Day: May 29, 2011

Fire destroys staff accommodation at Maamigili airport

Villa International Airport’s staff accommodation blocks in Maamigili, South Ari Atoll, caught fire on Saturday morning cause Rf 2 million damage to the company.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the fire was controlled by the airport firefighters after an hour.

‘’We have not been able to confirm the cause of the fire, but they say there was an electric failure inside the block,’’ Shiyam said. ‘’We are still investigating the incident.’’

Local media reports that the accommodation block was built using tin and plywood. The three blocks burned to the ground leaving nothing behind, airport manager Mahmoodh Ali told Haveeru.

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Family blames doctor after mother dies during labour

A 34 year-old pregnant woman who was admitted to Laamu Atoll Regional Hospital died after undergoing a cesarean.

Family members claimed the doctor mistakenly cut some veins during the operation, reports Haveeru, despite receiving three pints of blood in an emergency transfusion.

The woman had requested to undergo a C-section as she felt the baby was large, however the doctor declined until the last minute, the family told Haveeru.

After the cesarean, the hospital advised the family to take her Male’ as soon as possible, but since the family was unable to catch a flight that night they waited for a Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) helicopter to arrive the following morning. The woman died that evening.

The hospital has declined to comment, only stating that it would provide information to the press after a staff meeting.

The baby survived the procedure and is in a stable condition.

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Cabinet decision not a green light for Nexbis project, says Immigration Controller

Cabinet’s decision last week to review the stalled Nexbis project did not necessarily mean it was going ahead, said Immigration Controller Abdulla Shahid today.

The Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) agreement with the Malaysian-based mobile security solutions provider was to upgrade border security in the Maldives and facilitate the identification and tracking of expatriate workers without the use of potentially-forged paper documents.

However the day after the October 2010 signing of the concessionaire contract, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) announced it had received “a serious complaint” regarding “technical details” of the bid, and issued an injunction pending an investigation into the agreement citing “instances and opportunities” where corruption may have occurred.

Nexbis shares immediately plunged 6.3 percent on the back of the ACC’s announcement. The company subsequently issued a statement claiming that speculation over corruption was “politically motivated” and had “wrought irreparable damage to Nexbis’ reputation and brand name.”

“Nexbis’ shareholders own and manage multi-trillion dollar assets globally and will not jeopardise their reputation for an investment return,” the company said at the time.

Shahid said today that following the Cabinet decision the Immigration Department would be “looking into the ACC’s concerns and negotiating with Nexbis.”

“Cabinet did not say the project would proceed, but have announced that it would be reviewed. The ACC’s initial position was that the project would be re-tendered with the consent of Cabinet.”

Shahid acknowledge threats of legal action from Nexbis, but observed there was “nothing we can do on this issue – it was the ACC that intervened.”

He predicted that it would be “some time” before the review was completed.

Local media has claimed that key technical components, such as facial recognition, were missing from the project.

Minivan News is currently seeking comment from Nexbis.

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China’s top legislator visits parliament, President

China’s top legislator Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Wu Bangguo met today with his Maldivian counterpart, Speaker of the Majlis and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Abdulla Shahid.

Wu is the highest ranking Chinese diplomat to visit the Maldives, and major streets in Male’ were lined with Maldivian and Chinese flags to mark his arrival.

During a meeting held inside the parliament, Shahid thanked Wu for the aid the Chinese government has offered to the Maldives over the past years, and spoke about strengthening diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Wu used the occasion to announce a doubling of Chinese aid to the Maldives to 100 million yuan (US$15.4 million), and said China would be opening an embassy in the country.

He also announced that China would offer 11 scholarships to Maldivian students in 2011 and 2012. Furthermore, Chinese flights would begin operating directly to the Maldives from different parts of China.

During his visit to the Majlis, Wu’s delegation presented parliament with 77 laptops (one for each MP), 50 cameras, and two 55-inch plasma TVs.

Wu also met President Mohamed Nasheed and signed an agreement on economic and technical cooperation between China and the Maldives.

Foreign Policy Advisor and former Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed observed to Minivan News that the visit of such a senior Chinese dignitary represented a major development in the diplomatic and economic relationship between the two countries.

“The main interests China has in the Maldives are our support of the One China policy, and greater collaboration on climate change,” Dr Shaheed said, noting that next year would be the 40th year of Chinese engagement with the Maldives.

Chinese tourism arrivals in the Maldives last year exceeded those of the country’s traditional European market. Dr Shaheed explained that the Chinese government’s endorsement of the Maldives was integral to growing the market.

“It’s very important to have official approval – we had to ask and obtain permission to accept large groups [of Chinese tourists] to the Maldives,” Dr Shaheed said. “Even beyond tourism, China is a huge market and is increasingly visible in our region.”

He disputed that the Maldives had to balance its engagement with China with its diplomatic relationship with India.

“I don’t think we have to walk a tight-rope. We are firstly a SAARC member country, and China’s friendship is about broader global interest rather than regional,” he explained.

“The Maldives has been very active on the international stage in areas that are relevant to China, such as climate change and human rights, and China may see us as an important country to engage.”

While China had not lobbied the Maldives on issues relating to human rights, Dr Shaheed observed that Maldives last year declined to accept Chinese Guantanamo Bay detainees due to concerns expressed by China. Instead, the Maldives had switched its consideration to Palestinian detainees.

China has been very active in Sri Lanka, recently establishing a naval facility following the country’s defeat of Tamil separtists. Dr Shaheed said he did not believe the Maldives would follow suit.

“I do not think we are on the radar for a base,” he said. “We’ve made our position clear that we have longstanding policy not to host foreign troops in the Maldives. Sri Lanka has only recently been exposed to many other countries, whereas we have broader options.”

While Chinese involvement in the Maldives was unlikely to reach Sri Lankan levels, Dr Shaheed predicted that the doubling of Chinese aid would make its presence “much more visible.”

China’s aid specialities, he noted, were infrastructure projects such as roads and housing projects, which would likely increase with the country’s doubled commitment.

China has already donated the Foreign Ministry and the recently-opened Maldives National Museum – one of the biggest buildings in Male’.

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MNDF helping 39 homeless following Saamiliyya fire disaster

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) officials are providing assistance to 39 people who have become homeless after a serious fire incident that burned down Saamiliyya, a residential building in Galolhu ward.

After the incident last week, the landlord and those living in the property paying rent were left homeless and were relocated to the Social Centre in Maafannu, a building mostly used for sporting purposes and other recreational activities.

MNDF officials have set up partitions and provided mattresses and blankets for those left homeless after the fire.

Male’ City Council told local media that the council had decided provide all assistance possible to those affected by the fire, including financial assistance.

Saamiliyya was destroyed occurred last Thursday, and two people were hospitalised as the blaze burned the residential building to the ground.

Residents of neighboring houses and furniture store Allora were also impacted by smoke from the blaze.

MNDF Spokesperson Major Abdul-Raheem told Minivan News the residents of the destroyed down house were now being looked after by Male’ City Council.

‘’We provided them blankets, mattresses and other necessities to make the place adequate,’’ said Abdul-Raheem. ‘’The list of homeless people initially had  39 names on it, later some amendments were made.’’

He said the MNDF was  now doing a damage assessment.

‘’It will take like two more days to determine the total cost of the damage,’’ he said. ‘’The police are currently investigating the cause of the fire.’’

Meanwhile local newspaper Haveeru reported the landlord’s suspicions that the fire incident was an arson attack by a relative disputing how the property was to be divided.

A woman currently living in Social Centre told the paper that she had lost everything she had gained throughout her entire life.

‘’I was able to save nothing. Clothes, household items or documents – none whatsoever,’’ she told Haveeru.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said it was too early to state whether the incident was an arson attack.

‘’We are investigating the case and  waiting for the incident report from the MNDF. We will refer to it and determine the cause of the fire,’’ he said.

Few non-commercial properties in the Maldives are insured.

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IFM expresses concern over “increase in sinister crimes”

The Islamic Foundation of the Maldives (IFM), led by Ibrahim Fauzee, has expressed concern over the “increase in sinister crimes occurring in the Maldives’’ and has called for implement harsh penalties to be applied to those who commit such crimes.

The IFM said the reason for the rise in crime was that Islamic Sharia had not been implemented. Furthermore, verdicts delivered by the judges were not being applied, and convicted criminals remained at large, the IFM said.

“It is very concerning that many new-born babies are being found abandoned, many children are being abused, and crime against women is increasing as well as assault and murder,’’ said the IFM, condemning all such actions.

The IFM said the reason why theft, robbery, assault and murder cases were increasing was due to the easy availability of drugs in the Maldives, and called on the government to stop the importation of alcohol and other drugs.

The foundation also called on the government to administer the penalty, mentioned in the Islamic Sharia, to those who produce and sells drugs.

“We call on parents to be protective of their children and to keep them away from persons who have records of child abuse, and especially do not send female children anywhere without a parent,’’ said IFM.

The organisation assured that it would “fully cooperate to curb the rising crime rate.”

Three abandoned infants have been found dead in Male’, Hulhumale and Villingili this month, and three women arrested in connection with the deaths.

On May 5 a dead infant was found in a plastic bag in the swimming track area of Male’. A medical examination later concluded that the baby had sustained cuts, bruises and other wounds.

On May 21, the corpse of a premature baby boy was discovered inside a Coast Milk tin on the island of Villingli.

On May 22, the body of a newborn baby boy was discovered in a park in Hulhumale’. The infant was found with underwear tied tightly around his neck, the most likely cause of death according to the hospital.

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MATI claims tourism on track to maintain growth in 2011, despite Male’ protests

The Secretary General of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) claims the country’s tourism industry remains on track to maintain growth despite recent widely publicised clashes between police and protesters in Male’ during May.

The total number of tourist arrivals to the country between January to April 2011 amounted to 327,563 people, up 16.9 percent over the same period last year, according to official statistics provided by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Of this demand, Europe continued to dominate visitor market share during the period.

MATI’s ‘Sim’ Mohamed Ibrahim told Minivan News that, as with for a number of destinations across South Asia, the Maldivian tourism sector had begun to “recover” from the impacts of global financial uncertainty in recent years. Sim said he believed the industry, through the use of strategies such as discounting during the off-season, appeared well placed to continue to profit from growing tourist interest, even with perceived challenges facing the industry relating to taxation and recent protests between police and members of the public.

Sim’s comments were made as the government pledged to increase a 3.5 percent Tourism Goods and Services Tax introduced on January 1 to five percent as part of economic reforms that led to a week of protests and violent clashes in Male’ during the beginning of this month.

These protests, which were said to have been instigated as a “youth movement” despite the involvement of several opposition politicians, saw thousands of Maldivians campaigning on the streets leading to occasional violent clashes that drew international coverage, raising some concerns over tourism safety.

Sim claimed that despite these protest concerns – which the government alleged reflected an attempt by some opposition politicians to “mislead” foreign media over their scale – the demonstrations occurring in Male’ and some islands were completely isolated from the country’s island-based resorts.  He added that the demonstrations would not impact tourism despite some nations issuing travel warnings for the Maldives.

Despite these potential concerns shown by some tourism markets, Sim said that he did not expect a huge negative impact on tourism arrival figures for May 2011 when released by authorities.  The MATI Secretary General added that he was optimistic over the impact of the government’s plans to introduce and extend direct taxation on all travel industry services and goods.

“There was some concern over the [tourism goods and services charge], the government appears to be going in the right direction by pledging to do away with duties such as bed charges by focusing on direct taxes,” he said. “On the whole we believe the tax will be beneficial to the country and the industry.”

From MATI’s perspective, Sim said that the organisation believed that instead of various duties and charges currently imposed by the government, the industry would be better served by replacing these charges with one or two “solid” direct taxes like the existing goods and service charges – a policy he claimed the government were already pursuing.

“We believe this would present a healthier picture for finance [in the industry],” he said.

When addressing potential future growth for visitor numbers amidst the Maldives’ peak tourism season drawing to an end in April, Sim said that “quite a lot” of discounting has been occurring within the industry to try and bolster arrivals.  However, the tourism association secretary general said that the decision to discount was ultimately profitable for the industry.

“We must not lose sight that the Maldives is a good value for money destination. For hoteliers, the most important thing is to keep the [visitor] figures going. There is quite a lot of discounting occurring to try and ensure more confidence to the market,” he said. “We are seeing more Chinese coming and although they may not be as high yield – in terms of spending power – than visitors from markets like Russia, they are arriving in good numbers.”

According to the latest Tourism Ministry figures, during the first four months of the year, European tourists including travellers from destinations like Russia accounted for 67.8 percent of the total market share of visitors compared to the same time last year up by 10.6 percent over the same time in 2010.

Asia and the Pacific represented 28.1 percent of the total tourist market with China alone accounting for 15.3 percent of all tourism arrivals over the period. Over the same time in 2010, visitors from the region increased by 35.1 percent to 92,132 people.

Among other regions, the Americas were found to represent 2.4 percent of the tourism market between January to April 2011, the Middle East accounted for 1.1 percent of arrivals and Africa represented 0.6 percent of the total tourism market.

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