Day: August 31, 2010

Parliament cancelled during debate over retrials

Speaker of the Parliament Abdulla Shahid cancelled last night’s hearing on the Court’s Bill when the debate heated up between ruling and opposition party MPs, during the last sitting of the second session of parliament for 2010.

A statement issued by the parliament this morning said that the parliament had ceased for recess and would resume in October.

During last night’s session, ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs expressed disapproval amendments proposed by Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MPs, however all the amendments presented by the opposition were passed.

The amendment that triggered uproar was a proposal to prevent the courts from conducting trials related to activities of the former government. The amendment also obstructs the retrial of controversial cases.

MDP Parliamentary Group leader Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik claimed that last night’s sitting was to be cancelled “because DRP MPs tried to take hold the judiciary in their fists more than they already do.”

‘’We had to protest against the way parliament’s session was conducted when DRP MPs forwarded their self-interest,’’ said Moosa. ‘’DRP presented an amendment that disables courts hold trials of ‘recent cases’.’’

He said the “friendly environment” in parliament established after conclusion of the constitutional deadline “has now vanished because of the DRP MPs.”

DRP MP Abdulla Mausoom said last night’s session “was ruined” by MDP MPs when the session “was not going the way MDP MPs wanted.’’

“We have the right to propose amendments; all the things they are saying are excuses,’’ said Mausoom. “MDP MPs just do not like following the due procedure of the parliament.’’

Mausoom said MDP MPs had previously boycotted parliament sessions when matters did not go the way they wanted, and suggested it would have been better “if they also did so this time”.

‘’Our amendments were proposed to broaden the bill and to frame it in such a way that the courts can perform their work best,’’ he said. ‘’All the amendments were presented after discussion with [DRP’s] parliamentary group.”

The Bill on Courts was presented to the parliament by the government.

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Five children and one man arrested for eating during fasting hours

Police have arrested three persons for allegedly eating during fasting hours of Ramadan, and another three people accompanying them.

Police Sergeant Abdul Muhsin said the three arrested for eating in fasting hours were under-aged males, who were released after giving a statement “and receiving advice.”

According to a person familiar with the matter, the three other persons arrested and taken to the police station included an under-age male and female, and a man over the age of 18.

The source claimed said the second three were not discovered eating, but were arrested by police as they were accompanying people who were eating in the public.

“The group were arrested while they were allegedly eating behind a construction site on the land behind Dharubaaruge,’’ said the source. ‘’They were arrested that afternoon and five of them were released later that afternoon.’’

He added that one of the under-aged males was caught with a packet suspected to contain illegal narcotics, and was now in Dhoonidhoo custodial.

A further four men were arrested last week for eating, including two who were caught near the Alimas Carnival stage and a second pair who reportedly confessed to eating in the toilets of Giyasuddeen school.  They have since been released.

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DQP submits bill on industrial action: two days notice required for strikes

The Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) has submitted a bill to parliament regulating industrial action conducted by employees in the Maldives.

If passed, the bill requires employees to give 48 hours notice to employers before protesting, and restricts the timing of strikes to between 8:00am and 4:00pm.

“The employees can only boycott their work for a specified duration. For instance, for 24 or 48 hours,” DQP Deputy Leader and MP Riyaz Rasheed explained to newspaper Miadhu.

The bill comes a week after strike action at Kurumba Maldives led to the evacuation of guests and the arrest of 19 staff by police for intimidation and vandalism.

A statement by the resort’s parent company, Universal Enterprises, deplored the action and alleged strike organisers “sent employees armed with makeshift weapons to blockade the main kitchen and physically threaten staff serving meals to guests”.

The Kurumba strike was the most recent of several resort strikes this year. In April staff at the Shangri-La Villingili Resort went on strike after four workers were dismissed for allegedly playing on a PlayStation in a vacant villa, while in February staff at the Centara Grand Island Resort in North Ari Atoll held a strike complaining they were not receiving the service charges agreed to them by management.

Shangri-La Villingili eventually dismissed the 10 strike leaders and invited the remaining staff to return to work, while  Centara Grand increased the service charge allocated to staff after a representative from Ministry of Human Resources visited the island.

As most resorts operate on privately-owned islands, the nature of the sector makes the legality of industrial action contentious – while the Constitution provides the right to strike, workers cannot simply picket outside the factory gates and invariably protest on resort property, running into further conflict with management conscious of image in a highly service-oriented industry.

“MATI believes employees should not strike on resort [property] – this is the shop floor,” said Mohamed Ibrahim ‘Sim’ from the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI). “It has to be somewhere else. People do not understand that resort islands are standalone communities that must produce their own water and other amenities. A hotel in the city of Male’ does not face such disruption to essential services.”

Sim questioned the practicality of restricting  the hours of strike action, but acknowledged the bill’s objective of requiring notice for any stop-work action “and only after following established grievance procedures.”

Maldives Resort Workers (MRW), an active community of resort workers campaigning for fair treatment in the tourism industry, condemned the DQP bill as “effectively relegating protesting and demonstrations against working conditions in resorts to the era [of the former government].”

The introduction of a notice period would give employers “ample time to serve warning letters, suspensions, dismissals or anything to prevent a strike,” MRW claimed.

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Police recover Rf500,000 stolen from Galaxy Enterprises

The Maldives Police Service has recovered more than Rf500,000 (US$39,000) suspected stolen from Galaxy Enterprises, report police.

Police said two men were arrested with the money, believed to have been stolen from Galaxy Enterprises. Police said they discovered money, bank cheques and a destroyed safe near where the men were arrested.

The police property and commercial crime department is investigating the case.

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US expresses commitment to cooperation with MNDF

The United States is committed to continued cooperation with the Maldivian military to promote safety and security in the Indian Ocean region, stated the US Army’s Command Sergeant Major Iuniasolua Savusa addressing graduates of the Maldives’ inaugural Warrant Officer/Sergeants Major course.

The Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) held the graduation ceremony at the newly-constructed Non-Commissioned Officers’ Academy.

Cmd Sgt Maj Savusa is the senior enlisted soldier in the United States Pacific Command.

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