Year: 2010

Customs seizes shipment of 260 toy guns

Maldives Customs Service last night seized 260 toy guns and handed them over to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) for investigation.

Spokesperson for the Maldives Customs Service Ismail Nashid said the shipment was imported to the Maldives from Thailand and the items were classified as toys.

“We are trying to determine whether these guns could potentially be used for other purposes, even though they have been shipped as ‘toys’,’’ said Nashid. ‘’After the investigation sn concluded we will hold a joint press meeting with the media and reveal details.”

The ship was a commercial cargo ship, which was loaded in Thailand, he said.

He said the guns were now under the observation MNDF.

Spokesperson for MNDF Major Abdul Raheem said MNDF had determined that the guns were toys.

“We are yet to find out how dangerous these guns are and in what other ways they could be used,’’ said Abdul Raheem. ‘’We can only provide information about the case after the investigation is concluded.’’

Maldives Customs recently intercepted five three-foot double-edged swords inside a container imported to Maldives from China.

Spokesperson for Maldives Ports Limited (MPL), Hassan Muzni Mohamed, said the swords were discovered during an inspection by customs officers.

The ship that carried the container, ‘MOL KOMATI’, was loaded in China and stopped at a port in Singapore prior arriving in the Maldives.

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50 foot dead whale found near Thaa Atoll

A 50 foot long dead whale has been discovered by Maldives National Defence Force MNDF Coast Guard, near Thaa Atoll while it was drifting on the ocean inwards to the Atoll.

Major Abdul Raheem said the whale was first found by a fishing boat and reported to the MNDF.

”when we reached the area, the whale was drifting towards an island in Thaa Atoll,” said Abdul Raheem. ”if the whale was left drifting, there was the possibility that it reaches the island and that could be a very big trouble for the islanders.”

Raheem said the MNDF tied the whale and drifted it away from the atoll to an area that would not move towards any atoll.

”for health impacts that may rise when a dead whale drifts to an island, we moved it away,” he said. ”it cannot be moved away easily after it drifts to any island.”

The whale was drifted away from the Maldivian islands by a joint operation conducted with the Police, Maldives National Defence Force MNDF and a fishing boat.

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Government can’t restrict judges from entering Supreme Court: lawyer Shaheen Hameed

Prominent lawyer Shaheen Hameed has said that the government did not have the authority to restrict judges of the Supreme Court from entering the court, reported radio station SunFM.

Shaheen Hameed is the nephew of former President Gayoom, and has represented current President Mohamed Nasheed when he was arrested by the former administration.

SunFM reported that Shaheen claimed he had lately noticed the armed forces and power of executive attempting to work beyond the laws.

Moreover, Shaheen Hameed claimed the government was influencing the juducial system, an institution stated as independent in the constitution of the Maldives, and that the attempt was “against the spirit of the constitution.”

The government contends that the Supreme Court and the interim judges ceased to have legitimacy on conclusion of the transitional period last Saturday, with the annulment of Chapter 14 governing transitional matters, and has urged parliament to legislate the appointment of a new Supreme Court as a matter of urgency.

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Woman alleges senior police officer sexually abused her inside police car

A woman has filed a case at police headquarters alleging she was sexually abused last Thursday by a group of people, including a chief inspector.

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed the case had been filed and that police were now investigating the matter.

“The person accused denies the charges,” he said. “She alleged there was also a police chief inspector included in the group she claimed had sexually abused her.”

He declined to give further information on the case, saying police would disclose more information once the investigation was concluded.

A close friend of the alleged victim told Minivan News the incident occurred near Seahouse restaurant in Henveiru.

“She would not be older than 22 years, she was friends with the police inspector,’’ he said. “According to what she told me, she was partying with a group of four police officers, including a senior inspector, and they were all drunk.’’

He alleged that the incident occurred inside a police car.

“She said they threw her onto the street after sexually abusing her,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, local newspaper Haveeru reported that a group of people had burned the motorbike of the police inspector in an arson attack.

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Group destroys door of DQP head office

A group of people have destroyed the door of the head office belonging to minor opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) in an apparent attempt to break in, reported the DQP on its official website.

The website reported that it was the third attack such on the DQP headoffice, and that the party had reported the matter to concerned authorities, however the authorities were yet unable to determine the attackers.

Last time the attackers broke into the office, damaged property and fled with some of the documents and office equipment, the party said.

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Bill on judges scheduled for parliament today

The controversial bill on judges is scheduled for today’s session in parliament. The committee stage of the bill will conclude and the presented to parliament chamber for the MPs to debate.

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has meanwhile locked the Supreme Court and is barring entry to the judges, despite handing over the Supreme Court key to the Chief Justice as per a court ruling by the Civil Court on Sunday.

The case was presented to the court by the Prosecutor General requesting that the Supreme Court’s key should be returned to court staff. The MNDF is continuing the blockade despite pragmatic adherence to the legal technicality of handing over the key.

The opposition has claimed the interim Supreme Court should continue to function until the appointment of a new Supreme Court, as per article 284 of the Constitution in Chapter 14, which governs the transitional period.

Earlier in year the Supreme Court judges sent a letter to the president, declaring that they had ruled themselves permanent.

The judges of all courts, who met requirements approved by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), have meanwhile taken oaths for 70 years despite many having criminal convictions, limited qualifications, and in many cases, primary-school level education.

The government contends that the interim Supreme Court no longer exists on conclusion of the interim period, as Chapter 14 is now annulled. The deadlock worsened considerably on conclusion of the interim period, as the constitution was one of the few areas on which both sides of the political sphere agreed.

Meanwhile, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary group leader and MP ‘Reeco’ Moosa Manik has told local newspaper ‘Miadhu’ that the parliament will today conclude the work on the law on judges, reestablish the Supreme Court and appoint the Chef Justice according to the constitution, before midnight.

Opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Deputy Leader Ali Waheed told newspaper Miadhu that the party would being street demonstrations if today’s session did not continue, accusing the MDP of  obstructing the sessions.

Attorney General Husnu Suood resigned on Sunday claiming his job was untenable due to the constitutional void created by parliament’s failure to legislate and cancellation of critical sessions. He also called on the Speaker of the parliament Abdulla Shahid to share responsibility for the situation and also resign.

Parliament had promised to complete necessary legislation in a special session on Saturday, but this was cancelled by the speaker.

Reports this morning suggested the session was proceeding cautiously.

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Criminal Court fines former Lale principal Rf 200 (US$14) for assaulting children

The Criminal Court has found former principal of Lale Youth International School, Turkish national Serkan Akar, guilty of assaulting children and sentenced him to pay a Rf200 (US$14) fine.

Serkan had denied the charges against him, which included strangling and whipping a child with a belt during an incident last Ramazan.

A report from the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) released in June found that students at the school had been “physically and psychologically abused, discriminated against and bullied,” recommending “that police should investigate the physical and psychological abuse going on at the school as an urgent concern,” and “separate those suspected of physical abuse from the school’s students until the police investigation is concluded.”

A source at HRCM told Minivan News today that “as far as we’re concerned, [Serkan’s Rf200 fine] is ridiculous.”

“This sentence gives people a reason to take justice into their own hands. Why even bother to go to the courts?” the source said.

“This case was supposed to create a precedent for the future protection of children in this country. This is not the precedent we were looking for. We not sure of how to follow through – perhaps request deportation, or at least notify the Turkish government.”

The source added that there was little further that HRCM could do, because with the constitutional turmoil and doubt about the institution’s validity after parliament failed to legilsate for its continuity after the interim period, “we don’t even know if we are supposed to be going to work.”

“There are all these important issues we’re supposed to be working on, such as cases of people who don’t have access to water because their landlords have blocked the water meter even though they are paying rent. There’s nothing the water company can do so people have to come to us. But it’s questionable whether anything we do now has legal [legitimacy].”

Deputy Prosectutor General Hussain Shameem said that the Rf200 sentence ruled by the judge was legitimate under the current penal code, which was originally drafted in 1968 and apparently not reflective of inflation.

“Under the penal code the judge had four sentencing options: up to six months banishment, imprisonment or house arrest, or the fine of Rf 200,” Shameem stated.

“We cannot say that the sentence is unjust, because this is a punishment prescribed in law. But I want to say that the judge had three other options, but chose to fine. Rhe defendant probably had mitigating factors, such as no prior criminal record [in the Maldives].”

Minivan News understands that a revision of the penal code is currently before parliament, but has remained so for four years. Parliament has scheduled 29 sessions to examine the bill, and but all except three have been cancelled or failed to make quorum.

Trying to ascertain which judge issued the sentence, Minivan News phoned the mobile number of the spokesperson for the Criminal Court, Ahmed Riffath, but the person who answered the phone claimed to be someone else.

The Criminal Court’s front desk confirmed the number belonged to Riffath, and that he was the court’s only authorised spokesperson.

Shameen said he did not know which judge actually heard the case, “but [Chief Judge of the Criminal Court] Abdulla Mohamed was on the schedule.”

Abdulla Mohamed did not answer when Minivan News attempted to contact him.

“Our concern was that we wanted to get some incarceration because the victims were children,” Shameem said.

As for deportation, such matters were not part of the court sentencing, Shameem noted, but were rather the prerogative of the administration.

“The immigration chief has the power to deport any person alleged of an offence,” he said.

Serkan has already attempted to flee the country twice after HRCM’s preliminary investigation revealed a past systemic use of corporal punishment, questionable standards of education and suspect teaching qualifications among Turkish staff at the school, but his passport was confiscated at immigration.

Minivan News originally reported incidents of children being violently abused by senior staff in the the school in January, after a parent spoke about the abuse her 13 year old son was suffering.

“He would come home and tell me about the beatings. He told me it depended how angry the principal was – sometimes a leather belt was used,” she said.

“[The violence] has only been towards the boys, but they have done it in front of the girls as well. Just recently a pupil was held by the neck and put up against the wall. Many pupils went home and told their parents they were so scared they nearly wet themselves,” a parent told Minivan News.

Following the allegations the deputy principal at the time, Guvanchmyrat Hezretov, fled the Maldives to be replaced by another Turkish national, Suleiman Atayev.

Atayev and a Turkish teacher fled the country in July, after the pair were also implicated as suspects in the assault case facing Akar.

In May, Minivan News reported concerns raised by parents and members of staff that the school was being operated as a front for a Turkish tax racket whereby businesses in Turkey would evade taxes through charitable giving to institutions in tax-friendly locations such as Male’, and then retrieve these these funds through escalated salaries paid to selected Turkish staff. Minivan News also reported concerns regarding inflated visa quotas for teaching staff, and phantom teachers on the payroll.

In June, HRCM released its report, recommending that the Education Ministry terminate its contract with Maldives-registered company Biz Atoll Pvt Ltd to manage Lale Youth International School, “and hand over management as soon as possible to a qualified party.”

The matter was being reviewed by the Attorney General, prior to his resignation yesterday.

Download the HRCM investigation report (Dhivehi)

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DRP leaders ask VP about reaction to presidential overthrow in midnight meeting

Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik met with a senior delegation of opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) leaders last night at midnight on their request, Minivan News has learned.

Members of the press waited outside the residence of the Vice President seeking comment from the delegation when they emerged, however the delegation declined to comment and quickly rushed away.

The media noted that members of the delegation included the DRP Deputy Leaders Umar Naseer and Ilham Ahmed, and MPs Ahmed Mahlouf and Ali Arif.

Today DRP MP Ahmed Nihan told Minivan News that during the meeting the delegates discussed the constitutional issues faced by the country, and asked Dr Waheed how he might react should President Nasheed be removed from office.

”MP Mahlouf told me they met the vice president and clarified what would be his reaction in the event this government was toppled by a no-confidence motion in parliament, or overthrown in any case,” said Nihan. ”I do not have detailed information.”

Nihan accused President Nasheed of failing to uphold the constitution, and “unlawfully locking” the Supreme Court.

Dr Waheed himself did not respond to Minivan News at time of press, however Minivan News understands that the Vice President was non-committal, and explained that such matters were the DRP’s prerogative. He allegedly claimed he would not speak out against the current government, or run for President in 2013 should such a scenario arise, but would continue with the programs of the current government. The topic of who would become Vice President in such a situation was not raised, Minivan News understands.

The government last month accused several MPs, including Jumhoree Party (JP) MP Gasim Ibrahim and People’s Alliance (MP) Abdulla Yameen, of bribery and treason after six ruling-party MDPs informed the President that they had been offered bribes to vote against the government.

The opposition has a majority in parliament but not the two-thirds majority it would require to impeach the President or Vice-President, for which it would require the votes of MDP MPs as well as independents.

DRP Spokesperson and deputy leader Ibrahim Shareef said he had no information that a party delegation had met with the vice president in an official capacity.

‘’All I know is that no person from the DRP has met with the vice president officially. I am not saying that they did not meet, but if it was an official meeting, it would be approved by the party council,’’ said Shareef.

DRP MP Abdulla Mausoom said that if the party wished to disclose information on the matter, “we will call for a press meeting.”

DRP MP Ahmed Mahlouf and DRP Deputy Leader Umar Naseer were not responding at time of press.

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GMR and MACL hold workshop on upgrading airport

GMR and Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) have held a joint two-day workshop with senior staff at Male’ International Airport to collect ideas on how to improving the facilities and upgrade the airport, prior to the construction of the new terminal.

The Indian infrastructure giant won the management contract to upgrade the airport build the new terminal by 2014, following a bidding process that was criticised for its fast speed and alleged lack of transparency. Opposition parties also opposed the privatisation of the airport on nationalistic grounds.

Chairmen of MACL ‘Bandhu’ Ibrahim Saleem said that the workshop was very useful and that the two parties had managed to collect constructive opinions from customers and staff on how to improve the services and facilities provided by the airport.

‘’It is a necessary task to upgrade the international airport,” Saleem said. “We are very confident with GMR, we have witnessed three airports developed by them under public private partnerships.’’

GMR Manager P Sripathi said that the paperwork was almost concluded and that the company needed only final approval for some documents.

‘’We know there will be a lot of complaints from different areas of the airport, but one by one we will sort out all the issues eventually,’’ said Sripathi. ‘’We are just in the final stages of forming the airports company.’’

When journalists present at the meeting queried about the different issues being encountered, senior officials on the panel recommended focusing questions “only on the subject of the workshop.”

The GMR-Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) consortium won the controversial bid to develop Male’ International Airport and will spend US$373 million on the upgrade.

Speaking at the opening of the cavernous Delhi Terminal 3 recently, GMR Manager P Sripathi told Maldivian journalists that physical work would begin on the airport towards the end of this year.

“The first phase is organising the finances and transitioning the airport from a government-run enterprise to a privately-run enterprise,” he explained.

“The transition will be a new thing [for the Maldives] and we will be there to help with that. We have done such things in other places, and we know how to go about it,” he said.

Male International Airport will remain as a property of the Maldivian people under the leasing agreement with GMR, said the former minister of civil aviation and communications Mahmood Razee recently in a local news paper Miadhu report.

Opposition political parties has repeatedly expressed concern and called on the government not to lease the Male’ Inernational Airport to a foreign company, claiming it could disrupt the national securit and harm the peace and harmony of the country. However, the government dismissed the claims, alleging vested interests on behalf of certain opposition leaders.

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