Category: News in Brief

Koodoo Fisheries raises fish purchase prices

State owned Koodoo Fisheries has announced an increase in the price of fish, with the price of chilled fish – rising by MVR3,5 per kilo.

The price of un-chilled fish weighing between 0.5 and 1.5kilos has also increased by MVR2.5, the company told local media yesterday. Prices were also increased last month.

Koodoo – which buys fish from private fishermen across the country – said that it purchases fish below 1.5kg in order to increase fishermen’s revenue during low season, in spite of fetching a small price on the global market for them.

“The style of fishing we have adopted in Maldives is the most sustainable style of fishing to be adopted anywhere in the world. Therefore, decreasing the fishing of small sized fish and leaving the fish so they may grow larger in size will strengthen our sustainable fishing system,” read the Kooddoo press release.

Famed for its sustainable pole and line fishing methods, the Maldives announced earlier this year plans to teach long line methods to young fishermen in order to prevent encroachment on the country’s territorial waters.

Minister of Fisheries and Agricultire Dr Mohamed Shainee has also noted that such training would enable larger fish to be caught, and would reduce the industry’s vulnerability to external shocks in the global market.

The annual fish catch in the Maldives declined from approximately 185,000 tonnes of fish caught in 2006 to about 70,000 tonnes in 2011.

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President releases four Indian prisoners

President Abdulla Yameen has used executive powers to release four Indian prisoners serving sentences in the Maldives.

President’s Office Spokesman Ibrahim Muaz Ali told local media that the three men and one woman currently detained would be deported upon release. The nature of their offences was not revealed.

“We have an agreement for exchange of prisoners between our two countries. The laws needed to enforce this agreement haven’t yet been completed. Therefore, this decision was taken with the power bestowed upon the president through Article 115 of the Constitution,” Muaz told Haveeru.

He said that the move was intended to strengthen bilateral ties as well as celebrating the recent election of Narendra Modi. The close ties between the two countries will be marked with a 2km friendship walk, starting from the artificial beach at 4pm tomorrow (August 8).

President Yameen also used his presidential prerogative to grant clemency to 169 Maldivian convicts in April.

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Airport at standstill for one hour after aircraft grounded

The Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) came to a standstill yesterday (August 6) after a Cathay Pacific aircraft was unexpectedly grounded.

The runway had to be closed down for about an hour from 9pm because of a hydraulics problem on the plane. Hydraulic fluid consequently leaked onto the runway, causing numerous delays and disruptions, reported local media Haveeru.

According to Haveeru, one Emirates Flight which was scheduled to land had to be diverted elsewhere. Other flights delayed due to the incident include Malaysian Airways, Singapore Flights, and a number of domestic flights.

An official from INIA told Haveeru, “The runway has been cleared and is now operational. The delay took about one hour. Operations are now turning back to normal,” he said.

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Nasheed pays courtesy call on BJP leader

Former President Mohamed Nasheed paid a courtesy call to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Leader Vijay Jolly in New Delhi yesterday (August 6), reports One India News.

“The rise of radical Muslim fundamentalism in Maldives, its serious implications on peace and security in our region, the involvement of Maldivian militants in the Mumbai terror attack of Nov 26, 2008, killing 164 people and wounding 308 civilians, and the Maldivian military trained ‘dropouts’ found fighting in Syria for ISIS were discussed at length,” read a statement from Jolly’s office.

Former Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem was also present at the 45-minute meeting, according to the BJP statement .

Nasheed, the acting president of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), reportedly praised Prime Minister Narenda Modi and expressed admiration for his style of governance.

The leader of the Maldivian opposition also conveyed greetings to BJP’s newly-elected President Amit Shah.

The statement added that an agreement was reached to establish a party-to-party relationship between the BJP and the MDP.

Speaking at an MDP rally in June, Nasheed had said that the “biggest relief” the Indian government could offer the Maldives over compensation owed to Indian infrastructure giant GMR for the premature termination of its airport development deal was assistance in changing the government.

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British High Commission to run Visa Application Centre in Malé this month

The British High Commission in Colombo is today accepting online bookings for the second Visa Application Centre to be held in Malé on August 27.

The optional one-day service which, for an additional fee, allows applicants who are resident in the Maldives to submit their UK visa application and biometric data using a mobile facility in the Maldives’ capital.

“This initiative will make it easier for Maldivians to submit their visa applications and biometric data for all visa categories, including students at this busy time of year,” said British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Maldives John Rankin.

“I hope that many Maldivians will make good use of this opportunity and apply online to meet the deadline.”

Applicants for all visa categories can book an appointment between now and  midday on August 25. The application centre is unable to process cash payments and visa fees must be paid online prior to the appointment.

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Fisheries ministry denies auditor general’s allegations of missing documents

The Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture has denied allegations made by Auditor General Niyaz Ibrahim in a letter to parliament’s public accounts committee.

Niyaz had informed the oversight committee that his office has been unable to complete the audit of the ministry for 2009 due to missing documents.

At a press conference today, Permanent Secretary Abdulla Naseer said all documents requested by the audit office were provided following a request on August 29, 2013. He added, however, that the ministry was unable to find six payment vouchers.

In addition, employees did not submit travel reports for 10 overseas trips in 2009, Naseer continued, which were among the documents the auditor general claimed were missing.

Meanwhile, in his letter, Niyaz told MPs that the audit office has decided to conduct a compliance audit of the ministry for 2009 in lieu of a full financial audit.

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MP Mahloof resigns as PPM spokesperson

MP Ahmed Mahloof has resigned as the spokesperson of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) yesterday.

The MP for Galolhu South revealed on social media Twitter that he had resigned at the request of the party and later told online news outlet CNM that PPM Deputy Leader Abdul Raheem Abdulla had told him to resign.

After resigning previously, Mahloof returned to the post in July 2013 reportedly at the behest of party members.

Asked if he would remain with the party, Mahloof told CNM that he was a PPM member “at the moment”.

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MDP condemns restriction of powers of local councils

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has strongly condemned a decision by the government requiring local councils to seek permission directly from the president for conducting transactions involving state-owned land.

In a press release yesterday, the main opposition party said it was “extremely concerned” with moves by the current administration to restrict and limit powers and authority of island, city, and atoll councils.

As conducting transactions involving plots of land under council jurisdiction was one of the main tasks of local councils, the party contended that the government’s intention was to undermine the system of decentralisation introduced by the landmark Decentralisation Act in 2010 through devolution of decision-making powers.

The decision would undermine the authority to generate income and own land granted to local councils by the constitution, the MDP statement added.

Articles 234 and 235 states that local councils shall have the authority to “raise funds” and “own property and incur liabilities”.

In June, the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure removed two parks from the jurisdiction of the MDP-majority Malé City Council, while Dharubaaruge convention centre was reclaimed by the government in May.

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Crime in Ramadan declined 40 percent, reveals police

The number of crimes reported in the capital Malé during the holy fasting month of Ramadan in 2014 declined 40 percent compared to the same period last year, police statistics have shown.

While a total of 1,476 crimes were reported in the capital during Ramadan 2013, police revealed that the figure declined to 884 this year.

Cases of theft decreased from 544 last year to 226 in Ramadan 2014.

Followed by theft, the second highest number of cases involved traffic accidents with 176 during the fasting month, which saw a slight increase from 163 last year.

While 131 drug cases were registered this year, the figure was 212 in 2013.

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