Day: June 9, 2011

MATI not taking sides on proposed resort lease amendments

Proposed amendments to the Tourism Act relating to lease extensions for Maldivian resorts are said to have divided opinion among industry insiders, according to the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI).

MATI Secretary General ‘Sim’ Mohamed Ibrahim told Minivan News that proposals presented to the Majlis yesterday by MP Abdu Raheem Abdulla, if passed, would allow 50 year lease extension payments to be made gradually on an annual basis.  Sim claimed that the decision to support or oppose the amendment had proven difficult for the association, with different resort owners welcoming and opposing the bill.

“MATI cannot take sides on this issue. While we have some people who can pay the money straight away, we know of others [resort owners], who would prefer the amendments,” he said.

According to newspaper Haveeru, Abdulla’s proposed amendment would allow contractors requesting an extension of their existing lease to pay a US$100,000 fee to pay instalments every year over the life of the contract.

Abdulla was reported to have forwarded the amendment over fears that news jobs would not be created in the country if the government received upfront payments from extension agreements.

Sim said that he believed that at present, the government preferred the system currently in use where lease extensions were paid within an 18-month period of a contract being signed by a resort.

A Tourism Ministry spokesperson confirmed that the Government’s official view was that it supported existing tourism laws that supported an upfront fee payment made over a shorter time-frame.

The spokesperson conceded that he had not fully read the proposals forwarded by Abdulla at present and was unable to elaborate on further on the exact changes they may entail for the industry.

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No MP wants Rf20,000 committee allowance, claims MDP MP Musthafa

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Musthafa has claimed that no MP really wanted to take the Rf20,000 committee allowance, or had so far received it, despite DRP MP’s Ahmed Mahlouf’s resolution to cut the allowance being dismissed yesterday.

Out of the 58 MPs present during the vote yesterday, 17 MPs voted to accept Mahlouf’s resolution and cut the committee allowance (+) while 20 voted in favor of keeping it (-).

16 MPs abstained from voting. 19 were absent, a quarter of the chamber.

Breakdown of the vote, by MP

Musthafa said that his intention was to throw the matter out of parliament, despite voting against the resolution to dismiss it.

‘’This resolution was not really presented to the parliament because they care about the citizens,’’ said Musthafa. ‘’There is no MP that wants the committee allowance, and so far nobody has even received the committee allowance.’’

Musthafa said he voted in favour of the committee allowance ‘’just to close the whole chapter for good.’’

‘’I don’t even touch my monthly salary, I give it all to my constituency,’’ he told Minivan News. ‘’I don’t think there is any MP that depends on their salary.’’

Musthafa also claimed that MPs did not work for their salary, but by working for the rights and needs of the people.

MP Musthafa was the only MP out of 10 contacted by Minivan News who commented on the matter, which has raised public ire and concern over the prevalence of MPs giving their salaries to constituents who approach them with medical and educational expenses.

MPs on both sides of the political fence have previously acknowledged to Minivan News that the expectation from the public is that MPs will hand out this money, particularly in response to demands for foreign medical treatment, “and it is hard to say no.”

Nasheed’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair said earlier this year that the government “does not believe that MPs should spend their salary on welfare for their constituents – they are paid principally so they have a dependable source of income and are therefore less susceptible to corruption – but many instances of assistance being provided in this manner are in fact acts of corruption. Some MPs have not grasped that – they are not supposed to be giving charity.”

The committee allowances are derived from a new pay structure formulated by parliament under Article 102, which does not require Presidential ratification.

President Mohamed Nasheed in January refused to ratify the controversial MP Privileges Bill, which included additional financial benefits for MPs including health insurance for life, pensions after a single term of five years’ service, and concessions such as freedom from paying duty on imported cars.

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”Dangerous criminal” sentenced to 15 days for contempt of court

A person declared a “dangerous criminal” by police has been sentenced to 15 days imprisonment, after he demanded the judge provide him the opportunity to present witnesses from his side, reported Sun Online.

Sun identified the person as Ahmed Shareef of Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll Rathafandhoo.

Shareef told the judge that the judge was ignoring his requests and giving priority to the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

He told the judge that he would not appear in court if the court did not appoint another judge to handle his case, and the judge replied that he would be summoned to the court even with force if necessary, reported Sun Online.

The judge said that if the accused had witnesses, he should have said so during the police investigation rather than exercising his right to remain silent. Ahmed Shareef and Madhih Mohamed, both accused in the same case, also used the right to remain silent during the police investigation.

The judge declared that both Madhih and Shareef would not get the chance to present any witnesses.

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“No nepotism in a DRP rule”, says Gayoom at seventh anniversary of reform movement

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom last night held a special rally to celebrate the seventh year of the former government’s reform.

Speaking at the rally, Gayyoom said the reform agenda he initiated seven years ago “can be perfectly successful and fruitful only after the DRP wins the Presidential Elections and reclaims authority.”

Gayoom said that then the people would come to realise the true values of democracy, as there would be no nepotism in DRP rule.

The former President claimed that under a DRP government people would be equal and there would “be no favouritsm,’’ according to reports in newspaper Miadhu.

Miadhu also reported that Gayoom criticised leader of main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, and called for primary elections to determine a presidential candidate.

In his speech, the former President also denied he was attempting to disunite the party or further his personal interests.

Leader of Peoples Alliance Party (PA) and half-brother of Gayoom, Abdulla Yameen, also spoke at the rally.

Yameen claimed the government was trying to influence the judiciary and called on people to “be cautious”.

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DRP Secretary General resigns

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Secretary General Abdul Rasheed Nafiz has today resigned from his post, reports Haveeru.

Haveeru reported DRP’s media coordinator as saying that Nafiz had resigned because there were “some obstacles” in conducting his work.

Nafiz would remain in the party and continue to contribute to the party, the DRP said.

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UK officials conclude Chevening scholarship interviews

British officials from the UK High Commission in Colombo have concluded a visit to Malé to interview applicants for the Chevening scholarship programme.

Second Secretary Political and Public Diplomacy Dominic Williams, British Council Director Tony Reilly and Maldives Political Officer Shahla Ali visited to interview applicants.

“It is always a pleasure to meet the bright and enthusiastic students who apply to the Chevening scheme,” Williams said.

“This year the quality of the applicants was once again very high. Their energy and drive in many ways captures and reflects the optimism and ambition inspired by the Maldivian transition to democracy. I am sure that all the applicants will go on to make a significant contribution to their country.”

He said that the British government had substantially increased its funding to support the Maldives’ transition to democracy.

“During the visit, we were able to discuss ideas with a range of partners on how best to use this money to help consolidate the Maldivian success story,” Williams said.

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Four arrested for suspected involvement in illegal prostitution

Police have arrested two females and a male for alleged involvement in illegal prostitution inside a beauty salon in Addu City.

A police spokesperson confirmed that the three were arrested last night and that two females were from Thailand and the man was a Maldivian.

‘’They were arrested last night around 9:30pm during a special operation conducted following a report,’’ a police spokesperson said, confirming the arrests were made on Gan.

He declined to provide further information.

Local media reported that the owner of the beauty salon has also been arrested.

Addu Councilors Hussain Hilmee and Hussain Fahmy both said they did not have any additional information regarding the incident.

However, local media SunFM – which recently investigated illegal prostitution in the Maldives – reported that the three were arrested inside a salon in Addu while they were engaged in sexual activity.

The news outlet also reported that a 17 year-old girl was working as a receptionist at the salon.

Recently, the Maldives Media Council (MMC) called on the editors of Sun Online and Sun magazine to issue a public apology following the publication of a series of stories in which journalists wrote detailed and lurid accounts of their visit to an illegal brothel.

The Sun’s investigation of illegal prostitution in the Maldives revealed that ‘massage’ and medical treatment centers were being used a front for Male’s sex industry.

The Sun journalists who patronised the salons had ‘massages’ and reported that illegal prostitution was conducted widely and freely inside such places.

Some salons offered them group sex, while most provided a list of available girls with ‘special features’ for different prices.

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Tea shop closed by MFDA after live goat found in toilet

The Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has shut down a number of well-known Male’ restaurants and tea shops for hygiene breaches.

One famous tea shop on Majeedhee Magu, ‘Faseyha Point’, was closed after inspectors found a live goat tied up inside the teashop’s toilet.

MFDA said the tea shop’s hygiene condition was very poor.

Well known restaurants West Park and Raaveriya in Maafannu have also been closed in the MFDA’s hygiene crackdown, after both failed to meet the authority’s standards.

Media Coordinator of MFDA Jameela Mohamed told Minivan News that the authority shut down West Park because cats were roaming around in the service area.

‘’The restaurant’s kitchen door is always open and cats will enter the kitchen,’’ she said.

Jameela said the Raaveriya restaurant had house flies in the kitchen and lizards in their storeroom.

‘’So far we have checked 82 places and eight have been shutdown,’’ Jameela said.

Both Raaveriya Restaurant and West Park are often used as caters for celebrating wedding parties, birthdays and other such events.

Manager of West Park, Abdulla Gadhir, told newspaper Haveeru that cats do not enter the kitchen area of the restaurant.

He told the paper that there were two cats that lived in the fishing area right next to the restaurant.

Manager of Raaveriya, Ahmed Shareef told the paper that the restaurant sprayed insecticide weekly to terminate houseflies and other insects.

Director General of MFDA Shareefa Adam recently told Minivan News that any premises that were shut down could reapply to open again once they had corrected issues raised with their business.

Shareefa said the MFDA were using “basic” minimum hygiene standards such as cleanliness and preventing foreign materials from getting into food when inspecting the food outlets.

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Maldives to face India ahead of football Challenge Cup

The Maldives national football team is expected to face India for a friendly match in July ahead of next year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup finals.

The match, expected to be played during the next few weeks at an unspecified location, will form part of India’s own preparation for upcoming qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup tournament, according to sports news website, Goal.com.

Back in March, the Maldives’ national stadium in Male’ hosted every single Group C qualifying match for the 2012 Challenge Cup, with the home team coming out on top to qualify for the finals alongside second place Tajikistan.

Following its qualification for the 2012 Challenge Cup, the Maldives is also expected to find out next week if it has been chosen as the tournament’s host nation. The tournament is contested two years every two years among a number of second tier national football teams represented by the AFC and has been held in 2010, 2008 and 2006 in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh respectively.

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