Day: December 22, 2009

Customs cage budgie smuggler

A man who tried to smuggle almost 40 live birds and more than 100 eggs into the Maldives has had his cargo seized by customs.

Customs discovered the birds after searching the Maldivian national’s luggage at Male’ International Airport, after he arrived from Bangkok on 20 December. In total there were 109 eggs and 39 birds, nine of them dead, customs officers said.

The birds are now in possession of the Agricultural Ministry’s plant and quarantine unit, which confirmed that most of the birds were canaries and budgerigars.

The birds and eggs were being readied for transportation to Thilafushi to be euthanised, the unit said.

Ali Rilwaan, head of environmental NGO Bluepeace, said the procedure for a situation like this was to determine the birds’ species and ascertain if they were wild.

“Normally these kind of birds are kept as pets, and if there are no health risks I see no reason for the birds to be killed this way,” Rilwaan said.

“For generations, Maldivians have kept birds as pets, and since the introduction of species such canaries and budgies as pets over the last ten years there has been less exploitation of local species,” Rilwaan continued.

Since the spread of bird flu the importing of pet species has been banned, however chicks and ducklings are still brought into the country in large numbers.

According to the plant and quarantine unit, there are no plans to find new homes for the birds and they will be destroyed.

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Parliamentary committee recommends private media subsidies

The parliamentary committee reviewing the mid-term budget for 2010 has voted to recommend an amendment to include Rf6 million in subsidies for private media.

The proposed amendment was made by the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) to recommend the inclusion of subsidies for private broadcasters and daily newspapers in the budget in the committee report.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Gemanafushi MP Ilham Ahmed of the DRP said the designated amount might not be ideal but was adequate under present economic circumstances.

Ilham said he had “no doubt” the budget will be passed with the amendment when the committee presents its report to parliament this week.

“I believe it will pass with a large majority,” he said. “I don’t think independent members would want to see private media embalmed and buried in its infancy.”

Ilham accused MPs of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of opposing the subsidies as “the present government does not want to develop private media”.

He added broadcasters and newspapers critical of the administration faced pressure and restrictions from the government.

At the committee meeting, said Ilham, MDP MP Ahmed Hamza proposed an amendment to give Rf1 to private media.

The MP for Bilendhoo told Minivan News today he did not believe private media should be given government subsidies while small businesses and fishermen were facing serious difficulties in paying back loans.

“Most of the private media are well off,” he said, adding he proposed the Rf1 as annual subsidies as a “symbolic” gesture because the chairman of the committee, Dhiggaru MP Ahmed Nazim, asked for a vote on the issue without determining an amount.

But, said Hamza, he was speaking in his individual capacity at the meeting and as the main parties have agreed in principle to the subsidy, he expected the amendment to be passed.

Last week, the Maldives Journalist Association sent a letter to parliament calling for the allocation of subsidies to the media in next year’s budget.

The association urged MPs to authorise the subsidies in the same principle as it was given to political parties.

Ilham said the Rf6 million decide upon by the committee was 50 per cent of the assistance given to political parties.

The committee decided the subsidies will be granted to television and radio stations as well as daily newspapers, but not to online news outlets or weekly magazines.

Ahmed ‘Hiriga’ Zahir, president of the MJA and editor of daily newspaper Haveeru, said he welcomed the committee’s decision.

While Ilham said the committee has not worked out the details of the subsidy, Hiriga said he anticipated that distribution could be a problem.

At a time when private media was operating under serious financial difficulties, the subsidy will be of valuable assistance, he said.

“Initially I think this is a good amount, especially with the government facing budget constraints,” he said.

But, with the overhead cost of operating a newspaper or television station upwards of Rf1 million, the subsidy was “proportionately small”.

“But at such a difficult time, even a small assistance will help cover costs such as rent,” he said.

Hiriga said he did not think a profitable media outlet with economies of scale was possible given the small market in the Maldives.

“Especially with the high cost of rent and electricity, I don’t think a full-fledged operation is possible without subsidies,” he said.

Several daily newspapers were operating at a loss with just “one or two staff”, he said, as a result of not being able to pay for enough journalists.

The MJA president said he expected the budget to be passed with the amendment as it was not a partisan issue and he believed all MPs understood the importance of the media. “So I think it will get enough support and it will be passed.”

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‘Survival is not negotiable’: youth climate ambassador

The youth climate ambassador to the Maldives is not happy with the Copenhagen accord.

“World leaders should be role models and should have worked harder to reach a legally binding accord,” says 15 year-old Mohamed Axam Maumoon, who returned to the Maldives last week after meeting world leaders at the COP 15, including Danish Prime Minister Lars Loeke Rasmussen.

“I stressed the point about finance,” Axam recalls. “Money should not be considered an important factor when talking about survival, because survival is not negotiable; everyone has a right to live.”

Selected from the international ranks of the youth climate ambassadors, Axam was given the opportunity to ascend the podium and present the Maldives’ case to the world during the early days of the COP15 last week.

“I had given speeches before and I was trying to feel same way as before so I’d be comfortable, blocking out the media and looking at people directly,” he says. “Afterwards, I was thrilled when everyone stood up to clap, and I handed our declaration to the Danish Prime Minister.”

“I hope I moved people in some way by what I had to say about the sad state of the Maldives,” he says. “When people hear these things from children it makes a big difference because it is more emotional – I don’t believe I spoke to enough people.”

Children, he argued at the summit, have “not been considered” in the climate change debate.

“Youth were mentioned once in Kyoto,” he says. “I said: ‘How old are you going to be in 2050? You might not still be here, but it’s your children who are going to suffer because of your actions now.'”

World leaders were unwilling to take political risks regarding the environment, Axam speculates, because the populations they represented were not yet aware enough of the issues at stake.

“Like a CEO accountable to shareholders, a democratically-elected politician has to care what people think of them. But taking risks isn’t fashionable, and people don’t like to sacrifice for the greater good.”

If politicians were accountable to their populace, then one solution was to “create awareness in citizens.”

“When I was interviewing people [in the Maldives] 90% didn’t know what carbon neutrality means,” he says.

“The Maldives has pledged to become carbon neutral in the next 10 years – people need to understand what it means when their energy switches over to wind power.”

As a small nation of only 360,000 people, the Maldives is ideally placed to become “a showcase country” for the rest of the world, Axam argues.

“We can effectively work together in a way we couldn’t if we were four million,” he says.

The youth climate ambassadors can help keep up the momentum, he proposed, by setting up “a chain” of ambassadors across the islands and atolls who could increase people’s awareness of environmental issues and interest in the natural world.

As for his own plans, Axam says he is now reviewing his original plan to become a pilot.

“I was studying physics and science and all of that, but since the issue of climate change has popped into my life I’ve started studying biology and now it’s my favourite subject of all.”

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New regulations will defend Islam in the Maldives, says Islamic Ministry

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs said draft regulations under the Religious Unity Act will incorporate recommendations by Jamiyathul Salaf to “protect and defend Islam in an Islamic state like the Maldives”.

In a letter sent to the Islamic association yesterday, the ministry said recommendations made by Salaf earlier this month were already included in the regulations currently being reviewed by the attorney general’s office.

“The purpose of the regulations that have been drafted is to protect the country and Maldivian society from brutal and harsh practices, divisions and antagonism in the name of Islam and from practices that contradict Islam and Islamic culture,” it reads.

The 11 recommendations made by Salaf included removing anything that conflicts with Islam from the education curriculum or subject syllabuses, making it an offence to spread other religions and openly sell or possess any items that symbolise religious holidays of other religions, and specifying measures to be taken against expatriate teachers found to be promoting other religions or inciting hatred of Islam among students.

Moreover, the proposed regulations should empower the authorities to check printing presses and bookshops for material in conflict with Islam, and make it an offence to publish such opinions or views in the media.

Salaf also recommended obligating non-Muslim visitors to inhabited islands to adhere to a code of dress and conduct appropriate to an Islamic environment.

Furthermore, the regulations should ensure that photos and videos used in advertisements do not clash with Islamic codes of behaviour and make it illegal to introduce elements of foreign cultures that conflict with Islam.

Salaf’s recommendations further call for specifying penalties for those who openly “challenge or defy” God, his Prophet or Islamic shariah, and make it an offence to disrespect the Prophet or his companions.

Lastly, Salaf recommends the creation of a council to take measures against people who issue religious fatwas (edicts or decrees) without the requisite education or learning.

Unless these recommendations are incorporated in the regulations, Salaf’s letter states, it would be “meaningless” and could “open doors” to other religions and cultures.

Salaf claimed action was not taken against Christian missionaries under the old regulations, and were instead used to “punish, jail and torture” Maldivians who “loved Islam and tried to find the right path”.

The letter goes on to recommend that the proposed rules are put up for a public discussion among religious scholars.

In response the letter from the Islamic Ministry, signed by State Minister Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, states that the president’s office, Maldives Police Service and experienced religious scholars were consulted during the drafting process, which spanned six months.

The letter goes on to say the ministry regrets that Salaf has been criticising the ministry and attempting to “mislead the public” about its policies instead of offering either assistance or constructive help.

Moreover, it reads, the ministry regrets that Salaf’s president Abdullah bin Ibrahim Mohamed refused an invitation to join the Fiqh academy or help draft Friday sermons.

“But ultimately, even if you do it from afar, we believe sharing such counsel is a good step for the future and we are grateful for it,” it reads.

Salaf responded to the letter today, thanking the ministry for assuring the association that its recommendations were already in the regulations.

“What remains now is the wait for the regulations to become enforced,” Salaf replied.

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“Dhiraagu fire was arson”

The fire which gutted the Dhiraagu building in Thaa Veymandhoo has been confirmed as a case of arson by police.

The police said there was signs that the door had been forced open, which led them to believe the fire was deliberately lit.

Marketing and communications manager for Dhiraagu, Mohamed Mirushaan, said the fire had crippled all forms of communication on the island.

No one has been arrested so far and police are currently investigating the case.

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Motorcycle burns in Hulhumale

A Pulsar motorcycle was set on fire last night in Hulhumale in what police believe to be a case of arson.

According to the police the incident occured at 3:00am and the fire was put out within a few minutes with the assistance of the MNDF fire and rescue team.

The serious and organized crime unit is investigating the case, police said.

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Carnival cafes swamped with bids

More than a hundred parties are vying for the four cafes up for bid in the Alimas Carnival area.

According to the Male’ municipality, 130 different parties have shown interest.

All bids must be made before the start of February said president of the municipality, Sarangu Adam Maniku.

He also said that the winners of the bid would be decided based on four criteria: price, plans to develop the cafe, number of Maldivian employees and business concept.

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Fishing vessel runs aground and sinks

A fishing vessel sank after it ran aground on Alifushi reef in Raa atoll this morning.

‘Kandu Roalhi 7’ of Alif Alif Ukulhahu left the Alifhushi harbour this morning at around 5:55am, experienced engine failure and crashed into the reef.

Another dhoni attempted to tow the vessel back to Alifhushi harbour, but during this process Kandu Roalhi 7 sank into the harbour.

MNDF northern command sent coastguard divers to the scene and together with the stricken vessel’s crew they managed to raise the vessel.

The coastguard website stated no one was hurt in this incident. This is the second incident of this nature in two days

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