Category: Society & Culture

MNDF helping 39 homeless following Saamiliyya fire disaster

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) officials are providing assistance to 39 people who have become homeless after a serious fire incident that burned down Saamiliyya, a residential building in Galolhu ward.

After the incident last week, the landlord and those living in the property paying rent were left homeless and were relocated to the Social Centre in Maafannu, a building mostly used for sporting purposes and other recreational activities.

MNDF officials have set up partitions and provided mattresses and blankets for those left homeless after the fire.

Male’ City Council told local media that the council had decided provide all assistance possible to those affected by the fire, including financial assistance.

Saamiliyya was destroyed occurred last Thursday, and two people were hospitalised as the blaze burned the residential building to the ground.

Residents of neighboring houses and furniture store Allora were also impacted by smoke from the blaze.

MNDF Spokesperson Major Abdul-Raheem told Minivan News the residents of the destroyed down house were now being looked after by Male’ City Council.

‘’We provided them blankets, mattresses and other necessities to make the place adequate,’’ said Abdul-Raheem. ‘’The list of homeless people initially had  39 names on it, later some amendments were made.’’

He said the MNDF was  now doing a damage assessment.

‘’It will take like two more days to determine the total cost of the damage,’’ he said. ‘’The police are currently investigating the cause of the fire.’’

Meanwhile local newspaper Haveeru reported the landlord’s suspicions that the fire incident was an arson attack by a relative disputing how the property was to be divided.

A woman currently living in Social Centre told the paper that she had lost everything she had gained throughout her entire life.

‘’I was able to save nothing. Clothes, household items or documents – none whatsoever,’’ she told Haveeru.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said it was too early to state whether the incident was an arson attack.

‘’We are investigating the case and  waiting for the incident report from the MNDF. We will refer to it and determine the cause of the fire,’’ he said.

Few non-commercial properties in the Maldives are insured.

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IFM expresses concern over “increase in sinister crimes”

The Islamic Foundation of the Maldives (IFM), led by Ibrahim Fauzee, has expressed concern over the “increase in sinister crimes occurring in the Maldives’’ and has called for implement harsh penalties to be applied to those who commit such crimes.

The IFM said the reason for the rise in crime was that Islamic Sharia had not been implemented. Furthermore, verdicts delivered by the judges were not being applied, and convicted criminals remained at large, the IFM said.

“It is very concerning that many new-born babies are being found abandoned, many children are being abused, and crime against women is increasing as well as assault and murder,’’ said the IFM, condemning all such actions.

The IFM said the reason why theft, robbery, assault and murder cases were increasing was due to the easy availability of drugs in the Maldives, and called on the government to stop the importation of alcohol and other drugs.

The foundation also called on the government to administer the penalty, mentioned in the Islamic Sharia, to those who produce and sells drugs.

“We call on parents to be protective of their children and to keep them away from persons who have records of child abuse, and especially do not send female children anywhere without a parent,’’ said IFM.

The organisation assured that it would “fully cooperate to curb the rising crime rate.”

Three abandoned infants have been found dead in Male’, Hulhumale and Villingili this month, and three women arrested in connection with the deaths.

On May 5 a dead infant was found in a plastic bag in the swimming track area of Male’. A medical examination later concluded that the baby had sustained cuts, bruises and other wounds.

On May 21, the corpse of a premature baby boy was discovered inside a Coast Milk tin on the island of Villingli.

On May 22, the body of a newborn baby boy was discovered in a park in Hulhumale’. The infant was found with underwear tied tightly around his neck, the most likely cause of death according to the hospital.

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TEAM calls on government to hasten introduction of minimum wage at Rf5000

The Tourism Employees Association of the Maldives (TEAM) has urged the government to implement a minimum wage, to address a growing gap between the rich and poor.

“TEAM believes that the most important thing to do in order to change the current situation of all persons working in the tourism industry is to implement a minimum wage,’’ said the organisation.

‘’A minimum wage is also important to avoid the potential bankruptcy of small and medium businesses and to eliminate the differentiation between the rich and poor.’’

TEAM urged the government to conduct a fair survey and to determine an adequate minimum wages, “instead of only listening to few influential big businessmen.’’

TEAM claimed the minimum wage for those working in the tourism sector should be at least Rf 5000 (US$325) per month.

Vice President of TEAM Maurrof Zakir said that Rf5000 for resort workers was determined after taking into considering the GDP of the country, salaries of civil servants and the amount of money tourism resorts make per month.

‘’Usually a tourism resort makes US$2-3 million every month,’’ he said.  “But only US$200, 000 at the most is the amount spent on wages. Our estimates do not show that the tourist resorts will suffer any loss by paying their staff a minimum wage of Rf 5000 per month.’’

He also recommended the government  set the minimum wage differently for each sectors.

In last week’s radio address, President Mohamed Nasheed promised that the government would set a minimum wage this year to ensure a decent living.

In January this year, a bill governing the minimum wage of people employed in the Maldives was sent to parliament by MDP Parliamentary Group Leader ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik.

“It is important for everyone working in the Maldives to be certain of the minimum wage that can be given to them – that is a right of every citizen. That’s why this bill is being drafted,” Moosa said.

Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

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Criminal Court again orders release of high profile drug case suspect, despite High Court overruling decision

The Criminal Court has last night summoned and ordered the release of a suspect in a high profile drug case, a day after the High Court invalidated a letter sent by the Criminal Court to the police asking to release him under house arrest.

The Criminal Court first asked  police to keep Abdul Latheef, of Gnaviyani Atoll Fuvamulah, in detention as determined by the Home Ministry, until his trial reached a conclusion. However the Criminal Court later sent a letter to the police changing the court’s first decision and asking police to switch Latheef’s detention to house arrest.

The police then appealed at the High Court to invalidate the letter. The High Court judges determined that the order in the letter was not consistent with the applicable laws concerning detention, and overruled it last Tuesday.

Latheef was arrested last year in December, as he was about to drive off in his car after loading some vegetables into the trunk.

Police officers attended the area, stopped his car and unpacked the loaded items in his presence and discovered 1083.4246 grams of illegal narcotics containing the substance Tetrahydrocannabinol (found in cannabis).

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said Latheef was presented to the court prior to the custodial deadline upon a request by the Criminal Court.

‘’We have not noticed anything unusual about it,’’ he said. ‘’The court just requested police to summon him and we did, then the court ordered his release and so we released him.’’

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Police and family searching for 17 year-old runaway girl

Police have reported that a 17 year-old girl living in Male’ is still missing after four days of searching by her family.

The police identified the girl as Saha Waheed, 17, of Madaveli in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll.

According to police, Saha was reported missing last Monday and police are currently trying to find out what she was last wearing.

Director of Police General Investigations, Hassan Hameed, told the press that Saha had sent a text message to her family after she left: “This incident occurred by a mistake. Don’t look for me. Really sorry.”

“We have searched the islands and several guest houses and yet there has been no sign of her,” Hameed said.

Local media expressed confusion over the phrase ‘this incident’ as it was neither mentioned in the text nor explained by the police.

Police provided no further details other than to say there were no issues between the girl and her parents.

Saha was studying at the Maldives National University and staying at her sister’s place, police said.

In June last year, police searched for a 14 year-old boy and eventually located him in Addu after three days of searching. The boy left home to attend the mosque for prayers his parents raised the alarm when he failed to return.

Anyone with information concerning Saha’s disappearance should contact police on 332 2111.

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Two hospitalised in Male’ residential fire

Two people were hospitalised as a blaze destroyed the G. Saalimeege residential building in the centre of Male’ this morning .

Police confirmed that no fatalities had been recorded.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam told Minivan News that the fire, which was believed to have started around 9:30am this morning, was now under control and an investigations had been launched to determine its probable cause.

A number of roads surrounding the blaze were closed off by police and members of the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF). Minivan News observed that thick clouds of smoke emanating from the fire were still visible around the nearby Majlis building late in the morning.

Shiyam claimed that although all residents were believed to have been successfully evacuated from the building, it was unlikely they would be able to return as the wooden structure was completely destroyed.

He added that residents of the neighbouring building, G. Suthulige, were also evacuated as the fire spread causing further damage to additional properties.

Nearby furniture store Allora was also said to have been impacted by smoke from the blaze, though police said they were not aware of any damage to property at the site.

“Everybody was evacuated from the buildings although two people were hospitalised due to inhaling smoke from the fire,” Shiyam added.  “We are not aware of any fatalities resulting from the fire.”

Local newspaper Haveeru reported that MNDF firefighters had initially run out of water tackling the blaze.  However, the MNDF turned instead to a more plentiful supply in the form of the sea, opting to pipe water directly from the harbour opposite the President’s office on Boduthakurufaanu Magu.

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Desire for democracy fundamentally a need for justice: President Nasheed

Germany will provide Rf 6 million (US$390,000) over the next two years for the expansion of the UNDP’s Access to Justice project in the Maldives.

Speaking at a signing ceremony held in the President’s Office today, attended by most cabinet members, German Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Jens Plötner said it was Germany’s “firm conviction that without a functioning justice system there can be no democracy.”

“In the recent history of the Maldives a few brave women and men fought for democracy, citizens of the country then conquered democracy through the ballot box, but to keep democracy it takes justice – without that people will very quickly lose faith in democracy and the system,” Plötner said.

“We ourselves as a country with a tragic history, after two world wars, lost faith in ourselves. We didn’t know what to be proud of any more given what had been committed in German name.

“What finally emerged was that we were proud of the justice system we have today in Germany. We followed constitutional patriotism, because we are proud of the way law and right is delivered in Germany. This is the essence of the hard lessons we have learned through two world wars started in our name.”

Himself a former student of law, Plötner observed that the concept itself was “something very abstract and philosophical.”

“But it is also about men and women sitting there in impressive robes in big buildings, and breaking high principles down to day-to day-sentences for somebody smashing up a car – or something more awful.

“To do that you need good training, but that’s not enough. The judge and all those who work with him or her are such an essential element of democracy that they have to eat drink and breathe democracy every minute of the day. If they do that, democracy is stable.”

President Mohamed Nasheed said German support for judicial reform in the Maldives had its beginnings in a conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last year.

“She was wondering what were our main challenges as we embarked on a new era of democratic governance,” Nasheed said.

“People’s desire for democracy in the Maldives was fundamentally because of a need for justice – things were often done unfairly and very harshly. That was a situation a fair number of us wanted to overcome. To that end we felt the first building block should be peaceful political activity. It took us a fair amount of time to do that, but we achieved it.”

Looking at the assembled ministers and political appointees, Nasheed said “a number of people in this room did not believe that political pluralism was appropriate for this society. We all had an idea of a singular form of government through which we might dispense justice as well as governance. But a few of us felt it was difficult to reinvent the wheel. We kept asking for political pluralism and parties, and finally we were successful.”

During the drafting of the new constitution, Nasheed acknowledged that “very little thought” was given to how the new judiciary was arranged, despite the urging of many lawyers in the system.

“When the powers were separated and the Maldivan Democratic Party (MDP) became the executive we came into a situation where the previous regime had a majority in the parliament.

“But in many minds the situation with the judiciary was far more worrying. Nothing had changed – we had exactly the same people, the same judges, the same manner of thinking and of dispensing justice.”

The constitution did not ask for an overhaul of the justice system, Nasheed noted, but it did ask for the formulation of a new Supreme Court bench.

“We ran into a number of difficulties. Firstly, the interim bench decided they were a permanent bench. That created all sorts of issues, finally to the extent that the executive had to step in and say ‘No, we have to have a new bench, and we are not going to open the Supreme Court without it.’”

It was, Nasheed admitted, “all very risky, challenging and difficult. But finally we came up with a bench – and with the support of every MP.”

However the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), tasked with regulated the judiciary, was a difficult task to reform “as the JSC as a whole was very imbalanced politically.”

“Again we are having to step in and we will reform the JSC, although not outside the framework of the constitution.”

Nasheed observed that the government’s new financial changes – such as the introduction of a new system of taxation, were “perhaps far more radical that introduction of political pluralism in the semi-liberal society that we had. Again there is the anger, antagonism, frustrations and uncertainties.”

The President said he felt the country was moving in the right direction, but expressed concern that the Maldives had slipped in the anti-corruption index.

“I like to think this is not because were more corrupt than we used to be, but rather that we have come to understand how corrupt we are through our new found freedom of expression – we are able to point fingers more readily, and the information available on corruption is far higher than it has ever been before.”

He noted that the government had 27 Auditor General reports detailing embezzlement and misuse of state funds “that we have done nothing with – partly because we need to strengthen our judiciary before we can embark on this.”

“We don’t want to go into a witch-hunt, or use the strong arm of the law, we want to use rationale and reason. We want to be able to prosecute, and dispense justice.”

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Five men gang rape 18 year-old girl in Laamu Atoll Maabaidhoo

A group of five men allegedly gang raped an 18 year-old girl on Maabaidhoo in Laamu Atoll, police have confirmed.

According to the ‘Laamuatoll’ newspaper based on Maabaidhoo, the group of five men snatched the 18 year-old girl as she was walking down a street last night, and took her to the other side of the island before gang raping her.

“Her mother noticed she was missing at 7:00pm and set out searching for her,’’ said the paper. ‘’At 9:00pm last night her mother found her sitting under a coconut palm tree, barely covered as her clothes were torn.”

The paper also reported that the group of men had blindfolded her using her headscarf, and dropped her to the ground hurting her head.

She was carried to the hospital on a vehicle as she could not walk properly due to the injuries she received, said the paper. At the hospital police were called and informed about the incident, but reportedly could not make it to the island because of poor weather.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed the incident had occurred and that police were now investigating the case.

‘’We have arrested one person in connection with the case,’’ Shiyam said. ‘’We will provide more details after the investigation.’’

In March 2010, a group of 15 men abducted, drugged and gang raped a 20 year old girl, filming the incident with a mobile phone on the island of Hithadhu in Seenu Atoll.

“Two men came by on a motorbike while she was outside her house, and forced her to sit between them,” Regional Commander for Addu Atoll, Chief Inspector Hussein Adam, said at the time. “The 15 men forced her to drink a suspected liquid drug and she became drunk,” he said. ”They used box cutters to threaten her.”

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Former head warden Isthafa denies torture allegations, as police appeal for victims to come forward

Former chief prison warden ‘Isthafa’ Ibrahim Mohamed Manik has issued a statement to the media denying torture allegations made against him by police, after the High Court overruled a court warrant extending his detention.

In the statement, Isthafa said he welcomed police efforts to investigate allegations of mistreatment inside the prison, but said the public had been misled that he had confessed to condoning torture and inhumane activities in the prison.

‘’I regret that police arrested me unlawfully against the constitution and against the laws’’ said Isthafa in the statement. “The High Court’s ruling clarifies that I was arrested unlawfully.’’

Isthafa said that while the state was investigating torture activities conducted in the prisons over a long period of time, “I was in charge of the prison for eight years.’’

“I have never ordered the torture of anyone or acted against the law, and neither did my superiors ever order me to do so,’’ he added.

Police arrested Isthafa over the weekend and took him to the prison island of Maafushi, where the island’s court granted police an extension of detention for 15 days. This was yesterday overruled by the High Court, which determined that the arrest was unlawful and that there were no probable grounds to extend his pre-trial detention period.

Today Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) activists gathered near the President’s Office, the Justice Building and other areas of Male’ calling for the arrest of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, demanding justice for the prison torture they alleged he condoned.

The activists were holding posters and carrying a coffin, claiming that many inmates had passed away as a consequence of inhumane activities and torturous activities they were subjected to.

Meanwhile the Criminal Court last night issued a warrant on Isthafa, banning him from leaving the country for a month.

The torture investigation committee formed by Presidential decree to investigate torture allegations against former government, led by former Defence Minister Ameen Faisal, has meanwhile established an office inside Velaanage’ to obtain information concerning prison torture carried out during both the current and former administrations.

Police in a press statement appealed for the public to report any information they had to the office on the 12th floor of  Velaanage, or to phone +960 333 0584 or +960 333 0585. Outside Male, complaints can be submitted to police posts on the islands.

Police are currently investigating allegations of torture inside prisons under the former administration, claiming that planned, systematic and long-term torture of prisoners had taken place in Maldivian prisons, while records of inmates were incomplete or non-existent.

Allegations of prisoner mistreatment have continued to come from the prisons even after the current administration took power in 2008, and both the government and the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) previously expressing concern over a “culture of torture” than continued to pervade many institutions.

On October 14, 2010, Police arrested a 19 year-old man while he was sitting near his house,  who later alleged that ‘’the whole duty shift’’ beat him using batons and shoes, before he was taken to solitary confinement  where he alleged he was kept in a cross position until his release the next day – without being brought in front of a judge.

On July 21, 2010, a 19 year-old man was arrested in a joint police and Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) special operation to curb crime alleged officers pushed him into a police bus and blindfolded him with his hands tied with clips.

“They took me to a place and removed my silver ear-rings, my bracelets, necklace and sunglasses,” he claimed. “Then they took me to another place and removed the blindfold, and ordered me to remove my clothes. I refused, but I had no other choice so I did, and they told me to bend over. They harassed me verbally and physically.”

A 14 year-old boy arrested the same day near Giyasudeen School claimed that police treated him the same.

“They took me into a small room and removed the blindfold, and took up a trimmer. I asked them why they had to cut my hair, and they said they were getting me into the religion of Islam. I refused them permission to cut my hair, and I looked at the ground I saw blood all over the floor,” he said. “They started beating me when I refused.”

Another 16 year-old boy who was arrested near Ahmadiyya School said the officers blindfolded and handcuffed him, “and told me to sit down,” he said. “I checked with my hands to make sure there was a chair, and when I touched the chair when I turned to sit down they pulled the chair away. Again they hurt my wound and I told them that it hurt.”

He said the officers asked him to show them his wound, and when he removed his shirt they started hitting the wound and asking whether it hurt.

All were released without charge.

One January 24, 2011, a 17 year-old boy was arrested on Boduthakurufaanu Magu before being driven in a police vehicle to a dark spot near Male’s artificial beach, where he was violently beaten by officers with batons.

The 17 year-old said the squad, consisting of “around 22″ police officers beat him simultaneously with their batons.

On December 29, 2010, inside Maafushi prison, inmates and prison officers clashed with one inmate suffering a broken shoulder, another inmate breaking his nose and third suffering injuries to his eyes because prison officers hit and broke the glasses he was wearing, alleged a person familiar with the case.

The clash allegedly occurred after prison officers did not appear when called to respond to the critical health condition of another inmate.

On April 20, 2010, at least 15 inmates were badly injured in a prison riot in Maafushi Prison.

Most of the cases were reported to the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) but by far no trial or transparent investigation was conducted into these cases.

Cases of previous custodial torture can be reported to the government’s investigation committee on the 12th floor of  Velaanage, or by phone on +960 333 0584 or +960 333 0585.

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