Author: Minivan News

Two men arrested with 1kg of hash oil

Two Maldivian men were arrested with 1kg of hash oil last night.

The pair, aged 20 and 22, were taken into custody around 9:05pm in an operation conducted by the police intelligence and drug enforcement departments.

The arrests were made based on intelligence information suggesting that the pair were smuggling and selling drugs in Malé.

Police officers followed the 22-year-old on his motorbike and arrested him near the Imperial Clinic on Lonuziyairah Magu. The bags containing the drugs were found in his possession.

The 20-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the case.

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MDP Noonu atoll councillors chip in to pay salary for suspended councillor

Island and atoll councillors of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in Noonu atoll are chipping in to pay the salary of  suspended Holhudhoo councillor Hussain Habeeb.

Habeen was among seven councillors suspended for two months without pay by the Local Government Authority. All seven had been arrested in a police crackdown on the May Day anti-government demonstration after protesters attempted to enter Malé’s restricted Republic Square.

Noonu Kudafari island councillor Jazlan Adam told CNM that opposition councillors in the atoll decided to assist Haseeb as they believe he was suspended unlawfully. He was accused of taking part in an unlawful gathering.

Jazlan said he hoped councillors in other atolls will follow the example of the Noonu councillors and help their suspended colleagues.

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Court releases judge’s brother arrested for arson

The prosecutor general’s office has appealed the Maalhos magistrate court’s release of a man arrested on suspicion of torching two boats and a speedboat in Baa Kendhoo on April 24.

According to local media, the suspect, Abdul Salam Yousuf, 42, from the Morning House in Kendhoo, is the brother of criminal court judge Abdul Bari Yousuf.

Judge Bari was part of a three-judge panel that sentenced former President Mohamed Nasheed and former defence minister Mohamed Nazim in March.

The magistrate court in Baa Maalhos had extended Salam’s remand detention twice, but reportedly refused to grant a third extension. He had been held in police custody for 20 days.

The owner of the vessels said at the time that the fire caused damages worth MVR3 million (US$194,931). The boats and speedboat were made of fibreglass and were completely destroyed.

The owner also said the perpetrator had broken into his petrol shed and stolen gasoline.

The owner is a member of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

A few days after the incident, a car owned by an MDP activist was set on fire in the Feydhoo ward of Addu City.

Both incidents occurred ahead of a mass anti-government rally planned for May 1.

Local media reported at the time that according to eyewitnesses two masked men carrying knives set the car on fire around 6:45am on April 28.

The car’s owner, Mohmed Thoriq told Minivan News at the time that some windows of his house also caught on fire as the car was parked in front.

“My mother saw the flames and woke me up crying,” he said.

“In total with cost of the windows of the house and the car, this is about MVR 230, 000 worth of damages for me,” he said.

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Bore hole drilling begins for Malé–Hulhulé bridge survey

A team of Chinese technicians began drilling bore holes on the ocean floor today to gather information for the Malé-Hulhulé bridge project.

Tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb, economic development minister Mohamed Saeed, and other cabinet ministers attended an inauguration ceremony for the bore hole drilling at the raalhugadu (surf point) area of the capital this morning.

Housing and infrastructure minister Dr Mohamed Muiz said at the ceremony that information gathered from drilling the holes will be essential for designing the bridge.

Technicians are drilling 29 bore holes that will be six inches wide and 50 metres deep. Four of the bore holes will be on land.

Surveys and feasibility studies ahead of the design process are being conducted with free aid and technical assistance from the Chinese government.

Muiz said the Maldivian government will seek a developer once the designs are finalised. The project will be financed with a soft loan from the Chinese EXIM bank. The government has previously said the project may cost between US$100million and US$150million.

The six-lane bridge will run from Malé’s surf point to the southwest corner of Hulhulé island’s airport runway, Muiz had previously said.

China has said it would “favourably consider financing” the bridge project if the design proves feasible, while President Xi Jinping said he hoped the government would call the bridge “the China-Maldives friendship bridge”.

The government has said construction of the bridge will be completed by 2017.

Speaking at this morning’s ceremony, Adeeb said the current administration is fulfilling its campaign pledges “like a set of firecrackers on fire.”

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Women’s rights NGO slams court’s US$13 fine for domestic violence

Local women’s rights NGO Hope for Women has said that a MVR200 (US$13) fine imposed on a man found guilty of assaulting his wife defeats the purpose of the prosecution.

Luthfee Umar from Laamu Isdhoo was found guilty on May 17 for physically assaulting his wife and shoving her onto the deck of a fishing boat in January.

The NGO said the victim, Hawwa Ibrahim, from Matharesmaage in Faafu Nilandhoo, did not want to press charges against her husband.

The NGO praised the police for investigating the case and the prosecutor general’s office for filing charges at the criminal court.

“However, sadly, the outcome has defeated the purpose of the prosecution. And society has been given a message completely contrary to that purpose. Therefore, we believe that the people who carry out such acts will receive further encouragement,” Hope for Women said in a statement yesterday.

While it does not encourage meting out severe punishments for first time offenders, the NGO said judges must take the nature of the crime, its repercussions, and familial obligations of the accused into consideration.

“Moreover, we believe that the responsibility of the prosecutor is working with the aim of achieving a just outcome instead of just raising charges,” it added.

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JP council member’s detention extended by 10 days

The criminal court has extended the remand detention of opposition Jumhooree Party (JP) council member Sobah Rasheed by ten days.

Sobah was arrested under a court warrant on May 3 from an opposition rally and held in police custody for 15 days. He is accused of inciting violence at a mass anti-government protest on May 1.

The high court yesterday upheld the criminal court’s initial 15-day remand.

The opposition has raised concern over what it calls unnecessary detention of opposition leaders, pointing out the constitution only allows the extension of remand if the accused is deemed a danger to society, if they may influence witnesses or might flee or if further interrogation is needed.

The criminal court on Sunday extended the remand detention of Adhaalath Party president Sheikh Imran Abdulla and main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party chairperson Ali Waheed by 10 days and seven days, respectively.

The two were arrested on May 1 on charges of inciting violence and held in police custody for 15 days. The High Court last week rejected appeals from the pair challenging the legality of the criminal court’s remand detention orders.

Lawyers have filed a second appeal of the criminal court’s decision to extend remand detention.

The two were brought to Medica hospital in Malé for treatment yesterday. Ali Waheed was also brought to ADK hospital last week for an MRI scan of his spine.

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Man sentenced to jail for razor blade theft

The criminal court has sentenced a 35-year-old man to one year in jail for stealing two packs of razor blades on Sunday.

Hussain Miyad, of Noranmma in Malé, confessed to stealing the razors worth MVR710 in November 2012.

The criminal court’s harsh sentences for petty crimes and lenient sentences for violent crime has sparked public outrage.

The court last week fined a man with MVR200 (US$13) for assaulting his wife.

In 2014, four men were sentenced to between two and four years in jail for stealing lotion bottles.

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STO to sponsor speech therapist for children with Down syndrome

The state wholesaler State Trading Organisation (STO) has pledged to sponsor a speech therapist for an organisation working for the rights of children with down syndrome.

Founder of Beautiful Eyes, Aishath Shifa, welcomed the offer, saying children with down syndrome suffer speech delays which impair the development of other skills.

STO managing director Ahmed Shaheer said the company will allocate a special budget for children with disabilities under its corporate social responsibility programme.

STO donated ten bicycles yesterday to the Maldives Police Services to patrol Malé’s suburb Vilimalé.

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