Category: News in Brief

MCSA calls off strike, to submit a petition instead

Maldives Civil Servants’ Association (MCSA) has called off the nationwide civil servants’ strike planned for April 20, deciding instead to submit a petition with its concerns, Vnews has reported today.

Quoting MCSA President, the report said the decision was made to prevent any difficulties it may cause to the public after consulting with senior members of the association and relevant government offices.

The petition which is being signed through social media website Facebook, is reported to have already received the signatures of fifty percent government employees.

It is expected to be submitted to the relevant offices on April 20 – the date previously set for the strike.

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Pakistan donates 47 computer systems to police service

The Government of Pakistan has donated 47 computer systems to the Maldives Police Service (MPS).

Home Minister Umar Naseer accepted the gift from Pakistan High Commissioner Mohamed Saeed Khan during a special function held yesterday.

Naseer expressed his gratitude for the gift, noting that it would be sure to improve the police’s service.

Speaking at the 81st anniversary celebrations of the MPS last month, Police Commissioner Hussain Waheed noted that the service faced a severe lack of resources, stating that basic equipment such as computers was lacking on many islands.

Earlier this month it was announced that 20 MPS officers would travel to Beijing in order to take part in a seminar with their Chinese counterparts.

Waheed expressed hope that the seminar would bring the standards of the Maldivian participants up to those of Chinese officers.

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City council pass resolution opposing development of a resort on Kuda Bandos

Malé City Council has today passed a resolution against a decision made by the government to develop Kuda Bandos as a resort and to request that the government leave it is as a picnic island.

Today after passing the resolution Malé City Council Mayor Mohamed Shihab held a meeting with the press and said that it was very important that Kuda Bandos was left as it is as a picnic island for locals as there was no other picnic island near the capital.

Despite long term plans to distribute resorts across the atolls, the majority of tourist resorts remain concentrated in the central atolls – in close proximity to the one third of Maldivians who reside in the crowded capital.

Shihab said that the council believes that Kuda Bandos should be left as an island where people living in Malé could go on picnics.

He noted that everyone living in Malé cannot afford to go to tourist resort during their holidays and that there were many uninhabited islands in different parts of the country where tourist resorts could be developed.

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Lawyer of Shifan murder suspect says witness statements contradictory

The lawyer of Abdulla Thimeez – charged with the murder of Ali Shifan – has argued in court that the witness statements given to the Criminal Court were inconsistent with on another.

According to local media present at the High Court today, Thilmeez’s lawyer Shaheem Ahmed said that two witnesses reported seeing Thlimeez near West Park restaurant, where Shifan was murdered, while the others have said they did not see Thilmeez at the murder scene.

Lawyer Shaheem said that, as the witnesses were inconsistent, some must have been lying, also noting that murder cases can be proven only if there is enough evidence to rule a person guilty without doubt.

Shifan was attacked around on April 1, 2012, outside the West Park restaurant on Boduthakurufaanu Magu – the outer ring road of Male’.

He was stabbed multiple times in the back and arms by a group of men on motorbikes as he stepped out of the restaurant to meet a friend, police reported.

In March, 2013, the Criminal Court ruled that all six suspects arrested in connection with the stabbing murder of Ali Shifan are innocent and ordered their release.

The judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict, reported local media, despite the DNA of the victim being found under the fingernail of one of the suspects.

Although the state had produced five witnesses to the court, their statements to police were contradictory said the judge at the time.

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119 cases of Hand, foot, and mouth disease reported since January

A total 119 cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease has been reported across the country since January this year, the Health Protection Agency has said today.

According to the HPA, cases have been reported in the Malé area as well as Gaafu Dhaalu, Gaafu Alif, Baa, Haa Alif, and Haa Dhaalu atolls

An official from the HPA said that the disease has been seen more frequently in the Malé area lately in comparison with January, at which time it was concentrated more in the atolls.

The official also said exact figures on cases reported in Malé were unavailable due to some difficulties in acquiring the information from Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

In a statement alerting the public to the situation, which requested greater caution, the agency said children between 1 – 5 years are most vulnerable to this disease, warning that is is likely to spread among students in preschool and primary grades 1- 2.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease – while not always serious – is contagious. According to the HPA, it can easily spread through close contact by means of saliva, nasal mucus, feces, and blister fluid.

Early signs of the disease include fever, reduced appetite, feeling tired, body aches, and sores in the mouth.

The HPA has requested all members of the public to take the following precautionary matters to control the disease:

  • Do not send children infected children to school
  • Keep infected children separate from others and do not taking them to public gatherings
  • Thoroughly clean objects such as plates, towels, and toys used by children with the disease before allowing other children to use them
  • Pay extra attention to hygiene of children and their surroundings, particularly toilets
  • Wash hands with soap before eating and after changing diapers, cleaning or going to toilet
  • If the disease is discovered at a school, suspend all activities involving the use of sand
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Police clear roads to address parking problems

The Traffic Police Department of the Maldives Police Service has carried out a special operation in Malé to address the difficulties in parking.

The operation, which was carried out on April 10, involved clearing the roads and parking areas of unwanted items such pallets and litter.

This operation cleared over 100 unwanted pallets from the streets, and was part of a wider initiative by the police to address parking difficulties.

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Immigration Department to temporarily suspend services

The Department of Immigration and Emigration announced today (April 15) that it will be suspending its services from the visa section and permit unit for two days.

The interruption is due to a transfer from Gaazee Building to Huravee Building, the department said today. Services from the visa section and permit unit will not be available on 16 and 17 April.

Starting Sunday, the Department of Immigration and Emigration’s visa section and permit unit services will be available at the Foreign Employment Services Division on 3rd floor, Huravee Building, reported local media Sun Online.

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MNDF to acquire two robots to retrieve bodies from under the sea

Minister of Defense Mohamed Nazim today told local media that the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) is seeking to acquire two robot specialised in retrieving bodies of divers from the sea.

Nazim the first one is a “rover” robot of approximately US$12,000 with the capability to cut the weight belts, allowing the divers’ body to float. The second robot is one capable of bringing up a body that has sunk to the bottom of the sea.

He said that as a country surrounded by the sea, it is important to have a search and rescue capacity of retrieving bodies from under the sea.

Nazim said the idea was conceived recently while MNDF was trying to retrieve the body of Mohamed Jameel found 100 meters deep, off the coast of Kaafu Villingili island in February.

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UAE group to launch first resort in Maldives

The United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Dutco Group of Companies reported on Sunday that it had acquired a high-end resort in the Maldives.

The new resort – which will be the group’s first outside of Dubai – will be relaunched later in the year as JA Manafaru, reported gulfnews.com.

Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb was reported to have expressed his hope that Dutco’s investment will be the first of many from the UAE.

“The investment does not just end with the purchase of the Resort as JA Resorts & Hotels have also earmarked several million dollars to making several upgrades and soft refurbishments to the resort to ensure it is able to compete with the very best that the Maldives has to offer when it is relaunched later in the year as JA Manafaru,” the company told gulfnews.

Tareq Baker, the chief executive of the Dutco Group of Companies told the site that the investment in the Maldives is “a part of the company’s larger expansion plan of high-end properties both within the UAE and in other markets outside of the Middle East.”

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