Category: News in Brief

Indian external affairs minister postpones Maldives visit

The visit External Affair’s Minister Salman Khurshid to the Maldives has been postponed, with Indian media reporting that that the minister’s presence was required in parliament for the passage of the contentious Telangana bill.

The bill, which divides the state of Andhra Pradesh – creating Telangana, the country’s 29th state – was passed yesterday amidst fractious scenes in the Lok Sabha.

Khurshid’s visit to the Maldives was due to begin today (February 19), with the trip said to include that handing over of naval craft and a new tourism training facility to the Maldivian Government. These events have now been delayed.

Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh is reported to have already travelled to the Maldives to participate in tomorrow’s SAARC foreign ministers’ meeting.

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Malé City Council to raise mortuary fees

Malé City Council has today passed a motion preventing the removal of dead bodies from Galolhu mortuary without full payment of the relevant fees, local media has reported.

Explaining that unpaid mortuary fees now MVR500,000, council member Hassan Afeef told Haveeru that fees for mortuary services would be raised in order to raise funds.

While previous costs were MVR1000 per day for everyone, the cost for foreigners will now be MVR1,500 and MVR750 for locals, reported the paper. Fees for foreigners on tourist visas will now be MVR3,084.

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Alhan seeks to invalidate candidacy of MDP Feydhoo ticket winner

MP Alhan Fahmy will seek Civil Court assistance to invalidate the candidacy of Mohamed Nihad – winner of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) primary for the Feydhoo constituency, local media has reported.

“I asked for the primary to be annulled because the list used on polling day and the [eligible] voter list is different, and the focal point at the ballot box in Feydhoo has said the polls are not fair. And none of the candidates have signed the results,” Alhan told Haveeru Daily today.

The incumbent MP contends that the election in the Feydhoo constituency was fraudulent and that any candidate who won the MDP ticket through fraud cannot be a valid one.

Nihad competed against eight candidates, winning 316 votes. Alhan came in second with 154 votes.

Alhan called for a fresh vote in the constituency, claiming the voter list used at polling stations was outdated and did not afford 67 party members the right to vote.

The election committee has confirmed that 67 members were indeed missing from the list at the ballot box, but decided against holding a re-vote, arguing the primary outcome would not change even if the 67 members were allowed to vote.

Alhan was stabbed in public on February 1 and is currently receiving treatment at Colombo’s Central Hospital. He has announced he will contest March’s People’s Majlis election as an independent.

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Government announces new housing program

The government has announced two housing schemes under a new “Gedhoruverikuruvun” housing program, application forms for which will be available from the ministry starting from March 2.

The Social Housing Scheme will provide housing for Male’ city citizens via flats. The second scheme will provide financial assistance through the Islamic Finance Facility for construction of houses in the islands.

After launching the scheme,  the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and the Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) signed an MOU.

Minister of Housing Dr. Mohamed Muiz said construction of 1100 flats under the scheme will begin within two months. He did not give details on how the scheme is to be financed.

Muiz said the government will spend MVR 100 million on the finance scheme for the atolls.

Vice President Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed said many believe that lack of housing is the root cause of all social issues and the pledge to provide housing is ‘one of the most important’ pledges of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s government.

The government’s housing policy is sustainable and will minimize hardships, Jameel said.

Jameel criticized all former housing schemes saying they did not give priority to the poorest families and said that the current government will not discriminate on the basis of political ideology in providing housing.

The  ‘Gedhoruverikurun’ program was part of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) presidential manifesto, while launching the schemes was included in the government’s road-map for the first hundred days in power.

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President and cabinet members on scoresheet at opening of football pitch

A team including cabinet members and President Abdulla Yameen last night beat a team of Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officials in a match held to inaugurate the opening of the Villimalé futsal pitch.

Chief of Defense Force Major General Ahmed Shiyam, and Managing Director of the State Trading Organisation Adam Azim officially handed over the pitch to the Minister of Youth and Sports Mohamed Maleeh Jamaal before the game began.

Local media reported the final score as being 7-6 to the president’s team, with Home Minister Umar Naseer being named man of the match.

Naseer, President Yameen, and Tourism Minister were all on the scoresheet. The attorney general sustained a suspected sprained ankle in the second half, being replaced by the fisheries minister.

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EPA advises Majlis campaigners not to litter

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has advised all political parties from littering the streets as campaigning for March’s Majlis elections continues.

Assistant Director of EPA Ahmed Murthala told Sun Online that several complaints had been received, adding that the EPA could not currently monitor violations due to staff shortages. The EPA is discussing ways to tackle breaches with the police, Sun was told.

The streets of the capital Malé were frequently strewn with campaign material during last year’s presidential election.

Last week, the city council revealed plans to introduce 200 dustbins as part of new regulations on waste management.

The waste management regulation came into force on February 5 and imposes an MVR100 (US$6.5) for littering and a fine between MVR10,000 (US$ 648.5) – MVR100,000 (US$6,485) if any authority in charge of public spaces fails to place public dustbins.

The regulations also mandate boat owners to place dustbins on sea vessels and imposes a fine between MVR100 million (US$6.5 million) and MVR500 million (US$32.4 million) on boats that dump waste into the ocean.

Murthala told Sun, however, that certain parts of the regulations – including the transportation of exposed waste on bicycles – will be postponed for two months.

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Fuvamulah woman sentenced for forcing a child into sexual activity

Fuvamulak Magistrate court has found Saeeda Hassan, 30 to be guilty of forcing a child into sexual activities and sentenced her to 25 years imprisonment, Haveeru has reported.

G.A Villingili Ahmed Nazeer, was earlier this month found guilty of sexually abusing the child involved in this case and another girl repeatedly on several days between May 2012 and February 2013. He was sentenced for 18 years imprisonment.

Saeeda, 39 was found to have encouraged the child to engage in sexual activity with Nazeer on several occasions.

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Maldives – A Return to Religious Conservatism: The Diplomat

“As Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen completed three months in office on February 17, one could not help but notice the Indian Ocean archipelago’s return to religious conservatism and its growing engagement with China,” writes Vishal Arora for the diplomat.

“The Maldives, a string of 1,192 islands, has made several moves to cement the supremacy of Sunni Islam since Yameen was sworn in as president in November 2013.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has set its top priorities for 2014, which include blocking all religions except Islam in the nation, ensuring that all laws and regulations adhere to Islamic principles and developing and strengthening the Islamic Fiqh Academy to issue fatwas.

The ministry has also signed an agreement with the Saudi Arabian Muslim Scholars Association to receive a grant of MVR1.6 million, or $104,166, for the “mutual goal” of developing and improving the study of the Quran and religion.”

Read more

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Supreme Court invalidates Thasmeen’s Majlis membership challenge

The Supreme Court has invalidated a challenge against Ahmed Thasmeen Ali’s People’s Majlis seat.

The ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) council member, Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim (Wadde), asked the Supreme Court to revoke Thasmeen’s seat claiming he had not paid back an MVR1.9 million (US$124,513) loan to Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim as per a Civil Court ruling.

Local newspaper CNM reported that the case was invalidated after the Supreme Court was unable to summon Wadde to court.

Article 73(c) of the constitution states: “A person shall be disqualified from election as, a member of the People’s Majlis, or a member of the People’s Majlis immediately becomes disqualified, if he has a decreed debt which is not being paid as provided in the judgment.”

Wadde said that, although Thasmeen had repaid the loan, he did not pay within the time period delineated in the Civil Court ruling, which required the repayment of MVR320,000 (US$20,779) each month for six consecutive months to clear the debt by April 2012. Thasmeen only settled the debt in July 2012 after the High Court upheld the Civil Court’s ruling.

The Supreme Court in October stripped opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ali Azim and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party MP Mohamed Nashiz of their seats over decreed debt. The pair were guarantors for five credit facilities worth MVR117 million (US$9 million) issued to Funadoo Tuna Products by the Bank of Maldives.

Thasmeen, Nashiz, and Azim are contesting the March People’s Majlis elections on the opposition MDP ticket.

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