Category: News in Brief

Two arrested with 16 alcohol bottles in Male’

Two men have been arrested after police received a “tip off” on Sunday (May 12) that they were in possession of 16 bottles of alcohol, reports local media.

The 32 year-old Maldivian and 44 year-old Bangladeshi were arrested around 7:17pm while on a speedboat near the public swimming track in Male’.

The alcohol seized by police included 12 Absolute Vodka bottles, one King Robert vodka bottle, one Russian Standard vodka bottle, and two Irish Jameson whiskey bottles.

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Man arrested for attack on Sonee Sports security guard

A man was arrested for attacking a Sonee Sports security guard with a sharp object in an attempt to rob the office, reports local media.

The Police Services told local media the 27 year-old was trying to break into the office and “items normally used for robberies” were recovered during an inspection of the area.

The injured security was taken to ADK Hospital for treatment and was later released, according to police.

The case is currently under investigation.

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Fioyree Island suffers storm damage due to bad weather

Ongoing stormy weather in the Maldives has damaged another island in the south, Fiyoree, located in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll.

Fiyoree has suffered storm related damage, including flooding, fallen trees and roofs of some homes have been blown off by strong winds, reports local media.

Fiyoree Island Council President Mohamed Ahmed told local media that Sunday’s (May 12) bad weather had also destroyed yam crops planted in preparation for Ramadan and flooded parts of the island.

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) is working to drain the flooded areas, including the yam farms.

Since 2009, Fiyoree has been visited by “several groups” conducting surveys on flood prevention in the yam-growing areas, which flood each time there is heavy rain, according to Ahmed. He expressed concern that despite four years of surveys, a drainage system has not yet been established on the island.

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UN expresses concern about local groups claiming affiliation for political polling

The United Nations in the Maldives has expressed concern about “individuals and groups” reported to be visiting homes to conduct political surveys, claiming to be UN affiliated.
“The UN system in Maldives expresses concern over reports that individuals and groups purporting to be affiliated with the United Nations in Maldives have been visiting homes to canvas opinion and views on a number of issues of political significance,” the UN’s country office in the Maldives said in a statement.
“The UN system is not undertaking any surveys or opinion polls of this nature, and have not authorised any individual or group or organisation to undertake any survey of this nature in the country,” the statement added.
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Authorities plan museum of finance

Financial authorities and service providers in the Maldives yesterday (May 13) reached an agreement to establish a museum of finance within the capital over the next two years, local media has reported.

The agreement, which was signed by the Tourism Ministry, Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), the Bank of Maldives (BML), the Capital Market Development Authority (CMDA) and private enterprise Allied Insurance, was reached during a Pension Office meeting held at the Kurumba Maldives resort.

Pension Office Chief Executive Officer Hussain Manik was quoted in Sun Online as claiming that obtaining funding for the project, expected to be established in a corner of the existing National Museum building in Male’, would begin soon.

Tourism Minister Ahmed Adheeb told local media that the museum of finance would aim to provide visitors with an overview of the economic history of the Maldives.

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Storm surge floods large areas of Fuvahmulah island

A storm surge in the Maldives has caused a large area of Fuvahmulah Island to flood.

Three regions of the island have areas larger than 20 feet flooded, while farmland and some freshwater wells have been affected by salt water, according to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and local media.

The extent of the damage caused to farmlands flooded by salt water last night (May 12) is still being assessed, President of Fuvahmulah Atoll Council Ali Fazad told local media. He added that the flooded farmlands are located on the island’s eastern “bushy edge”.

MNDF officers will be on alert given that more flooding is expected in Fuvahmulah during high tide later tonight.

According to the Maldives Meteorological Service (MET Office), no island other than Fuvahmulah as reported flooding, however the southern atolls can expect more heavy rain and strong winds, with gusts up to 45 miles per hour.

Earlier this week (May 9), Fuvahmulah suffered the most storm damage nationwide due to severe storms, harsh wind and rain, blowing off roofs and felling trees, according to Minister of State for Defence and National Security and head of the National Disaster Management Center (NDMC), Ahmed Mohamed.

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President’s Office dismisses Ibrahim Moosa Luthfee from advisory role

Ibrahim ‘Sandhaanu’ Moosa Luthfee has been dismissed from his advisory role at the President’s Office after he failed to attend for months after taking leave, the government confirmed.

President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad told Minivan News the decision had been taken to terminate Luthfee’s advisory role – stated in local media to be a salaried position with a monthly wage of MVR 32,000 (US$2075),  after he was found not to have returned to work for a significant period of time after taking leave.

Masood was unable to clarify if Luthfee had continued to receive wages during the period of leave, but expressed his personal belief that this would be unlikely.

“This is a bureaucratic issue and I think that it is normal to dismiss someone if they don’t come to work for four months or whatever,” he said. “In such a case, If I overstay my leave, I believe I would not be continued to be paid if I did not return to work. We haven’t been on top of this matter, but I’m sure payments would have been stopped through the bureaucratic system we have.”

According to Sun Online, Luthfee, who was previously sentenced to life in prison back in 2002 under the government of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, had resided in Switzerland before returning to the country in August of last year for a “holiday”.

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HSBC appoints new CEO for Sri Lanka, Maldives operations

Patrick Gallagher has assumed the role as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the HSBC bank group’s operations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Gallagher is said to have began his new role with “immediate effect”, the Sunday Times of Sri Lanka newspaper reported today.

Gallagher, who since November 2009 has headed up HSBC’s operations in Bahrain, will be replacing Nick Nocolau as CEO for the company’s operations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

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Government has received 208 reports of child abuse so far for 2013: Human Rights Minister

The Ministry of Family, Gender and Human Rights has received 208 reports of child abuse so far this year, Minister Azima Shukoor has said.

In a statement marking Children’s Day, Shukoor said 83 percent of all reported child sexual abuse claims involved young girls. In addition, Shukoor said the ministry has also been informed of 43 cases of child neglect.

“The number of children facing abuse at one point in time in the Maldives is a number that is unreasonable for a country with such a small population,” she said, according to local media.

“The abuse of children is on the rise. Children being used as sex workers, where the children are sent to places as a means to pleasure people and to gain an income from such a trade. This is being practiced in the Maldives today. Both boys and girls are being used in this trade,” Shukoor said.

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