Society & Culture – Page 326 – Minivan News

President receives thousand-letter appeal for ban on alcohol sale

Over a thousand letters requesting a ban on the sale of alcohol in inhabited islands were submitted to the president’s office today by a coalition of NGOs campaigning against revised regulations to grant liquor licenses to tourist hotels.

Speaking to press outside the president’s office, Mauroof Zakir, spokesperson for the coalition, said the NGOs had decided to send a letter to the president and create a petition.

“These are only the letters we got in a short period of time,” he said. “It’s not just from the civil society associations, but from the public who are not involved in the associations.”

He added the members of the public who sent the letters wanted to show that they did not want alcohol sold in inhabited islands.

“The letter mainly notes the dangers of selling alcohol in inhabited islands and [is intended] to show that the public does not support this,” he said.

He said the NGOs did not believe the government has listened to their concerns.

Revised regulations

Last month, the ministry of trade and economic development revised regulations on the use and import of alcohol to authorise its sale in tourist hotels with 100-beds in inhabited islands.

But the regulations were withdrawn shortly afterwards, following a public outcry and opposition from the Islamic ministry.

The regulations were sent to a parliamentary committee for advice and consultation, which has since approved it.

Meanwhile, a bill proposed by Independent MP Ibrahim Muttalib to ban the sale of alcohol in inhabited islands was rejected by parliament, with MPs arguing it was unconstitutional as it would indirectly authorise its sale.

Article 10(b) of the constitution states no law contrary to any tenet of Islam shall be made or enacted.

The economic development ministry has argued that the regulations were revised to revoke over 800 liquor permits to expatriates, which has created a black market for alcohol in the capital Male’.

The permits will be revoked in favour of allowing the sale of alcohol to foreigners under strict supervision, they said.

Under the regulations, hotels with over 100 beds would be allowed to have a bar that is not visible from outside and would only serve foreigners.

Furthermore, it will be illegal to keep alcohol in mini-bars at the hotels on inhabited islands or sell it anywhere apart from the hotel’s main bar.

Maldivians cannot be employed at the bar and all employees of the bar must be registered with the economic development ministry after a police check.

An inventory of the alcohol in storage and daily sales must be maintained and made available to police on their request, while CCTV cameras must be mounted in the storage room at the hotel.

The people’s representatives

Speaking to Minivan News today, Mohamed Zuhair, president’s office press secretary, said MPs on the parliamentary committee would have taken the religious implications of the regulations into consideration and the NGOs should respect the will of the people.

“We always respond to letters that are sent to the president’s office,” he said. “But, while we respect the NGOs, they too have to respect the decision of the people, and that is the decision of the People’s Majlis,” he said.

Zakir said parliament rejected a bill on outlawing the sale of alcohol in inhabited islands by “making excuses and misleading the people”.

“But, we learned that the regulations were withdrawn on the order of President Nasheed when it was first publicised,” he said. “We believe President Nasheed will do this on the request of citizens to fulfill his campaign pledge to close all doors to drugs and that he will he will close this door as well.”

Sheikh Ali Zahir, a member of the fiqh academy, said the letters were “very respectfully” drafted and “begs” the president to not enforce the regulations.

“We hope that we will get a good reaction and that he will give a response,” he said. “We hope very much that he will fully respond to our appeal to protect the beloved Muslim communities of the Maldives.”

The coalition now includes over 80 NGOs and associations, he said.

Zahir said the coalition believes the “majority” of Maldivians would support the appeal as Maldivians are 100 per cent Muslim.

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NGOs slam special needs bill

Several NGOs have criticised the recently-passed bill protecting the rights and providing financial assistance to people with special needs.

The bill, which was passed on 21 December, states that disabled people will receive financial benefits of Rf2000 a month. In addition, persons found mocking people with disabilities could be fined from anywhere between Rf5000 to Rf10,000.

However NGOs such as Care Society have strongly criticised the bill.

Sidaatha Shareef from Care Society said “this bill is not in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) that the Maldives has signed.”

The UNCRPD is an international human rights convention pushing a rights-based vision addressing issues concerning people with disabilities.

The Maldives signed a UNCRPD act in 2008. According to this Act, a country must have a specialised bill that focuses on the rights of people with disabilities.

“The term ‘special needs’ is a very board category. We wanted this bill to be specifically for the rights of people with disabilities,” continued Sidaatha.

“We’re not trying to downplay other issues, they are just as important, but we want to get rid of the confusion caused by the bill. People with special needs and people with disabilities are very different.”

Care Society said a revised bill was important because people with disabilities were a marginalised group, and therefore it was important to make sure a proper bill was passed that would give rights to these groups.

Sidaatha also said that in the future “we must carefully think about signing such conventions such as the UNCRPD.”

Former minister of gender and family Aishath Didi said that providing monthly financial assistance was not enough.

“We need to focus more on prevention and screening,” she said. “Screening during the first three months is crucial in early detection of disabilities, and once detected the proper assistance needs to be provided.”

Didi also mentioned the importance of including things like speech therapy in the bill.

The bill is currently with the president who has a week to ratify it before it becomes law.

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The proceeds of illegal fishing in the Maldives

Fishing has always been a huge part of Maldivian life. Ever since people settled here, fishing has provided a source of food and income. Even after the industrialisation of the fishing sector in 1979, the Maldives maintained a strict policy ensuring sustainable fishing.

The main methods used are pole and line and hand line fishing. These methods ensure that the resource is not over utilised.

However there have always been illegal fishing activities conducted in the Maldivian economic exclusive zone (EEZ), an area of nearly a million square kilometres recognised internationally as Maldivian fishing territory.

The most recent case was reported October 2009, when two Iranian fishing vessels were apprehended by the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) coast guard. These two vessels carried a total of almost 60 tonnes of fish.

Currently all illegal fishermen apprehended by the MNDF are handed over to police for processing and fined between Rf100,000 to 1 million, according to Hussain Sinaan from the ministry of fisheries and agriculture.

The coast guard are left with the problem of what to do with the confiscated fish, he said, which can include high-value product such as shark fin.

“The MNDF will hold an auction to sell the fish, if they believe the fish will go bad,” he said, adding that the auctions are usually announced and open to the public.

The coast guard did not respond to enquiries from Minivan News as to how much confiscated fish has been sold at these auctions, whether the cargo is inspected for protected species, or where the proceeds go.

Recent regulations passed by the EU requires the licensing of vessels catching fish for the European export market, intended to reduce the amount of illegal fishing.

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New license will help stop illegal fishing

The ministry of fisheries and agriculture will introduce a new fishing licence aimed at reducing the amount of illegal fishing activity.

The new licenses are necessary to comply with European export legislation, said Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Dr Ibrahim Didi.

Under this regulation, only vessels holding a license issued by that country’s fishing governing body may export fish to the EU.

“The new license is only required for those needing to export fish to Europe. Fishing for the local market does not require you to have this,” he said.

Illegal fishing methods, such as drag net fishing, was a major problem for the Maldives said State Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Dr Hussain Rasheed.

“When the new regulation is passed, all exporters must have a paper trail of where their fish came from and who caught them,” he said.

“Without a license illegal fishing groups can’t sell, and once you take the market away they will stop,” predicted Rasheed.

Didi also said that it was important to stay ahead of the game by maintaining standards set by the EU.

“The EU will stop the export of fish into their borders if they feel countries are not complying with their regulations, as was the case with Malaysia and Indonesia,” he said.

Didi also addressed the issue of vessels operating with a expired safety certificates.

“The maximum fine a vessel can incur at the moment is Rf2000,” he said. “So there is a window for vessels to renew their certificates and operate under the regulations set by the ministry.”

Regulations set by the EU would only help local fishermen, he added, by preventing resources from being over-harvested.

The new regulation will take effect from 1 January 2010. In addition to the new license, all vessels will be required to have up to date health and safety certificates available from all atolls.

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US$300,000 stolen in street stabbing

Prominent businessman Ahmed Ibrahim Didi, known as ‘Campus’ Didi, was stabbed and robbed of almost US$300,000 in cash by unknown assailants last night.

Police said the incident occurred late last night around 12.30 pm on Fareedhee Magu, in front of the Novelty Bookshop.

A Bangladeshi man accompanying Didi suffered a gash to his arm, while Didi was badly injured and was flown to India for medical treatment. Eye witnesses told the newspaper Haveeru that the pavement outside the shop resembled “a red river of blood.”

Sergeant Shiyam from Maldives Police Service confirmed the amount of money stolen was “a lot”, while Haveeru reported the attackers escaped with almost US$200,000 and RF$1 million in cash.

Speaking to Haveeru on behalf of the family, Mohamed Ibrahim Didi, younger brother of Campus Didi, said that his brother’s condition was very serious and that all details regarding the stabbing and robbery would be made available through the police.

Shiyam refused to speculate whether the attack was random or Didi was specifically targeted, as the incident was under investigation.

The attack had similarities to the recent spate of gang muggings of store owners, he said.

A man was robbed of over $US30,000 by a gang who attacked him at Gadiburu roundabout in late November, while the previous month four men were arrested after attacking two men with iron rods and stealing Rf762,700 (US$60,000).

“Some businesses carry around a very big amount of money [after they close],” he said. “We’re trying to give the message that business and local residents should be careful about carrying such large amounts money.”

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Fifty inmates transferred to house arrest

More than fifty inmates from Maafushi jail serving sentences for the possession of less than three grams of drugs have been transferred to house arrest under a rehabilitation programme, the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation (DPRS) has said.

Moosa Azim, deputy superintendent of the jail, told Minivan News both the transferred inmates and their families have signed a declaration agreeing to regular urine tests and monitoring to ensure they remain under house arrest.

“They have been transferred under a rehabilitation programme as our regulations allow it for inmates sentenced for possession of less than three grams,” he said.

Mohamed Zuhair, president’s office press secretary, said the transfer of inmates was originally targeted for 10 December, World Human Rights Day.

“But it was delayed due to legal issues and because it requires inter-sectoral cooperation, as many institutions such as the DPRS and parole board are involved,” he said.

Zuhair said the president was concerned that inmates eligible for release have not been “given relief” one year into the new government.

Shortly after coming to power, the new government released 119 inmates to house arrest under the parole system.

Vice-President Dr Mohamed Waheed was put in charge of a committee to compile a list of inmates eligible for release.

Dr Waheed visited Maafushi jail as well as the temporary jail in Addu to speak to inmates and learn their concerns, Zuhair said.

The committee will oversee the establishment of a mechanism to ensure monitored telephone calls from inmates to their families, he said.

The committee reviewed the cases of inmates based on certain categories, Zuhair explained, such as inmates eligible for transfer to house arrest or rehabilitation centres and those sentenced under “old definitions” of the old constitution, which considered the possession of one gram to be ‘dealing’.

Inmates who spoke to Minivan News today said DPRS officers came with a handwritten list of 60 people on Friday and “gave all of them haircuts”.

One inmate said they were informed that there was not enough space in the rehabilitation centres and the programme would be conducted in Male’.

After contacting the inmates’ families, both were made to sign a declaration for the release.

But, they said, some inmates who were on the list were not taken, including two who were sentenced for possession of more than three grams.

“They told me there was no space on the dhoni (boat) and I can go tomorrow,” said one inmate. “But the next day, when my family called them, they said there was a slight problem.”

He claimed several inmates were left back at Maafushi after signing the agreement.

“My family was very disappointed,” he said. “I felt very sad because we already signed it and I was ready to leave.”

Both Zuhair and Azim said the list prepared by the president’s office was “not final” and information was still being verified.

A bill on clemency and commuting sentences proposed by the government is on the agenda tomorrow for the third and final reading.

Zuhair said the president’s office was doing what it could for inmates before the legislation was passed, while more would be released in the future.

“The absence of laws is no reason not to give everyone their legal rights,” he said.

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The Sinking of the Yoahanbarass

In 1943 war was raging in Europe and the Pacific. The Asian mainland was itself crumbling under the might of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy, with 1941-42 seeing the fall of Burma, Malaysia and Singapore.

Even the isolated Maldives was feeling the effects of war. Food shortages led to people eating bark from trees, a national suffering that would later become known as ‘Bodu Thadhu’, directly translated as ‘ big famine’.

The British had beefed up their presence in the country. The admiralty felt Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) unsuitable to for a base after the fall of Singapore, so a naval base was established in Seenu Gan on the southernmost tip of the Maldives. This would be many Maldivians only exposure to the war.

That was not the case for the 40 unfortunate passengers aboard the ‘Yoahanbarass’, a cargo vessel running regular trips from Seenu Hithadhoo.

The Yoahanbarass was captained by Ibrahim Didi and was carrying cargo. Little did the crew know that the Japanese navy planned to invade the Maldives, and use it as a stepping stone into India – the thick Burmese jungle was deemed too harsh to cross and alternative routes were being sought – and so Captain Didi and his crew and were being tracked by a submarine.

On the seventh night after they had left Hithadhoo, Yoahanbarass was rammed by the Japanese submarine – many on board had never seen such a vessel before. The submarine surfaced and one of the passengers died when machine gun fire was sprayed across the deck. Japanese officers demanded that the person in charge to come on board.

This is where a the story takes a twist. A single decision saved one man’s life, and condemned the other to death. The person in charge of Yoahanbarass was Mohamed Ali Didi, brother of none other than Abdulla Afeef, the man who would become president of (the short-lived) United Suvadive Republic.

Panicking, Mohamed Ali Didi urged someone else to own up to being in charge. Mohamed Manikufan stood up and went over to the Japanese, later recalling how he was bundled into a tiny room on the submarine. It was the last he would ever see of the Yoahanbarass.

Meanwhile, back on deck, Captain Didi and the rest of the passenger and crew of Yoahanbarass were brought onto the deck of the submarine. Didi was also taken on board with the Japanese, and the hatch was closed.

Although no official record was made, Didi claimed the submarine dived, drowning everyone left on deck, including Mohamed Ali Didi.

Another vessel later arrived on the scene to find the Yoahanbarass sinking. The captain reported lots of sharks and debris, but no bodies were ever found.

Submerged

After a short trip, Mohamed Manikufan and Didi found themselves in Japanese-occupied Singapore. Imprisoned in the same cells as British and American prisoners-of-war (POWs), they were subjected to torture and interrogation.

The Japanese wanted to know the British strength at Gan, how many personnel, naval vessels and planes they had. Not knowing the answers to these questions, they were subjected to more torture. Nails were ripped and routine beatings were administered.

In addition to this, the two Maldivians bore witness to the cruelties inflicted on the other POWs. They later recalled about how badly burnt American pilots were brought in and chucked into tiny cells, how officers slowly killed English soldiers.

Both Mohamed Manikufan and Captain Didi survived their ordeal in prison until Japan surrendered Singapore on 15 August 1945. The English soldiers liberated all the prisoners.

However, Mohamed Manikufan and Didi did not find their way home until Mohamed Amin was President of Maldives in 1953. People back home did not know the story of the Yoahanbarass, nor did they know that these men were still alive until they returned.

After arriving back in the Maldives, both men returned to living normal lives. Both have since passed away, but their story is kept alive.

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Waiting for homes

Dotted with tall palm trees, white sandy beaches and a turquoise blue lagoon, Haa Alifu Hathifushi is the epitome of a beautiful Maldivian island.

At 833 meters in length and 823 meters in width, it’s also very small: “Hathifushi was the smallest inhabited island in the Maldives”, according to the island’s chief, Ibrahim Ali.

Getting to the island is a precarious activity these days – the jetty is in the process of crumbling.

Fallen leaves carpet the floor of the main road, while half-open doors reveal houses falling to ruin, overtaken by creeping vines.

Trees laden with unpicked fruits, bananas, stone apples and coconuts betray the lack of human activity, while clothes still strung on wash lines, books strewn about living rooms, photos hanging on walls show the haste with which the islanders departed.

Mohamed Rasheed, 46 (pictured top right) is one of only three people left on the island.

“It’s not difficult staying here, after all its my birth island,” says Rasheed, who works as the island’s caretaker.

With only three days to move, 127 Hathifushi islanders bundled their most precious possessions into speedboats on 5 July 2007 and made the 45 minute journey to nearby Hanimadhoo.

Missed chances

“The islanders have wanted to move for 56 years,” says Ali, who now resides in Hanimadhoo but remains chief of the Hathifushi islanders.

Over the years a lot of the islanders migrated to other islands or the capital in search of better education and facilities. For those that remained a way forward seemed to become narrower and narrower.

The islanders asked successive governments to relocate them, but somehow the opportunity never materialised.

Abdul Rahman, 81, one of the oldest Hathifushi islanders, talks of missed chances.

“The first president Mohamed Amin came, next Ibrahim Nasir also came, both talked of relocation to Nolhivaranfaru and said ‘better services would be provided if you move.’”

He adds Amin’s subsequent death a couple of months later, and Nasir’s resignation before he got round to doing it, put an end to that.

Requests were sent to Gayoom’s government.

“In the 90s Atolls Minister Ilyas Ibrahim visited, followed by his successor Abdulla Hameed.”

Choice of Maafilafushi, Hanimadhoo or Kelaa was offered, but the move didn’t materialise as Ilyas fell out with Gayoom and was sentenced to banishment in absentia, while Hameed was promoted to presidential advisor.

From the way he talks, it’s almost as if Rahman believes the relocation was jinxed.

“The last atoll minister in Gayoom’s government, Waheeddeen, got everyone to agree to move to Thulusdhoo,” he says.

Then the tsunami struck, and the islanders were informed that Thulusdhoo had taken in displaced islanders and no longer had space for them.

Although spared from the tsunami, Hathifushi experienced tidal swelling waves three days later.

“The island was flooded except just a tiny part in the middle,” says Ali.

Urgent requests were made, and a visit from the atoll chief, who upon seeing the flooding placed a call to the then president Gayoom, sped up the process.

“Hanimadhoo was ready to welcome us,” says Rahman, talking about how excited the islanders were to finally move. Islanders were advised to rent houses in Hanimadhoo with the money paid to them by the government, a monthly stipend of Rf500 (US$40) per person.

Mohamed Ali, 59, who resides with his family in nearby Hoarafushi, says islanders were told they could chose to move to another island and government would continue to provide them assistance until housing could be built for them.

The housing dream

Two years and six months later, the islanders still live in rented houses in Hanimadhoo. A frustrated Mohamed Ali says despite informing all the ministries he had moved to Hoarafushi “didn’t receive one cent of assistance, unlike those living in Hanimadhoo.”

The houses that were promised to them still remain a dream.

“President Gayoom promised to build houses within 18 months; his government lost power before he could do that,” says a housewife who lives with her three children on rent.

Numerous islanders say a contract was signed by the previous government to build houses for them.

Ali claims “the previous government very kindly told us that the year we moved they didn’t have money to build houses in that year’s budget and that following year it would be included.”

He adds that more than Rf600,000 (US$46,000) was spent by the previous government in paying off Hanimadhoo islanders who had palm trees and such on a land that the government had designated as the area for building houses.

Riddle of the contract

The contract was jointly awarded to Yuman Constructions and Sri Lankan company Isuru Engineering Pvt Ltd. A spokesman for Yuman Construction confirmed the company signed the contract in October 2008.

“We did a survey of the land in Hanimadhoo in October,” he says.

With the change of government in the following month, they were informed that the project could not be continued as “houses cannot be built with non-existent money.”

In March this year the company received the termination letter for the contract.

“No payments had been made by then, as conditions had been attached for payment in the [original] contract,” the spokesman said.

State Minister for the Upper North Province Mohamed Hunaif says the government had no choice.

“The contract had to be terminated; no money was allocated for it by the previous government nor was it mentioned how the money would be found, Hunaif says.

Waiting for homes

Islanders say that when new president Mohamed Nasheed made a trip to Hanimadhoo last year, he promised them housing by the end of 2009.

“I live in that hope, even though the end of the year is here,” says Ali.

Hunaif says the project is in the pipeline: “We will build houses as soon as we can.”

Asked if it was included in next year’s budget he says “funding is being sourced from outside for it.”

Hunaif claims he had actively pushed for the money and cabinet had decided the houses will be built “as soon as possible. The recession and a lack of funding stopped us from doing it this year.”

He says he can see how difficult it is for the islanders; nevertheless he can’t give a date for when the project will start: “We are waiting for the funding to come through.”

Most islanders are happy about the relocation but say life is difficult without a place of their own. Rahman says they are not informed of what is happening.

He lives with his 60 year-old daughter renting a room in a house – he sleeps in the sitting room.

“If I get a house, at least I can stay there peacefully until my death,” he says.

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Crime update: police close four child abuse cases

Police have arrested four men suspected of sexually abusing seven under-age children in four separate cases.

Mohamed Nafiz Jamal, 41, Gaaf Dhaal Fiyoree Zameen, was taken into police custody on 9 September on suspicion of abusing two ten-year-old girls.

A 26-year-old Bangladeshi man was arrested in Seenu Feydhoo for allegedly abusing a sleeping four-year-old girl.

In the third case, Arjan Varadharajee, 24, an Indian citizen, was arrested for allegedly abusing a 13-year-old girl.

Lastly, a Bangladeshi man was arrested for exposing his genitalia to three under-aged girls.

Police said all four cases have been closed and will soon be sent to the prosecutor general’s office.

Police also found a Bangladeshi man with a ten-year-old girl in a van at the artificial beach area last week. He has since been released due to lack of incriminating evidence.

At a press conference on Thursday, Inspector Mirufath Faiz, head of the family and child protection unit, said police have noted the increasing number of expatriates involved in child sexual abuse, and urged parents to be more alert to the whereabouts of their children.

“The child’s guardians need to take some responsibility here when a strange Bangladeshi man is able to take a ten-year-old girl at 10.30pm at night,” she said.

Police had not received any reports that the ten-year-old girl was missing when they found her in a van with the Bangladeshi.

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