Author: Minivan News

Island councillor reportedly appointed without by-election

The Elections Commission (EC) has appointed a member to the Kamadhoo Island Council in Baa Atoll without a by-election after an application deadline passed with only one valid candidate.

Haveeru has reported that Ali Naaidh of Rosemead, Kamadhoo, was appointed to the local island council after the EC rejected two other applications from candidates from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) that it said were “incomplete”.

A by-election has initially been planned for a month from today (June 5) after Ahmed Shafeeq, a previously elected member of the council resigned on the grounds of dealing with “personal problems”, the report added.

The EC were unavailable for comment when contacted by Minivan News at the time of going to press.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Parliament approves new auditor general

Parliament last night approved President Mohamed Nasheed’s appointment of Niyaz Ibrahim, of Thinadhoo in Gaaf Dhaal Atoll, as Auditor General.

Niyaz has voted in unanimously by all 68 members present during the meeting last night.

The Maldives has had no auditor general since the dismissal of Ibrahim Naeem over a year ago, following allegations that he had used government money to buy a tie and visit Thulhaidhu in Baa Atoll.

Naeem claimed the charges were an attempt to discredit his office and prevent him from reclaiming the government’s money stored in overseas bank accounts.

“A lot of the government’s money was taken through corrupt [means] and saved in the banks of England, Switzerland, Singapore and Malaysia,” Naeem had claimed in March, and requesting an audit of the assets of past and serving government ministers.

He was dismissed several days later in a motion put forward by the parliamentary finance committee, chaired by Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim, who the previous week had pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the former ministry of atolls development while be was Managing Director of Namira Engineering and Trading Pvt Ltd.

Tension over the motion led to violent clashes inside parliament, which spread to supporters of both major parties outside the chamber. Police were forced to use tear gas on several occasions to subdue crowds of violent demonstrators.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Hong Kong issues travel advisory for the Maldives

Hong Kong has issued a travel advisory for the Maldives, raising the country to ‘amber’, following several nights of violent protests in the capital Male’.

China’s Xinhua news agency reported a government spokesperson as saying that “Those who plan to visit the Maldives or are already there should monitor the situation and exercise caution.”

The threat indicator now ranks the Maldives alongside Israel, Iran, Indonesia, Russia and Pakistan.

Chinese visitors to the Maldives now constitute the greatest number of tourism arrivals, and are a major emerging market. A sharp increase in recent years offset a decline in European arrivals caused by the global recession in 2008.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Sharia-compliant resort announced for Maldives

Islamic hospitality firm Lootah Hotel Management (LHM) has announced plans to open a Sharia-compliant resort in the Maldives by 2013.

LHM, a division of the Dubai-based SS Lootah group of companies, signed and agreement with Maldives’ Kalaidhu Investment to construct the resort, a US$85 million project it says will include 50 luxury villas with private swimming pool and a private beach, restaurant, recreation centre, spa, marina and yachts among other amenities “to ensure the welfare and privacy of the families.”

In a statement CEO of Lootah Hotel Management, Nasser Lootah, said “the decision comes as part of the Group’s strategy to expand its footprint and customer base towards prestigious tourism destinations around the world.”

Lootah added that” Islamic hospitality is gaining popularity with those who prefer quality services provided in a calm atmosphere commensurate with family values.”

Abdulla Saeed, Managing Director, Kalaidhu Investment said, “We are pleased to be partnering with the pioneer of Islamic hospitality in the UAE. This offers a unique opportunity for us to work towards the development of universally recognised ‘Halal standards’ for Shari’ah-compliant hotels and resorts, to comply with and create similar guidelines for the benefit of the hospitality and tourism industry.”

LHM currently manages the Al Jawhara Group of Hotels & Apartments.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Reeko Moosa to contest MDP Chairmanship after Mariya’s resignation

Parliamentary Group Leader of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik, has said he will contest the chairmanship of the party following the resignation announcement yesterday of Mariya Ahmed Didi.

“I can provide my full contribution to the party by holding a senior position in the party. I believe that I can work to strengthen the party,” Haveeru reported Reeko Moosa as saying.

During the party’s recent elections, Feydhoo MP Alhan Fahmy was voted Vice-President of the party, ahead of Environment Minister Mohamed Aslam, while former Fisheries Minister Dr Ibrahim Didi was elected President over Special Envoy Ibrahim Zaki.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Social network free speech-potential praised by UN expert

Social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter have been praised as key tools in helping facilitating the recent political uprisings across some Middle East and North African nations, according to Frank La Rue, the UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression.

La Rue’s comments, which were issued ahead of World Press Freedom Day today, aim to raise awareness of the role he believed social networking had played in allowing individuals all other the world to share information instantaneously, particularly during protests seen in countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and Saud Arabia.

“As one activist tweeted during the protests in Egypt, ‘we use Facebook to schedule the protests, Twitter to coordinate, and YouTube to tell the world’,” he noted in a statement printed by the Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency. “I believe that we are currently in a historic moment. Never in the history of humankind have individuals been so interconnected across the globe.”

La Rue stressed that despite this potential, the internet was still being censored by some governments along with the use of “age-old tactics” like intimidation, arrests, torture, disappearances and killings to try and suppress freedom of speech.

“The power of the Internet to awaken individuals to question and challenge the status quo and to expose corruption and wrongdoing has generated fear among the powerful,” said the UN expert. “The events in the Middle East and North Africa have shown that it is never a viable long-term option to suppress the voices of the people,” he added, calling on “all governments to choose reform over repression”.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Government extends registration period for disability scheme: report

Disabled people are being given an extended deadline of May 10 to sign up to a new government scheme to provide them with financial allowances.

Haveeru has reported today that the Finance Ministry has agreed to extend the deadline to which people with disabilities could apply for financial aid over concerns a number of members with sight problems were still yet to register.

The scheme forms part of wider legislation passed last month designed to try and protect the rights of disabled people. This includes changes to a previous allowance system that provided Rf2,000 for various individual disability groups, according to the report.

Under this new general disability scheme, a larger number of people are reported to have registered so far, leading to an extended deadline for applications of Tuesday, May 10.

According to Haveeru, about 5,000 applications had been received so far for the scheme, with 1,500 of these cleared and sent on to the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) at present.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Coca-Cola security guard stabbed

A group of assailants last night stabbed a security guard who was on duty at the Coca-Cola company office in Maafannu, Male’.

Police told newspaper Haveeru that the group was attempting to rob the company and that the security guard was attacked because he tried to stop them.

Haveeru reports that the man was admitted to Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and is undergoing treatment.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Police search guest houses in Male’, makes arrests

Police have said that in an ongoing police special operation to reduce the crime rate they have searched guest houses and other places in  Male’ and arrested a number of both females and males, reports Haveeru.

According to Haveeru, some items were also seized in the operation.

Police have declined to provide further information regarding the special operation and said more information will be provided later.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)