Police have arrested three men with 58 packets of illegal drugs on the island of Funadhoo in Shaviyani Atoll.
Police said that on May 1 they received a report that a group of people were using drugs in a house on the island. Police officers attended the scene and two of the men tried to flee, however all three were arrested.
Police are currently investigating the case.
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(0)President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has today said that the “will to make a difference” – both by political and private sector bodies – was vital to ensure more effective environmental protection in the future.
Speaking at the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation’s (CANSO’s) 2012 Asia Pacific Conference being held this week at the Kurumba Maldives resort, the president addressed delegates over the “evident” toll on the global environment from unsustainable practices.
At part of a keynote address given this morning during the conference’s final day, President Waheed claimed that technological developments in air traffic management were a good example of the measures available for cutting down on the wider civil aviation industry’s carbon footprint.
However, Dr Waheed stressed that “the will to make a difference” was more essential to sustainable development than purely technical advances, according to a President’s Office statement.
The president added that private organisations like CANSO had an important role to play alongside governments in addressing “environmental damage and neglect”.
Former President Mohamed Nasheed, who Dr Waheed controversially replaced in February, has in recent years became a high-profile advocate for carbon neutral policies in the Maldives.
Nasheed’s government had committed to an ambitious plan to try to become carbon neutral by 2020, with the former president being an outspoken figure on the potential environmental impacts facing the Maldives should the world fail to adopt more sustainable practices.
During his speech today, President Waheed claimed that the Maldives had been a strong advocate for responsible global environment policy since 1989.
He added that his government was committed to protecting the environment and would develop new institutions to help oversee these goals, as well strengthening existing environmental bodies, according to the President’s Office.
(0)Dislikes(0)“The public’s thirst for improved local facilities and services such as harbours for our islands or free healthcare seems to be unlimited,” writes Dr Hassan Saeed for local newspaper Haveeru.
“There is nothing wrong with this. We do need to listen to people’s hopes for the future. However we also need to recognise that we cannot do everything at once,” adds Dr Saeed, currently the leader of the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) and Special Advisor to President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan.
“Like any household or business, our country also needs to live within its means. However up until last February our government was portrayed by some as a provider of unlimited funds often provided through international donors. Irresponsible politicians were happy to make the most of this with no thought for the future.
We were and continue to be in the position of a typical Maldivian who goes from one businessman to another businessman asking for help with medical treatment. This is exactly what the Maldivian government has been doing for years with international donors and the development institutions.
This generosity has been good for us; just as at a local level a Maldivian will be very grateful for the support for that medical condition I described. However the government and that person has to be aware that the generosity may not last forever.”
(0)Dislikes(0)Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali has told local media that his party would not support a bill submitted to parliament this week calling for the Maldives to renounce its membership in the Commonwealth.
Thasmeen told reporters from several of the country’s major news outlets that he deemed the bill – forwarded on Sunday (April 29) by Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) MP Ahmed Ilham and Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP Riyaz Rasheed – as “not responsible”.
The DRP leader was also reported to be critical of amendments proposed by parliament’s Finance Committee to the country’s universal healthcare scheme.
The DRP, which serves in President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s coalition government alongside the PPM and DQP, has said he believes the motion to leave the Commonwealth may “negatively affect the country and its people”, the Sun Online news agency reported today.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (GMAG) has increased pressure over the last month on the Maldives government to revise the composition and mandate of an independent commission established to ascertain the nature of the controversial transfer of power in February.
CMAG said that “stronger measures” would be considered against the Maldives over the next month if it failed to enact changes to the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) to ensure it was more “credible” and “independent”.
Despite not welcoming the calls to withdraw from the Commonwealth, Thasmeen added that the DRP did not support all of the CMAG’s calls since February’s controversial transfer of power. He was notably critical in regards to the exact details of CMAG’s demand for more independent representation on the CNI.
“We notice that CMAG’s comments regarding the inquiry commission are not very clear. So we have to find out what Commonwealth wants exactly – whether they would accept if foreign technical assistants were included in the Commission. Right now we are hearing different things. These things have to be clarified,” Sun Online reported Thasmeen as saying.
Meanwhile, Haveeru reported Thasmeen as claiming that neither Ahmed Ilham, Riyaz Rasheed or representatives of their respective parties had consulted the DRP on forwarding the motion to the People’s Majlis.
Yesterday, a PPM MP speaking to Minivan News on condition of anonymity said that he had not been aware of any discussions within his own party about seeking parliamentary approval to renounce the country’s Commonwealth membership in parliament.
“From my view it is not something that has been discussed within the PPM yet,” the MP said yesterday. “I have previously expressed my concern that [leaving the Commonwealth] is not the best way to solve this issue. It is not really a choice we can take,” he said. “I would still say that there is a chance to sit down together and discuss this matter.”
Aasandha proposals
Aside from the CMAG issue, Thasmeen was also reported to be critical of amendments proposed by parliament’s Finance Committee to the country’s universal health care scheme, Aasandha.
Should parliament pass the amendments proposed in the committee’s report, the Aasandha service would only be available in the government’s Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and other government health centres and health corporations around the country.
Thasmeen claimed that the provision of amendments by the parliamentary Finance Committee was not the “right way to go” to bring about changes to the scheme and could undermine parliament’s role in holding the government to account in future, Haveeru reported.
DRP leader Thasmeen added that should amendments to the scheme need to be made, he did not want to see the cessation of free healthcare to the public.
(0)Dislikes(0)President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has met with the Iranian Ambassador of Iran accredited to the Maldives, Mohammed Nabi Hassani-Pour.
At a meeting at the President’s Office in Male’ yesterday, Dr Waheed discussed the current state of bilateral relations with Iran, as well as means to further strengthen cooperation with the Maldives.
The ambassador was also thanked for the ongoing support provided by Iran in relation to the country’s “economic situation”, according to the President’s Office website.
(0)Dislikes(0)Dhiraagu has said that internet services affected by a damaged section of submarine cable off the Sri Lankan Coast have been “restored” after testing on repairs proved successful today.
The cable was damaged on the evening of Wednesday April 18 forcing the company to provide a “degraded” service to national internet customers for several days as it sought out “diversity routes” to reduce the impact to its operations.
The repair work, which was carried out jointly by Dhiraagu and Sri Lankan Telecom (SLT), commenced last week after a specially equipped repair vessel called the Asean Explorer made its way to Sri Lanka from India.
Company spokesperson Imjad Jaleel told Minivan News that testing on the repaired cable had been under way today to ensure that the company could provide a “normal service” to its clients. By this evening, Dhiraagu announced the tests had been successful and that its broadband capacity had been restored.
According to Dhiraagu, the damaged section of cable, situated 26 miles off the Sri Lankan coast and 40 metres below the water had been damaged by the anchor of a ship. The damage was found to have occurred in an area of Sri Lankan waters where vessels were not permitted to anchor, the company had previously announced.
Whilst repairs were being undertaken, the company said it had been working to improve the quality of internet services and international calls affected by the cable damage through alternative avenues like the use of satellites.
Last week, chief national telecoms rival Wataniya announced it was also assisting in the provision of data capacity from its own cable as part of a national agreement to cover any disruptions to the Maldives communication network. Dhiraagu said it has been paying Wataniya for the data capacity allowance.
(0)Dislikes(0)The High Court on Monday upheld a Civil Court verdict to reinstate the job to a policeman who had been accused of sexual assault, reports Haveeru.
Husham Hameed and three other police officers stand accused of undressing and sexually assaulting a woman after they forced her into a police car in August 2010.
However, the High Court bench unanimously ruled that Husham could not be dismissed from his job unless he was proven guilty of a criminal act.
Husham had previously held the title of ‘Mr. Maldives’, Haveeru reports.
(0)Dislikes(0)Vice President Mohamed Waheed Deen has used his first televised address since receiving Majlis approval to call for a greater focus on Islamic values when considering development in the country.
The vice president, a businessman whose interests include the Bandos Island Resort and Spa, gave a speech yesterday stressing his belief that the nation’s leaders were required to strive to preserve the nation’s Islamic faith.
Deen also raised concerns about what he saw as the “deteriorating social conditions” in the country, particularly concerning the current social, political and economic situation, according to the President’s Office website.
“The political situation will not improve, unless the socio-economic situation improves,” he stated.
The vice president claimed that education would be a key feature of his proposals to improve the socio-economic situation across the nation.
Deen claimed he aims to provide long-term education loans along with social and entertainment developments like “empowering” sports associations as part of his development plans.
(0)Dislikes(0)Deposed former President Mohamed Nasheed will not be detained and government has no intentions to make the arrest, the new Vice President Mohamed Waheed Deen said on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference at the President Office, Deen contended that the current administration has no intention of “seeking revenge against anyone”.
“This government will not detain Nasheed. We are not even intending to do so,” Deen said in response to a question relating to allegations that President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan administration was seeking to arrest Nasheed, who insists he was been forced out of office in an opposition-backed coup.
Criminal court issued an arrest warrant for Nasheed, two days after he resigned, but it was not executed by the police at the time.
Meanwhile, former President Mohamed Nasheed could face charges for his alleged role in the Maldives National Defense Force’s (MNDF) decision to detain Criminal Court’s Chief Judge Abdulla. The Maldives Police Service has sent the case against Nasheed to the PG’s Office but a decision by the office to proceed the prosecution is still pending.
A second case involving Nasheed has also been sent to the PG by the police, involving the confiscation of bottles of alcohol allegedly found at his residence shortly after his three year presidency ended on February 7.
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