The strike at Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa has ended, according to Vice President of the Tourism Employment Association Maldives (TEAM), Mauroof Zakir.
157 Staffs at the Shangri-La Villingili Resort went on strike last week after four workers were dismissed for reportedly playing on a PlayStation in a vacant villa on the last Sunday. It continued throughout the week until Shangri-La management dismissed the 10 leaders of the strike and four villa host, and invited the remaining staff back to work.
Zakir claimed the strike ended when Shangri-La management sent a letter to the parents of the strikers on Feydhoo.
”They sent a letter signed by the general manager of the resort requesting that the strikers resign or the matter would be handled to the police,” Zakir said.
”Their wives, kids and parents were disappointed with the letter and pressured the staff to stop the strike and go work.”
Zakir said the strikers did not achieve all they had set out to achieve, but “it was a success that only 14 staffs were dismissed. At first they dismissed 65 staffs on the island.”
He said that strikers took a vote on Wednesday to decide if they were going to continue or end the strike.
”Ninety per cent of them voted to continue the strike,” Zakir claimed.
He said TEAM would “still work until we achieve our demands, with the help of international organisations.”
”We will take the case to the tribunal also,” he said. ”We will do as much we can.”
Shangri-La’s Communication Director Leslie Garcia denied management sent a letter to the strike leaders.
”They were dismissed in an agreement proposed by the resort management,” she said. ”They agreed to it.”
The Maldives has secured a seat in the UN Human Rights Council, the first time the country has won a seat at a major UN body.
Lobbying for candidature began in March this year, when Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed Shaheed spoke in front of an audience of world leaders at the 13th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
At the time, Dr Shaheed told Minivan News the Maldives was running for candidature because of the country’s “own positive experience with the international human rights system,” and added, “we understand, through first-hand experience, [the council’s] value and its capacity to bring about change.”
Dr Shaheed then visited New York in April to seek further support from UN member states and had a special meeting with members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
There were four available seats for Asia in the Human Rights Council and five candidates. The other four candidates were Malaysia, Thailand, Qatar and Iran.
How the seat was won
Iran recently withdrew its candidature, leaving the four seats open for all four remaining candidates to win a seat on the council. Dr Shaheed said Iran withdrew its candidacy “because they knew they would not be able to contest against the other countries.”
When hearing of the secured seat in the council, Dr Shaheed said, “as the smallest and poorest country in the race, there was a lot of speculation as to whether the Maldives would be able to stay in the race and compete against the more influential states, but in the end we were able to mount the most intensive campaign and perhaps the most credible candidature.”
Dr Shaheed said, “in March, I estimated we would lose. But we worked very hard and within two weeks it was made clear we would take one of the four [winning seats].”
Because of Iran’s withdrawal, all four remaining countries are guaranteed a seat in the council, although elections are still required to take place. A vote will be cast at the UN’s Headquarters in New York on 13 May, when the final results will be announced.
Dr Shaheed said he suspects not every country will get the necessary 51% of votes from UN member states that are required to attain candidacy, but since there is no more competition, the results will simply show the ranking. He believes the Maldives could even be number one.
The minister said he believed gaining a seat in the Human Rights Council would improve human rights within the country because it will give the Maldives greater access to resources and more UN systems which will help regulate and improve current laws and regulations in the country.
“There will be more opportunities to reinforce strength in the domestic agenda of human rights,” he said.
Dr Shaheed said the Human Rights Council is seen as “top players” in the international human rights arena, and a seat for the Maldives shows “we are seen as a country doing quite well regarding human rights.”
The Maldives will hold a seat in the council for three years, and the current mission in Geneva will be in charge of the work relating to the council.
Human Rights Commission of the Maldives
President of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) Ahmed Saleem said he was “very delighted” the Maldives won the seat in the council, as it “reflects well on us, as well.”
He said although the HRCM “are not part of the government, the membership has been possible also partly because of the way the human rights commission has performed.”
Saleem said the membership “comes with a lot of responsibility” as they will now deal with “everything” concerning international human rights. He noted the Maldives will now be under “very close scrutiny, so we have to set an example for everybody else.”
He said the government works very closely with the commission, and “I have seen positive change. This is a very good opportunity for the government to realise [they have] to make necessary changes.”
Saleem noted the commission “does not criticise the government unnecessarily” but tries to help the government by pointing out the problems the country is facing concerning human rights. He said unless the government takes the HRCM’s recommendations seriously, “the international community is not going to look positively on the government.”
He is sure the Maldives’ membership in the council will improve human rights in the country, “because the government also will have to act very positively now, there has to be room for improvement in the way the government reacts to human rights issues.”
Saleem added he had “always been very positive about this commitment because it’s good for us. We can take advantage.”
Saleem said membership also meant the Maldives could run for presidency of the Human Rights Council as it’s the Asian group’s turn, “but I think it’s too early. We should be content in being a member of the Human Rights Council itself. It’s the first time we are there.”
He said if the Maldives performed well, they could think of running for presidency the next time they have the opportunity.
He claimed HRCM was “one of the best in South Asia”, as most other countries in the region except India “don’t have commissions that are credible.” But he noted the HRCM was not working at its full potential because it is not yet a full member of either the International Criminal Court (ICC) or the Asia Pacific Forum (APF).
“We want very badly to be full members of the ICC and APF,” Saleem said, “our work suffers because we’re not full members. Everybody knows we work much better than most other members that are full members…but there is nothing they can do.”
The reason the HRCM can’t become a full member of these organisations is directly related to freedom of religion, he claimed.
“The HRCM legislation states that all members be Muslim,” Saleem explained, and noted that international human rights bodies see this as a violation of human rights.
Saleem proposed it be changed to say “all members must be Maldivian” but not to specify they must be Muslim, as the country’s Constitution already states that all citizens must be Muslim. “That would fix everything,” he said.
He added the government and the Attorney General “are working on it. It’s no big deal.”
“HRCM should be able to work well, fully and effectively, but we are not able to work to our full capacity,” Saleem said. He noted membership in the Human Rights Council was “a very good opportunity” for the government to do something about the Maldives gaining full membership in the ICC and APF.
He said, overall, “I am very delighted. I hope things will change positively…and hopefully there will be marked improvements.”
State Minister for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed is advocating the study of ‘comparative religion’ in the Maldives.
“It is important for both Muslims and non-Muslims to compare their religions and cultures, and to compare philosophies,” Shaheem told Minivan News, explaining that subject was taught in many Islamic universities across the world, including academic institutions in Malaysia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Visiting Islamic lecturer Zakir Naik is a well-known proponent of comparative religion, and frequently quotes verses of other religious texts to support his arguments.
The religions to be studied in the Maldives course would include “all those in the world: Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, and the other religions,” Shaheem said.
In the lead up to the launch of the course, Shaheem explained that the Islamic Ministry was drafting regulations legalising possession of books concerning other religions, such as the bible, “for educational and research purposes”.
Permitting the study of comparative religion did not mean permitting the worship of other religions in the Maldives, a 100 percent Muslim nation, Shaheem emphasised.
“The subject is comparative religion,” he said. “It will compare between Islam with other religions – such as Christianity and Judaism. At the end of study, students will know the differences and the similarities. When you study other religions, that doesn’t mean you convert to other religions – it is my belief that by the end of this people should know that Islam is the truth.”
Shaheem said the course would only be taught from an undergraduate degree level, and not secondary level “because [students’] minds are not prepared to deal with these philosophies. They are ready for it at university level,” he said.
An understanding of comparative religion would strength Islamic faith in the Maldives, Shaheem said, “because when Muslims study this subject they learn how to deal with other philosophies – they learn about what others believe, the differences between us and them, and what is the right side.”
He said he did not anticipate any objections to the new course, but noted that “the interpretation of Shar’ia has to develop from period to period. The island has become a country, the country has become a region, the region has become a world. Muslims have to be aware of these philosophies in order to deal with others in the world.”
At the same time, Shaheem said, it was necessary for other cultures to learn about Islamic culture.
“They must learn that Islam is not a religion of terrorism and extremism, or an uncivilised religion. Islam is a civilised system, because it provides all the needs of a human being – for example, in Christianity and Judaism philosophies there is no democratic political system, there is no family law, there is no economic system; we have a penal code, code, family law, economic law, even an Islamic banking system. This is why Islam is among the fastest growing religions in Europe, America and the rest of the Western world – Islam is everywhere.”
Shaheem noted that many scholars in the Maldives had studied the subject, including himself, and put himself forward as a potential teacher.
“I have studied this subject in Saudi Arabia, and I am very interested in comparative religion,” he said. “I am sure that when people study these things, at the end of the story they will agree that Islam is the truth.”
Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa has invited striking staff to return to work, after 157 staff stopped working in protest over the dismissal of four villa hosts.
The villa hosts were dismissed after security and a duty manager discovered they had locked themselves in a guest villa with a PlayStation during a lunch break.
Senior management from the hotel chain flew into the Maldives earlier this week to resolve the situation, just as the Ministry of Human Resources and the Tourism Employees Association of the Maldives (TEAM) became involved.
A statement from the resort today said while management “acknowledges and accepts employees’ rights under Maldivian
Law, because of the serious nature of employee behaviour, 14 staff members will no longer be employed by the property.”
“The management will fill the resulting vacancies with Maldivians,” it added.
Other employees “are invited to return to work”, the resort’s statement said, adding that “initial claims that 65 employees were dismissed are untrue.”
“The resolution reflects the desire to move forward in a fair and reasonable manner considering the needs of the local community and all employees. The resort is operating as normal and no guests have been affected,” Shangri-La said.
Minivan News contacted one of the striking employees camped on Feydhoo, who said the protesters would stick to their original demands, which include a written statement from the resort reinstating the dismissed employees.
“Most of the strikers have been given first and last warnings, which means next thing they do wrong they will be dismissed,” he claimed.
The resort’s general manager went to Feydhoo yesterday and called the 14 dismissed strikers one by one to an area secured by riot police, the striker claimed, to inform them of their dismissal.
Vice President of TEAM Mauroof Zakir said those dismissed included the four villa hosts “and 10 staff who management suspects have been leading the strike.”
He noted that the protesting staff had taken a vote yesterday over whether to continue to with the strike “and the majority decided to continue.”
More than 80 staff are continuing to strike, he said, adding that the resort was continuing to operate normally “because the majority of staff are expatriate.”
Akon’s Supafest show in Malé has been postponed two days before the concert was to take place, due to “technical and security concerns of the artist” according to the show’s Sri Lankan event managers Platinum Entertainment.
Platinum Entertainment said most of the equipment needed for the show, such as the stage, LED panels, and technical staff will not be able to make it to Malé in time for the scheduled concert. But they offered assurances that since “some equipment worth more than $100,000 has arrived to the Maldives,” it is “straight proof that the event is scheduled to go on.”
The show’s delay comes shortly after Maldives police arrested the Sri Lankan organiser of the Boney M concert for fraud, and the government decided to take over running running the show itself.
Akon’s concert has been controversial from the start. Platinum Entertainment first tried to send the star to Sri Lanka, but the government refused him entry into the country because the content of one of his videos was deemed offensive to Buddhist tastes.
He was also initially denied a visa to Australia and missed a performance in Adelaide, but was allowed into the country in time for the Melbourne concert.
When Akon was denied entry to Sri Lanka, Platinum Entertainment received permission from the Maldivian government to host the concert in Male’ and joined forces with local event organisers, Highrise Entertainment, to run the event on 23 April.
Everything was set up for the show to proceed – posters, tickets, government approval and many eager fans billed it as “the biggest concert ever in the Maldives.”
However since the show was announced, there have been complaints from the public and the Islamic Ministry concerning Akon’s lyrics, and especially his performance last year where he simulated sex on stage with a young girl during a show in the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago.
Ali Furushan from Highrise Entertainment said they had difficulty bringing in the equipment, which was being shipped from Sri Lanka, Singapore and Australia. He added that because “it’s the first international event, we didn’t want to do a half-job of it,” so they decided to reschedule the show instead.
He said there were also security concerns from Akon’s management, who were worried about the barricade system.
“The barricades at the show are not interlocking ones,” he said.
Furushan said there had been no concerns regarding the complaints from the Islamic Ministry, saying it was “mostly the technical part” that had forced the organisers to postpone the concert.
Platinum Entertainment will be refunding tickets starting from 12:00pm on 22 April through a hotline (330 7898) and at the Highrise office. They are also refunding money to the show sponsors, “even though they have fully agreed to stick with the event.”
Furushan said they are returning the money to the sponsors because they don’t have a confirmed date yet for the concert, but when they confirm the date, they will start all over again.
“Then we have to re-do all the print material and bring all the equipment back,” he said, noting they had already spent US$2,500 on printing materials alone.
“It’s a big financial loss for the company,” he said, adding that insurance would not cover their losses.
Platinum Entertainment has said because the concert is a multi-national show, “rescheduling will take a minimum duration of six weeks” and they will announce the new date when it has been set.
Furushan confirmed it will take a minimum of six weeks for Akon’s schedule to clear up again. “He’s pretty booked up,” he said, noting he has upcoming concerts in Congo, New York and Los Angeles.
“We hope to have the concert just before the FIFA World Cup,” he said.
Press Secretary for the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair said the main issues were security concerns from Akon’s management.
He said Akon’s management had “requested the government to assure them of security arrangements from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).”
Zuhair said the concerns for security arose “after certain Islamic scholars and State Minister [for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Ahmed Shaheem Ali Saeed] complained about Akon’s explicit lyrics.”
However he assured “the government will stand firm. The permits have been issued, the president is delighted and has expressed hope that everyone who goes to see Akon has a good time.”
Zuhair added it was a good opportunity for the Maldivian companies sponsoring the event, and it would “hopefully encourage other international stars to come to the Maldives.”
Many young people who Minivan News spoke to claimed they had bought tickets ““not because we like Akon, but to support the event so more artists will come to the Maldives,” one concert-goer said.
Hearing of the show’s postponement, he said: “I am very angry. It’s music! It’s supposed to be everywhere. It can’t be stopped just because someone doesn’t like it.”
He said he would definitely get a refund if Akon can’t come, but will hold on to his tickets for a while.
Akon has meanwhile made a video apologising to all his Maldivian fans for the postponement. It can be seen on the event’s Facebook page.
London’s Heathrow Airport reopened flights on Tuesday night after almost a week of flight cancellations due to the volcanic ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which erupted last Wednesday and spread a thick cloud of ash over Europe.
Major airports around Europe are now reopening their airspace for more flights to resume, allowing stranded tourists and goods to reach their destinations, although recent reports suggest this is happening somewhat haphazardly.
Anecdotal reports suggest some hotels and resorts are reaching capacity with stranded tourists, particularly those near the airport on Hulhumale.
Controller of Immigration, Ilyas Hussain Ibrahim, said tourists who have been stranded in the Maldives will not have any issues with immigration.
“We are willing to extend their visas,” he said. “There is no problem with visas expiring. The problem is when they over-stay their booking at the hotels and resorts.”
Deputy Director at the Ministry of Tourism Hassan Zameer said no resorts have reported any cases of stranded tourists to the ministry, but they have informed resorts not to take passengers to the airport unless their flight has been confirmed.
Zameer said members of government, the tourism industry and resorts met earlier this week to discuss the situation, and said some resorts had offered to give their guests discounts “so long as they are not losing money.”
He said he did not know whether any resorts were implementing these discounted rates.
Zameer noted that “if this situation is prolonged it will be very costly to [the resorts],” and they are trying to help guests how they can.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Thoyyib Waheed said the ministry does not have any statistics on how many tourists have been stranded in the Maldives or how many were expected to arrive but were stranded in Europe.
But he added the airport has set up a hotline (call 332 2211) to help tourists with information on flights.
Staff at the One & Only Reethi Rah resort said most of their guests have extended their stay for at least four nights, but could not give any more details about whether they were giving special rates or any other assistance to these guests.
Many resorts around Malé that are reported to be over-booked with stranded tourists did not wish to comment on how they are handling the situation.
Stranded in paradise
Minivan News spoke to one British couple with their two young kids who had planned to return to the UK on Monday, when Sri Lankan Airlines informed them their flight had been cancelled and they would have to stay in the Maldives until flights resumed.
Because the airline is not party to the EU legislation, it does not have to provide financial assistance, such as accommodation and food vouchers, to its stranded customers.
The couple said they knew some people who were flying with British Airways and noted that BA customers were getting compensation from the airline.
They stressed the point that insurance would not cover any of their expenses, noting “nothing is covered.”
Because they were staying at a resort that cost US$450 per person per day plus food, they have found new, more affordable, accommodation in Malé until they can be rebooked on a flight home.
“We’re just waiting for Sri Lankan Airlines to call us,” they said. “There’s a three-flight back-log.”
The couple added they were meant to be back at work in the UK early this week and their kids should be back at school.
“We’re losing our salary on top of the extra expenses,” they said.
They noted neither the airline, the resort or the government had assisted them in any way.
An Italian couple had a different story to tell. They were stuck in Shanghai and were told their best option was to take a flight to Kuala Lumpur and then to Cairo. But by when they reached KL, they discovered their flight to Egypt had been cancelled.
“So we came to the Maldives to relax for a few days,” they said, adding that they had no swimsuits or beach clothes, “just scarves and jackets.”
They had been told of a flight back to Italy on April 29, but were still awaiting confirmation from their airline and are hoping to get back on Sunday, if possible.
“For now, we will go relax at a nice resort with beautiful beaches,” they said.
Two young Britons said they had not yet been affected by the volcano since their flight was originally scheduled for tomorrow, and are hoping they will be able to keep their seats.
Many import/export businesses, such as tropical fish exporters, have also faced difficulty since they cannot send their products to Europe. Cargo has been stopped in hubs like Dubai and stored by the airlines, while some if it has been returned to the Maldives.
With airlines gradually reopening their flights again, goods and products are now queued, waiting to reach their destination.
The Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services (DPRS) has reportedly decided to place cellular jammers in all the country’s jails to prevent inmates from communicating with the outside using mobile phones.
The DPRS announced that it would be purchasing cellular jammers in the edition of the government gazette dated 18th April.
Minister for Home Affairs Mohamed Shihab said he did not want to give any information about the cellular jammers as it was “the concern of the DPRS.”
DPRS Director General Mohamed Rasheed said he also would not give any information on the cellular jammers.
”It’s not good for us to tell you how many guns and bullets the police have,” he said. ”You also should know it is not very good to [publish] all the information on the armed forces and their work.”
However, Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair confirmed that the government was trying to establish cellular jammer in all the jails.
Zuhair said that it would make the jail security level more advanced.
”Many times we have noticed inmates receiving assistance from people outside,” he said. ”They have connection with people outside.”
He said after the cellular jammer was installed a land line would provided for the inmates’ use, ”so they can reach their family and relatives in a regulated manner.”
He told Minivan News that several jail officers were being investigated on suspicion of helping inmates to bring mobile phones and drugs into cells in Male’ prison.
“Three inmates and several jail officers we suspect [to be involved] have been moved to Dhoonidhu [prison] for investigation,” he said.
Inmates in Male’ Prison last week damaged their cells after jail officers seized mobile phones and other contraband.
Family members have claimed that inmates in Maafushi jail were badly beaten by jail officers in a prison riot on Sunday morning at around 12:15 am, after they were allegedly asked to go out to the prison yard and kneel on the ground.
A person familiar with the case told Minivan News that the riot was sparked when jail officers entered Unit 7 while everyone was sleeping.
”An Emergency Support Group (ESG) squad and the Maldives Police Service Serious and Organised Crime Unit, both in full riot kit, arrived in the middle of the night and demanded the inmates to go out to the yard and kneel down,” he said.
He said when the “barely awake” inmates refused to go outside ”they started confronting the inmates and beating them with their batons, and [the inmates] tried to defend themselves,” he said. ”It was shocking that they suddenly appeared like that in the middle of the night.”
He said claims by the Department of Penitentary and Rehabilitation Service (DPRS) that the inmates attempted to kidnap a jail officer were “all untrue.”
”It’s true that earlier three inmates in unit 8 jumped over the wall intending to jump into unit 7,” he said, ”but jail officers outside saw them and rang the loudest emergency siren.”
He said the three inmates ran back to their cell in fear.
”That was at the same time President Mohamed Nasheed had just left Maafushi after attending a ceremony held to open a water plant,” he said. ”If the jail officers came to take [the offenders] they could have just called their names and taken them, that’s how they always do it.”
He said that at least 15 of the inmates were badly injured in the riot, “but only three of them were taken to Male’,” he said. ”There are still six seriously injured inmates left in isolation cells in Unit 2, without medical treatment.”
He claimed that one of the inmates in Unit 2 had broken his arm, another had a swollen left eye and many others had bruises on them.
Injured inmate
”There is another man [in isolation] with internal bleeding – he was beaten up because he was the brother of another inmate who confronted jail officers,” the source alleged.
“He has first degree lung cancer and doctors have banned him from being imprisoned in any area where fresh air is not available. The Home Ministry would know about that.”
He claimed that jail officers “often complain that the current government does not provide them new shoes and uniforms like the former government.”
”They have a culture of torturing people,” he claimed. ”They want to have extreme power over inmates, so they pretend they do not have any control over the inmates, that’s what they want to show.”
Another person familiar with the case told Minivan News that the inmates in Unit 7 and Unit 8 were having an argument over a matter that started on Saturday afternoon and went on until that evening.
He confirmed that the three men in Unit 8 climbed over the wall intending to enter Unit 7.
“The jail officers on duty saw them and inmates returned back to Unit 8,” he said. ”But the officers rang the loudest siren, which can be heard throughout the whole island, to make it into a big issue.”
He said the jail officers entered Unit 9 that day around 6:30pm and left.
”Inmates in Unit 9 are very disciplined and well behaved,” he said. ”Jail officers went there and questioned them for about half an hour and left.”
He said that jail officers entered Unit 7 at midnight and demanded they go out to the yard and kneel down.
”It was alright to take those three,” he said, ”but they wanted all the inmates to kneel in the yard.”
The source said the riot last Saturday was a part of “a permanent war between inmates and the ESG.”
”The ESG force was established in 2007 and on their first day after training they beat up many inmates for no reason, shouting ‘We now have the power in Maafushi jail.”’
Head injury
He claimed that three inmates were brought to Male’ yesterday morning and admitted to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).
“But there are still inmates injured who have not received any medical treatment,” he claimed.
”The inmates have wives and kids at home waiting for them; a few are moved to Male’ and put under house arrest for rehabilitation and medication, but they are not really ill inmates. Inmates who really need medication are still inside here in the cells.”
The source also claimed rehabilitation and house arrest were drawn randomly by the DPRS ”like a lucky draw.”
He said many of the jail officers complained the current government was not providing them any services, either.
”They used to provoke the depressed inmates to [do bad things], saying things like: ‘Don’t wait like that, do something.’ The should be called the DRP-S,” he said.
He further claimed that neither rehabilitation or advice were given to prisoners.
”They only know how to beat [the inmates] up. That’s the only service they get [in prison],” he said.
The mother of an inmate hospitalised in IGMH told Minivan News that she received the information about the case on Sunday.
”I went to the Human Right Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) and told hem about the incident,” she said. “They called the DPRS who said my son was not injured.”
After contacting many government officials her son was brought to Male’ for treatment yesterday morning at 10:00 am.
”I was there when he arrived, his leg was damaged and he could not even walk,” she said. ”I called the DPRS and asked them to come and see for themselves whether if my son was injured.”
The mother of another inmate told Minivan News that her son’s arm was broken and he had been also was hit in the chest with a baton.
”Last night he had difficulties breathing, and still he has internal bleeding,” she said.
Miniavn News attended IGMH today to ascertain whether inmates had been injured and hospitalised as claimed, and confirmed the presence of three, in wards 7 and 10.
However the journalist was asked to leave by the police, despite DPRS staff outside previously agreeing that the inmates could be interviewed. ”It was is not visiting time and DPRS has requested you leave,” Minivan News was told. Minivan News observed that police and DRPS officers had removed their name tags.
Human Rights Commission of the Maldives yesterday released a press release after interviewing inmates and jail officers.
Inmate claims he was injured by a baton
HRCM’s report said that no one was seriously injured during the riot, and further claimed that the DPRS jail officers did not have control over the inmates.
”After the survey we conducted we noticed that DPRS officers had no control over the jail and the government had not provided the jail officers enough equipment,” HRCM said.
“The jail does not have any equipment to use in case of fire and there was no security equipment to control inmates out of control,” the statement said.
Press Secretary for the President, Mohamed Zuhair and Director General of DPRS Mohamed Raheed did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.
State Minister for Home Affairs Ahmed Adil said three inmates in Maafushi jail had tried to kidnap a jail officer who entered the cell to serve food to them.
Adil said that 15 jail officers were also injured during the riot.
”The DPRS did not enter the unit all of a sudden at midnight, ” he said. ”[Officers] tried to apprehend and isolate the inmates who tried to kidnap the jail officer.”
He said the inmates then confronted the jail officers.
”They threw stones at the jail officers,” he said, ”they threw anything their hands touched.”
Adil confirmed that six inmates were brought to Male’ for medical treatment.
”One of the inmates had a fracture in his arm and doctors said they needed to operate,” he said, ”but when doctors brought him inside the surgery room they noticed he was drunk and not in a good condition to be operated on, so he was sent away to be brought back later.”
A report on the Maldives in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) review of the Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking of Women and Children for Prostitution has highlighted the Maldives as a destination country for human trafficking, “where the primary form of trafficking is forced labour.”
The SAARC report, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and produced by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), suggested that human trafficking in the Maldives “is presumably is associated with the country’s socio-economic status as the most developed South Asian country, and its reliance on the migration of foreign workers to support sectors such as tourism and construction.”
“The Maldives is a destination country for migrant workers trafficked from neighbouring Bangladesh and India for forced labour, and to a lesser extent women from Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and China who are trafficked to Male’ for commercial sexual exploitation,” the report said, adding that “there is also some existence of some inter-island trafficking of Maldivian girls to the capital for domestic servitude.”
The country’s main offenders were “registered employment agents who fraudulently recruit low-skilled migrant workers and subject them to conditions of forced labour once they are in the country.”
“The other major offending group are wealthy families who subject domestic servants to forced labour,” the report noted.
The trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation was less marked than in other countries, the report noted, compared alongside the levels of forced labour, however “women of Chinese, Thai, Sri Lankan, and Filipino origin come to Male’ on the weekends from Colombo and some of them engage in commercial sex with the local migrant worker population.”
“In interviews, officials also spoke of occasions where they suspected cases of commercial sexual exploitation particularly when a large number of young women, sometimes of Eastern European origin, travel together with a single man to an exclusive private tourist resort for a short duration. [In this instance] there is little immigration officials can do in the absence of a complaint or some indication of abuse.”
IOM’s National Programme Officer Nishat Chowdhry presented the report at a meeting today in the Nalahiya Hotel, part of a review of the convention which until now has excluded male victims and crimes as forced labour.
“The scope of the convention is limited,” Chowdhry said. “Other aspects of trafficking, including for forced labour, human transplants and servitude have not been covered by convention,” she said. “There is growing consensus that the time is right to review the convention.”
President of the Human Rights Commission for the Maldives (HRCM) Ahmed Saleem described human trafficking as “a modern form of slavery with 800,000 estimated victims, mostly women and children.”
Saleem observed that a recent US State Department report into human trafficking had criticised the Maldives government for failure “to fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking”, but noted that the government had now acknowledged the existence of the crime “even if overall efforts to [confront] it are insignificant.”
“The commission is convinced that this is a major human rights issue and that is why we have begun a comprehensive study we hope to complete as soon as possible,” he said.
Vice President Dr Mohamed Hassan Waheed, speaking at the event, noted that while the convention focused on one the “most serious transnational crimes against dignity and human rights”, there were “serious shortcomings both in coverage and implementation of this convention.”
“Specific limitations include the exclusion of male victims, prostitution excluding other forms of trafficking such as forced labour, sex slavery and other slave-like practices. I am concerned that even though the convention has been in force for fours years, it has not been adequately implemented and enforced in the region.”
The convention carried “inadequate provision for victim protection and rehabilitation,” he said.
“I am especially concerned about the trafficking of children, especially girl children. The effects of sexual exploitation of children are profound, maybe permanent. Sexual, physical and emotional development are stunted, self-esteem and confidence are undermined, and sexually exploited children become especially vulnerable to the effects of physical and verbal violence, drugs, sexually transmitted diseases. We are concerned that human trafficking is becoming a growing problem in our country.”
An industry driven “by greed and brutal disregard for human rights”, human trafficking “has become a worldwide multi-billion dollar industry,” Dr Hassan said.
“The problem is global but some of the worst forms are found in Asia, where more than a million people are exploited each year. Trafficking on this level cannot escape the attention of national and local law enforcement authorities and I would like to call on concerned authorities and counterparts in our neighbouring countries to enforce these laws and accept our obligations under this convention.”
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