Author: Daniel Bosley

Settling disputes – The Weekly Review

June 14th – 20th

The government’s legal and political tussles grabbed headlines this week, with past, present, and future disputes all making the news.

This week’s biggest story came courtesy of spurned Indian infrastructure giant GMR, who revealed a Singapore arbitration court had deemed their terminated airport development deal “valid and binding”.

Being requested to pay US$4 million in procedural costs while the court determines the amount owed to GMR, the government interpreted the outcome as a success, predicting that the damages owed would be far less than the US$1.4 billion sought.

After the issue of a warrant to enforce the appearance of Home Minister Umar Naseer at his disobedience to order trial, the minister appeared at the Criminal Court of his own volition upon his return from his official trip to Europe.

Naseer promptly refused to cooperate with the trial until his procedural objection – already rejected by the judge – had been appealed.

The government’s disputes in the political arena also continued this week, with ejected coalition partner, the Jumhooree Party (JP), striking a conciliatory tone after the recent break-up.

The JP maintained that the coalition agreement had not been breached, while the party continued to haemorrhage members to its former ally the Progressive Party of Maldives – the economic development minister and two more MPs being the latest to switch allegiance.

The Progressive Coalition’s fast-growing majority in the Majlis resulted in what the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) interpreted as excessive representation in the Majlis’ standing committees, leading to the cancellation of sittings and threat of street action.

While taking pains to distance his party from such maneouvres, MDP leader Mohamed Nasheed suggested President Abdulla Yameen’s fate would likely be the same as his – predicting his eventual removal in a future coup.

Brigadier General Ahmed Nilam this week submitted a case to the Human Rights Commision, suggesting his suspension and subsequent dismissal were linked to the events of Nasheed’s chaotic departure from office in February 2012.

The second UNDP Human Development Index report raised questions as to how equitably economic growth was being distributed, with research revealing glaring disparities opening up between progress in the capital and the atolls.

Phase two of expansion of Malé’s suburbs continued regardless, with a US$50 million dredging contract awarded to a Belgian company for phase two of the Hulhumalé expansion project.

Despite expressing continued reservations about the Maldives’ public account imbalances, the World Bank this week anticipated continued development of the economy with 4.5 percent GDP growth predicted.

Meanwhile, Hope for Women this week predicted unwelcome growth in the workload of female civil servants during Ramadan after the alteration of working hours for the month of fasting.

The World Cup in Brazil – for which the government has already allowed extended trading hours – was suggested as a possible reason for the adjusted working times, though the President’s Office maintained that the change was intended to facilitate late night prayers.

This week also saw the Islamic Ministry hold a closed conference with scholars to discuss reports of Maldivian jihadis journeying to Syria, while Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon called on the Umma to assess the persistent association with terrorism and intolerance.

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GMR wins arbitration case, tribunal deems airport deal was “valid and binding”

Additional reporting by Zaheena Rasheed

Indian infrastructure giant GMR has won its arbitration case against the Government of Maldives (GoM) for the premature termination of its airport development agreement in 2012.

In a letter sent to the Bombay Stock Exchange, the company explained that the tribunal has said the 18 month tribunal found the agreement to have been “valid and binding”.

“GoM and MACL [Maldives Airports Company Ltd] are joint and severally liable in damages to GMIAL for loss caused by wrongful repudiation of the agreement as per the concession agreement,” read today’s letter.

“It has always been our firm belief that the cancellation of our  concession agreement amounted to wrongful repudiation by the Government of Maldives and the Tribunal has upheld this standard,” wrote GMR Company Secretary C.P. Sounderarajan.

The determining of liability – the first of two phases of arbitration – will now be followed by the determining of compensation owed, with the Indian company seeking US$1.4billion – a figure which exceeds the Maldives annual budget.

Current Attorney General Mohamed Anil has recently expressed his belief that the government was liable only for GMR’s initial outlay of US$78million, plus any costs for construction work completed after the 2010 deal was agreed.

The President’s Office has said that the attorney general will provide a briefing on the case later today.

With the compensation fee yet to be decided, the impact of the tribunal’s decision is still unclear, although the World Bank has previously noted that it would place severe pressure on the country’s already “critically low” foreign reserves.

Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, spokesman for the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party  – under whose tenure the deal was brokered has described the decision as a “major breakthrough”.

Void ab initio?

As well as ordering the Maldives to pay GMR’s Malé International Airport Limited (GMIAL), US$4 million within 42 days for cost of proceedings, GMR have revealed further details of the award.

According to GMR the private arbitration proceedings – disclosed in line with its regulatory requirements – deemed the deal “not void for any mistake of law or discharged by frustration”.

The decision to cancel the deal was made in November 2012 by the administration of President Dr Mohamed Waheed, with then Attorney General Azima Shukoor declaring the deal void ab initio – meaning that the contract was invalid from the outset.

Shukoor further cited English contract law of ‘frustration’, which acts as a device to set aside contracts where an unforeseen event either renders contractual obligations impossible, or radically changes the party’s principal purpose for entering into the contract.

GMR have today revealed the tribunal’s finding that the collection of Airport Development Charge and Insurance Surcharge – contentious points preceding the contracts termination – to have been lawful under Maldivian law.

The US$511 million agreement to develop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) – signed during the tenure of former President Mohamed Nasheed – represented the largest foreign direct investment in the Maldives history.

Legal and political wrangling regarding the deal began before GMR had even assumed management of the airport, however, with the then opposition attacking the deal as part of an increasingly fervent anti-government movement which would eventually lead to the controversial resignation of Nasheed in February 2012.

Concession and compensation

The previous December a case filed in the Civil Court  by opposition parties ruled that the Airport Development Charge – key to the agreement’s financial viability – was deemed illegal.

Following the ruling, the Nasheed government reached an agreement with GMR to deduct the lost revenue – anticipated to have been US$25 million per year –  from concession payments owed to the government.

This decision resulted in further tensions after the fall of the Nasheed government, with GMR contract’s detractors – now in office –receiving a series of bills as the lost ADC revenue eclipsed any concession payments owed.

The ADC matter was subsequently referred to the Singapore arbitration court – as agreed in the initial concession agreement – while senior figures in the government pleaded with Indian PM Manmohan Singh to cancel the agreement, citing growing anti-Indian sentiment in the country.

In today’s letter, GMR revealed that the tribunal had ruled both the charge, and the subsequent adjustment was also “lawful and binding on MACL and GoM”.

The termination of the contract was accompanied by a cooling of relations with neighbour India as well as questions regarding foreign investor confidence in the Maldives – both issues that incumbent President Abdulla Yameen has sought to address since his election in November.

Future investment

Yameen – whose Progressive Party of Maldives has distanced itself from termination of the GMR deal, despite being the largest party in the coalition government at the time –  has pledged to create an environment conducive to further foreign investment.

As well as introducing plans for special economic zones within the country, Yameen’s government has embarked on a drive for foreign investors – suggesting that even GMR would be welcomed back to work on new projects.

“We are going to open up the Maldives in a huge way to foreign investors. Our thirst cannot be quenched. The opportunity to foreign investors is going to be enormous,” said the president in April.

Projects outlined at a landmark Singapore Investment Forum included the further development of Malé International Airport, though Yameen has said that overall management would remain in Maldivian hands due to its national commercial and security importance.

New plans for redevelopment of the airport will include foreign investors – an issue that continues to cause controversy – under the management of the state-owned MACL.

MDP Spokesman Hamid today suggested that the tribunal’s decision would deter further investment and foreign financing in the Maldives and – depending on the compensation amount – could result in the state’s bankruptcy.

Hamid reiterated his party’s recent calls for GMR’s reinstatement, stating the the MDP would be considering further legal action following the tribunal’s decision.

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Human Development Report highlights Maldives’ regional divide

The UNDP’s second Human Development Index (HDI) report for the Maldives urges stakeholders to address regional inequalities which remain a “major challenge” towards human development.

The first sub-regional HDI report of its kind, titled ‘Bridging the Divide: Addressing vulnerabilities, Reducing inequalities’ was officially launched today, analysing the disparities between the Malé region and the outer atolls.

“Where one is born within the Maldives determines many of the opportunities and choices available to a person,” reads the report.

“Remote islands with small populations have limited accessibility to services including schooling, healthcare, social services, job opportunities and face overall isolation.”

Since its first HDI report in 2001, the Maldives has graduated to middle income country status. Today’s report, however, noted that while the nation’s HDI score is 0.688 – placing it in UNDP’s medium development bracket – the regional analysis reveals stark inequalities.

While the atolls’ development was revealed to be 0.627 in 2012 – placing it in the mid-level HDI group, alongside countries such as South Africa and Indonesia – Malé’s HDI was 0.734, putting it in the high development bracket next to Azerbaijan and Mauritius.

Used as a measure to gauge people’s choices in life – accounting for access to education, nutrition, healthcare, security, political and cultural freedoms – Norway currently tops the Human Development Index (0.955), while Niger ranks last (0.304).

The global average HDI average is 0.694.

The Divide

‘Bridging the Divide’ notes that income and educational choices are the most notable of the inequalities faced by those born outside of the capital.

“A person living in Malé is likely to complete three years more of schooling than a person living in the atolls,” explained the report.

It was also noted that the average income for a person living in Malé – equivalent to US$4251.90 – is one and a half times that of a person living in the atolls.

The report noted that rapid internal migration to the capital Malé has itself become a cause of inequalities

“In-migration to  Malé has led to a sharp increase in living costs, poor housing conditions, overcrowding, pollution and a general sense of frustration and impatience in the public.”

After categorising the Maldives into seven regions, the report showed regions 2 and 6 – containing Noonu, Raa, Baa, and Lhaviyani atolls in the north, and Gaafu atoll in the south – to be under performing.

The best performing region contained the central Meemu, Faafu, and Dhaalu atolls – reflecting the concentration of the tourism industry in the Malé area.

The HDI report recommends enhancing the benefits of of tourism – which has taken the Maldives from one of the world’s poorest nations in the 1970s to having South Asia’a highest GDP per capita today – to the wider population.

It was noted that the rich-poor divide was being exacerbated as the tourism industry “operates as a powerful oligarchy and has given rise to an elite class that owns much of the country’s wealth”.

While acknowledging the recent growth of the guest house industry, the report argues that the bulk of the luxury resort industry provides little opportunity for local small and medium enterprises.

Vulnerabilities

Core physical vulnerabilities identified in the report included the Maldives’ small land mass, lack of natural resources, while economic weaknesses focused on the heavy reliance on tourism and a high external dependence on imports.

Such vulnerabilities reduce the ability of institutions to address inequalities, with the report suggesting that solution lies in “building resilience through improved spatial planning, increasing targeting and effectiveness of social protection measures, restoring fiscal and macro-economic stability and diversifying the growth base.”

It was acknowledged that considerable improvements in poverty levels, life expectancy, and access to education had been assisted by “fiscal prudence” between the mid 90s to the mid 2000s which must return in order to continue the country’s HDI progress.

The effective targetting of vulnerable groups – those facing more than one impediment – is needed in order to design policies and programmes to address their development needs. The removal of blanket subsidies was one example of such a policy change.

The development of a hub and periphery model in the atolls – improving local services and relieving the pressure on the capital – was mooted alongside the completion of governmental decentralisation.

Finally, it was suggested that long-term thinking among political leaders – beyond a five-year election cycle – is key if human development is to be enhanced in the island nation.

“Political parties and political leaders need to start thinking beyond the ballot,” read the report. “With democratic transition, the country’s long-term development planning process has been side-lined.”

While noting that human developed requires a strong democracy, the report concluded by suggesting a reappraisal of the state’s “extraordinarily high costs”.

“For a small country like the Maldives, with mounting pressures, fiscal crisis and high debt distress, it is time that political parties, institutions, civil society and the public engage in debate; and agree to right-size the governance system, to make it more sustainable and to maximize the democratic dividend and enhance the freedoms and choices for the people.”

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Dismissed Brigadier General Nilam files case with Human Rights Commission

Former Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Brigadier General Ahmed Nilam has filed a case with the Human Rights Commission (HRCM) relating to his suspension and eventual dismissal from service.

A ten-month suspension followed statements made by Nilam to the Majlis government oversight committee in January last year during which he claimed the February 2012 change of government had “all the characteristics of a coup”.

Nilam told Minivan News today that his case – submitted after unsuccessful attempt to take the issue through the courts – was important for both the MNDF and for democracy.

“I strongly believe that if I stay quiet, the upholding of democracy will not be there and subordinate soldiers will continue to get unfair punishments” the 26-year veteran explained.

He maintains that his career was ended in relation to his comments to the oversight committee – constitutionally protected under parliamentary privilege – which were later publicised by committee MPs.

Saying at the time of of Nilam’s dismissal in November that he had been relieved of duty for “violating MNDF duties and disciplinary norms, repeating acts that should not be seen from an MNDF officer, revealing secret information against military regulations, diminishing the honor of the MNDF, and sowing discord in the military”, the MNDF had no further comment to make on the matter today.

Nilam – formerly head of military intelligence – explained that around a dozen other soldiers were dismissed immediately after the February transfer of power, suggesting all of these cases breached the rights enshrined in the 2008 constitution.

“I love democracy – I want this country to be a democratic Islamic country and we are evading from it during the last two years,” he said.

Depending on the outcome of the commission’s report, Nilam pledged to take his case to the the relevant international bodies.

After effects

The fallout from the chaotic events of February 2012 continue more that two years on, with former President Mohamed Nasheed claiming earlier this week that the events had set a precedent that would have lasting effects.

“The legitimate means of changing regimes has been demonstrated in 2012. The Supreme Court has demonstrated how to interpret the constitution. With that legitimacy, both ourselves and those in power, we should not rule out the possibility that another group may overthrow the government,” he told Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters in Malé.

MDP MP Eva Abdulla has also called this week for Attorney General Mohamed Anil to appear before the Majlis in order to explain how his government is addressing the recommendations of the Commonwealth-backed national inquiry.

While dismissing the claims of mutiny among security forces and duress in Nasheed’s resignation, the CoNI report did recommend reform of the judiciary and security services, as well as prosecution of those security personnel found guilty of acts of brutality.

The CoNI was subsequently criticised by legal experts as being “selective”, “flawed”, and having exceeded its mandate, prompting a further parliamentary probe into the presidential transition.

Following its own investigations into the events of leading to Nasheed’s resignation, and the brutal police crackdown on his supporters the following day, the HRCM last December accused institutions of failing to implement the majority of its recommendations.

HRCM Vice President Ahmed Tholal told Minivan News today that the commission was due to release a further report into the extent to which stakeholders have complied with its advice in the coming weeks.

The commission was unable to discuss ongoing cases such as General Nilam’s, he explained.

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Maldives wins Seven Star Global Luxury Awards

The Maldives has won two prizes at this year’s Seven Star Global Luxury Awards, winning best a destination as well as a special achievement honour for Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb.

Nominated alongside destinations including the Bahamas, Fiji, the Seychelles, Italy, and Mexico, the Maldives was named best destination for the second year running.

Meanwhile, the ‘Outstanding Achievement in Tourism Award’ again went to the Maldives’ tourism minister for having overseen the arrival of one million tourists last year for the first time in the country’s history.

“The ‘Seven Star Destination Winner’ award belongs to the tourism industry partners of Maldives who have been working hard to develop the industry and maintain high level standards,” said Adeeb.

The seven star awards are regarded as the most exclusive international luxury award for the hospitality industry, recognising extraordinary achievements by bestowing upon winners the Signum Virtutis – a seal of excellence for all prospective guests.

After being nominated by Seven Star’s expert panel, industry professionals as well as the public voted for the winners, who received their prize at an award ceremony held at the Chateau Spa & Organic Wellness Resort in Malaysia on Saturday (June 14).

Over 1.1 million tourists visited the Maldives in 2013, a milestone achieved one year behind the government’s original plans after political turmoil temporarily deterred visitors during 2012.

Recent statistics have shown that the industry – directly responsible for 29 percent of GDP – continues to grow, with arrivals up by 11.2 percent based on the same period in 2013.

After developing primarily as a destination for European tourists, the recent expansion of the industry has been heavily reliant on the explosion of the Chinese market – which grew from around 6 percent of arrivals in 2008 to over 26 percent in the first quarter of this year.

Despite moves to expand the mid-market tourism product in the country, the luxury single island resort model continues to dominate over hotels, guest houses and safari vessel options – making up nearly 80 percent of the industry’s bed capacity.

Adeeb has previously explained that the image of the country as a high-end destination was vital in order to attract “A-category” guests, with lower-end facilities subsequently benefitting from the luxury image.

The government is currently considering expansion plans to accommodate the arrival of five millions tourists at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, and has recently reached out to new markets in Australia.

A survey conducted by the Tourism Ministry earlier this year found that 98 percent of tourists would recommend the Maldives as a holiday destination to others.

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Human rights and wrongs – The Weekly Review

June 7th – 13th

A series of attacks and abductions in the capital Malé this week brought concern and condemnation from politicians and human rights stakeholders.

The incidents, understood to have been part of a vigilante campaign against supporters of atheism and homosexuality, have yet to provoke a response from the government.

Reports emerged of groups having previously expressed their concern regarding the publication of content offensive to Islam.

While the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) voiced concerns at the reports of the physical assault and threatening of multiple individuals last weekend, the vice president of the Human Rights Commission urged the state to reassure the public of their safety.

Minivan News spoke with previous victims of online threats turned into physical violence, asking how fearful Maldivians should be of online attackers.

Meanwhile, the Maldives representative on the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva pressed the case for greater consideration of religious intolerance, as well as the plight of Palestinians and Syrians.

Maldivian involvement in UN peacekeeping operations was again criticised by local NGO Jamiyatul Salaf, which expressed concern that troops would become embroiled in action against fellow Muslims.

Other foreign entanglements this week were less controversial and potentially more lucrative, with the vice president continuing the search for foreign investors in China while customs officials signed a cooperation deal with UAE authorities.

Home Minister Umar Naseer travelled to the Netherlands this week in order to procure sniffer dogs as part of his anti-drugs campaign – missing a second successive court hearing in the process.

Details of government attempts to provide a welcoming environment for prospective investors were revealed as details of the recently introduced special economic zones bill emerged – featuring nine largely tax-exempt areas across the country.

One group not be welcoming foreign investment, however, was MATATO which argued that moves to award an exclusive deal to a foreign group would harm both its member businesses and tourists – whose numbers continued to grow last month.

Plans to develop a new airport on Farukolhu Island in Shaviyani atoll were blocked by the Environmental Protection Agency, while environmental NGOs expressed skepticism that the government had the capacity to enforce newly protected ray species.

In the far north, Udha waves – a uniquely Maldivian phenomena – flooded large parts of Haa Alif Dhidhoo while Bluepeace called for the empowerment of local councils across the nation to deal with waste management issues.

Another uniquely Maldivian story was explored by Hulhevi Media, who launched a documentary researching the realities behind the traditional romantic epic ‘Buruni Ballad’.

The power of Malé City Council continued to decline meanwhile as both City and Fini parks were reclaimed for the use of Housing Ministry, while President Abdulla Yameen defended his party’s use of the official residence for political events.

Yameen’s government proposed amendments to a number of laws to align them with the constitution, while Adhaalath Party MP Anara Naeem proposed raise the monthly disability allowance from MVR2,000 to MVR5,000.

The opposition MDP this week restarted political activities after a post-election hiatus, with the opening of a new party haruge in Malé.

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Human Rights Commission VP calls for state response to abductions

Human Rights Commission (HRCM) Vice President Ahmed Tholal has called for an immediate state response to reports of a series of vigilante attacks in the capital over recent days.

“The concern to me is that there needs to be a state response to state very clearly that we cannot just start labelling people un-Islamic as it’s a very dangerous thing,” said Tholal.

After multiple accounts of the abductions and assault of individuals perceived to be supportive of atheism or homosexuality, the HRCM plans to meet with state representatives in order to determine the cause for these events.

“I think the issue of safety of paramount. We’re not very clear why this is happening,” said Tholal. “But I think the key role is what the state response is going to be and putting an end to the speculation – to let the people know what is happening.”

After reports that senior government members met with citizens concerned about the harassment of Islam in the days before the attacks – some of whom have subsequently been linked with the abductions – Minivan News has been unable to obtain a response from the relevant authorities on this issue.

The vigilante group was believed to have been attempting to identify members of online secularist groups – some of which had repeatedly featured content defaming and mocking the prophet.

Freedom and responsibility

Tholal noted that the incidents had raised issues regarding freedom of expression but also the responsibility inherent in the enjoyment of that freedom – noting that the state should take action against criminal activity.

“It’s not just about people who are expressing these opinion,” said Tholal. “For one thing, the freedom of expression is highly sacred, and at the same time so is responsibility.”

Article 27 of the Maldives constitution grants the right to freedom of expression in a manner that is not contrary to any tenet of Islam.

Police began investigations into anti-Islamic comment posted on the ‘Maldives Atheists’ Facebook page in March this year, although no arrests have as yet been made.

Expressing his fear that Maldivian society was becoming less tolerant of diverse opinion, Tholal noted that people’s freedom of expression must be based on understanding rather than intimidation.

“Reinterpretations should be based, not on fear, but on an understanding that there are things you cannot say as they might hurt people or be hateful or incite violence,” he said.

Self-censorship

Ismail Hilath Rasheed, a self-exiled blogger who was subjected to multiple attacks as a result of his outspoken calls for freedom of expression has also suggested greater tolerance is needed across Maldivian society.

“Freedom of expression should not be abused as to lead to anarchy and chaos. Such a balanced equilibrium can be obtained only through granting minority rights, which means the sorely missing secularism in the context of Maldives.”

“This is where we need to build bridges – a bridge to gap the gulf between moderates and extremists on all sides,” said the former journalist.

Hilath has suggested that many Maldivians – including himself – were now refraining from expressing themselves due to the current climate of fear.

“With the liberal community now opting to refrain from exercising their right to free expression, the Maldives as a culture and society will plunge into an abyss unless the powers that be give them the courage to come out and contribute to society’s collective creativity, and express free expression without fear,” he said.

A landmark ‘Threat Analysis Report’ by the Maldives Broadcasting Commission earlier this year found 84 percent of journalists surveyed had been threatened at least once, with 27 percent noting a reluctance to cover certain topics.

Journalists identified political parties to be the top source of threat, while gangs and religious extremists – both alleged to have been involved in recent attacks – were next on the list.

Other than coverage of a Maldivian Democratic Party press release expressing concern over the incidents, local media has not reported on the succession of attacks.

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MATATO expresses concern over airport outsourcing deal

The Maldives Association of Travel and Tourism Operators (MATATO) has expressed concern regarding rumours that a private Jet terminal and aeronautical services facilities at Malé International Airport will be outsourced exclusively to a foreign company.

“MATATO is very concerned that this will create an unhealthy market structure and put many local companies at risk,” read the statement.

Minivan News has learned that the cabinet’s economic council is currently discussing a deal with billionaire Thai businessman William Heinecke.

American-born Heinecke’s Minor International hospitality chain is reported by Forbes to consist of 1,500 restaurants, 100 hotels, and 250 retail outlets spanning 18 countries – including the Maldives’ Anantara resorts.

MATATO, which represents more than 50 local businesses, revealed that it had been approached by a number of concerned members whom it believed would suffer as a result of such a deal.

“Presently there are many local businesses that act as supervision agents, and ground handlers for the considerable corporate and private jets that visit Maldives year round. Many of these local companies depend solely on the income generated from this business,” read the statement.

The association requested that all stakeholders begin a dialogue that might consider alternative arrangements to an exclusivity deal which it suggests lacks market competition, leading to poor services and “consumer exploitation”.

“The absence of competitive pricing that benefits the consumer, allows companies with exclusivity rights to charge higher prices for services, and inconvenience buyers.”

Following the purchase of both the Maldives’ seaplane operators by US private equity group Blackstone last year, hospitality groups revealed a subsequent raising of prices and reduction of services, reporting a potentially negative impact on industry profitability.

MATATO today argued that the airport deal would “only lead to unnecessary outflow of foreign exchange, loss of job opportunities for locals, a significant amount of control of the local market to foreign bodies, among many other negative factors.”

Alternatives suggested by MATATO was for the current management of the airport – the state-owned Maldives Airports Company Ltd (MACL)  – to retain control and upgrade the facilities itself.

MACL took over management of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) following the premature termination of the Indian company GMR’s 25-year concession agreement by the previous government.

Shortly after winning the presidency last year, President Abdulla Yameen pledged to redevelop the airport with new foreign investment, while the government would retain the overall management of the airport.

The expansion of INIA – to accommodate five million passengers per year – subsequently featured among the ‘mega-projects’ presented to international investors during a landmark investment forum held in Singapore in April.

Shortly after the Singapore forum, the Maldivian Democratic Party – in power when the original GMR deal was signed – called for GMR’s reinstatement, vowing to annul any new airport contracts should it return to the power.

GMR’s US$1.4 billion arbitration claim was also concluded in Singapore in April, though the court has yet to announce a verdict.

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Perceived atheists and homosexuals targetted as campaign of attacks continues

Government employee, Adam Ghafoor*, was attacked on Sunday in a Malé cafe by a group of eight men accusing him and his friends of homosexuality and atheism.

‘You homosexual atheists are destroying our country – we will not stand back and watch you do it,’ Adam reported the group as saying.

After being accused of being atheists, Adam asked the men to leave, prompting his interrogators to launch an attack – raining blows on him as onlookers watched without offering assistance.

Details of this attack follow further reports received by Minivan News today of abductions made by a vigilante mob attempting to identify online activists advocating secularism or professing atheism.

While drinking coffee with friends after a gym session, Adam and his friends were approached by a man in arabic dress, whom Adam believed may have been prompted by the arrival of his “effeminate” friend.

“You are wearing shorts that don’t cover your awra [intimate parts], you cannot wear such short shorts in this country,” said the arabic dressed man, after requesting that Adam recite the Shahadha, or Islamic creed.

After a heated exchange, three or four members of the group attacked Adam, before threatening to slaughter him in the street should they see them again.

Similarly to Adam’s confrontation, those abducted in recent days have been interrogated on their Islamic faith as well as being accused of homosexuality and atheism.

Minivan News understands the incidents were related to the hijacking of a Facebook group called ‘Colorless’ on Sunday which, after having its content replaced with Islamic symbols, has subsequently been deleted.

Both the police and the President’s Office have again declined to comment today on the growing number of incidents.

The takedown of ‘Colorless’ followed a campaign by the Shariah4Maldives group calling for the removal of anti-Islamic content, although the group has distanced itself from any vigilante activity.

The group today suggested that Minivan News should be the next to be removed, suggesting that the site has allowed the publication of anti-Islamic comments on its articles.

Concerns

This weekend’s incidents followed local media reports of a meeting between Islamic Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali and youth groups who expressed concern over the harassment of Islam and the promotion of homosexuality.

Minivan news has learned that individuals photographed in this meeting – and in a separate meeting with Home Minister Umar Naseer – formed part of the vigilante group that carried out the recent abductions.

Umar Naseer is currently out of the country, and officials at the Home Ministry were unable to provide details of the photographed meeting. Sheikh Shaheem was not responding to calls or texts at the time of publication.

The meeting came just days after the New Zealand media published a story about a Maldivian asylum seeker who has become a prize winning drag artist in Wellington.

Abraham Naim told the Dominion Post that he had claimed asylum for fear of persecution in the Maldives – prompting the President’s Office to assure that any Maldivians seeking asylum abroad on grounds of religion or sexuality could be assured of prosecution upon their return.

Self-exiled blogger Ismail Hilath Rasheed – a campaigner for freedom of religion and openly gay – left the Maldives in 2012 after narrowly surviving having his throat slashed.

In 2010, air-traffic controller Ismail Mohamed Didi was found hanged from the control tower at Malé international airport. It was later revealed that Didi was in the process of seeking asylum in the UK after receiving threats.

Minivan News understands that there are currently two Maldivians claiming asylum in the UK, both believed to be on religious grounds – with one having already completed the process.

Democratic freedoms

The latest reports come as Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon released a statement praising the successful consolidation of a liberal democracy in the country and the safeguarding of human rights and individual freedoms.

Marking a decade of democratic reforms, Dunya described that country’s democracy as “vibrant”, and human rights as “blossoming”.

“The Minister called on all Maldivians to never let up the fight for democracy and human rights promotion in the country,” read the statement.

Commenting on the current climate in the country, Adam expressed his opinion that full democratic freedoms could not be realised without religious freedom in the one hundred percent Islamic nation.

“The definition of freedom and democracy has been skewed in this country,” said Adam. “Acceptance and freedom of religion – that is true democracy. In this country it’s a farce.”

Individuals involved in the ‘Colorless’ group, formed in the wake of February 2012’s transfer of power, have suggested that democratic progression has stalled.

“Why is the Secular camp not invited to participate in the political process? If you think your numbers are more, then why not let us join the political discussion without reprisals?” asked an administrator for the ‘Secular Democratic Maldives Movement’.

As well as the more controversial ‘Maldivian Atheists’ page on Facebook, those abducted in recent days have been asked to name administrators behind the ‘Secular Democratic Maldives Movement’ Facebook page.

Police announced an investigation into the ‘Maldivian Atheists’ earlier this year which, in contrast to the more moderate debate commonly featured on ‘Secular Maldives’, has published pictures of the prophet Mohammed as well as images of people defiling the Quran.

*Name changes to protect indivudual’s identity

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