Day: August 7, 2011

Couple who died in Kuredu crash had been married for just seven days

The young couple who died following a quad bike accident at Kuredu Island Resort early on Saturday morning have been identified in the UK press as Emma and Jonathan Gray.

The two British honeymooners, who were aged in their mid-twenties and had a six-month old child, had only been married for seven days when the quad bike they were riding on as passengers crashed into a tree, reported the Daily Mail, among others.

The driver, a foreign national who has not yet been formally identified by police, was injured in the accident and is reportedly being treated in ADK Hospital in Male’. Minivan News understands that the driver was not a staff member at the resort.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that the vehicle involved in the incident – initially reported in the local media to be a golf buggy of the kind commonly used in the Maldives to transport guests and their luggage – was a quad bike.

The vehicle collided with a tree and police were informed by resort management at 4:15am that two guests had been found with injuries.

Local newspaper Haveeru reported that Jonathan Gray died at the scene of the incident while Emma Gray died before she could be taken to hospital for treatment.

“Police are investigating how this incident occurred. We are confident at this point that it was an accident,” Shiyam told Minivan News.

Minivan News understands that the UK High Commission is assisting with the investigation.

The resort has meanwhile told media that it is unable to make a statement while the incident is being investigated by police.

Another British national, 42-year old Sharon Duval, died on Kuredu in October 2010, also while honeymooning with her husband, after her body was found on the beach by another guest.

An Oxfordshire inquest into Duval’s death ruled out “any third party involvement” while a portmortem conducted in the UK found that her blood alcohol level was three and a half times the legal UK driving limit, and gave the cause of death as accidental drowning with a contribution of alcohol intoxication.

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Criminal Court finds Nazaha guilty of murder

The Criminal Court today sentenced Mariyam Nazaha, 22, of Henveriu Bainkendige, charged with murdering her ex-husband, to life imprisonment and ordered her to fast for two months.

According to the Criminal Court, Nazaha admitted that she attacked her ex-husband, Hassan Shahid, with a knife on June 22, 2010 at around 3:00pm.

The medico-legal report stated that Shahid had died that at 4:15pm on the same day from injuries caused by the stabbing, said the Criminal Court.

Air and blood gathered in the left side of Shahid’s back resulted in his death, the report stated.

Delivering the verdict, Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed ordered Nazaha to fast for two months for repentance and to remain in prison for 25 years.

Nazaha was not sentenced to death because out of all the heirs of Shahid only one wished to avenge his death with hers; under Islamic shariah all heirs must request the death penalty for the court to sentence the accused to execution.

In June last year, a witness told Minivan News that he saw the victim run out of Baikendi in the Henveiru district of Male’ and enter a nearby shop and ask the shopkeeper to call the police as he had been stabbed.

“At first people in the shop thought he was joking, but then he took his hands from the wound and showed them the blood,” said the source. “He was stabbed once in the lower back.”

He said Nazaha’s ex-husband often visited Nazaha’s house to see their child but was never allowed inside, adding that the incident may have been the result of a court ruling that time regarding the child’s guardianship.

At the trial, Nazaha’s lawyer argued that she exhibited “battered woman syndrome” and should therefore be acquitted.

Prior to murdering her ex-husband, Nazaha had allegedly filed several reports of harassment and violence by Shahid with the Maldives Police Service, and with the Gender Department at the Ministry of Health and Family.

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MP Musthafa to submit resolution against maritime agreement with Sri Lanka

MP Mohamed Musthafa of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has demanded the government withdraw a maritime agreement with the Sri Lankan government – an agreement to allow Sri Lankan vessels passage through Maldivian waters to to the Arabian sea – or face a binding resolution from parliament that will force the government to invalidate the agreement.

“The agreement is for opening Maldivian waters for Sri Lankan fisherman to steal our fish in Maldivian [territorial] waters,” Musthafa claimed. “The Sri Lankan government knows that the Maldivian waters are rich in fish and has many fishing points, that is why they have made this agreement.”

Musthafa said that Sri Lankan vessels would not normally have the fuel capacity to reach Arabian waters.

“Their intention is to steal our fish, but I cannot just stand aside and watch while they take away our fish, which is the only source of natural resource we have in abundance,” he said. “It is a right that has to be preserved for future generations.”

In response to reports in the Sri Lankan media that an agreement had been signed, Fisheries Minister Dr Ibrahim Didi told local media today that no such agreement had been signed.

However Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair confirmed to newspaper Haveeru that a maritime agreement had been signed.

“The agreement abides by the International Maritime Law and no side can disregard that. If a vessel intends to make a crossing it has to inform the Sri Lankan Embassy in the Maldives 48 hours earlier to enable a lawful process,” Zuhair said.

Musthafa meanwhile said that he had confirmed the signing of the agreement.

“I cannot tell the media who signed it on behalf of the Maldives, but I can say that the Foreign Minister will be aware of this,” he said, adding that Dr Didi’s remarks were made because he was unaware of the agreement.

“I will see how the government decides to act upon this issue and will submit the resolution if it does not withdraw this agreement,” he said.

Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror reported that the agreement will allow Sri Lankan fishing vessels to cross Maldivian territorial waters en route to the Arabian Sea.

Local news outlet Sun Online meanwhile reported the head of the DRP’s fishermen’s branch Ali Solih condemned the deal as “an insult to Maldivian fisherman” and “a dangerous deal,” since the Maldives did not have the capacity to monitor illegal fishing.

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Naifaru islanders protest council’s alleged invalidation of preaching license

Islanders of Naifaru in Lhaviyani Atoll gathered in front of the island council office to protest today after the island council invalidated all preaching licenses issued by the Islamic Ministry.

An islander told Minivan News that the council announced Thursday that all preaching licenses issued by the Islamic Ministry had been invalidated and scholars who wish to preach or give religious lectures would have to seek permission from the council.

“That is definitely a decision made against Sheikh Ibrahim Rasheed,” he claimed. “We know that because there is this one councilor named Mohamed Ali – who was a former fisherman and who does not have any educational background – holds a personal grudge against the Sheikh, this is his doing.”

He further claimed that the councilor had recently sent a letter to the Islamic Ministry complaining that the Sheikh has been showing young children pornographic pictures containing instructions for performing sexual intercourse.

“Today we gathered near the council office to meet with the councilors and a delegation of us met with them and the councilors have now withdrawn the decision,” he said. “We had 50 islanders gathered near the council, we are all very disappointed because the Sheikhs have said they will not preach unless they gave the permission, Sheikhs said it was obligatory to obey leaders.”

He said that islanders viewed the decision of the council as an attempt to prevent scholars from preaching.

However Naifaru Island Council Chair Ahmed Hussein claimed that the Adhaalath Party’s Naifaru Wing had politicised the issue to attack the council.

“We issued a notice to avoid usage of assets in the mosques, such as mics, speakers without the permission of the council,” Hussain said. “We did not say that all the licenses issued by the Islamic Ministry were invalidated.”

Hussain added that the councilors of the island were always available to the public but the protesters had issued false press releases and distributed flyers through the island to incite hatred against councillors.

“If they had an issue why had they not come to us and discuss it, we are on the same island and we are always available,” he said.

He explained that during the meeting with the delegation from protesters today, the council made it clear that licenses were not invalidated and that the notice was made regarding use of equipment at the mosque without permission.

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Central and southern atolls hit by high swells

South and central atolls in the Maldives have been hit by high swell waves in the past 48 hours, according to the Maldives Meteorological (MET) Service, causing minor flooding in some islands.

A duty forecast officer at the MET department said that islands in Addu, Gaaf Alif, Gaaf Dhaal, Thaa, Laamu and Raa Atolls were affected by the swells but not much damage had been reported.

“It happens every year but we have not noticed a pattern in this year’s incidents so far,” he explained.

The forecast officer added that while some swells might hit central and south atolls today, the waves are expected to subside in coming days.

According to MET, highest tide levels is expected between 4:30pm and 8.30pm today.

The island of Fares-Maathoda in Gaaf Alif Atoll, one of the islands struck by high swells, suffered minor flooding yesterday as waves broke over the island.

An islander told Minivan News that the flooding was exacerbated by the reclamation of a shallow passage linking the two islands of Fares and Maathoda in the 90s to create a small harbour.

The resident of Fares-Maathoda explained that before the reclamation, waves would pass over the narrow passage of sea.

“But now that it is blocked, the waves break in the area and sometimes flood the island,” he said.

In April this year, 5 million Danish Krone (Rf12 million) was donated by the Danish government for climate change adaptation in Fares-Maathoda, including use of the funds to continued flooding resulting from drainage and waste management issues.

Meanwhile in a visit to the National Disaster Management Centre (NMDC) today to inquire after the damages caused by the waves, Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed urged the relevant authorities to immediately report all occurrences of tidal surges and environmental hazards to the NMDC.

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MIRA recovers over Rf125 million owed to state

The Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) has recovered over Rf125 million (US$8.1 million) in outstanding debts owed to the state during its first year of operation.

Speaking at a ceremony last night to celebrate MIRA’s first anniversary, Commissioner General of Taxation Yazeed Mohamed said that recovering the outstanding debts was one of its main achievements in the past year as the institution had “given up hope” of collecting the money.

Yazeed said that MIRA was able to recover Rf125 million from debts that it was prepared to write off due to the “sincere efforts of the enforcement team,” according to local media reports.

MIRA has filed 11 cases at court to recover unpaid rents and fines, said Yazeed, three of which were ongoing while an additional two cases have been settled out of court.

An audit report of the former department of inland revenue released in October 2009 revealed that it had failed to collect over Rf1.1 billion (US$85 million) in unpaid taxes, resort rent and fines.

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New Maldives Constitution turns three

The new constitution currently in force, ratified on August 7, 2008, turns three years old today.

The Special Majlis that formulated the constitution was convened on July 19, 2004 by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom as part of a sweeping agenda for democratic reform, which was unveiled on June 9, 2004 in response to growing demands for civil and political rights.

The old constitution – which did not allow political parties or feature separation of powers, term limits or an independent judiciary – was ratified in 1998 after a drafting process lasting 17 years.

Meanwhile today marks 1000 days in power for President Mohamed Nasheed, who was sworn in on November 11, 2008 following the country’s first multi-party democratic presidential election.

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20 inmates disqualified from release programme

Twenty inmates have been disqualified from the government’s release programme after testing positive for drug use, Home Minister Hassan Afeef told state broadcaster MNBC One today.

Afeef explained that as most inmates in the country’s prisons were incarcerated for drug use, convicts chosen for release were subject to drug tests during their evaluation and interviewing process.

The list of inmates to be released has now been finalised, said Afeef.

On Independence Day, July 26, President Mohamed Nasheed announced that close to 400 convicts would be offered “a second chance” and released under a national rehabilitation programme.

The convicts are to be released on condition that they do not commit any offence in a three-year period along with compulsory participation in rehabilitation or training programmes.

Afeef explained that job placements had been secured for the convicts at government companies, while a mentor will be assigned to each released inmate to supervise their reintegration into society.

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Sri Lankan fishing vessels allowed to cross Maldivian waters

A new agreement between the Maldives and Sri Lanka will allow Sri Lankan fishing vessels to cross Maldivian territorial waters enroute to the Arabian Sea, Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror reported.

The fishermen have been taking a detour to avoid entering Maldivian waters, but the new agreement will allow them through passage with advance notice given to the Sri Lankan diplomatic authorities in the Maldives.

Vessels found poaching in Maldivian waters would be prosecuted, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of External Affairs was reported as stating in the Mirror.

The Maldives has also released seven Sri Lankan trawlers taken into custody on suspection of poaching in Maldivian waters.

Local news outlet Sun Online meanwhile reported the head of the DRP’s fishermen’s branch Ali Solih as saying that the deal was “an insult to Maldivian fisherman” and “a dangerous deal”, as the Maldives did not have the capacity to monitor illegal fishing.

The Mirror also reported that Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Neomal Perera had arranged for the repatriation of a Sri Lankan woman accused of killing her husband, after she attempted suicide while in custody.

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