Category: News in Brief

Six arrested in connection with assault

Police arrested six men in connection with a violent assault in the artificial beach area of Malé around 2:50pm yesterday (October 3).

The six suspects in custody include two men who sustained injuries in the assault, police said, who were arrested following treatment at the ADK hospital.

Eyewitnesses told local media that the assault occurred when a man wearing a mask and carrying a machete knife entered the Dine-more restaurant.

Shortly thereafter, he was chased out by four men, who followed him into the Shawarma cafe on Majeedheemagu. Equipment and property at the cafe were damaged in the altercation.

Police said the suspects were arrested from the scene of the crime.

While two stabbing incidents occurred last week, a spate of violent assaults in the capital in August – which police said was a series of gang reprisals – saw two young men stabbed to death.

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Government to raise fees for issuing passports

The department of immigration has decided to hike fees for issuing new passports from November onward.

In a statement yesterday, the immigration department said the fee for issuing an ordinary 32-page electronic passport would be raised from MVR450 (US$29) to MVR1,000 (US$65).

While the fee for an ordinary 64-page electronic passport would be raised from MVR650 (US$42) to MVR1,500 (US$97), the fee for a non-electronic passport would be raised from MVR300 (US$19) to MVR600 (US$39).

The fees were hiked in response to a sharp increase in the cost of printing, processing and handling passports, the immigration department said.

The department revealed that more than 1,000 passports are lost and needed to be replaced every year.

The fee for replacing lost or damaged passports has also been raised. The fees were last raised in 2007.

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Man stabbed in Malé

A young man was stabbed in the Maafanu ward of the capital Malé city last night (October 1), reports Sun Online.

An eyewitness told the online news outlet that the victim was bleeding heavily after being stabbed in the back. He was rushed to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) for treatment.

In August, a spate of violent assaults in the capital – which police said was a series of gang reprisals – saw two young men stabbed to death.

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Police advise precautionary measures against theft during Eid holidays

Police have advised residents of Malé to take precautionary measures to avoid theft if they leave their homes unattended during the upcoming Eid holidays.

In a press release today, police advised residents of the capital who plan on leaving for the holidays to secure valuable belongings, lock all cupboards and rooms, and inform both a reliable person and the nearest police station of their absence.

The Eid al-Adha begins tomorrow and government offices are expected to be closed next week.

Police said patrols in the capital would be stepped up to ensure security during the holidays.

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Terrorism trials begin for over 80 individuals from Thinadhoo

Terrorism trials began at the Criminal Court yesterday for 81 individuals from the island of Thinadhoo in Gaaf Dhaal atoll accused of setting fire to the island’s police station and court on February 8, 2012.

According to local media, out of 89 individuals facing terrorism charges, 81 were summoned to the court yesterday, all of whom pleaded not guilty. The accused were offered an opportunity to appoint defence lawyers.

The trials began at 10:00am and lasted until 5:30pm as consecutive hearings were held for small groups of defendants. The terrorism trials posed difficulties for other hearings at the court as such a large group of people were summoned on the same day.

The 89 individuals were charged under Article 2 and 6 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1990.

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson Ali Waheed met a number of the defendants at the party’s office prior to the hearings yesterday.

On February 8, 2012, riots spread across the country following a brutal crackdown on an MDP march in the capital in protest of the controversial transfer of presidential power the day before.

In a press release issued on September 18 after the hearings were scheduled, the MDP contended that the trials against dozens of the party’s members and supporters in Addu City and Thinadhoo were politically-motivated acts of intimidation.

The party also accused the government of threatening to prosecute persons who participate in MDP activities.

The press statement also noted that police officers who committed crimes on February 6, 7 and 8 were not being prosecuted.

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Hawaiian company acquires resort in Maldives

Hawaii-based Outrigger Enterprises Group has acquired the Konotta Island Resort in the Maldives from Crystal Lagoon Pvt Ltd, reports Travel Weekly.

The resort is due to reopen next July as the Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort.

“The private island resort, reachable via a one-hour flight from the Maldives’ capital of Male and a 20-minute speedboat ride, will have 27 beachfront villas as well as 21 overwater pool villas. Outrigger plans to add five villas,” reported Travel Weekly.
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Velezinee barred from Supreme Court trial

Former Judicial Service Commission (JSC) member Aishath Velezinee was barred from yesterday’s trial at the Supreme Court against members of the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM).

Although Velezinee registered at the reception to observe proceedings, she was later told by a court officer that she could be let into the court room for “security reasons”.

Other members of the public as well as journalists were allowed to enter after registering.

Velezinee subsequently wrote a letter to Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain in protest of the discriminatory treatment. Noting that she was even given a pass after registering, Velezinee asked for an explanation from the court for depriving her of a constitutional right to observe proceedings.

In 2010, Velezinee turned whistleblower and alleged the JSC was complicit in protecting judges appointed under the Gayoom’s government, and was colluding with parliament to ensure legal impunity for senior opposition supporters. In January 2011 she was stabbed twice in the back in broad daylight.

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Maldivian seaman dies near Brazil

A Maldivian sea man died due to a heart attack yesterday (September 29) near Brazil.

Local media identified the man as Ibrahim Ali from Narugasvilla, from Thaa Atoll Kinbidhoo Island.

The man had been working on a ship called MV Dona Maria, travelling from Vitoria, Brazil. The ship is now destined to dock at Salvador to disembark the body of the man.

Speaking to Haveeru, Manager of Senco Maldives Mohamed Faiz Rashad said that the man was working on the deck when the heart attack occurred. The company arranges work for Maldivian sea farers.

The Maldives has signed the Maritime Labor Convention in celebration of the World Maritime Day with aims of more employment opportunities for Maldivian Seafarers and better working conditions.

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EU concerned at gang violence and religious intolerance in Maldives

The EU delegation in Colombo and EU member states have noted concern at “mounting gang violence and signs of increasing religious intolerance” in the Maldives.

“The EU Heads of Mission, the Ambassador of Norway and the Charge d’Affaires a.i. of Switzerland are very concerned about the recent reports of attacks, intimidation and death threats faced by journalists, politicians, human rights campaigners and representatives of civil,” read a statement released today.

The offices of Minivan News were attacked last week, as were those of the Maldivian Democratic Party, and the homes of a number of MPs. Journalists have continued to receive death threats, warning against reporting on such activities.

The EU representatives, as well as the Embassies of Norway and Switzerland, today said that these instances were “contributing to a climate of growing fear in the Maldives and reducing the space for public discussion.”

It was also suggested that the ongoing legal action initiated by the Supreme Court against the Human Rights Commission of Maldives “risks undermining the independence of the HRCM, a key democratic institution”.

The Supreme Court’s suo moto case relates to the publication of a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council earlier this month for its Universal Periodic Review on grounds that the compilation of and the content of the report was against procedures, and contained false information.

“In the interests of both the Maldives and the many visitors to the country, we call upon the Maldivian authorities to create a safe and enabling environment in which citizens and institutions can operate freely in full respect of their constitutional rights.”

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird yesterday expressed concern at the “deterioration” of the human rights situation in the Maldives while the US and UK have also noted their own concerns this month.

Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon has also condemned the recent attacks, reiterating the government’s commitment to an “environment that gives protection to media personnel to exercise their duties freely and responsibly.”

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