Day: December 14, 2011

Blogger arrested as police investigate both protests

Controversial blogger Ismail ‘Hilath’ Rasheed was arrested this evening for his involvement in last Saturday’s ‘silent protest’ for religious tolerance, which turned ended in violent after several individuals attacked the group with stones. Hilath was taken to the hospital with head injuries.

According to the Sub Inspector Ahmed Shiyam, Hilath was arrested under a Criminal Court order issued today.

Rasheed’s arrest follows the blocking of his blog by the Communications Authority of the Maldives (CAM) on the order of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. The Ministry made the request on the grounds that the site contained anti-Islamic material.

Police are currently interrogating some of the approximately 30 individuals who gathered at Artificial Beach on Saturday. Calls for an investigation of the protest were made by religious conservative Adhaalath party, NGO Jamiyyathu Salaf, and ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik.

While pursuing its investigation of the protest for religious tolerance, police have also summoned the developer of the website 23December.com, which this week published slogans calling for the murder of anti-Islamic activists in what organisers later described as a “technical mistake”.

Developer Ali Ahsan told Haveeru that police wanted to understand who was responsible for the website’s conception, development and published material.

“The police also questioned whether those inappropriate phrases or those slogans [calling for the killing of people] were present when the information was published on the website,” he said.

Ahsan, who also edits online publication DhiIslam, said police had confiscated the hard drive used for the development of 23December.com, Haveeru reports.

The investigation into the aggressive error began yesterday, when police questioned Adhaalath Party President Sheikh Imran Abdulla and Civil Coalition official Abdulla Mohamed over the death threats.

Sheikh Imran and Mohamed did not speak directly to the press, however their lawyer, former State Minister of Islamic Ministry Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, confirmed that police asked them about the slogans published on the website.

Shaheem said that slogans calling for murder were not on the website when it was launched, adding that the “content were manipulated by some people spying on the website”.

Abdullah, who is the lead organiser of the the protest, also told Minivan News on Tuesday that the team had not seen the slogans calling for murder until the day after the launch. ”We corrected the mistake as soon as it was brought to our notice,” Abdullah said.

He said the slogans were earlier attributed as a “mistake on technical team’s side” after they identified some loop holes in the website security, adding that their “suspicions were confirmed” when the website was hacked on Tuesday morning.

President’s Office Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair today issued a statement blaming organisers of the 23 December demonstration for disrupting public order to achieve “hidden agendas”.

He said he not believe that removing the violent slogans from the promotional website was sufficient proof of non-violent intentions.

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Moosa calls for investigation of protesters who called for religious tolerance

MDP MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik has called for an investigation of the “silent protest” for religious tolerance, held last weekend at the Artificial Beach.

The religious Adhaalath Party and NGO Jamiyyathu Salaf have also asked the police to investigate the participants.

The group, who dubbed themselves ‘Silent Solidarity’, issued a press release following the event stating that the cause of the gathering was “to make the Maldives and the international community aware of the rising religious intolerance in the Maldives, and to condemn the constitutionally-endorsed suppression of religious freedom. It is also intended to denounce the increasing use being made of Islam as a tool of political power.”

The actual protest, held on International Human Rights Day, turned into a bloody affair when controversial blogger Ismail ‘Hilath’ Rasheed was struck on the head with a stone. The other 15-30 protestors were also attacked.

Moosa has said that the protests should be treated in the same way that slogans calling for the murder of non-Muslims, published “by accident” yesterday on the Maldivian website 23December.com, are being investigated by police.

The website is currently organising a protest to “defend Islam” on December 23. The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) recently announced its intention to hold a counter-rally on the same date.

According to Haveeru, Moosa said the rising number of religious activities are the “first in a series of events conspired to create chaos in the Maldives”. He insisted that the protest threatens national security, and admitted that MDP’s decision to protest against the religious rally would create further problems.

Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair today said that those organising the public demonstrations to protect Islam had a “hidden agenda”, and had “increased the scale of danger to public order”.

According to a statement published on the President’s Office website, Zuhair claimed religious scholars Sheikh Adam Shameem bin Ibrahim and President of Adhaalath Party Sheikh Imran Abdullah had publicly associated their names and images with the 23December.com website. He believed that their reputations as respectable scholars were at risk over the affair.

Although the violent slogans were removed and said to be the result of hacker activity – at one staged blamed on intelligence officials – Zuhair called the removal “meaningless, because newspapers and internet websites are usually published as daily editions.”

The publishers have not refuted their violent objectives by simply removing the slogans published on their inaugural edition, he added.

Head of the National Security Committee and Thodoo MP Ali Waheed noted that the cases were of national interest and would be put on the agenda soon.

Moosa further claimed that the religious agitation was a reaction to the country’s successful tourism industry. “The Maldives’ tourism industry’s growth has attracted the foreign eye”, and foreigners are joining hands with locals to create national instability, he claimed.

Secretary General of Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) ‘Sim’ Mohamed Ibrahim said the recent political and religious activity has not affected foreign investment or tourism.

“By and large, the Maldives is peaceful and a good place to invest,” he said.

He said MATI is not taking a stand on the issue.

“All people have the right to express themselves according to their constitutional rights. All we are saying is that you have to present a balanced picture of what’s going on. There is enough written about the Maldives for people to decide for themselves” if and how to invest, he said.

Foreign travelers and investors are not concerned about the politics on Male’ and other islands, Sim explained.

“The question for them is, how safe are their investments and how safe are they on resorts,” which Sim said “exist by themselves.” He added that an investor’s chief concern is whether the Maldives’ legal system enables or protects his/her business.

“The Maldives’ system still makes it very difficult for foreigners who want to invest,” Sim observed. Under the current system, investors wade through “layers and layers of bureaucracy” involving multiple ministries and councils.

“You would assume that foreign investment could be handled by the Ministry of Economic Development, or that a Foreign Investment Services bureau would allow someone to do everything in one go,” Sim suggested. “But often, people are referred to a website for information. Now, it takes time for paperwork to be processed, and too many people are needed to make a decision. It’s very discouraging to an investor,” he said.

Formerly, foreign investment was handled under Invest Maldives. Since the company drifted into an inoperative stasis following the successful GMR bid, Sim said no other government group has actively promoted foreign investment in the Maldives.

“MMPRC [Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation] is in charge but it is hard to see them carrying the Maldives’ banner and selling the various products Maldives offers,” he claimed.

“Environment is the main selling point for the Maldives, and you don’t need to do much to sell that. But someone needs to build confidence and value among investors.”

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Assistant registrar files complaint against Supreme Court

The former Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court, Fathimath Latheef, has filed a case against the court in the Employment Tribunal accusing the court of unlawful dismissal.

According to her lawyer Mohamed Fareed, Fathimath was performing the tasks of a full Registrar prior to her dismissal on September 15.

Fareed claimed that the court did not give her termination notice prior to her dismissal and paid no compensation, accusing the highest branch of the judiciary of breaching the Employment Act.

He also alleged that the court decided to sack Fathimath following a complaint she filed with the Department of Judicial Administration, concerning the sudden transfer of her duties to a newly-appointed Secretary General – an individual who Fareed claimed was the wife of a Criminal Court Judge and member of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC).

“Because of the transfer, Fathimath no longer had the right to perform the duties of a Registrar, which was legally entitled to her under court regulations. She wrote to the judges at the Supreme Court regarding the issue, however the matter was not resolved,” Fareed said.

He also accused the Supreme Court of abusing its authority in appointing the Secretary General to the court, adding that the case had already been forwarded to the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).

Deputy President of the ACC, Muaviz Rasheed, confirmed the case is now under investigation.

Minivan News is currently seeking a comment from the Supreme Court but the office was not responding at time of press.

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Man dies of injuries following apparent suicide attempt

A 34 year-old man has died while being treated for injuries suffered in an apparent attempt to hang himself on Wednesday.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said that the man was found injured inside the apartment he lived in Male’. He had the pulse when he was taken to the hospital, Shiyam said, “However died during the treatment.”

He said the case is currently under investigation.

Local media outlet Sun identified the man as Junaid Jaufar of Maajehige on Gadhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll.

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Government to monitor corruption allegations, file defamation suits

Cabinet has instructed the Attorney General’s Office to monitor allegations of corruption made against the government, and file defamation lawsuits where such allegations are proven unfounded.

Defamation was decriminalised in the Maldives in 2009, and now carries a maximum penalty of Rf 5000 (US$325). That same year the Maldives jumped 53 places in Reporters Without Borders’ press freedom index and was upgraded by Freedom House from ‘not free’ to ‘partially free’.

Cabinet’s move comes on the back of growing concern that some such allegations are being made for political purposes, and that fear of their share prices being damaged by the Maldives’ byzantine local political agendas may be a factor discouraging potential foreign investors.

Minister for Economic Development Mahmoud Razee told Minivan News that Cabinet’s intention was to review allegations of corruption against the government, and refer them to police for investigation where justified.

He said the intention was not to take on the duties of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), as “in many cases these are allegations that never reach the ACC.”

The primary objective was to show that the government was taking corruption allegations seriously in the wake of Transparency’s 2011 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), Razee said.

The Maldives rose slightly to rank 134 this year, scoring 2.5 on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (very clean), placing it alongside Lebanon, Pakistan and Sierra Leone.
Transparency Maldives’ Project Director Aiman Rasheed observed at the time that there was a “systemic failure to address corruption” in the country.

“Corruption in the Maldives is grand corruption, unlike neighbouring countries where much of it is petty corruption,” Rasheed said. “In the Maldives there is corruption across the judiciary, parliament and members of the executive, all of it interlinked, and a systemic failure of the systems in place to address this. That why we score so low.”

Razee acknowledged the need for the government to address the corruption index, but emphasised that it did not reflect the actual level of corruption but only its perception – “reflected in our transparency, the availability of information, and right to information.”

Monitoring accusations and investigating or filing defamation cases where justified should show that the government was taking the problem seriously, he suggested, “and show we stick to our principles.”

Allegations of corruption and fractious local politics this year impacted several foreign investors, including mobile security solutions vendor Nexbis and airport developer GMR.

Nexbis shares immediately dropped 6.3 percent on the back of an ACC’s announcement in January that the project was to be suspended after it observed “opportunities for corruption”.

Nexbis issued a statement at the time claiming that speculation over corruption was “politically motivated” in nature and had “wrought irreparable damage to Nexbis’ reputation and brand name.”

“Although we understand that the recent media frenzy and speculation of corruption are politically motivated in nature and not directly related to Nexbis, it has had an indirect impact on our reputation and brand name,” the company said.

The ACC has since forwarded corruption cases against former Immigration Controller Ilyas Hussain Ibrahim and Director General of Finance Ministry, Saamee Ageel to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PG), alleging the pair had abused their authority for undue financial gain in granting the project to Nexbis.

On Thursday last week GMR shares on the Mumbai stock exchange fell 7.57 percent on the back of a Civil Court ruling against the company’s proposed US$25 Airport Development Charge (ADC), included in the concession agreement signed with the government. The suit was filed by the opposition-aligned Dhivehi Quamee Party (DQP).

Razee acknowledged that while political parties were obliged to behave in a professional manner, given the tumultuous political environment “Yes there is a possibility that [corruption allegations] will be used for political purposes.”

Razee noted that investors sometimes struggled to raise finance in Maldives as it was not a weighted country, and faced potential difficulties “if a contract turns sour”, due to the lack of arbitration. Both problems were highlighted in World Bank assessments, he said, but added that the government had a bill pending for a proposed Mercantile Court, staffed by foreign judges with a separate seal and special jurisdiction to solve disputes involving business transactions.

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MVK to protest against GMR following eviction of Alpha MVKB duty free shop

MVK Maldives is organising a protest against airport developer GMR at 8:30pm on Thursday evening in Male’, following the eviction of the company’s duty free shop from Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).

“We are just demonstrating our opinions and dislike of what GMR has done to us and to get public responses,” said MVK CEO Ibrahim Shafeeq.

The protest comes after the High Court upheld an earlier Civil Court ruling that GMR’s termination of its contract with Alpha MVKB Duty-Free was lawful.

The High Court noted that GMR gave notice on March 1 and, as per the agreement, the contract terminated on March 31. As no party could extend the termination notice, the court concluded that MVK had no right to remain at the airport without approval from GMR. Alpha MVKB was originally leased for 10 years under an agreement between MVK and Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), with a one month termination clause, the court noted.

On December 4, GMR officials began dismantling a temporary wall outside the Alpha shop and packing up the shop’s contents. Customs officials intervened to oversee the management of the shop goods, which included alcohol products.

Shafeeq claimed that GMR’s actions were “unprofessional”, and he further demanded an apology from Minivan News claiming that its coverage of GMR’s eviction of Alpha MVKB had damaged his reputation.

“What GMR has done is without my permission and without consultation of Customs. They broke into our premises and were stealing our goods and we don’t know where they are now,” he alleged.

“They ransacked the place, we don’t know what they did with the goods, they are under Customs’ purview. We don’t know where the goods are.”

Asked what he hoped to achieve at tomorrow’s protest, Shafeeq replied “Achieve? To get the public opinion on whether we are right, or they are wrong.”

A petition is currently being circulated to register public support for MVK’s cause. The Alpha shop’s General Manager Ahmed Nazim told Haveeru that 30 such papers have been set up outside the MVK office at the Carnival area.

MVK was reported in Haveeru as having provided financial backing to the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Shafeeq confirmed the relationship, but said that the planned protest had no political connotations.

“This is nothing to do with any political party. It’s just with MVK employees and the people who are with MVK, who like us, and will sign a petition.”

MVK currently employs “close to 500 employees in Addu, Fuvahmulah, and Male’,” Shafeeq said.

“We are the major supplier for the Maldives hotel industry,” he claimed, adding that the company did not have plans to open another shop.

Pick up trucks with loudspeakers circled Male’ today calling on aiport employees and their families to join the protest.

GMR said the protest would not impact airport operations.

“We are continuing with business as usual, we have an airport to run and cannot stop our operations for this protest,” a spokesperson said.

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Police arrest four men for attempted sexual assault of 15 year-old girl

Police have arrested four men on accusations of attempting to sexually assault a 15 year-old girl on Nolhivaramfaru in Haa Dhaalu Atoll.

According to Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam, the girl was attacked by the four men on Sunday night. The girl escaped the attempted assault with no injuries, he said.

Local news outlet Sun reported that the girl was attacked while “out on a date with her boyfriend” around midnight. The pair tried to escape but the girl was caught by the group and threatened with a knife to perform sexual acts.

The girl reportedly escaped from the clutches of her attackers while they were taking her to an isolated location in the island’s jungle.

This year has seen increasing reports of sexual assaults on women and children, including gang rapes.

In October, police arrested two men and a minor on suspicion of raping an Indian nurse working in the island of Gulhi in Kaafu Atoll.

In another attack in September, group of five men including the chairman of an anti-drug NGO allegedly drugged and raped a 15 year old girl on the island of Guraidhoo in Kaafu Atoll.

In August police also arrested five men on the island of Innamaadhoo in Raa Atoll for allegedly raping a 16 year-old girl

A another group of five were arrested on suspicion of gang raping an 18 year-old girl on Maabaidhoo in Laamu Atoll.

The Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) and the Department of Gender and Family Protection Services had earlier strongly condemned the recent “atrocities” of sexual violence against minors, women and persons with special needs.

In an earlier press release , HRCM noted that the prevalence of sexual violence against the most vulnerable members of society, such as the elderly, under-age children and the disabled has “reached worrying levels.”

“We call on the government, state institutions, political parties, civil society organisations and all citizens to work together with renewed courage to stop such inhumane actions, save the community and establish a secure environment,” reads the HRCM statement.

According to Sub-Inspector Shiyam, police investigations have revealed a similar trend in most of the sexual assault cases.

Shiyam said that the girls are were attacked after being “lured by their boyfriends or friends to an isolated location at late hours”. In some cases girls were “lucky enough” to escape from the perpetrators, although in a few cases they were gang raped, he added.

He urged parents to be “more responsible with their children” adding that it is not advisable to let girls hang around outside with their boyfriends at late hours.

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Parliament endorses Fathimath Filza as Consul General

Parliament unanimously endorsed Fathimath Filza’s nomination for parliamentary Consul General during yesterday’s sitting. Filza will replace Dr Abdulla Didi, who was appointed Supreme Court judge in August 2010.

Seventy MPs participated in the vote and two abstained.

Following the favorable vote for Filza, Parliament did not vote on the other two nominees, Anaara Naeem and Ummu Kulsoom Abu Bakr.

As Consul General, Filza will represent and advise Parliament on legal matters. According to Haveeru, her monthly salary will be Rf32,000 (US$2,000) along with a phone bill of Rf1,000 (US$65).

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Defense Minister’s car smashed

Maldives Defense Minister Tholhath Ibrahim’s personal car was attacked while parked outside his home on Tuesday night.

The rear window of the car was smashed in the attack.

Police Sub- Inspector Ahmed Shiyam told Minivan News on Wednesday that the case is now under investigation.

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