Author: Mazin Rafeeq

Tenant last to see Sheereen alive, say family

The last person to see 30 year-old Mariyam Sheereen alive on Thursday night was an islander of Laamu Mundhoo who rents an apartment in the same house, one of Sheereen’s family members has claimed.

Sheereen was found dead on Sunday night under a pile of sand bags at a construction site in Male’.

Speaking to Minivan News on the condition of anonymity, the family member said Sheereen came to visit her mother at around 8pm on Thursday night.

“She said her SIM [card] wasn’t working, so I gave her a new one and asked her to return it on Friday,” said the relative. “Her mother told me she called her boyfriend before going out and argued with him.”

Sheereen left at around 9pm and that, the relative said, was the last time her family saw her.

Originally from Laamu Mundhoo, Sheereen moved to Laamu Gan with her mother and children, after the island was devastated in the tsunami.

Before her death, she had been living in a rented house in Male’ with one of her children.

The relative said she was seen with her boyfriend later that night by a family friend, while a friend of her mother’s saw the two of them in her rented room on New Year’s Eve.

Police said yesterday that Sheereen’s body was found by a Bangladeshi labourer on Sunday at Maafanu Angaagiri, under a pile of sandbags. The family was called to identify Sheereen two days after they filed a missing person’s report.

Arrest

Police further revealed that a man had been taken into custody in connection with the suspected murder.

The relative said the Mundhoo man and Sheereen’s landlord knocked on her door on Friday morning as her slippers were outside, but there was no answer.

On Friday afternoon, her mother called her boyfriend and asked the landlord to open her apartment.

They found her handbag and the clothes she was wearing on Thursday night, and reported her as missing to the police.

According to the relative, police have since arrested Sheereen’s boyfriend, a man from Laamu atoll Kalhaidhoo.

The relationship was marred by a history of abuse, the relative continued, and Sheereen was once hospitalised in Laamu Gan regional hospital after he had severely beaten her.

Police would not confirm the identity of the man arrested.

Asked if the case was being treated as a murder investigation, Sergeant Ahmed Shiyam from the Maldives Police Service said “we cannot give any details yet of the case, but all we can say is that [the suspect] has been brought in because we suspect him of being linked.”

Reaction

Mohamed Zuhair, the president’s press secretary, condemned the case as “horrific”.

“The president is very concerned about this alleged murder, and calls on the members of the public to assist the police in anyway they can,” Zuhair said.

The president’s office has been in close contact with the police commissioner, he added: “We have received information that the body was discovered 72 hours after death.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Maldivian increase domestic fares

The only domestic airline in the Maldives, ‘Maldivian’ has increased its fares.

The airline has increased fares to Hanimaadhoo, Gan, Kadhoo and Kaadedhoo by MRF 50.

In addition MRf 220 will be added as insurance and fuel surcharges.

According to TVM, the increase in prices is due to the rising costs for the airline, and because the company wishes to maintain the services it is currently providing.

Maldivian announced it would not be increasing fares for its international flights.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Body of missing woman found in construction site

A body of a 30-year-old woman was discovered at a construction site in Male’ last night.

The body was discovered yesterday evening around 6.30pm, at Maafanu Angaagirige, hidden under a pile of sand bags.

Sergeant Ahmed Shiyam said a man suspected of involvement in the case has been taken in for questioning.

Police could not reveal any details of the man or his connection to the deceased.

According to police, the woman was Mariyam Sheereen of Laamu Gan Thudi ward.

“She has been reported as a missing person since the the 31st of December,” he said.

Shiyam said police had not determined the cause of death yet and the body was still at the morgue for an autopsy.

At a press conference today, Inspector Hamdhoon Rasheed, head of the organised and serious crimes unit, said the body was identified by the forensic department using fingerprints.

Police revealed last night that the decomposing body was found by a construction worker under a pile of garbage and sand bags.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

The 1915 disaster at Kudarikilu

In 1915 World War I was in full swing, but the people of the Maldives were continuing simple lives in relative peace and security.

But, the peace of Kudarikilu, a small island in Baa Atoll, was shattered when local fishermen found an unusual object floating in the sea.

Abu Bakuru Mohamed, a judge at Baa atoll Kendhoo, recalls the stories his old friend Mohamed Manik had told him about the incident.

“Mohamed Manik was alive in 1915, and he saw the events that unfolded on Kudarikilu,” recalls Abu Bakuru.

According to Manik, it was a clear Thursday and fishing vessels from Kudarikilu and Kendhoo were out on a nearby channel.

“The Kendhoo dhoni got a call from the Kudarikilu people, they said ‘we found something, come help us.'”

The round object with the “silver skin” was in fact a drifting contact mine. During World War I, many countries protected their shores by dumping a plethora of naval mines. These were cheap and deadly. Often, floating mines would break away from their moorings and drift with the currents: a disaster waiting to happen, as many of these mines could stay active for years.

Normally, foreign objects would have been taken to the atoll office, but since the weekend was Thursday and Friday and the atoll office was closed, the fishermen decided to tow it back to Kudarikilu.

The crew brought the mine ashore near the eastern side of the island, where all the vessels were moored. Rolling it onto the beach, they left it there.

The next morning, the people of Kudarikilu went about their usual routine and in the afternoon went to Friday prayers.

Manik recalled that in the afternoon, the people went down to move one of the dry docked dhonis back into the water.

In many Maldivian islands, people gather to witness and lend a hand in this process. While down at the beach people also gathered to investigate the strange metal device.

“A young man, started playing with the screws and prodded it with a stick,” says Abu Bakuru.

All of a sudden there was a massive commotion as the mine started to smoke, he said, and it then started spinning and partially dug itself into the sand.

People moved in closer to investigate when it exploded with an almighty bang, sending a massive shock wave through the island.

“There was a massive explosion, it was terrible, there was bits of body everywhere, skin was plastered onto the coconut palms, people even found fingers all the way across the other side of the island.”

Abu Bakkuru recalls people on Kendhoo telling him about the loud bang. Even the island of Kendhoo, which lies four miles off Kudarikilu, felt the explosion.

“People told me of a huge plume of smoke that followed the explosion,” recalls Abu Bakuru.

Over the years the story has had many different versions, while the death toll varies with every telling.

According to Manik, 60 people lost their lives in the incident. Naval mines from that period carried up to 80 kilograms of explosives, and were designed to rip the hulls off massive iron clad ships.

However, Kudarikilu Councilor Hassan Firaaj says according to reports only seven to nine people died.

Immediately after the explosion, fishermen from Kendhoo instantly knew it must have been something to do with the object they found on Thursday.

“That silver ball they found exploded, I am sure of it!” one of the Kendhoo fisherman immediately claimed.

After some deliberation, the islanders of Kendhoo sent a dhoni to investigate the scene.

Manik said that the explosion had caused the whole lagoon to turn into a slight yellow colour.

“It must have been the explosive chemicals inside the mine.”

The Kudarikilu people quickly sent a message to the atoll office who came and investigated.

Abu Bakuru said that since all dhonis were still running on sails, the news of the incident did not reach Male’ for quite some time.

Today, there is a harbour on the site of the mine explosion.

Abu Bakuru recalls, “Sixty years ago I visited the site, the crater was still there, just as if it had happened yesterday. It was massive.”

The people of Kudarikilu still tell the story of the unfortunate events of that Friday afternoon, passing it on from generation to generation.

Although drifting naval mines were banned after World War I, some countries continued to use them.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Contracts to be terminated for 12 resorts under development

The ministry of tourism has announced plans for 55 islands leased for resort development, including terminating the contracts for twelve of the islands.

Speaking at a press conference today, Tourism Minister Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad said that the ministry was taking action because of the lack of progress in development of many islands.

Sawad said that in some cases work had not even begun.

After identifying the islands, Sawad said that contract talks would be held with the relevant parties.

“The ministry has decided that if the situation calls for it, the ministry will go into joint ventures on the development of some of these islands”

Sawad said that the government would not be initiating a new bidding process for the selected islands for but look for new interested parties.

“The government is not entering into these joint ventures to facilitate, not to do business,” he said.

The ministry said that if they do proceed with these joint ventures the government would have a 10 to 15 per cent stake.

Part of the joint venture plan calls for the ministry to draw up a work schedule and have quarterly inspections to make sure that the parties follow the plan.

Of the remaining islands, Sawad said 20 islands still had time to begin development and salvage the contract.

Work has been on going on for the remaining 23 and the ministry would be checking progress.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Sunfront staff attacked in latest mugging

Days after the violent mugging of businessman Campus Didi, another attack occurred in Male’ last night.

The manager Mohamed Rashaad Adam and an employee of the Sunfront store on Majeedhee Magu had closed up for the night and were on their way home at around 11.30pm.

The men were carrying the day’s takings in cash with them in a small bag.

Speaking to newspaper Haveeru, Adam said that they were attacked by a group wielding box cutters.

In the ensuing melee’ the staff member was badly hurt when he was punched in the eye.

Sergeant Ahmed Shiyam from the Maldives Police Service confirmed the story to Minivan News.

“Around six people attacked the two Sunfront employees, but they didn’t manage to get away with the money,” he said.

However both men received various injuries and the staff member was flown to Sri Lanka for treatment.

When asked if the incident was related to the attack on Campus Didi, Shiyam said: “It is too early to make a connection and we are still investigating both cases”.

He urged shop owners to be vigilant when handling money.

“If shopkeepers are concerned when moving such large quantities of cash around they should immediately call the police who will assist them,” he said.

The Sunfront attack is the latest in a series of similar attacks on businesspeople carrying large sums of money after closing up shop.

If anyone has been a victim, or knows anyone who has been a victim of such attacks and would like to tell their story to help others avoid a similar incident, please contact Minivan News.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

NGOs slam special needs bill

Several NGOs have criticised the recently-passed bill protecting the rights and providing financial assistance to people with special needs.

The bill, which was passed on 21 December, states that disabled people will receive financial benefits of Rf2000 a month. In addition, persons found mocking people with disabilities could be fined from anywhere between Rf5000 to Rf10,000.

However NGOs such as Care Society have strongly criticised the bill.

Sidaatha Shareef from Care Society said “this bill is not in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) that the Maldives has signed.”

The UNCRPD is an international human rights convention pushing a rights-based vision addressing issues concerning people with disabilities.

The Maldives signed a UNCRPD act in 2008. According to this Act, a country must have a specialised bill that focuses on the rights of people with disabilities.

“The term ‘special needs’ is a very board category. We wanted this bill to be specifically for the rights of people with disabilities,” continued Sidaatha.

“We’re not trying to downplay other issues, they are just as important, but we want to get rid of the confusion caused by the bill. People with special needs and people with disabilities are very different.”

Care Society said a revised bill was important because people with disabilities were a marginalised group, and therefore it was important to make sure a proper bill was passed that would give rights to these groups.

Sidaatha also said that in the future “we must carefully think about signing such conventions such as the UNCRPD.”

Former minister of gender and family Aishath Didi said that providing monthly financial assistance was not enough.

“We need to focus more on prevention and screening,” she said. “Screening during the first three months is crucial in early detection of disabilities, and once detected the proper assistance needs to be provided.”

Didi also mentioned the importance of including things like speech therapy in the bill.

The bill is currently with the president who has a week to ratify it before it becomes law.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

National carom tounament – wrap up

The 20th National carom tournament has come to an end.

The men’s singles title was won by Hussain Neeshaal. Neeshaal defeated Ali Niyzaaz in the final by two sets, the third successive national title he has won.

The women’s singles final was won by Aishath Shaaznaa. Shaaznaa defeated Aishath Fianaaz by two sets, the sixth consecutive title Shaaznaa has won.

The mens team event was won by Club Mecano and the womens team event was won by Faafu Nilhandhoo Club Shaababu.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

The proceeds of illegal fishing in the Maldives

Fishing has always been a huge part of Maldivian life. Ever since people settled here, fishing has provided a source of food and income. Even after the industrialisation of the fishing sector in 1979, the Maldives maintained a strict policy ensuring sustainable fishing.

The main methods used are pole and line and hand line fishing. These methods ensure that the resource is not over utilised.

However there have always been illegal fishing activities conducted in the Maldivian economic exclusive zone (EEZ), an area of nearly a million square kilometres recognised internationally as Maldivian fishing territory.

The most recent case was reported October 2009, when two Iranian fishing vessels were apprehended by the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) coast guard. These two vessels carried a total of almost 60 tonnes of fish.

Currently all illegal fishermen apprehended by the MNDF are handed over to police for processing and fined between Rf100,000 to 1 million, according to Hussain Sinaan from the ministry of fisheries and agriculture.

The coast guard are left with the problem of what to do with the confiscated fish, he said, which can include high-value product such as shark fin.

“The MNDF will hold an auction to sell the fish, if they believe the fish will go bad,” he said, adding that the auctions are usually announced and open to the public.

The coast guard did not respond to enquiries from Minivan News as to how much confiscated fish has been sold at these auctions, whether the cargo is inspected for protected species, or where the proceeds go.

Recent regulations passed by the EU requires the licensing of vessels catching fish for the European export market, intended to reduce the amount of illegal fishing.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)