Category: News in Brief

Jumhooree Party submits over 1,000 membership forms to EC

The Jumhooree Party (JP) has announced that it has sent over 1,000 new membership forms to the Elections Commission (EC).

JP spokesman Ali Solih told Haveeru the membership drive was intended to inject new vigour into the party ahead of its upcoming congress, though the exact date has not been revealed.

The party currently holds 13 seats in the People’s Majlis after the signing of the formerly independent member Muaz Mohamed Rasheed earlier this month.

Party leader Gasim Ibrahim proved the kingmaker in last year’s presidential elections, leading his party into a short-lived coalition with President Abdulla Yameen’s Progressive Party of Maldives.

The JP was fined for the ninth time by the EC earlier this month for submitting fraudulent membership forms. The commission revealed that the party was fined MVR10,000 (US$649) after it discovered repeated fingerprints of 36 persons on 258 party membership forms.

Source: Haveeru

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Fenaka begins MVR35 million water project in Addu City

The state owned utility company, the Fenaka Corporation, has begun a MVR35 million (US$2.2million) project to provide potable water to all the residents of Addu City.

Inaugurating the project in Addu City last night, environment minister Thoriq Ibrahim said the state funded project will be completed by the end of 2015.

A sewerage system is to be established on Hithadhoo, and the government has taken a loan from the OPEC fund to establish sewerage systems in the remaining islands of the atoll, he said.

The total cost of establishing water and sewerage systems in Addu City amounts to MVR600 million (US$39 million), he explained.

The former Southern Utilities Limited (SUL) company, along with UK’s Biwater International Ltd had begun a US$42 million project to improve the atoll’s supply of drinking water and sewage treatment in 2010.

Biwater International was to establish desalination plants to provide potable water and install sewage treatment plants, pump stations, and pipe work systems.

SUL was to contribute US$15 million and Bywater was to invest US$27 million but the project soon stalled as a result of mismanagement, said Thoriq.

The Fenaka Corporation was established to take over from the seven utility corporations established during the administration of former President Nasheed.

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Home Ministry opens up second call for newspaper, magazine re-registration

The Ministry of Home Affairs has opened up a second re-registration call for all news outlets and magazines.

The ministry had ordered all registered newspapers, news websites, magazines, and periodicals to re-register in October during the vote to elect members for the Maldives Media Council.

The order came after reporters complained over the eligibility of publications that were not in regular circulation to vote in the elections.

The ministry said it was opening up a second call due to popular requests. Media companies and news outlets must submit proof that they have been regularly publishing in the past six months.

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Street value of Faamudheyrige alcohol bust at MVR200,000

The Maldives Police Services have confiscated 70 bottles of liquor and 70 cans of beer with a street value of MVR200,000 (US12,970) from Faamudheyrige in Maafannu ward in Malé.

The police searched Faamudheyrige under a court warrant following the arrest of a foreign national carrying three bottles of liquor on the street.

Head of the Drug Enforcement Department Ahmed Shifan claimed it is foreigners who are mainly active in Malé’s black market trade in alcohol, but said they received help from Maldivians.

The police have noted a spike in alcohol sales in Malé this month due to new year celebrations, and have confiscated at least 400 containers of alcohol since December 1.

Shifan has previously said the police would not allow the use of alcohol or other illegal activities to take place at new year celebrations.

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MDA leader ‘Sun Travel’ Siyam maintains worst attendance record in third session of 18th Majlis

The People’s Majlis has published an attendance report for its third session of the 18th Majlis, with MP Ahmed ‘Sun Travel’ Siyam – leader of the government-aligned Maldives Development Alliance – with the worst record.

According to the report published on the Majlis website, Siyam attended only 10 of the 29 parliamentary sittings for the third session. He did not provide any reason for not participating in 17 of the sittings, and was on leave for two.

The Dhaalu Meedhoo MP was also at the bottom of the 17th Majlis’s attendance records.

Jumhooree pary MP Ilham Ahmed was second in attending the least parliamentary sittings, participating in 15 of the 29 sittings. Next was ruling Progressive Party of Maldives MP Ahmed Nazim and opposition Maldivian Democratic Party Rozaina Adam – both participated in 16 sittings.

Out of the total 85 members, 22 were present at all of the Majlis’ sittings.

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84 foot fishing vessel breaks in two while at sea

An 84 foot fishing vessel from Gaafu Alif Atoll has broken in two while on a fishing trip, reports local media.

Haveeru reported that there no were no injuries to the twenty or so people on the vessel when the boat broke at around 6.30am this morning, The boat was identified as ‘Theyravaa’ from Gaadu Alif Dhehvadhoo.

“We do not know as of yet why the boat broke into two,” said the vessel’s owner Ali Muneer according to Haveeru.

Muneer said that the vessel broke soon after it took off from catching bait fish near one of the islands of the atoll, and that the two pieces of the hull were currently being towed to an island for repairs.

Raajje.mv reported that the vessel has been in operation for over 15 years, and that the National Coastguard is assisting the boat owner in towing the vessel.

Source: Haveeru

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Man wearing a belt representing a cannabis leaf arrested

At 19-year-old man has been arrested in Gaaf Dhaalu Rathafandhoo Island for wearing a belt with an insignia representing the cannabis leaf.

A Maldives Police Service (MPS) media statement read that the man was arrested for “encouraging the use of drugs’” by wearing the belt.

The statement also read that the man was arrested at around 10pm yesterday (December 23) after the police received a tip-off saying that a drug deal was happening. The offending belt was seen while searching the man’s body for drugs.

According to Article 128 of the Drugs Act, encouraging the use of drugs is illegal in the Maldives and is a crime punishable by 3 years of jail time.

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Weak Russian ruble sees drop in resort bookings

Minister of Tourism Ahmed Adeeb has noted that the fall in the price of the Russian ruble has affected occupancy rates in the Maldives.

Local media outlet Haveeru has reported industry insiders as saying that bookings are at a five-year low, with some anticipating the Russian market could drop by 10 percent.

Russia represented the fourth biggest source of tourists to the Maldives in 2013, with 76,479 people making up 6.8 percent of the total market share. As the second fastest growing tourist market in the world (behind China), arrivals to the Maldives from Russia have grown by an average of 10.7 percent over the past five years.

A combination of low oil prices and Western sanctions on Russia in relation to the conflict in the Ukraine has seen the rouble fall to an all-time low this month.

While Adeeb said he was confident the government would meet its target of 1.2 million tourist arrivals in 2014, he said the country must diversify its tourism markets: “The international arena is heating up,” he told a press conference on Monday.

The current government has suggested that diversification of the economy – to be encouraged through the Special Economic Zones Act – will reduce the country’s vulnerability to external shocks.

Tourism currently contributes directly to around 35 percent of the country’s GDP.

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UK appoints new High Commissioner

The United Kingdom has appointed a new high commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, with James Dauris set to replace John Rankin in April.

“I am delighted to have been appointed to be the United Kingdom’s next High Commissioner to the Maldives. Our two island nations enjoy and benefit from a long-established relationship,” said Dauris in a Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) statement.

“Tourism is among our countries’ important links – more than 74,000 British holiday makers have visited the islands this year. At the same time we share concerns and ambitions around some of the big challenges facing us today, including climate change. I am looking forward to working on issues that are priorities for both our countries.”

Dauris has recently served as British Ambassador to Peru for four years as well as having served in Russia and Colombia after joining the FCO in 1995.

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