnate ‘Champa’ Hussain Afeef.

MTDC Managing Director Mohamed Matheen told newspaper Haveeru at the time that the decision was made to sell Herethera to Afeef’s Treetop Investment Pvt Ltd because the government corporation did not have the finances to profitably operate the resort.

He added that a large investment was needed to fix problems with the beach and the environment of the resort in the southernmost atoll.

Herethera was the first resort developed and opened by MTDC while Afeef was chairman of the government’s tourism company.

Tourism pioneer Afeef meanwhile told the local daily that the Herethera development would take place in conjunction with the development of the international airport in Gan.

In November 2012, thirty percent of the Addu International Airport Ltd (AIAL) was sold to Afeef’s Kasa Holdings to raise finances to develop the Gan airport in Addu City.

However, the decision to sell the resort to Afeef was reversed following the election of President Abdulla Yameen.

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Ministry of Environment holds panel discussion to reflect on World Water Day 2014

The Ministry of Environment and Energy yesterday (April 1) held a panel discussion as well as a question and answer session to mark the occasion of the World Water Day 2013, which fell on March 22.

According to the press statement, the presentations covered a range of topics from water and energy, the history of water and sewerage systems in Maldives, the current plans and policies of the government including summary information on projects, meteorological aspects related to water security, water as a human right, issues related to water quality, and how water is related to climate change.

The event was held mainly for the students studying environmental management, journalism, and teaching at the Maldives National University (MNU). Their participation was intended to enrich their knowledge and to orient them towards environmental issues in Maldives, the ministry’s press release stated.

The event was held in association with the Faculty of Science at MNU, with a welcome address given by the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr Ali Shareef, followed by the speech by the State Minister for Environment and Energy Hasan Shah.

Minister of State for Environment and Energy Abdul Matheen Mohamed has previously told Minivan News that the government is emphasising integrated systems in order to make the best use of the water resources currently available in the country.

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New police policy to protect identity of suspects until prosection

The police have introduced a new policy which will protect the identity of persons taken into police custody until the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) charges them in court.

Newspaper Haveeru has reported a police media official as saying that the police will no longer reveal the names of suspects arrested before they are officially charged in the court – though it was noted that this policy remains at the discretion of senior officers.

The paper noted that police had not revealed the names of suspects arrested in connection with the stabbing of former MP for Feydhoo constituency Alhan Fahmy.

Haveeru reported that the official told the paper that the new policy was made after an agreement signed between the police and PGO.

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Government to showcase five development projects at Singapore investment forum

The Ministry of Economic Development will be presenting five investment opportunities planned for the country’s development at the Maldives Investment Forum in Singapore this month.

The forum will aim to increase the interest of Asian-region investors, and will be the first forum of such a scale to be hosted by the Maldives in another country.

President Abdulla Yameen will also be attending the forum, which is scheduled for April 25 at the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore.

“It is a showcasing of the largest infrastructure projects, for company registration, to the international investment community. The keynote will be by the president and we are working on the details for the showcase,” said Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Economic Development Yusuf Riza.

“We have had forums of this sort before, but not at this level, not with the president there – this has been done at the ministerial level.”

Although Riza said the details of the projects were yet to be announced, local media outlet Haveeru has reported details of the developments to be presented to potential investors.

These are reported to be: the development of Ihavandhippolhu as an economic zone, a project to develop ‘I-Heaven’ and Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), the second phase of Hulhumalé’s development, a project to develop the current commercial harbour at Thilafushi, and a scheme to extract fuel and gas from the Maldivian region.

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President appoints deputy minister of finance and treasury

President Abdulla Yameen has appointed Imran Salih of Fehivilaage in the island of Hithadhoo in Addu City to the post of deputy minister of finance and treasury.

Local media reports that Salih has a Masters Degree in finance from the International Islamic University of Malaysia and a Bachelors Degree in accounting from the Multimedia University in Malaysia.

According to the President’s Office website, there are currently sixty other political appointees of the deputy ministerial rank.

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24 year old male found dead in Malé

A 24 year old male has been found dead in Annaarumaage in Henveiru ward of capital city Malé on Tuesday morning.

Police stated that the discovery of the body was reported to them at 9:15am on Tuesday.

The body has been moved to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital with the aid of the Maldives National Defence Force.

Police did not reveal the identity of the male, or the circumstances surrounding the death.

A police media official stated that the reasons for death will be known after further investigation.

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Anti-trafficking conference concludes in Malé

A regional anti-human trafficking conference titled ‘Consultation to promote sub-regional collaboration on combating trafficking in persons’, held in Malé has concluded.

The conference – inaugurated by the Minister for Economic Development Mohamed Saeed – was organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in collaboration Sri Lanka’s Solidarity Center, reports Sun Online.

The conference was attended by representatives from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.

Dr Ahmed Al Hashemi, Director of Middle East Centre for Training and Development is reported to have provided a presentation detailing how the UAE has employed a number of anti-trafficking mechanisms including electronic salary transfers and the establishment of specialist anti-trafficking committees within government departments.

The Maldives passed its first anti-trafficking legislation in December, defining the practice as a crime for the first time. The country had previously been placed on the US State Department’s Tier 2 Watch List for human trafficking for four years in a row, with suggestions that it could move to the third tier failing steps to address the issue.

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MNDF searches for missing Dhuvaafaru boat passenger

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has launched a search operation for man who went missing during a boat journey between the capital Malé and Dhuvaafaru, in Raa atoll, on Friday.

Mohamed Shaneez, 36, is reported to have last been seen between 2:45am and 3am on Saturday, with fellow passengers only noticing his absence when the boat arrived in Dhuvaafaru at 9am.

The boat made a 6am stop at Maakurathu island, with conflicting media reports as to whether the Shaneez was still on board at this point.

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Taxis notified to fit vacancy signs by April 15

The Transport Authority of Maldives has notified taxis to place a sign on top of the car to indicate vacancy to passengers before April 15 2014, reported local media Sun Online.

“The light-up taxi boards have to fit the authority’s standards. Places producing or selling these taxi boards will have a special permit issued by this authority,” Sun Online reported the authority as saying.

Taxi regulations, published on 16 December 2013, imposed fixed taxi fees of MVR25 per trip between 6:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. and MVR30 per trip between 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.

In addition to these regulations, taxi drivers are obligated to have on display their name and the contact details of their taxi centres.

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