Author: Minivan News

Housing ministry feeding pigeons in three areas

The housing ministry has said its staff have been feeding pigeons at three designated locations in Malé after a ban on feeding pigeons at the republic square sparked public outrage.

The ministry posted pictures on its Facebook page today of staff feeding pigeons at the artificial beach, the tsunami monument area, and a park near the southwestern harbour.

Executive coordinator Abdulla Shahid told the state broadcaster that the ministry imposed as a temporary measure while renovation work, including repairing a water fountain and replanting grass, was ongoing at the square.

The government is renovating public spaces in the capital in preparation for the upcoming golden jubilee of independence on July 26.

The ban drew strong criticism on social media after numerous pigeons died of apparent starvation. Hundreds of children and adults gather at the square in late afternoons to feed raw rice to the pigeons.

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Free Friday clinic opened for Bangladeshis

The Bangladeshi High Commission and the Maldivian health ministry opened a ‘free Friday clinic’ yesterday for Bangladeshi expatriates in the Maldives.

The clinic is located inside the Bangladeshi High Commission in Malé and will offer treatment and medicine free of charge, according to local media.

High commissioner Kazi Saruvaar Hussain and health minister Ahmed Zuroor opened the clinic at a ceremony yesterday.

Zuhoor said undocumented Bangladeshis or migrant workers with expired visas or work permits were reluctant to seek medical treatment.

A number of Bangladeshi workers could not afford the services at clinics and hospitals, he noted.

Bangladeshi doctors working at Maldivian hospitals will be volunteering at the clinic.

The clinic will be open on Fridays from 9:00am to 12:00pm and the doctors will examine up to 150 patients a day.

According to the 2014 national census, there are 58,683 migrant workers in the Maldives. However, the department of national planning said the figure was much lower than the official figure recorded by the immigration department.

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Hand, foot and mouth disease spreading, warns health agency

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has issued a health alert warning of the spread of hand, foot and mouth disease across the Maldives.

The HPA said reported cases mostly involved children between the ages of one and four.

The disease is passed through a patient’s pus, saliva, discharge, snot and vomit. Common symptoms include fever, change in appetite, tiredness, throat infections and body aches.

The agency advised parents against sending infected children to school and to take precautionary cleanliness measures to contain the infection.

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Government invites applications for Saudi Arabian scholarships

The government has invited applications for 100 scholarships offered by Saudi Arabia for Maldivian students to pursue higher education in Saudi universities.

The deadline for submissions is next Monday (April 27).

The scholarships include 55 bachelors degree courses, 30 masters degree courses, and 15 PhD courses.

The areas of study for the bachelors degrees include medicine, Arabic language, and various other fields.

According to the department of higher education, candidates for graduate degrees must be below 25 years of age and have five passes or higher in O’ Levels or equivalent qualifications and three passes in A’ Levels.

Candidates for masters degree must be below 30 years of age and possess a relevant bachelors degree.

The Saudi Arabian government will decide the recipients of the scholarships after evaluating the nominated candidates.

Following an official state visit to the kingdom in March, president Abdulla Yameen said the Saudi government had pledged to increase the number of scholarships to 150.

 

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Parliament sitting proceeds with security officers

Today’s sitting of parliament proceeded with speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed surrounded by People’s Majlis security personnel.

Maseeh was forced to adjourn yesterday’s sitting after opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs approached the speaker’s desk and screamed into his mic.

The parliament secretariat also resumed providing a live feed of the sitting to television stations this morning, after ceasing the popular service when opposition MPs began protesting in the chamber on March 2.

However, the speaker continued proceedings while debates were inaudible to the viewing gallery due to the disorder. The speaker did not invoke authority under parliamentary regulations to order the sergeant-at-arms to expel disruptive MPs.

Earlier this week, changes proposed by speaker Maseeh to the parliamentary rules to ban horns, sirens and megaphones were approved by the pro-government majority.

During today’s debate on amendments to the import-export law, MDP MPs surrounded ruling coalition MPs and held up placards calling for the release of imprisoned opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed.

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A nation’s dying democracy: The New York Times

“On March 13, former President Mohamed Nasheed began the first day of a 13-year prison sentence on charges of “terrorism.” For those of us who witnessed the birth of democracy in the Maldives in 2008 and its desperate battle to cling to life, news of his sentencing sounded more like a death knell than a court ruling,” writes Mariyam Shiuna, executive director of Transparency Maldives, in an op-ed for the New York Times.

“The Maldives, an island chain off the Southern coast of India, is home to nearly 400,000 people. It attracts tourists and climate change activists (ours will be one of the first nations to sink if the world keeps warming), but few foreigners stay long enough to learn our history or about our struggle for the freedom affluent visitors often take for granted.

“Our hard-won freedoms are now slipping through our fingers. When Mr. Nasheed, an eloquent dissident who had spent several years in prison and in exile, was elected president in our first free and fair elections in 2008, his victory renewed hope for a future in which we could have a say in how the country is governed. Instead, political persecution has intensified, civil society is silenced and media intimidation has become the norm. The United Nations, several Western governments and many local observers have expressed grave concern over the unfair process followed in Mr. Nasheed’s case as well as legal cases involving other politicians and warn that our democracy is rapidly eroding.”

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Tourists warned to avoid certain resorts: The Telegraph

“The Ethical Maldives Alliance is asking tourists to consider ethical issues when choosing where and how to spend money in the Maldives.. In particular, it has drawn up a list of resorts that it wants visitors to consult so that they can be aware which are the resorts that it says are directly or indirectly linked to human rights abuses,” reports the UK’s Telegraph.

“The alliance believes that tourists can make a difference in protecting democracy in the country.

“The Maldives has a long and sad history of political oppression and human rights abuses,” it said in a statement. “Most tourists to the islands remain blissfully unaware of the realities of life for the local population. Money from tourism provides the bulwark of support to a government with a known record of intimidation and oppression.”

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ACC orders re-evaluation of ‘Get Set’ programme applications

The anti-corruption watchdog has ordered the government to re-evaluate applications submitted for the ‘Get Set’ youth entrepreneurship loan scheme.

According to local media, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) told the youth ministry that it has flagged corruption in the evaluation process.

The commission found that two youth ministry staff were among the recipients chosen by a technical committee.

Of 597 applications, the committee chose 107 recipients based on a selection criteria.

The management of the programme was transferred from the youth ministry to the economic development ministry last week.

The government plans to offer MVR200 million (US$12.9 million) to encourage entrepreneurship among youth and assist the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.

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Malé school resumes classes after ‘toxic’ shutdown

A Malé school, shut down last week due to toxic fumes, has resumed classes on Sunday.

A teacher at the Kalafaanu School told Minivan News they had been told the fumes are not harmful despite the unpleasant smell.

The school was shut down after several students complained of dizziness, headaches and nausea.

The fumes are believed to originate from Malé’s power house which is located just a block away from the school.

“The education ministry officials have compiled a report on the issue, however, we have not officially received it,” said Abdul Fahthaah.

The education ministry had said it would make public a report into the source of toxic fumes by last Saturday.

 

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