Category: News in Brief

Monitoring border 24/7 near impossible, says coastguard commander

Monitoring the Maldives’ borders and ensuring security 24 hours a day is difficult and costly, Coastguard Commander Colonel Mohamed Ibrahim told the press today.

Speaking to reporters following the opening ceremony of a three-day maritime seminar in Malé, Ibrahim noted that the islands of the Maldives were surrounded by open waters, which covered a territory “larger than South Korea.”

The coastguard together with customs and police were utilising limited resources to the best of the institutions’ ability, he added.

Surveillance operations were conducted once a month with assistance from neighbouring countries, the colonel noted.

More than 30 representatives from state institutions are participating in the seminar, which is conducted by Transport Authority of Maldives (TAM) in conjunction with the International Maritime Organisation.

Ibrahim meanwhile expressed confidence that “the speed and quality of services provided to the public by technical experts” would improve as a result of the seminar.

In addition to formulating a national plan for search and rescue operations, participants at the seminar are reportedly expected to discuss how to reduce response times for disaster management from 48 to 24 hours.

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Maldives media initiates ‘Help Gaza’ telethon

Media outlets in the Maldives have initiated a telethon to raise funds for the ‘Help Gaza’ fund.

The telethon will start on Friday at 2:30pm and continue until midnight on Saturday.

The ‘I will also help’ telethon has called on state employees and private companies to donate a day’s wages to the fund.

The Maldives Customs Services, Maldives Ports Limited and Faafu Atoll Hospital have pledged to donate a day’s wages from all employees to the fund.

Over MVR5 million (US$ 323,624) has now been collected from private donations since the fund was established on July 17.

Raa Atoll Kinolhas Island with a population of 360 people alone has donated MVR 52,623 to the fund in four days.

Meanwhile, the Help Gaza collection fund on Baa Atoll Maalhos Island was stolen on Sunday. According to the island council, approximately MVR10,000 had been collected when the box was stolen.

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Majlis members send six bills to committee

Six pieces of legislation submitted on behalf of the government by Progressive Party of Maldives MPs were sent to committee for further review at today’s sitting of parliament.

The bills include amendments to the Goods and Service Tax Act, amendments to the Immigration Act, a bill to repeal an outdated law on allowing detention for more than seven days, amendments to the Civil Service Act, amendments to the Human Rights Commission of Maldives Act, and amendments to a number of laws to remove inconsistencies with the Decentralisation Act.

While most of the bills were accepted and sent to committee with comfortable majorities of between 50 to 64 votes, the proposed amendment to the Immigration Act was accepted with 46 votes in favour and 19 against

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Malé port to operate around the clock from midnight tonight

Maldives Ports Ltd (MPL) will provide services 24hrs a day from this evening onward in order to increase efficiency, local media has reported.

“MPL’s aim is to give the fastest service to the public from the closest locations. Almost all of the ports around the globe are currently working for 24 hours. This change is also an attempt to fit into that trend”, Head of Corporation Services, Ibrahim Afzal told local media.

MPL is now recruiting for additional staff to cover the extra duties as the facility in the capital, Malé, will no longer close between 11pm and 7:30am reported Haveeru.

General Manager of the Cargo Department of MPL Mohammed Hashim noted that outside pickup services should also adapt to this new shift pattern, suggesting that the MPL may provide this service if necessary.

Malé commercial harbour handled 580 ships in 2012 carrying over 1million tonnes of freight.

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Five suspects arrested in connection with gang violence

Police arrested four suspects with drugs and weapons from a residence in the Maafanu ward of the capital Malé last night.

According to police media, police searched Maafanu Badufangige with a search warrant at around 11:00pm and took four men into custody after discovering weapons, four balaclavas, and a packet containing illicit narcotics.

A fifth male suspect was also arrested last night with weapons and drugs after searching a residence in Malé.

The suspect was taken into custody from Maafanu Azma after obtaining a search and arrest warrant.

As part of efforts to curb gang violence, police have also been questioning and frisking individuals “loitering on the streets with no purpose” both after midnight and during the day.

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Violent assaults in Malé reprisals by gangs, reveals chief inspector

Police intelligence suggests that the spate of violent assaults in Malé during the past six days were gang reprisals “caused by a disturbance between two groups”, Chief Inspector Abdulla Satheeh said at a press briefing yesterday.

Three suspects were arrested in connection with two assaults and police are searching for two further suspects, he said.

All three suspects had prior criminal records, he added.

The cycle of violence began on Monday night (July 28) when an 18-year-old man was stabbed in the back in the Henveiru ward.

On the following night, two men were stabbed in Hulhumalé and a 23-year-old woman was stabbed in the back in Malé.

All five were hospitalised. Also on Tuesday night (July 29), a pedestrian was mugged and assaulted.

A 34-year-old was meanwhile stabbed to death on the island of Thulusdhoo in Kaafu atoll on Thursday night (July 31).

On the same night, a 22-year-old was stabbed in the neck in a narrow alley in the Manchangoalhi ward of Malé.

While a 19-year-old was knifed in the Henveiru Park on Friday night (August 1), a pair of 18-year-olds were stabbed on Saturday morning in the same area in broad daylight.

One of the victims – Mohamed Mazin, from Noonu Miladhoo – died while undergoing treatment at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) on Saturday night (August 2).

Mazin was the 31st murder victim in the Maldives since 2007.

Chief Inspector Satheeh, head of the serious and organised crime department, said yesterday that no arrests had been made yet in connection with the murder.

Chief Inspector Ismail Naveen meanwhile told reporters that police have confiscated a number of weapons from areas in the capital where gangs congregate, including the Henveiru Park, the park on Alifkilegefaanu Magu, and the open area near the State Trading Organisation’s main office.

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Police commissioner discusses expediting cases with prosecutor general

Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed met Prosecutor General Muhthaz Muhsin this morning to discuss measures to fast-track investigation and prosecution of serious crimes following a crime wave in the capital during the past six days.

According to police media, discussions focused on expediting the investigation process with police working closely with state prosecutors to ensure that the evidence collected is sufficient to establish guilt at trial.

Senior investigating officers, senior officers in charge of operations, and members of the police executive board also participated in the meeting at the police headquarters at Iskandhar Koshi.

Muhthaz Muhsin was formerly a judge at the Criminal Court.

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Amendments to Audit Act sent to committee

Amendments submitted on behalf of the government by Progressive Party of Maldives MP Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim to the Audit Act of 2007 were sent to the economic affairs committee for further review today.

Following preliminary debate, the amendment bill (Dhivehi) was accepted with 55 votes in favour and two abstentions.

The legislation is part of a raft of bills submitted by the government to abolish provisions in conflict with the new constitution adopted in August 2008.

Preliminary debate meanwhile continued at today’s sitting on government-sponsored amendments to the Immigration Act with 34 MPs participating in the debate.

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MNDF and police put out fire in Fuvahmulah marshland

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) southern area’s fire station together with police and islanders extinguished a fire that broke out in a marshland or swamp area of Fuvahmulah yesterday.

According to MNDF, the fire broke out at around 5:45pm in the marshland between the Malegam and Funad wards of the island – just south of the ‘Bandaara Kilhi’ lake in the north – and was put out around 7:30pm.

Police meanwhile said the fire also caught on screw pine trees in the marshland area. More than 20 officers from the Fuvahmulah station helped put out the flames.

The fire was extinguished before it could cause harm or damage to property, police said.

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