Category: Crime

Family to sue police over ‘home invasion’

A family in Malé are planning to sue police for entering their residence without permission or a court warrant to arrest two young men accused of assaulting officers.

Residents of Galolhu Sheen told Minivan News that more than 10 police officers barged into the house around 10:50pm on Monday night and “brutally” arrested two brothers, aged 17 and 19, who were not from the house but were friends of the family.

As well as submitting a complaint to the Police Integrity Commission, the family plan to sue the police for unlawful entry and damages over “psychological harm” suffered by young children who witnessed the incident.

The constitution bars entry to homes under most conditions, with article 47(b) reading: “Residential property shall be inviolable, and shall not be entered without the consent of the resident, except to prevent immediate and serious harm to life or property, or under the express authorisation of an order of the court.”

A police media official told Minivan News that a court order was not needed when a person “commits a criminal offence and flees from police”.

The official added that under those circumstances, the residence was considered part of the “crime scene”.

Scuffle

The incident occurred after scuffles between patrolling police and army officers and a group of young men talking outside Galolhu Sheen.

Police and army officers have been patrolling the streets of Malé as part of a joint security operation launched following a spate of violent assaults in the capital that saw a 29-year-old man murdered on March 29.

Three army officers and one police officer approached the group and told them to leave, one of the young men – a resident of Sheen – told Minivan News on the condition of anonymity.

“The police officer in dark blue uniform didn’t have a name tag,” he said.

The group of friends told the security services personnel that they would leave in a moment, he said, but were repeatedly ordered to leave immediately.

When two of the young men complained about the officers addressing them with obscene language, the security officials became angered and tried to arrest the pair, he said.

An officer grabbed one of them and twisted his arm, he continued, which prompted his brother to intervene.

He alleged that one of the soldiers punched the 17-year-old and the police officer started pepper spraying the pair in the face.

The situation calmed down in about five minutes, he added.

“I said there’s no need to fight, you can take them if you want. I told [the officers] to wait, I’m going to take them inside to wash their faces,” he said.

The officers did not respond or prevent them going inside, he stressed.

About 14 police officers then entered the residence through the main door, which leads to a narrow corridor with family quarters on the side.

Three or four police officers then barged into the room where the pair were washing their faces and dragged the older brother out after allegedly punching him.

Police pepper also sprayed him at close range, after which another group of officers entered the room and dragged out the younger brother.

He stressed that the door was open and the officers did not seek permission or ask the pair to come out.

Police said in a statement yesterday that an 18-year-old and 19-year-old were arrested for assaulting a police officer. The officer did not sustain injuries, the statement added.

However, sources who spoke to Minivan News insist that the younger of the two teenagers involved is 17 years of age.

The criminal court yesterday extended the remand detention of the minor to five days in police custody and placed the older brother under house arrest for five days.

“Bad police”

The owner of the home told Minivan News that she gave a statement to police today about the incident.

She arrived home while police were entering and asked for an explanation, she said, but police did not respond. Upon arriving in the area, she was immediately affected by the pepper spray in the air.

While police were dragging out the older brother – who was on the ground and apparently crying in pain – she grabbed his shirt and asked police why they were arresting him.

“They said ‘he spoke to us with filthy language, he can be taken, we’re taking him,'” she recalled.

A woman who was inside Galolhu Sheen wears a face veil and noted that the officers could have caught her without the veil when they entered her quarters without permission.

Her seven-year-old, ten-year-old, and 17-year-old were woken up when police entered, and witnessed the incident from upstairs.

She said the brothers frequently visited the house for sleepovers. The younger boy had been a vice captain at his school.

After seeing police beating the pair inside their apartment, the children ran and hid inside a wardrobe, she said, and could not sleep later that night.

“We hear from people that [police] are brutal, but now we’ve seen with our own eyes,” she said.

“The seven-year-old also saw how they treated [the pair]. He didn’t want to go to her Quran class last night. He said, ‘I can’t go anywhere at night, mommy, the bad police will come.'”

Her children were traumatised by the incident, she said, and one of them today that she “wished we had an iron gate.”

Photo: police officers stop and search suspects last week 

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Youth movement calls for change after Earth Hour axed

A movement representing Maldivian youth has raised the alarm over a lack of arts and creative opportunities after the government cancelled plans for Earth Hour celebrations.

“Without proper preventive measures, we would see a decline in creativity and expression, as well as freedom of assembly and celebration of global causes,” Dhi Youth Movement, a non-governmental organisation, said in a statement.

Young Maldivians had planned to mark Earth Hour, an annual environmental campaign, with a music show and other celebrations in Male’ on Saturday but the government banned the events on security grounds after a spate of stabbings in the capital.

“We would also like to express our disappointment with government’s decision to cancel the Earth Hour celebrations on perceived potential security concerns,” said DYM.

Despite the ban, a 29-year-old man died after being stabbed outside the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, one of the busiest hospitals in the city, on Saturday night, in the fourth murder so far this year. No one has so far been arrested over the crime.

“As witnessed by last night’s crime, we have reconfirmed that crime happens regardless of whether or not the lights are on, even in front of police stations and hospitals,”  DYM said.

People who had planned to attend the celebrations expressed their discontent online.

“Yesterday, government stopped a bunch of people from making a prayer for President Nasheed after the Friday congregational prayer. Today it prohibited holding Earth Hour events for ‘security reasons’. Tomorrow it’ll ban funerals,” one said.

Another commented: “Security concerns regarding violent crimes during the day time has led to the Home Ministry issuing a statement to enforce planetary laws to turn off the sun at 10am.”

A youth leader wrote: “This much crime in such a small place, is scary, but the only security threat I see is the fact that no proper proactive measures are being taken to combat them.”

Earth Hour is hosted by Earth Hour Maldives collaborating with Scouts Association of Maldives, who outsourced the event to Empire Events, a recently established event management company. Lights are traditionally turned off for Earth Hour, while those taking part celebrate by candlelight.

Despite the event’s official cancellation, some members of the public decided to celebrate anyway.

Concerned youth and artists turned up to enjoy the hour outdoors, while children drew in chalk in a co-ordinated event at the helipad.

Young people lit candles reading “60+”, which stands for the 60 minutes of the Earth Hour.

DYM said that a fall in numbers of students enrolling in the arts stream — students can choose between arts, business and science streams aged 13 or 14 — was a sign of the declining position of arts and creativity. They called for a community where expression and art can thrive, without it involving “knives and crime”.

The group called for the government and authorities to do their best to address the root causes of the current gang violence so that temporary curfews can be lifted.

However, Dhi Youth Movement also noted that they had not been consulted on policy level discussions about youth by government bodies, and said they hoped the government would consult civil society more in decision making.

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Two Maldivians reported dead in Syria

Two Maldivians have died in the Syrian civil war this month, according to local media reports.

Abdulla Mohamed Didi, 38, from Addu City, died in a bombing in Syria’s Idlib on March 26, while Ahmed Munsiu, 28, from Fuvahmulah Island, died on March 18 in Syria, Haveeru Daily has reported.

Abdulla reportedly left to Syria via Malaysia three months ago, without informing his family. He was married with three children.

Speaking to Haveeru, Munsiu’s mother Rifath Ahmed said her son had gone to Syria with his wife, Suma Ali on February 22.

Rifath said the couple regularly communicated with her online, but since Munsiu’s death, she has not heard from Suma. However, she has heard Suma was in good health.

In February, local media reported a three-month-old Maldivian baby died in Syria after suffering from respiratory difficulties. The child’s mother attempted to travel back to Malé due to a lack of adequate medical facilities, but was prevented due to lack of cooperation from her husband, local media said.

Since the first reports of Maldivians travelling to ISIS-held territories for jihad surfaced last year, a steady stream of recruits have left the country, including couples and entire families.

The exact number of Maldivians who have traveled abroad for jihad remains unclear, but Commissioner of Police Hussein Waheed in early January estimated over 50 Maldivians could be fighting in foreign civil wars.

Waheed’s comments came after local media reported a dozen had traveled to Syria at the start of January.

Despite assurances that the activities of radicals are being monitored, the group said to have left in early January included a number of individuals known to police.

They included a suspect in the murder of MP Dr Afrasheem Ali, and an individual arrested over the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

Since then, on February 1, a former cleric of Malé’s Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital and his wife reportedly left to ISIS-held territory in Syria for jihad.

In January, four would-be jihadis were apprehended in Malaysia, with media reporting that they were brought back to the Maldives and released after the authorities seized their passports. A similar group were returned from Sri Lanka in November.

In September 2014, online Jihadist group Bilad Al Sham Media (BASM) claimed four Maldivians had been killed in the Syrian civil war.

A BASM Facebook post that month said two Maldivian men identified as Abu Dujana and Abu Ibrahim had died in battle.

These reports followed similar stories in May 2014 when two Maldivians – who had taken the names of Abu Nuh and Abu Turab – were said to have been killed after travelling to Syria for jihad.

While the group claimed that Abu Dujana was the founder and editor of the BASM page, the group has not provided any information regarding his real identity, stating that this omission was at the request of his mother.

Local media had, however, identified Abu Dujana as Yameen Naeem of Georgia in the Maafannu ward of the capital Malé. It was reported that the man, in his early twenties, travelled to Syria after studying in Egypt.

On August 24, Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed said in a tweet “ISIS is an extremist group. No space will be given for their ideology and activities in the Maldives.” He has since urged Maldivians not to travel abroad for jihad.

Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon on August 26 issued a press release condemning human rights abuses carried out by the IS and called for the respect of life and dignity in the spirit of Islam.

Subsequently, approximately 200 people carrying the ISIS flags marched in Malé calling for the implementation of the Islamic Shari’ah.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party has repeatedly questioned the government’s sincerity, alleging the government had failed to take concrete action against growing radicalism.

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Police, MNDF launch joint security operation after fatal stabbing

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) and Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) have launched a joint security operation following the fatal stabbing of a 29-year-old man in Malé last night.

A police media official told Minivan News that the victim – identified as Nooru Adam Hassanfulhu – was stabbed near Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) at around 1:30am. He died while undergoing emergency treatment around 3:25am.

Local media reported eyewitnesses as saying that Adam was stabbed in the neck and ribs by two men who drove by on a motorcycle.

In a separate incident, a 23-year-old man was assaulted around 11:45pm near the Euro Store on Chandhanee Magu.

Police said the victim was released last night after treatment at IGMH.

“No arrests have been made so far related to last night’s stabbings. However, the investigation team has started investigating all of the stabbings,” said the media official.

The fatal stabbing last night follows a spike in violence against expatriates last week that saw two Bangladeshis murdered and four expatriates stabbed.

Adam’s death marked the fifth murder this year. A 23-year-old was stabbed to death outside his home in the Henveiru ward of Malé on February 21, whilst a 29-year-old was killed in Laamu Mundoo on March 20.

The MNDF meanwhile announced today that soldiers would be assisting the police in a special operation launched tonight to ensure peace and security in Malé and other regions across the country.

The security operation – launched at 6:00pm – involves checking vehicles at land, conducting inspections of vessels at sea, and stopping and searching individuals, MNDF said.

After expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation in capital Malé, the home ministry last night cancelled the annual Earth Hour activities.

The ministry asked the public not to switch off lights and cancelled two music shows.

The Ministry of Economic Development meanwhile changed the closing time of shops and restaurants to 10:00pm and 12:00am, respectively.

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Ex-Defence Minister Nazim found guilty of smuggling weapons, sentenced to 11 years in jail

The Criminal Court has found former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim guilty of smuggling dangerous weapons and sentenced him to 11 years in jail.

At a late night hearing on Thursday, the three-judge panel said Nazim had not been able to demonstrate how he had come to possess a pistol and three bullets found in his apartment during a police raid on January 18.

The weapons did not belong to the state armoury and therefore must have been smuggled into the country, the judges said. Further, since the police had discovered the weapons at Nazim’s home in a raid conducted according to the law, they must be considered to belong to the former defence minister, judges concluded.

Nazim’s defence team have maintained the pistol and three bullets were planted by rogue officers on the orders of Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb, after the pair fell out over Adeeb’s alleged use of police SWAT team for criminal activities.

The Maldives Police Services and the Tourism Minister have denied the accusations as baseless and untrue.

Nazim, as he was escorted out of the courtroom under a police guard tonight, told his distraught family, “We will still gain justice.”

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, defence lawyer Maumoon Hameed said the three judges had not considered the defence’s arguments and said he would lodge an appeal at the High Court as soon as possible.

The Criminal Court last week refused to call all but two of the 37 defence witnesses, claiming some were not relevant while others did not appear to negate the prosecution’s claims.

Following the weapons discovery, Nazim was dismissed from the cabinet. He was then arrested on February 10 under additional charges of terrorism and treason.

State prosecutors in court also claimed documents on a pen drive confiscated along with the weapons revealed that Nazim was plotting a coup d’etat and planning to harm President Abdulla Yameen, Commissioner of Police Hussein Waheed and the Tourism Minister.

The documents were presented in a closed hearing, allegedly to demonstrate the former defence minister had a motive in smuggling the pistol.

Nazim’s family had previously said “there is no hope for a fair trial” due to a “notoriously politicised judiciary,” and said Nazim had “fallen foul of a political conspiracy, one in which powerful forces within the government have sought to destroy him and prevent him from challenging the leadership of the ruling party.”

Right to defence “obstructed”

At a 4:oopm hearing on Thursday, state prosecutors and defence lawyers presented closing statements.

State prosecutor Adam Arif said Nazim had admitted police discovered the weapons in his bedroom during a search carried out in his presence. Claiming Nazim had failed to explain who the weapons belonged to, Arif said he must be held responsible for the pistol and three bullets discovered under his roof.

Tests carried out by Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) proved the weapons were functioning and dangerous. Further, the MNDF had said the weapons did not come from the state armory, he said.

Police officers had also testified the raid and search were conducted according to rules and regulations, he added.

But referring to the Criminal Court’s refusal to call the majority of Nazim’s defence witnesses, defence lawyers contended the court had “obstructed” Nazim from mounting a proper defence.

Lawyers claimed over 15 SWAT officers broke down the door to Nazim’s apartment on the night of the raid, barged into his bedroom in the dark, pointed a riot gun at his head and escorted him and his wife into the living room.

SWAT officers then spent at least ten minutes unsupervised in the former Defence Minister’s bedroom, during which they planted the bag containing the pistol in a bedside drawer, lawyers suggested.

Police testimony confirmed the search team had arrived approximately 15 minutes after the SWAT officers secured the premises, but state prosecutors had failed to explain the gap, lawyers argued.

The defence team also contended police conduct of the raid and search was unlawful, arguing the resulting evidence was therefore inadmissible in a court of law.

Lawyers said if the defence had been allowed to call its witnesses, it would have been possible to prove police spent time unsupervised in Nazim’s bedroom, and that SWAT officers were previously under investigation for criminal activities.

They would also have been able to prove the pistol was in fact imported by the state for the protection of foreign dignitaries, they added.

Lawyers urged judges not to accept the testimony of police officers, claiming they had lied in court. Lawyers pointed to what they called serious contradictions in testimony, as one claimed the search team had checked the ceiling and above a cupboard in the bedroom, while the others denied doing so.

Some witnesses claimed secret information indicated the weapons were located on either the seventh or eight floor while others said it was just the eighth floor, lawyers said.

The panel overseeing Nazim’s case are the same judges who sentenced former President Mohamed Nasheed to 13 years in jail on March 13.

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Spike in violence against expatriate workers; two murdered, two stabbed

A 25-year old Bangladeshi national, Shaheen Mia, was stabbed to death in a Malé café in the early hours of the morning on Sunday (March 22), while a Bangladeshi national identified as Bilal was found dead in Alif Alif Atoll Thoddoo Island last night.

Speaking to Minivan News, President of Thoddoo Council Hassan Ibrahim said Bilal, estimated to be between 20 and 25 years of age, was found naked with a piece of cloth tied around his neck.

Bilal’s employer Hussein Hassan found the dead body at 9:55pm at Seenusanfaage where he had been living with three other expatriate workers. Police officers from Rasmadhoo Island arrived at 10:45pm.

“The police questioned the people living with him if there had been any disputes between the Bangladeshi and anyone. They said there had been none, as he had only come to the island very recently,” Ibrahim told Minivan News.

Bilal’s body was brought to Malé at 4:00am today.

Thoddoo Council’s Assistant Director Ali Adam said a suicide was “highly unlikely” as Bilal could not have strangled himself with a piece of cloth.

The Maldives Police Services said they have not yet determined the cause of death and have not made any arrests.

Local media have said there were injuries to Bilal’s face when his body was discovered.

Meanwhile, two expatriate workers were stabbed in Malé tonight. According to the Maldives Police Services, one worker was stabbed at 7:30pm, and another was stabbed at 7:40pm near Malé fish market.

A police media official said an Indian and a Bangladeshi were injured, and that both have been hospitalised. The circumstances of the attacks, including the nationality of attackers, are not yet clear, the police said.

Meanwhile, at approximately 4:00am on Sunday, masked men dragged Shaheen Mia out from his workplace, Lhiyanu Café, in Malé’s western harbour district, and stabbed him in the chest. The expatriate staff work and sleep in the café.

The stabbing occurred after repeated threats the previous day. According to local media, a violent confrontation had occurred between Lhiyanu Café staff and a group of young men in the early hours of Saturday morning when the expatriate workers refused to serve coffee free of charge. The group vandalised the café before they left.

The same group came to the café at 6:00pm on Saturday and allegedly threatened to burn the place down. Staff had reported all threats to the police.

According to the Bangladeshi High Commission, Shaheen’s father on receiving news of his son’s death suffered a heart attack and died. Shaheen’s mother has also been hospitalised.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Umar Naseer said the government is considering closing restaurants and cafés by 12am and closing shops by 10pm.

Over 25 expatriate workers gathered in protest near the Bangladesh High Commission on Sunday, but were sent away by the police.

Human rights group Transparency Maldives has called on the Maldives Police Services to expedite the investigation of Shaheen’s death, and urged the state to prioritise and promote rights of migrant workers.

“Migrant workers are one of the most vulnerable groups in the country today. They face huge difficulties in accessing justice and get very little support from the community at large in protecting their rights,” the NGO said.

There are over 50,000 expatriate workers in the Maldives, according to the 2014 national census.

Street violence is common amongst Malé City’s numerous gangs. There have been 11 murders since November 2013.

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State concludes witness testimony in former Defence Minister Nazim’s trial

Three anonymised police officers provided testimony with serious contradictions last week in former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim’s trial on weapons possession charges.

The three officers were part of a search team during the controversial midnight raid on Nazim’s house on January 18. Their testimony indicated the Maldives Police Services did not follow stringent police regulations in conducting the search.

The search team did not videotape the raid as required, and provided conflicting testimony on whether mandatory photographs were taken. One witness said photos were only taken of the illegal weapons, while a second witness said photographs were taken from the moment the raid began.

Nazim — accused of smuggling illegal weapons — maintains he was framed by rogue SWAT police officers on the orders of Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb.

The three officers said they entered Nazim’s apartment after masked SWAT officers broke down the then-defence minister’s door. Nazim’s wife and two daughters were inside the apartment’s living room with the officers at the time, they said.

Police claimed to have discovered three bullets and a pistol in a black bag in a bedside drawer during the raid. Nazim was subsequently dismissed and arrested on additional charges of treason and terrorism.

If convicted of smuggling weapons, the retired colonel faces a jail term between ten and 15 years.

State prosecutors have now concluded summoning witnesses. A total of six individuals testified in four hearings last week. They included five police officers and one Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officer.

The defence is to call witnesses at the next hearing on Sunday.

Police procedures

The Criminal Court held four hearings on March 17, 18 and 19. Nazim’s defence team questioned the three anonymised police witnesses on procedures followed during raid, search and chain of custody in evidence.

At the March 17 hearing, the chief Investigative Officer (IO) said he had sought a court warrant to search Nazim’s apartment building, Galholhu Enif, on his superior’s orders.

Intelligence information indicated weapons were kept either on the seventh or eighth floor, he said via telephone. The search team entered Nazim’s apartment ten to 15 minutes after SWAT officers entered the apartment and secured the premises, he said.

The police team searched Nazim’s bedroom first, in his presence, when the weapons were discovered, he said. Police officers searched all of Nazim’s apartment and a second apartment on the eighth floor, but did not search the seventh floor, he said.

The IO said Nazim had fully cooperated with the search. The police did not keep a record of observations in a special notebook or issue a list of items confiscated from the former defence minister’s home as per regulations, the cross-examination revealed.

One anonymised witness on March 18 said the search team did not check the ceiling, while the second said the team brought in a chair to check the ceiling and cupboards.

The legal team had previously claimed that the items found at Nazim’s house were planted by the police, saying that officers spent ten minutes inside Nazim’s bedroom unsupervised before the search began. Police have called the claims “untrue” and “baseless”.

On March 19, state prosecutors summoned Sub Inspector Ameen Abdul Gayoom regarding a forensic digital analysis report of a pen drive confiscated from Nazim’s apartment along with the weapons. The state has previously said documents on the pen drive indicate Nazim was plotting to harm President Abdulla Yameen, Commissioner of Police Hussein Waheed and Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb.

Journalists and observers were barred from the defence’s cross-examination of Gayoom due to the confidential nature of the documents on the pen drive.

Prosecutors then summoned MNDF First Lieutenant Mohamed Nazeem to prove the pistol and bullets were functioning. Nazeem said the a weapons expert had fired the pistol in his presence, but they had not tested the bullets. However, a visual inspection shows the bullets were not dummy rounds, he said.

Defence lawyers have named President Yameen, Commissioner Waheed, Chief of Defence Forces Major General Ahmed Shiyam, Home Minister Umar Naseer and several senior ranking police and military officers as witnesses to prove charges were fabricated in a conspiracy engineered by Adeeb.

The Criminal Court said the court would summon defence witnesses only if they appear to negate the prosecution’s evidence.

On March 7, lawyer Maumoon Hameed claimed Adeeb framed Nazim after the former defence minister alerted President Yameen of the tourism minister using SO SWAT officers to commit criminal acts, including the chopping down of all of Malé City’s areca palms in October last year.

The tourism minister has said he was “shocked” by the allegations, and has dismissed accusations as lies.

Defence lawyers have also called Superintendent of Police Ahmed Nafiz and former head of police’s intelligence directorate, Mohamed ‘MC’ Hameed, to prove a complaint was lodged over SO officer’s alleged criminal activities, and that SO officers had engaged in criminal activity.

The defence has also called senior ranking police and military officers to prove that a Special Protection Group Corporal had lost a 9mm Browning pistol at Shangri-La resort in 2014, that police officers did not follow due process in raiding and searching Nazim’s residence, and that police intelligence had not received any information that illegal weapons were smuggled into Malé prior to the raid.

The MNDF promptly dismissed allegations of missing weapons.

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Hundreds affected after massive fire breaks out at warehouse in Malé

Additional reporting by Hassan Mohamed 

A number of families have been forced out of their homes after a massive fire broke out in a warehouse in Malé on Thursday night (March 19), sending plumes of flame and smoke 60 feet into the air.

The two-storey Lily Store warehouse in Maafanu ward was completely destroyed, causing damages worth an estimated MVR30 million (US$1.9 million), according to Lily Store owner Ahmed Naseer.

Homes in the area were evacuated around 11:15pm as the flames leapt from Maafanu Oak Villa to adjacent buildings in the narrow alley. Residents first heard loud cracking noises like gunfire or explosions before the flames were visible.

Apartment opposite warehouse
Apartment opposite warehouse

Deodorant bottles, gas cylinders, one lorry, and three pickups were inside the warehouse.

All the windows of the multi-storey building opposite the warehouse were shattered and deodorant bottles were later found inside its apartments.

According to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) fire and rescue service, the fire was contained around 12:00am and completely extinguished about two hours later with members of the public working alongside police officers and firemen.

Fire lorries were unable to use water cannons for nearly 30 minutes with the narrow streets surrounding the warehouse packed with panic-stricken and fleeing residents.

Residents from the neighbourhood told Minivan News that many people emerged from their homes in night dresses, and some were carrying crying toddlers.

Aftermath

DSC_9477-1On Saturday morning, smoke was still spewing out of the burnt-down warehouse.

The fire had spread to the third floor of an adjacent building as well as a construction site whilst the roof of a nearby house had collapsed.

The apartment now lies in ruins and many houses were looted after residents fled.

Malé City Councilor Shamau Shareef said a family of ten was sheltering at Malé’s Social Centre with the neighbourhood home to about 500 people still engulfed in smoke.

Shamau said about four families were forced out of their homes with their buildings uninhabitable, walls still scalding hot and belongings burnt.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party councillor called on MNDF and police to expedite cleaning up the area as the “toxic fumes are not safe to breathe.” He also urged the government to provide temporary shelter to the four affected families.

However, Shamau commended the MNDF and police both for their prompt response and safely evacuating the neighbourhood.

DSC_9470-1Apart from an elderly man reportedly treated at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital for smoke inhalation, no one was harmed in the fire.

A middle-aged woman seeking refuge at the social centre told Minivan News that the explosions she heard “sounded like gunfire.”

“We were all sleeping when the fire broke out. I was woken up by very loud explosions. Soon someone started knocking on the door loudly and asked us to evacuate,” she recalled.

“My child still is only eating now, yesterday he barely ate anything and had trouble sleeping,” she said, pointing to her 13-year-old son having biscuits and tea at the social centre’s small cafeteria.

She expressed gratitude to the Disaster Management Centre for arranging temporary shelter and providing food and other essentials.

“I understand it is a difficult time for everyone. We do not have all the luxuries we had at home. But I am happy with what they have done for us,” she said.

A resident of the neighbourhood, Ali Rasheed, 52, said his family has been sleeping and eating at friend’sDSC_9474-1 places as living in their home was “unbearable” because of the smoke.

“I believe the government should be held accountable for this. The fire trucks were not able to provide water until much later,” he said.

Lily Store owner Naseer told local media that nothing was salvaged from the warehouse, which he said was stored with newly imported goods ten days ago. However, the warehouse was insured, Naseer said.

Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed visited the damaged homes this morning.

Suspected arson

A police media official confirmed today that a separate fire occurred at Ekuveni around 12:00am on Thursday night, less than an hour after the warehouse fire broke out.

Police began patrolling the city whilst MNDF officers were deployed to petrol sheds and other strategic locations.

A security guard at the sports complex told Minivan News that he saw two “youngsters on a motorcycle” hurl what appeared to be petrol bombs into the premises. However, the fires were quickly extinguished.

“I immediately called the police and started working on extinguishing the fire,” he said.

The second fire fueled speculation of coordinated attacks, and police have not ruled out arson in the warehouse fire, saying all lines of inquiry were open in the ongoing investigation.

Photo by Laisha Mohamed Shakir
Photo by Laisha Mohamed Shakir

“We are working hard to identify those involved in the dangerous fire in Malé on Thursday night, and will take strict action against them,” Police Commissioner Hussain Waheed wrote on Facebook today.

Cover photo by Laisha Mohamed Shakir

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MDP protesters attacked, doused with petrol and chili water

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) protesters were beaten and doused with petrol and water mixed with chili powder last night.

Minivan News journalists observed four young men on motor cycles charge into a crowd of protesters gathered in front of the MDP office on Sosun Magu at 9:45pm. They kicked protesters and slapped a middle-aged man in the face when he told them to leave.

The young men rode off within five minutes.

The opposition party has held daily protests since February 10, first against President Abdulla Yameen’s alleged breaches of the Constitution, and later against the arrest and sentencing of former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Nasheed was convicted of terrorism over the January 2012 military detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed, and jailed for 13 years on March 13.

At 11:00pm, another group of eight men attacked protesters as they marched near the Malé City Council office and doused protesters with a mixture of petrol, crude oil and chilli powder.

Ahmed Anwar
Ahmed Anwar

A journalist with Island TV, Ahmed Anwar, said he too was attacked by gangsters and said the group had singled out women in the crowd

“The protesters were heading to the Usfasgandu area when the gangs suddenly charged into the crowd. They threw petrol, crude oil and some kind of pepper mixed with water on us. They singled out the women in the crowd. A woman standing next to me had both crude oil and chili powder on her,” he told Minivan News.

Anwar said the police watched on as gangsters attacked protesters. When the crowd apprehended one of the young men, the police escorted him out of the crowd and released him, Anwar alleged.

However, the police did detain a young man who attacked the protesters around 12:00am, he said.

 

Maldives Media Council member, Miusam Abbas, was also doused with petrol and crude oil.

“I was with the members of the press. We were trying to get to the back of the crowd when the gangsters threw crude oil and petrol on me,” he told Minivan News.

According to the Maldives Police Services, three men and two women were arrested from the protest last night. They included individuals who had attempted to disrupt the protest, the police said, but declined to give further details.

Last Sunday, a group of eight men wielding knives threatened protesters and vandalised a party lorry and its sound system ahead of the night’s protest. A group of six attacked protesters and journalists on February 27 and cut off Raajje TV’s live feed.

Vice President of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, Ahmed Tholal, in a tweet last night urged the “authorities to ensure safety of people exercising a constitutional right.”

In a statement today, the MDP condemned “the continuing attacks on MDP protesters” and accused government officials of perpetrating the attacks.

“These groups, with the backing of government officials, are attacking and intimidating protesters with machetes and other dangerous weapons. The people who attack us have full confidence they would be released,” the statement read.

The opposition party further alleged the police arrested peaceful protesters instead of taking action against those who disrupted protests.

The MDP called on the Human Rights Commission and the Police Integrity Commission to investigate the police’s inaction.

Meanwhile, a group attempted to break into former MDP MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor’s home last night. They broke the lock and vandalised the door.

Hamid, also the MDP’s international spokesperson, is in Colombo at the moment.

The opposition-dominated Malé City Council has also expressed concern over “police negligence” in protecting protesters and failure to arrest gangsters who attack protesters.

“The police are acting as if they support the gangs’ actions,” the statement said.

Related to this story:

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MDP to work with Adhaalath Party as Sheikh Imran calls for “national unity alliance” against government

Eight gangsters threaten MDP protesters with knives, vandalise lorry and speaker systems

10,000 protest in Malé, call for President Yameen’s resignation

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