Month: June 2011

Online database of Maldivian personal details reportedly shutdown

A database pertaining to detail personal information about all Maldivians over 17 years of age has been shutdown hours after going online today, local media has reported.

According to Haveeru, the website that published the information, which has since been taken down, allowed a user to find the birthdates and address of a citizen simply by entering their name into an online database.

The report claims that the Department of National Registration had rejected the possibility of the details having been leaked through its office. The department added that it had been investigating the website following complaints about the data being published.

Police were unavailable for comment on the matter when contacted by Minivan News at the time of press.

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MDP files no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker of the Parliament

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs have filed a no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker of Parliament and People’s Alliance (PA) MP, Ahmed Nazim.

MDP Parliamentary Group’s Spokesperson MP Mohamed Shifaz confirmed that MDP had filed the motion today.

‘’We have finished all the documentation work and today we handed it to the parliament,’’ said Shifaz.

Shifaz said the party there were many issues with Deputy Speaker Nazim.

‘’First of all, he has many legal cases filed against him in the courts, and there are many issues regarding his integrity,’’ Shifaz said. ‘’Most of the MPs believe that he has to be dismissed. If that happens, it will benefit the work the government is doing to ensure the independence of the judiciary.’’

Shifaz accused Nazim of deliberately delaying work sent to the parliamentary committees in which he has influence.

In retaliation, the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) filed no-confidence motions against Home Minister Hassan Afeed and Finance Minister Ahmed Inaz.

Shifaz claimed that although the opposition filed no-confidence motions against the cabinet ministers, they would not be able to get the numbers required to dismiss them.

”They are dreaming if they think they can dismiss any of the ministers,” he claims..

DRP MP Ahmed Mahlouf meanwhile said that if parliamentarians continued working like this, the parliament would prove dysfunctional.

‘’We can’t work like this. One day MDP will file a no-confidence motion against the Speaker, the next day the opposition will file a no-confidence motion against a cabinet minister and if it continues like this, parliament’s responsibilities will be left undone,’’ said Mahlouf. ‘’I have decided to speak with the political parties myself to let them know that it is not right.’’

Mahlouf acknowledged that during the recent protests over the economy, some MPs including Mahlouf himself had signed a no-confidence motion against Finance Minister Inaz.

Nazim did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

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Letter on waiters doing cleaning jobs

Dear Director General of the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA),

I appreciate the good work that you are doing, especially the newly started inspection of the country’s food catering services, like hotels, restaurants or cafés.

So, let me bring to your notice something which I believe important looking at today’s situation. The unskilled laborers who are actively working at our food catering outlets in Male’ City are doing the floor and toilet cleaning jobs and as well as the waiter’s job. And also it’s these laborers who are doing the table clearing or cleaning jobs using an awful looking damp and dirty piece of cloth (which actually is a white color piece of cloth but one would look at the cloth and say it’s a black color piece of cloth). Here my worry is that the same laborers who do the waiters’ job are doing the cleaning jobs like toilets, floor and clearing the tables.

I have noticed that a Food & Drug Authority of a country like ours does not allow those who do the cleaning or clearing work to also do the waiter’s job or serve food to customers. I believe it’s only for the sake of the people’s health.

So, I think now it’s time for us to think about such issues as we all know those who are at these areas are very unskilled laborers who know little about food handling. We also notice them digging nose and spitting here and there while doing waiters’ jobs. Here I am not talking about the costly restaurants but the normal places where the majority of people are going for their meals.

Yours truly,

Mohamed Saeed

All letters are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write a letter, please submit it to [email protected]

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Australia to allow online tourist visas for Maldivians

The Australian government will allow Maldivian nationals to apply for tourist visas online from July 1.

In a statement, the Australian High Commission in Colombo said the new system would not require Maldivians to have a visa label placed in their passport.

“A notification is sent to the client providing details of the visa and airlines are able to confirm the visa entitlements through the Advanced Passenger Processing System,” the High Commission said.

“Clients can also, if they wish, print a copy of their visa approval notification email to carry with them whilst traveling to Australia.”

For more information and to access the lodgement gateway, go to www.immi.gov.au/e_visa/e676.htm

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Cabinet to reduce duration of criminal records to boost youth employment

The cabinet has discussed the possibility of decreasing the duration of criminal records to encourage greater youth participation in the workforce, after noting that many skilled youth job applications were being dismissed because of criminal records for minor offences.

The matter was presented by Youth Minister Dr Hassan Latheef on June 7 and the cabinet formed a sub-committee to study the issue.

‘’’The Cabinet members noted that youth accounted for over 43 percent of the population, and in the current job market criminal records were a barrier to job-seeking for many young people.’’

The President’s Office said that cabinet ministers had agreed that the existing system, which requires five year-criminal records, barred many educated and skilled youth with minor offences from gainful employment.

‘’Members agreed that lowering the current standards of establishing good character would increase the number of skilled job seekers,’’ President’s Office said.

The government will announce a procedure for conducting background checks of job seekers for criminal records, said the President’s Office.

Press Secretary for the President, Mohamed Zuhair, said the objective of decreasing the duration of criminal records was mainly to help recovered drug addicts who often have difficulties in finding a job due to their record.

‘’The government is currently discussing with all the concerned authorities such as Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services (DPRS), Parole board, Clemency board and so on,’’ said Zuhair. ‘’When the amendment to the procedure is brought I think the duration of criminal records may be reduced to perhaps three years.”

Currently those arrested on suspicion of violating a law also have a criminal record filed in their police report.

‘’Incrimination is something that this government condemns. We are currently working to solve this issue,’’ Zuhair added.

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DQP threatens government with legal action over fishermen’s subsidies

The Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) has said claimed that Rf100 million (US$6.42 million) included in the government’s budget for the year 2011 for diesel subsidies for fishermen has not been given.

‘’It is a great concern for the fishermen and their families that they don’t have a penny left to take home after working the whole day,’’ said DQP in a statement yesterday.

The party accused the government of failing to develop the fisheries industry for the last two years.=

‘’We call on the government to give out these subsidies immediately,’’ said the DQP, threatening to file a suit for fishermen’s rights if the government failed to deliver the subsidies in 21 days.

Mohamed Zuhair, Press Secretary for the President, told Minivan News that the DQP was not working for the rights of fishermen.

‘’They are politicising the issue for political gain,’’ Zuhair said. ‘’The government has been working on delivering the subsidies program for fishermen and I think it will commence very soon.’’

He said that the government had been trying to establish criteria for the program and would launch it soon.

‘’It is not as easy as just going up to the boat captain and handing over the money. It has to administered,’’ he added.

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Tourism Ministry threatens to revoke resort licenses over payments

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture is threatening to suspend the operating licenses of a number of resort and hospitality properties unless they pay outstanding government charges and related fines before July 20, Haveeru has reported.

The Nasandhura Palace Hotel and 10 resort properties in the country reportedly owe a combined total of US$16million to the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA), with failure to pay these individual debts expected to lead to a revocation of operating licenses under the Lease Rent Regulation.

Any enterprises that fail to pay these state charges before the 90 day deadline passes on July 20 will be able to have their licenses reinstated once any outstanding government debts are met, according to tourism officials cited by the paper.

Galaxy Enterprises, which rents the Nasandhura Palace Hotel, is facing legal action by the MIRA, who filed a case at the Civil Court this week over claims it is owed some US$265,000 by the company.

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Maldives to see lunar eclipse tonight

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has said that tonight the Maldives will see a lunar eclipse.

The lunar eclipse will be seen from  23:23pm to 3:30am.

The Islamic Ministry said that in all the inhabited islands eclipse prayer will be conducted and in Male’ the prayer will be conducted at the Islamic Centre.

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Faseyha Point reopens after live goat found in toilet

Famous teashop ‘Faseyha point’ that was closed by the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has reopened.

The teashop was closed after MFDA officials found a live goat inside the toilet of the teashop.

The MFDA has so far inspected more than 100 teashops and restaurants in Male’ during a special operation to improve restaurant hygiene.

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