Day: March 16, 2010

‘We don’t have guns but we can fight with our pens’: Hiriga

Attacks on five senior DhiTV senior officials and the stabbing of a Haveeru employee yesterday afternoon have sparked concern among media outlets that they could be subject to further attacks over their content.

DhiTV reported on its 2 o’clock news yesterday that alleged gang leader Ibrahim ‘Chika’ Nafiz  had been released to house arrest. Soon after the broadcast, a gang reportedly stormed DhiTV studios.

Three hours later a Haveeru printery worker left in a critical condition after being stabbed outside the building.

Police have not yet confirmed whether the two cases are connected, but arrested ten people yesterday evening suspected of involvement in the attacks, including Chika.

“He was arrested in his home last night,” said a police spokesperson, “and today the court gave us five days for further investigation.”

Chika will remain under police custody until the court hearing. Police have meanwhile launched a special operation to investigate the attacks.

The spokesperson said he did not know if the attacks were intended to be a direct message to the media, but said “this really shows how the situation is here.”

‘We will fight with our pens’

President of the Maldives Journalism Association (MJA) and Editor of Haveeru, Ahmed ‘Hiriga’ Zahir, said he believed the incidents were “direct attacks on the media.”

“The ruling party members are consistently blaming the media, and suddenly a gang leader leaves jail and attacks us,” Hiriga said, claiming there were political motives behind the attacks.

“The media is in a very bad situation, it is very vulnerable and young.”

Hiriga said he believed DhiTV and Haveeru were targeted because they are “the most vibrant media in this country” and the attacks were “certainly connected.”

He said the attackers had mentioned Haveeru when they entered the DhiTV building, and the police had been informed of this “but did not take enough precautions.”

Hiriga said he did “not want journalists to be afraid, but they are.”

He mentioned that some TV presenters were now “unwilling to appear on TV, and unwilling to report particular news items” because they were “very much afraid that their lives could be put in danger.”

“When law enforcement agencies fail, anything might happen at any time,” he said.

DhiTV CEO Yousuf Navaal said yesterday that “until we receive assurance [of our safety] that we can report this type of news, we will not cover it anymore.”

Hiriga however described Navaal’s approach as “not very professional”, especially since DhiTV had “asked Haveeru not to report on the issue either.

“The media should be one front and approach [these issues] as a collective, but this doesn’t happen,” Hiriga said, suggesting that Navaal was “reluctant” to report the story “because he has not been given enough confidence that the law is under control.”

Deputy Director General of TVM, Mohamed Asif, said the station had not taken extra security measures and were “hesitant and reluctant to report on these issues.”

Hiriga said media should not give in to intimidation: “We don’t have guns but we can fight with our pens!”

‘Chika’

DhiTV reported yesterday that Chika had been released to house arrest by the Department for Penitentiary and Rehabilitaion Service (DPRS).

State Minister for Home Affairs Ahmed Adil said the media had been reporting the wrong information, and “he was not released to house arrest”, but had in fact been taken to the DPRS for questioning two days ago.

Adil said the DPRS was investigating Chika and “he signed a paper saying he would cooperate and not leave his house.”

Spokesperson for the DPRS Moosa Rameez said Chika had been in the department’s rehabilitation programme for “six to seven months”, and referred Minivan News to DPRS Managing Director, Mohamed Rasheed.

However Rasheed said he did not want to comment on the issue.

A person familiar with the matter told Minivan News that Chika had been brought to Malé from Maafushi jail for an MRI scan. The source said it was common practice to bring prisoners to Malé when they require medical attention.

Police confirmed Chika had not been placed under house arrest, but would not say why he was in his house yesterday evening.

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Amendments to Armed Forces Act dismissed by Speaker

Parliament has thrown out the proposed amendments to the Armed Forces Act, put forward last week.

The Majlis was stalled last Wednesday after two contradictory amendments to the Armed Forces Act were proposed.

The first amendment came from Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP for Manimaadhoo Amhed Mujthaz, proposing Parliament should ultimately have the power to approve or deny the president’s choice for army chief.

The second amendment came from Maldivian Democratic Party (MPD) MP Mariya Didi, which was meant to counteract DRP’s proposal.

MDP’s proposal sought the Act to remain unchanged, and for President Mohamed Nasheed to have sole discretion in appointing or dismissing the army chief.

DRP’s amendment was tied at 35 on each side and was settled by Speaker of the People’s Majlis Abdulla Shahid, who cast his tie-braking vote in favour of DRP.

However MDP’s subsequent amendment passed at 35-33 votes, causing both contradiction and chaos.

“The Constitution allows me to vote only if there is a tie,” Shahid said, adding that he should not comment on the issue since his role was an impartial one.

Shahid said he “consulted the two major parties [DRP and MDP] and the leaders advised me to throw out the amendments” and leave it open for the process to be started again.

He said he thought the amendments would be resubmitted in the future, but were currently no longer on the floor.

Mariya Didi said “now the bill is as it was before,” noting that “the Speaker has exercised his discretion” and decided the bill should not be considered at this time.

“You don’t make bills and pass legislation to cater only for that day, but for the situation to be better in the country,” Mariya said.

State Minister for Home Affairs Ahmed Adil said he personally thought giving the power to parliament was “a dangerous move” and the motives for the proposed amendments were “purely political”.

He said the fact that the amendments were thrown out showed “the country is moving in the right direction.”

Adil added the Parliament “should not put their hand in the judiciary or executive branches” and each branch should remain independent of the other.

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Health sector employees abusing overtime wages, says Minister of Health

Minister of Health and Family Dr Aminath Jameel has said employees of regional hospitals, health centres and health posts have been misusing overtime allowances, reports Haveeru.

Dr Aminath said the ministry was taking action to prevent health employees from abusing overtime allowances.

She said the employees’ claims of overtime was “out of bounds” and the ministry will be monitoring the matter.

Dr Aminath said the ministry was trying to reduce the number of expatriate workers in the health sector, as this would solve the differences in salaries between local and foreign staff.

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Economic recovery dependent on tourism: Adhil Saleem

Minister of State for Economic Development Adhil Saleem told Miadhu that economic recovery can only be confirmed when there is a clear progress in the tourism sector and tourist arrivals.

Saleem said the government is addressing the budget deficit by raising additional funds, mainly increased revenue from the tourism sector.

He added that the tourism sector has improved but not the government’s expectations.

“Economy will only progress when there is increased spending,” Saleem said, adding that the construction of new resorts is crucial to the recovery of the tourism industry.

Saleem also mentioned the importance of improving the fishing industry. “We cannot solely depend on tourism,” he said, adding that the fisheries industry is in “bad shape.”

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Gaafaru Wind Energy project survey on the way

In preparation for the Gaafaru Wind Energy project, a survey has begun to monitor the wind speed in Gaafaru, reports Miadhu.

The State Electricity Company (STELCO) said it will take nine months to complete the survey.

This project is part of the government’s pledge to turn the Maldives into the first carbon-neutral country by 2020, and will be a joint venture between STELCO and a foreign investor.

Reports say the project is worth US$250,000,000.

The wind project would produce clean electricity for parts of North Malé Atoll, including Malé, Hulhulé and a number of resorts.

The project would require the construction of latest generation wind turbines, which would connect to Malé’s electricity grid through submarine cables.

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President meets with major human rights NGOs in Geneva

President Mohamed Nasheed met with officials from major human rights NGOs in Geneva as part of his European tour.

The meeting was attended by Mark Thompson from the Association for the Prevention of Torture; Julie De Reveiro from Human Rights Watch; Jan Borgen from Amnesty International; Wilbur Taylor from International Commission of Jurists; and Mohamed Mustapha Kabbaj from Nord-Sud XXI, a Swiss-based NGO aiming to “provide a voice…to people not normally represented in international forums”.

The meeting focused mainly on extending NGO support in the Maldives and strengthening the role of civil society in their respective areas, especially those dealing with protecting and promoting human rights.

President Nasheed said the country was undergoing major changes and said strengthening the role of civil society in Maldives is a priority for the government.

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President meets Vice President of Swiss Confederation

President Mohamed Nasheed met with Vice President of the Swiss Confederation, Mortiz Leunberger, yesterday afternoon at the Federal House in Bern.

The meeting focused on establishing stronger bilateral relations between the two countries and possible areas of further cooperation.

President Nasheed noted that there is already a well established relationship in the tourism sector.

The president also expressed his interest in working with Switzerland to secure a legally binding agreement at COP16 climate change summit in Mexico later this year.

President Nasheed thanked Vice President Leunberger for Switzerland’s support in a Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) waste management project in the Maldives, and hoped this would be the first of many Swiss-Maldives development initiatives.

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US Ambassador speaks on the current government’s practices

US Ambassador to the Maldives Patricia Butenis has said that because the current government is open to listening to the international community the country is improving, reports Miadhu.

Butenis said she understands the challenges the government is facing. She added that the previous government had not showed as much commitment as the current government in addressing major issues.

The ambassador said however the current government needs to address some issues urgently, specifically copyright laws, labour rights, and standarising current laws and regulations with international practices.

Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed also met with Butenis yesterday morning at the President’s Office.

They spoke about strengthening bilateral relations between the US and Maldives, and discussed the upcoming Donor Conference (Maldives Partnership Forum) which is to be held at the end of March.

Dr Waheed thanked the ambassador for facilitating the Investment Incentive Agreement (IIA) signed yesterday by Ambassador Butenis and Minister for Economic Development Mohamed Rasheed.

The IIA will allow preferential investment opportunities for US firms wanting to finance projects in the Maldives.

Ambassador Butenis expressed interest in expanding the American Corner at the National Library.

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Science society hosts talk on manta rays

The Maldives Science Society in affiliation with Aqua Dreams Imagine (ADI) hosted a talk by Anne-Marie Kitchen-Wheeler on manta rays in the Maldives at Hiriyaa School.

The talk attracted around 120 people, mostly keen high school students eager to hear about the manta rays the Maldives is famous for.

After first visiting the Maldives in 1983 as a tourist, Anne-Marie has since dedicated her life to these creatures, conducting research for her PhD at the University of Newcastle in the UK alongside her work as a dive instructor. With over 4,000 dives in the name of research, she has spent almost half a year underwater.

Anne-Marie explained that mantas have evolved and adapted to their environment over 400 million years, and certain species can grow up to almost seven metres in length – the size of a London double-decker bus. However the Maldives mostly attracts smaller mantas, she explained.

“A typical day of a manta will begin hanging around 150 metres deep at dawn, to catch the plankton that has risen during the night,” she told the audience, adding that mantas don’t need to sleep.

“Early to mid-morning the mantas visit cleaning stations (where juvenile wrasse pick parasites and dead skin from the manta’s surface) and enjoy a massage. In the afternoon they snack, and in the evening they travel to deeper waters to continue feeding.”

Mantas are often confused with sting rays, but mantas do not sting and have a barb-less tail. In fact many mantas can be seen with their tails bitten off, typically by sharks.

The markings on the manta’s underside between the gill slits act as a fingerprint used for the identification of different individuals.

Anne-Marie explained that the Maldives offers one of the best chances in the world to see a manta in the wild, with groups of up to 200 individuals gathering to feed at certain times of year. The result is a huge attraction for tourists and big business for the dive industry.

Research suggests the populations are currently healthy, she noted. “Populations change year to year, but no general declines have been observed,” she said.

However mantas only reproduce every 2-3 years, and the single birth gestation takes 12 months. This means they need protection as an entire population can be wiped out by one year of continued fishing.

“The situation currently OK in Maldives though, as mantas are not fished and tourism brings in a very high price,” she said.

For the best chance of getting up close to a manta divers should swim low, she explained. Mantas are territorial and swim vertically belly-to-belly to size each other up, and the smallest one swims away low. By swimming low, divers can show they pose no territorial threat.

Kate Wilson is a marine biologist with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Photo by Lisa Allison

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