Month: May 2010

Resettling GITMO detainees will tarnish tourism industry: MATATO

The Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) has warned the government that its plans to resettle Guantánamo Bay prisoners in the Maldives, and the recent Afghan peace talks that took place in the country, could “tarnish the prestigious name” Maldives has made for itself as a tourism destination.

“The association notes that the international media has been writing on the matter of bringing in the prisoners, who have been allegedly linked to severe inhumane crimes,” the association noted, adding that the BBC had described the government’s plan as “transforming a tourists’ paradise to a paradise for terrorists.”

Their concern was that tourist arrivals would decline due to the international perception of the country, creating a devastating domino effect in the country’s tourism industry.

Furthermore, they said “bringing Guantánamo Bay prisoners will badly affect the tourism industry and so this association calls on the government not to do anything that would pave the way for such a thing.”

MATATO board members have been planning a meeting on the issue this week, but it has been postponed twice due to several members being out of the country.

Secretary General of MATATO, Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, said they did not have quorum to hold the meeting yesterday, but are trying to gather enough members to hold it as soon as possible.

He told Minivan News yesterday “we are meeting regarding the Afghan talks, which is quite a sensitive issue.”

Board and council member of MATATO, Sharif Ibrahim, said whether or not the recent events will have a negative impact on the tourism industry in Maldives “is all about how you see things.”

Referring to the Afghan peace talks, he said the international community “might see us as a loving, peaceful country. Somebody had to step in and help. Some people will see this as a good thing.”

As to the resettlement of Guantánamo Bay prisoners, he said “it may have a negative effect,” but added everyone must keep a “broad mind” before jumping to conclusions.

“I haven’t seen any bad reactions yet,” he said, “I don’t think it will have a bad impact. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Although MATATO have voiced their concern, other associations are not so worried about the Maldives’ reputation, or its effect on the tourism industry.

Maldives Resort Workers posted an article on their blog titled ‘Gitmo resettlement will NOT damage Maldives’ reputation’.

In the article, they repeatedly argued that MATATO’s concerns of the resettlement of Guantánamo Bay detainees and the recent Afghan peace talks are exaggerated views, and are sure that neither issue will have a negative effect on the industry.

They gave several reasons back up their argument, saying that resorts in the Maldives are usually visited by “high spenders” who “generally have their heads with them. So they could not possibly be unaware of world politics or ramifications of it.”

They also argue that Guantánamo Bay detainee centre is “not a terrorist camp or training ground for terrorists,” and they support US President Obama’s bid to close it down. They also added that, “this time, the president [Mohamed Nasheed] is correct. Absolutely correct to ZERO decimals without error.”

The article further reads the opposition parties in the country are “taking advantage of the ignorance of the masses to gather support,” and they have applauded President Nasheed for refusing to answer journalists’ questions at a press conference last week.

“In this case,” it continued, “the opposition is using media to the hilt to discredit a rather commendable move by the president.”

They add that MATATO members are “just individuals who make a life selling package holidays to unwary tourists” and they are “the most worker unfriendly people who works [sic] in the tourism industry.”

The Maldives Association for Tourism Industry (MATI) did not wish to comment on the issue, because “we don’t want to lend anything to either side of the argument.”

The government has sustained any prisoners resettled in the Maldives would be first cleared of any criminal charges, and have repeatedly assured “they are not terrorists” and the transfer is “purely humanitarian.”

Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ali Sawad, did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

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Maldives Traveller to host awards ceremony

Maldives tourism magazine and website, Maldives Traveller, will hold an awards ceremony to honour the best resorts in the Maldives.

The Maldives Traveller Awards for Excellence will be judged by reader votes and will include 10 prize categories, recognising the ‘best resort’ and dream island’ as well as those best for honeymoons, wedding ceremonies, spa relaxation, snorkelling, diving, surfing, business and family holidays.

The awards ceremony will be organised by events company Mind-Set and will include a gala dinner and entertainment held in Berlin, Germany, in March 2011.

Publisher of Maldives Traveller, Tropical Paradise, said the awards ceremony would encourage excellence and competition within the Maldivian hospitality industry.

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Iranian fishermen released from Maldives jail

After six months in a Maldivian jail, thirty crew members from two Iranian fishing boats have been released, reports Miadhu.

The vessels, named Arvin and Hormoz, were detained and the crew arrested last November by the Coast Guard for illegally entering Maldivian waters.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry released a statement confirming they had been released last week and are on their way back to Iran.

Coast Guards found another Iranian fishing vessel last week near Havadhu Atoll. The crew were out of food and water and had been adrift for several days.

The Foreign Ministry noted the men were now in good condition.

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Indian government to begin ICT project with Maldives

The Indian government has accepted the Maldives’ proposal for an Information Communication Technologies (ICT) project, reports Miadhu.

The US$5.3 million project will train 1,000 teachers and 500 youth over two years in the field of information technology.

The project will be conducted by the Indian National Institute for Information Technology (NIIT) and the Education Ministry of the Maldives.

For more information call 3341111.

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Foreign Ministry reports leaked documents to Police

Foreign Minister, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, has filed a case at the police regarding leaked documents concerning the Guantánamo Bay detainees issue, reports Miadhu.

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Nihan told Minivan News last week “some papers between the President’s Office and some ministries were leaked.” State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Naseem, confirmed documents between his ministry and the President’s Office had been leaked.

The documents include a copy of a letter from the Foreign Ministry to the Attorney General, seeking advice on the legalities of the transfer. A note from the US Embassy outlining the legal framework of the transfer was also included.

Dr Shaheed said the documents were forged to some extend, according to Miadhu, making the public worry about the issue.

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has also asked the government to release accurate information on the issue.

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Claims of citizenship for Guantánamo detainees are “total lies”, says Attorney General

Attorney General Husnu Suood has described a claim by the Opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) that Guantánamo Bay detainees will get Maldivian citizenship as  “a total lie.”

After a meeting with the US Ambassador in Colombo last week, DQP has said the agreement between the US and Maldivian government involves granting citizenship to any detainees resettled in the country.

AG Suood said negotiations were still at a very “early stage” and added that claims of the government giving citizenship to foreign detainees were fabricated.

“We are not obliged to give citizenship to foreigners,” he said, noting the same guidelines would apply to a foreign detainee as to any other foreign national wishing to acquire Maldivian citizenship.

He said “we are still in the preliminary stages of negotiation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US Embassy and the governments,” and currently there is only “a basic text, a draft proposal” of the regulations and procedures for resettling Gitmo detainees in the country.

The AG’s office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will then make comments on the draft. “Based on that,” Suood said, “the ministry will negotiate.”

One of the conditions proposed by the US states that the Maldivian government shall “conduct surveillance on the prisoners while they are in the country, including monitoring their phone calls, letters and other communications.”

Additionally, they must “prevent them from leaving the country.”

Suood said “that’s what we’re seeking to clarify, how we deal with [the former inmates]”, and added that their comments and concerns would all be sent to the US Embassy before the transfer was formally accepted.

“There is no concrete agreement between the two countries as of yet,” he noted.

Press Secretary for the President’s Office, Mohamed Zuhair, said “the government of Maldives supports President Obama’s plans to close Guantanamo,” adding that “a Palestinian gentleman is due to be transferred from Guantanamo to the Maldives.”

He said “the United States has cleared this Palestinian man of any association with terrorism or any violent activities,” and have also confirmed “he has no criminal charges pending against him.”

He noted the man could not return to the Middle East due to his association with Guantánamo, and it is feared his life will be in danger if he is sent back.

“We should support innocent Palestinians. As a people, they have suffered so much injustice,” Zuhair said. “I hope when he arrives in the Maldives, we will treat him as he should be treated: as a victim who has been jailed for many years even though he has committed no crime.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, said the identity of the prisoner “has not been confirmed yet,” and added it will only be confirmed once the National Security Committee has concluded its meetings and have cleared the detainee of any charges.

He said “it will take some time” until the committee concludes its inquiries, as they have to “look at files and go through the process they require.” Dr Shaheed said after the legal framework is looked at, they can start assessing individual detainees.

Dr Shaheed did not attend a committee meeting held today.

He said although the Palestinian man Zuhair referred to was “one of the candidates” to be transferred to the Maldives, “it is not confirmed.”

Citizenship for detainees was not something the government was discussing yet, he said.

“I’m not saying we will do it or not,” he said, adding it would only be raised after the legalities of the transfer were cleared.

He added the transfer of detainees to the country was being looked at as “temporary,” like a “half-way stop” for the detainees, and not something permanent.

MPs meet US High Commissioner

A number of MPs met with the US High Commissioner today, said Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Nihan.

Besides Nihan, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Abdul Gafoor, Jumhoory Party MP Gasim ‘Buruma’ Ibrahim, DQP MP Riyaz Rasheed and Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed participated in the meeting.

Nihan said “very important doubts about the Gitmo issue were clarified by the American High Commissioner.”

“We exchanged information between the High Commissioner and MPs,” he said, noting “the High Commissioner gathered us to see our opinion on the issue.”

Nihan said in the meeting he highlighted how poor the communication is between people and the government, adding “the administrative decision was made inside the ‘smoking room’ of the president and not in the Cabinet.”

He said President Mohamed Nasheed never discussed the detainee issue with either Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed or the Cabinet.

“He always presents decisions in the cabinet meetings,” Nihan said, “but he did not discuss it with anyone before deciding.”

National security committee meeting

Parliament’s National Security Committee held their first meeting on the resettlement of Guantánamo Bay prisoners in the Maldives on Sunday, after it was postponed last week by Speaker of Parliament, Abdulla Shahid.

There are still more meetings to be held on the issue, as they need to hear from more government officials and police.

AG Suood said he was meant to attend a meeting tomorrow, but it has now been cancelled. He said he was asking the Majlis to look at Article 5 of their rules of procedure, which says “any summons should be in writing and signed by the Speaker.”

The AG said he and the foreign minister received letters of summons from Parliament, but “they were signed by a legal council” and not the Speaker. “We are seeking clarification,” he said.

The US Embassy in Colombo said they could not confirm or deny whether DQP members met with the ambassador last week, and could not say whether they spoke about the transfer of detainees or the issue of citizenship.

Leader of the DQP, Hassan Saeed, did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

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Buruny islanders protesting for new mosque over refurbishment

Islanders of Thaa Atoll Buruny have been protesting since last Thursday demanding the government build a new mosque on the island.

Moosa Abdul Gadir, councilor of Buruny, told Minivan News that the protest began when the Islamic Ministry decided to upgrade an old mosque on the island instead “of building a new one with the Rf4.6 million that the government of Brunei gave the Islamic Ministry.”

”Our people are disheartened because the Islamic Ministry told us last year in October that they would build a new mosque for us with the money from the Brunei government, which would be large enough for 700 people. But later they said would upgrade the existing old mosque,” said Moosa.

Moosa said that 90 percent of the island’s population took part in the protests outside the gate of the island office, wearing white bandanna’s on their head to represent that they were peaceful protesters.

Moosa said that the protest was peaceful, and was proceeding according to the law, but warned that ”humans can only be patient for a certain amount of time.”

He said the Islamic Ministry had not discussed the change in its decision with either the islanders or the island office.

”When the protesters gathered on Thursday they gave a signal that they would build a new mosque,” Moosa said, ”but again now they have disagreed on building it.”

Moosa said there five mosques on the island: one of them which he claimed was large enough for only 10 people and was built near the graveyard, the second was 100 years old, the third “was built for Villifushi people who migrated after the tsunami incident” and the remaining two mosques were “woman mosques”.

”I think the Islamic Ministry is trying to make people hate the government,” he said. ”Why else they would do something like this?”

State Minister for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed meanwhile guaranteed that the Islamic Ministry would not make a decision that would make the islanders unhappy.

”They were having a dispute among themselves over whether to build a new mosque or upgrade the old mosque,” Shaheem said. ”That’s why the Ministry was confused. We will do it according to how the people wish.”

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Adhaalath slams Haveeru for publishing alcohol ad

The Adhaalath Party has attacked daily newspaper Haveeru for publishing an apparent advertisement for alcohol in its May 19 edition, calling on “concerned authorities” to investigate the matter.

The party claimed this act of Haveeru news violated article 27 of the Constitution, guaranteeing freedom of expression “subject to the tenets of Islam.”

” The ad consists of a label of a certain brand of whiskey and had no name or contact number associated with it,” the  Adhaalath Party said on its English-language website.

The party claimed it was “surprised and shocked” that as the Maldives is a 100 percent Muslim nation, such an act should not happen  “since all the ads published in the local newspapers are screened for conformity with the laws and regulations of the country.”

The party said the issue was “very serious” and warned it could “disrupt the peace and harmony of the country.”

Editor of Haveeru Moosa Latheef said the newspaper did not advertise alcohol.

”It was a notice sent to us by a whiskey-producing company,” Latheef said. ”The notice was to inform people that the usage of their brand name fraudulent and unauthorised.”

Latheef said that the newspaper had mistakenly failed to include the written notice and published only the whiskey picture.

”Yesterday we wrote that we missed the notice and it was a mistake,” Latheef said. ”We will not promote alcohol in the country.”

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DRP MPs pay Vice President “a courtesy call”

Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan last night met with senior members of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) at his residence, Hilaaleege.

The meeting sparked a demonstration outside of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters, protesting against what they viewed as a political betrayal and calling for the VP’s resignation.

The visit by DRP MPs Ali Waheed, Ilham Ahmed, Ahmed Nihan and Ahmed Mahlouf, as well as party Vice President Umar Naseer, was described by DRP spokesman Ibrahim Shareef as “a courtesy call.”

“They discussed national issues,” he said, but would not reveal further details of the discussion. None of the MPs who participated in the meeting had responded to calls at time of press.

“I think there are issues that of national importance facing the country, but there’s been a breakdown of communication between the government and the opposition,” Shareef suggested. “I think the VP believes the temperature is rising too much at the moment.”

Shareef described Dr Waheed as “cool headed”, and able to create “meaningful dialogue between the government and the DRP. He has no power to decide anything, but he is willing to talk,” he said.

“At the moment MDP’s leaders are not able to even talk to the opposition, and I think the President is trying to find a way forward.”

Mahloof told Minivan News today that President Mohamed Nasheed “was the person who planned the protest outside VPs house.”

However a highly placed source within the government said the president appeared “very unhappy” about the gathering, and dismissed the possibility of such peace talks as “utter tosh”.

“If that was the case other senior people in the government would know about it. I think he wants to join DRP; maybe not sign with the party, but rather use it as a bargaining chip. His intentions are clearly malevolent,” the source said, adding that the VP was also observed last week meeting Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) leader Dr Hassan Saeed.

“He is clearly angry at the dismissal of [fellow party GIP party member] former Economic Minister Mohamed Rasheed. The fact is now that the core MDP supporters are convinced that Waheed is going to run for president in 2013, and are keeping a fair degree of distance.”

The Vice President was not responding to calls today, and Minivan News understands he was not in the office because of illness.

In a previous interview with Minivan News Dr Waheed said be believed there should be “a mechanism for dialogue between the opposition and the government. There is too much polarisation. There are things, of course, we want from the opposition. We want their support to pass the bills in Parliament, and there may be things they want from the government. And that is also to address some of their own concerns. I believe we should be able to engage with all parties.”

Following the meeting the DRP MPs who attended told the press that they would lobby to give the Vice President more powers and a greater role in government.

MDP Spokesman Ahmed Haleem said that Dr Waheed initiated the meeting “because he wants to pass a bill [in parliament] giving himself more power. He thinks he is a president – I think he is totally sick. Twenty years ago he was the first PhD holder in the Maldives and he thinks he is one of the best; now the VP is very close to Nasheed but he cannot digest this.”

Haleem added that “there are a lot of people sick for power in this country – Gasim is also sick for power, but Dr Waheed is one of the best.”

MDP MP Mohamed Mustafa said he doubted Dr Waheed had the popular support to become president, and had accepted the role of Vice President “without bringing a single seat with him. He has become a liability to [MDP] – there is no reason to hold such secret meetings.”

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