Day: April 11, 2012

Police acts on February 8 unlawful, Police Integrity Commission tells Majlis Committee

President of the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) Shahindha Ismail has told the Majlis’ Independent Institutions Oversight Committee that police actions on February 8 were unlawful, and that police officers had used undue force to disperse a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) demonstration.

Video footage of the February 8 demonstration show police in riot gear tear gassing and brutally beating unarmed civilians in front of Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) building.

The MDP took to the streets after former President Mohamed Nasheed claimed he was had resigned “under duress” following a police and military mutiny the previous day on February 7.

Responding to questions from MDP MP Ahmed Sameer, Shahindha said police had violated clauses 1, 8 and 11 of Article 7 of the Police Act. These clauses stipulate that police must respect and uphold fundamental rights of citizens, uphold and protect individual dignity, humanity and human rights, and must not under any circumstances subject any individual to inhuman, degrading or cruel treatment.

MP of the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) Mohamed Hussein asked Shahindha which measures the PIC had used to determine whether police had in fact used excessive force.

“There is a specific act regarding the use of batons,” Shahindha said. “While watching live coverage of the protest, I saw a policeman stretch out his arm with a baton and hit a citizen on his head. That is indisputably unlawful.”

Shahindha said the PIC had immediately called police-in-charge at the time Abdulla Phairoosh and had asked that police show restraint.

“Phairoosh said he was not aware [of police brutality]. We also asked for the police to leave the site if they cannot act within the law. Phairoosh agreed. But we did not see that happen,” she claimed.

Moreover, Shahindha said the police had also violated Article 41 of the Police Act which requires the police to inform the PIC if a police officer causes any harm to a citizen due to use of force, or while individual is under custody.

But Shahindha noted police were fully cooperating with the PIC in investigations, and that the PIC was prioritising the investigation of the events of February 6, 7, and 8.

Responding to questions from MP of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Rozaina Adam, Shahindha said while the police had the fundamental right to disobey an unlawful command and the right to ask their commissioner to resign under such circumstances, she could not state whether police actions on February 7 constituted a police mutiny until investigations were complete.

Parties allied with President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan refute allegations of police mutiny, stating that police officers were exercising their right not to obey an unlawful command on February 7.

In addition to the PIC, the Independent Institutions Oversight Committee also met with the Human Rights Commission (HRCM) and the Prosecutor General (PG) to question them about police brutality allegations and the detention of Criminal Court Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed in January 2012.

Human rights violations

The HRCM told the Independent Institutions Oversight Committee that they believed human rights violations had occurred on February 8. HRCM said their monitors were active on the streets and had visited Dhoonidhoo Remand Center and the hospitals that day.

Speaking at a meeting held to mark the 79th anniversary of the Maldives Police Services, Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz said he would not conduct an internal investigation, saying that he had asked the HRCM to look into the matter.

But President of HRCM Mariyam Azra said the police had not asked the HRCM for a formal investigation into police brutality.

“We did not receive a formal request for investigation. However, in a meeting with the police commissioner, after we asked the police to conduct an internal investigation through the police’s professional standards unit, he asked us to look into it as well. We do not believe that is a formal request for investigation,” Azra said.

Speaking to Minivan News after the committee hearing, Shahindha said if the police conducted an internal investigation into brutality allegations it would increase their integrity in the public eye.

CNI not independent: PIC

DRP MP Visam Ali asked if the PIC would collaborate with the presidential Committee of National Inquiry (CNI), which is charged with assessing the facts regarding Nasheed’s resignation.

New President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan instituted the three member committee following international pressure for an independent investigation into the transfer of power. However, the CNI has come under fire from the MDP and local civil society groups for unilateralism and lack of independence.

“The CNI has said it is not carrying out a criminal investigation. All of the PIC’s investigations carry a criminal aspect. I do not see the point of joint-investigations with the CNI,” Shahindha said.

“I do not believe the commission is independent or impartial nor does it have the mandate to investigate the matter,” she added.

The PIC had now completed 90 percent of its February 6, 7, and 8 investigations, Shahindha said.

Although the PIC and HRCM said they would be looking into police brutality and human rights violations during the transfer of power, the commissions had previously told Minivan News they did not have the mandate to look into the legality of the transfer of power.

Footage of the MDP protest and police response on February 8, following the change of government

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Independent Commissions Committee decides against summoning police commissioner

Parliament’s Independent Commissions Committee has reportedly revoked an earlier decision to summon Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz for questioning over allegations of police brutality against anti-government protesters on February 8 this year.

Committee chair Mohamed Nasheed, an independent MP, today told local media that the decision to summon Commissioner Riyaz was deemed no longer necessary after the police chief said he had asked the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) to investigate reports of police violence.  MP Nasheed claimed that representatives of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had requested the commissioner be summoned before Parliament for questioning over the reasons why  police were not investigating the allegations of violence.

“They [the MDP members] wanted to know why the Police decided against investigating the matter,” Nasheed told the Haveeru news agency. “But then the commissioner revealed that the Police had requested the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) to investigate the allegations so it was decided there was no need to summon the commissioner to clear out the reason behind the decision. So the committee did not summon him.”

Earlier this week, the Independent Commissions Committee announced it would be summoning Commissioner Riyaz for questioning over alleged police brutality.

The issue was submitted to the committee last Wednesday by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Hamza.

Hamza told Minivan News on Monday that he had submitted the issue to the committee because the Police Commissioner had said the police would not investigate the alleged brutality committed by its officers against anti-government protesters on February 7 and 8.

Hamza said Riyaz had told him that he had requested the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) investigate the case.

I am interested to know why he has refused to investigate the case,’’ he said. ‘’HRCM and Police Integrity Commission (PIC) are also being summoned to ask about their investigations into police brutality that day.’’

Hamza said the committee furthermore decided to summon Prosecutor General Ahmed Muiz because some MPs were keen to ask him questions about the arrest of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

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MDP attempts to stop courts from preventing disciplinary action against judges

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Imthiyaz Fahmy today submitted a parliamentary motion aimed at blocking the country’s courts from issuing rulings preventing their own watchdog body from taking disciplinary action against judges.

The motion follows a recent decision by the High Court to uphold a civil court injunction preventing the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) from taking action against Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdullah Mohamed until a final verdict was reached at the Civil Court.

Judge Abdulla was a central figure in the downfall of former President Mohamed Nasheed after he was detained by the military.  Abdulla’s controversial detention was made after the government accused him of political bias, obstructing police, stalling cases, links with organised crime and “taking the entire criminal justice system in his fist” to protect key figures of the former dictatorship from human rights and corruption cases.

Abdulla Mohamed obtained the injunction against his investigation by the judicial watchdog in September 2011 after it produced a report stating that he had violated the Judge’s Code of Conduct by making politically biased statements in an interview he gave to private broadcaster DhiTV.

According to the motion submitted today by MP Imthiyaz Fahmy, it is unconstitutional for a superior court to rule on a cases pertaining to the JSC’s decisions, as well as to prevent the commission from performing its statutory obligation to investigate and take action against judges.

Fahmy argued that allowing the courts to defy the JSC’s decision contravened the purpose of establishing the court watchdog as an independent institution in the first place.  He argued that such a decision violated the system of checks and balances designed to ensure separate powers of state.

Fahmy also observed that the parliament cannot remove the judge from a bench while a case concerning the matter is at court and noted that it would be an obstruction to parliament’s duty as well.

Several pro-government MP’s challenged the motion, citing the judge had not been convicted of any offence and must not subjected to unfair treatment or intimidation.

Former President’s member on the JSC and whistle-blower Aishath Velezinee for several years contended that Abdulla Mohamed was a central, controlling “father figure” in the lower courts, answerable to former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.  She also claimed the judge was a key figure responsible for scuttling the independence of the judiciary under the new constitution.

Allegations against the judge, which date back to 2005, include misogyny, sexual deviancy, throwing out an assault case despite the confession of the accused, political bias, obstruction of police duty, disregarding decisions of high courts, deliberately holding up cases involving opposition figures and barring media from corruption trials.  He also stands accused of ordering the release of suspects detained for serious crimes without a single hearing, maintaining “suspicious ties” with family members of convicts sentenced for dangerous crimes, and releasing a murder suspect “in the name of holding ministers accountable” who went on to kill another victim.

In one instance, Abdulla Mohamed was accused of requesting that two underage victims of sexual assault act out their attack in court in front of the perpetrator.

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Increasing density of resort development threatens key tourism appeal, warns former tourism minister

The cabinet has decided to increase the development density of resort islands from 20 percent to 30 percent, in a move tourism authorities of the former government have claimed will impact a key appeal of the Maldives’ destination.

In a statement, cabinet said ministers noted that “opportunities for commercial expansion were limited due to unavailability of land area to develop tourist facilities on leased-out spaces.”

“Members also agreed that, raising the land area limit for construction of tourist facilities, to meet market demand, would largely contribute to the prosperity of the island,” the statement read.

Former tourism minister Dr Mariyam Zulfa said “one of the resort owners behind the [February 7] coup” had pressured her to change the density regulations.

“I privately consulted foreign [resort] investors and the advice I got was not to change this, because the Maldives’ ‘islandness’, a key product feature, would be lost,” she told Minivan News.

“Thirty percent is a huge amount of land to developed as a built up area, and islandness is what makes the Maldives competitive,” she said.

Mohamed Nasheed’s government had debated and provisionally approved increasing the development density to 25 percent, Dr Zulfa said, “but that was before the industry feedback that this was not something to play around with.”

“I can categorically say this is something [resort tycoon and Jumhoree Party (JP) leader] Mr Gasim Ibrahim wanted for a long time. If you do an eyeball inspection of his properties already they more than 20 percent,” Dr Zulfa alleged. “I knew this would happen the moment the regime changed. It doesn’t surprise me.”

Secretary General of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), ‘Sim’ Mohamed Ibrahim, said the density increase would “allow some resorts to develop more facilities, entertainment and staff amenities.”

“It will give resort developers more flexibility,” he said. “We don’t think it will have an impact [on the competitiveness of the destination].”

Dr Zulfa has previously contended that pressure from several government-allied resort owners had led the new government to declare that 25 year resort island lease extensions could be paid in installments rather than upfront, a decision she claimed took US$135 million out of the budget overnight.

In March, the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) said it had anticipated receiving a total of Rf375 million (US$24 million) for lease extensions, however due the government’s recent decision to accept resort island lease extension payments in installments, the  income received dropped to Rf23 million (US$1.5 million). The government has meanwhile said it has a budget deficit of US$155 million.

Tourism Minister Ahmed Adheeb was not responding to calls at time of press.

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Six-year old girl dies of dengue shock syndrome

A six year-old girl died at Male’s ADK hospital on Tuesday shortly after being admitted with dengue fever complicated by respiratory difficulties.

Referred to as ‘Dengue Shock Syndrome’, ‘Dengue Haemorhaggic Fever’, or ‘severe dengue’, this type of complication greatly increases the risk of death in cases as blood pressure drops to dangerous levels.

“The girl was brought in at 4:00pm, gasping, blue, in a critical condition and was taken to the intensive care unit where she died,” said the hospital’s Managing Director, Ahmed Afaal.

Afaal was not yet able to confirm the girl’s home island, but confirmed that there would be a thorough investigation into the case as it involved dengue.

Her death is the first dengue-related death to have been recorded this year. A record 12 deaths last year were mostly children suffering from similar complications. Instances of the disease have been rising steadily both within the Maldives and globally.

Health Minister Dr Ahmed Jamsheed he was unable to comment on the issue, as he said he was engaged in SAARC meetings. He did, however, say that a communicable diseases paper would be discussed at the meeting.

The Centre for Community Health and Disease Control (CCHDC) issued its first warning of the year on March 20, blaming the large amount of construction work in the capital and pools of stagnant water, which serve as breeding grounds for dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) the specific type of insect that carries dengue, the Aedes Aegypti Mosquito, is unusual in that it bites during the daytime. Once infected, humans are the most prominent carriers of the dengue illness, passing the strain on to other mosquitoes when bitten.

The organisation estimates that between 50 and 100 million people a year are infected, with 40 percent of the world’s population at risk. It advises that dengue should be suspected whenever a high fever is accompanied by any of the two following symptoms: severe headaches, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, a rash.

It can be difficult to distinguish from the milder Chikungunya disease that can last for up to five days. Even healthy adults can be left immobile by dengue for several weeks while the disease runs its course.

Prevention rather than cure

The government has attempted to raise awareness of the disease in order to prevent the spread of what remains an illness without a specific cure.

After last summer’s outbreak was labelled an epidemic by the government, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) was drafted in to assist with spraying breeding sites, although it did encounter difficulties in accessing some sites.

Such instances led to calls from the now Health Minister Ahmed Jamsheed, head of the CCHDC at the time, for the introduction of a Health Protection Bill that would provide “sufficient resources to ongoing efforts on community education, awareness and health promotion, access to premises with mosquito breeding and legal action against those who do not comply with the law or regulations.”

At the time of last month’s warning Public Health Programme Coordinator for the CCHDC, Dr Fathmath Nazla Rafeeq shared her concerns over the lack of public attention to the Centre’s alerts.

“Since December [2010] we had warned about the increase in dengue cases. But most of the people don’t even remember. They assume that mosquitoes should be controlled if there is a dengue outbreak and everything will be okay when authorities spray fog,” Nazla observed. “Therefore, on most islands, its [mosquito control] is highly neglected. Once dengue starts to spread, people panic”.

She also added that another epidemic would be inevitable if the authorities did not consistently eradicate breeding areas.

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Six Senses bought by Pegasus Capital Advisors

Luxury resort company Six Senses has been acquired by US-based private equity fund manager, Pegasus Capital Advisors, for an undisclosed sum.

Six Senses manages 10 resorts and 28 spas in 20 countries around the world, including Oman, Vietnam and Thailand, with another 15 under construction or development. Its brands include Soneva, Six Senses and Evason.

In the Maldives the group has operated the upmarket Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili properties, and a new resort in Laamu that opened last year. Under the terms of the deal the Soneva-branded properties will be carved from the Six Senses portfolio and will continue to be held by Six Senses founder Sonu Shivdasani, who will remain as CEO, chairman and principle shareholder of the Soneva Group.

Pegasus Capital specialises on investing in middle-market companies facing financial distress, and has tended to focus on consumer products, technology, business services, energy, financial services, industrial manufacturing and the communications sectors.

“Going forward, the new Six Senses will be a debt-free company with committed capital for expansion into new and within existing international markets,” said Craig Cogut of Pegasus Capital Advisors, in a statement. “We are confident that our president Bernhard Bohnenberger and our strong management team will continue to build on its legacy as a recognised leader in luxury hospitality.”

Shivdasani said: “For myself and Eva, my wife, this means we can devote all our energies to our first love – the development of the Sonevas. Soneva will continue to operate its philanthropic arm, The Slow Life Trust, and remain dedicated to achieving environmental goals and a corporate commitment to sustainability.”

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President Waheed inaugurates National Awards Committee

President Mohamed Waheed Hassan today held the inaugural meeting of the newly reconstituted National Awards Committee.

The committee, which decides on public figures to honour for their work in societal development through fields such as health, agriculture and the arts, was reformed on Monday (April 9), after the previous body completed their allotted three year term.

According to the President’s Office website, the awards committee is to function independently from the government, which will respect any decision made.

The national awards were last held in November 2011 and conferred by former President Mohamed Nasheed.

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Tsunami watch alert cancelled after 8.6 earthquake and aftershock off Indonesia

An Indian Ocean-wide Tsunami Watch Bulletin was issued on Wednesday afternoon by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre after an earthquake measuring 8.6 on the Richter scale occurred off the coast of Indonesia, followed by an aftershock measuring 8.2 almost two hours later.

The Centre revised its initial update after sea level readings confirmed a “significant” tsunami was generated, and subsequently cancelled the warning five hours after. Any tsunami was predicted to hit the Maldives at 11:49(GMT) – 16:49 Male time, and 11:44(GMT) – 16:44, the Centre reported, but advised that waves could follow for up to two hours after this period. The first wave may not be the largest and further waves could follow in intervals of five minutes to one hour.

The Centre said that the initial shock generated a tsunami measuring 17 cm (6.7 inches), and advised authorities to “take appropriate action”

Such an earthquake had the potential to “generate a widespread destructive tsunami that can affect coastlines across the entire Indian Ocean basin”, according to the centre’s initial report.

Alerts were issued by the Maldivian meteorology department, which extended its alert period by two hours to 7:30pm, following the aftershock.

Residents in the capital Male’ reported feeling tremors with bottles and glass shaking when the first earthquake struck. Several tall buildings, including the government building Velanaage, and schools, were evacuated earlier this afternoon.

Tremors were also reported in the Indian cities of Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

Bruce Presgrave of the US Geological Survey (USGS) told the BBC that the nature of this quake made it less likely a tsunami would be generated, as the earth had moved horizontally, rather than vertically, therefore had not displaced large volumes of water: “We can’t rule out the possibility, but horizontal motion is less likely to produce a destructive tsunami,” he said.

The 2004 tsunami inundated entire islands in the Maldives, but only caused minor damage in capital city Malé. The northern sea wall and buildings on city’s seafront were damaged. The waves caused minor flooding as well.

Minivan News will provide updates as the situation develops.

UPDATES:

14:30 – According to the BBC, the US Geological Survey has reported that the quake at Aceh quake was centred 33km (20 miles) under the sea about 495km from Banda Aceh.

14:35 – Offices, school and governent buildings in Male’ and Hulhumale’ were evacuated as the people felt the tremors.

14:40 – MET Director Hussain Waheed told state broadcaster: “There is a potential tsunami risk to the Maldives in next two or three hours. But there has been no sign of a tsunami yet. However, he advised the people to be on alert.

14:52 – Deputy Tourism Minister Mohamed Maleeh Jamal told Minivan News that government bodies were now following the instructions of the coast guard and Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF). Resort management had been formed and the government was set to form its crisis management committee established following the 2004 Asian tsunami that struck many islands across the Maldives.

Jamal said he himself had been in the Velaanage Building, where he said that tremors as a result of the quake could be felt.

“All government employees in the building were evacuated to ground level,” Maleeh said of the situation at the time. “We are still waiting for exact details on the situation, but we are working with the military and coast guard.”

Report from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre:

“EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE A WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMI THAT CAN AFFECT COASTLINES ACROSS THE ENTIRE INDIAN OCEAN BASIN.

HOWEVER – IT IS NOT KNOWN THAT A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED. THIS WATCH IS BASED ONLY ON THE EARTHQUAKE EVALUATION. AUTHORITIES IN THE REGION SHOULD TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF A WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMI.

ESTIMATED INITIAL TSUNAMI WAVE ARRIVAL TIMES AT FORECAST POINTS WITHIN THE WARNING AND WATCH AREAS ARE GIVEN BELOW. ACTUAL ARRIVAL TIMES MAY DIFFER AND THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST. A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES AND THE TIME BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE WAVES CAN BE FIVE MINUTES TO ONE HOUR.”

15:07 – Mobile networks are suffering from congestion due to a sudden spike in usage, report major providers.

15:11 – Government spokesman Abbas Adil Riza said the Maldives was evacuating beaches. The National Disaster Management Centre is continuing to issue updated warnings and assess any potential threat: “Right now, we are seeing if there is a threat [from today’s Indonesian earthquake] to this side of the Indian Ocean.

15.18 – David Cameron tells Indonesian President that he is ‘hugely concerned’ about the earthquake, reports the BBC.

15:25 – Bruce Presgrave of the US Geological Survey (USGS), has told the BBC that the nature of this quake made it less likely a tsunami would be generated, as the earth had moved horizontally, rather than vertically, therefore had not displaced large volumes of water: “We can’t rule out the possibility, but horizontal motion is less likely to produce a destructive tsunami,” he said.

15:42 – Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) spokesperson Colonel Abdul Raheem has said that no signs of a tsunami wave within the Indian Ocean have as yet been identified.

“At the moment we are monitoring areas around the country, but have not observed any tsunami,” he said. “We have been in contact with other countries like Sri Lanka and India and they have said the same thing.” Raheem concluded that at present, the Indian Ocean remained calm.

15:44 – Indonesia’s disaster management agency said power was down in Aceh province and people were gathering on high ground as sirens warned of the danger. “The electricity is down, there are traffic jams to access higher ground. Sirens and Koran recitals from mosques are everywhere,” said Sutopo, spokesman for the agency.

The quake was felt as far away as the Thai capital, Bangkok, and in southern India, residents said.

15:49 – Reuters news agency, quoting tsunami warning centre official, has reported the total vertical measurement of the tsunami wave, according to monitoring gauges, was 35 cm (13.8 inches), making the height 17 cm (6.7 inches).

“It doesn’t look like a major tsunami,” Victor Sardina, a geophysicist on duty at the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said. “But we are still monitoring as tsunamis come in waves.”

16:14 – The Centre revised its initial update and said that if generated, the tsunami was likely to hit the Maldives at 11:49(GMT) – 16:49 Male time, and 11:44(GMT) in Gan local time 16:44

16:16 – Sea level reading confirm a tsunami was generated, reports the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

16:21 – Met Office Director Hussain Waheed has said that the country has not decided to updated the severity of its warning since the tsunami warning was first raised earlier this afternoon, but will be extending the period of the tsunami watch for at least an hour and a half.

The Met Office said it continues to issue a yellow bulletin, which requires authorities to keep a watch on potential tsunami development.

“Any earthquake of a  magnitude of over 8.0 results in a yellow bulletin being issued,” he said.

With the yellow bulletin in place, Waheed said that the Met Office would be continuing to run a tsunami watch regarding the situation in the Maldives for at least the next hour and a half due to aftershocks that have occurred in Indonesia.

16:25 – The latest (4th) bulletin from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre advises that when no major waves have occurred for two hours after the estimated arrival time (16:49 for Male, 16:44 for Gan, local time), authorities can assume the threat is passed.

“Danger to boats and coastal structures can continue for several hours due to rapid currents. As local conditions can cause a wide variation in tsunami wave action the all clear determination must be made by local authorities.”

16:29 – UNICEF worker Edward Carwardine in Jakarta, Indonesia, told Al Jazeera: “People are quite rightly moving to higher ground, moving away from the coastal areas as fast as they can. I think it’s an indication of how much people have learned from the terrible experiences of a few years ago. We haven’t yet heard of things like structural damage … right now people are looking after themselves and that’s the best thing they can do.”

16:30 – The 2004 tsunami inundated entire islands in the Maldives, but only caused minor damage in capital city Malé. The northern sea wall and buildings on city’s seafront were damaged. The waves caused minor flooding as well.

Following the Indonesia geophysics agency’s extension of a tsunami warning in Aceh province, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has issued a new warning for the Indian Ocean following aftershocks off the Indonesian coast.

16:35 – The Maldives MET Office has extended the alert for Maldives until 5:30pm local time, following the latest after-shock which measured 8.2 on Richter scale.

16:46 – The Tourism Ministry activated its disaster management policy at 14:15 today, Minister Ahmed Adheeb has said on Twitter. All resorts were informed, tourist recalled to the island and head counts taken.

16:25 – Trans Maldivian Airlines (TMA) Managing Director Edward Alsford said the company is not making any changes to its scheduled activites at the moment. He said that the company did have back up systems in place when necessary. At the moment the sea plane operator was taking a precautionary stance while awaiting further information, he said.

16:45 – Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) CEO Andrew Harrison has said that management were currently monitoring the situation as it developed at the airport, and enacting countermeasures to protect vehicles in the event of a tsunami.

Harrison added that airport management was currently talking to sea plane operators and other airline operators to potentially move some aircraft to protect against any adverse impacts from a tsunami or irregular tidal pattern.

16:54 – People from coastal areas in Indonesia have been evacuated, police have told an Al-Jazeera correspondent. There are no reports of damages or casualties.

16:57 – India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has played down tsunami reports in the region. The organisation had initially issued a warning for Andaman and Nicobar Island, and an alert to coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

“There is no specific threat. It was a watch and alert. There is no likelihood of any tsunami in the Indian Ocean region,” NDMA Vice President Sashidhar Reddy told the Press Trust of India.

“It is the kind of strike and slip earth quake which does not trigger tsunami. There was no vertical displacement of water under the sea,” he said. “Tsunami possibility is virtually ruled out.”

17: 10 – The tsunami alert period has been extended in the Maldives to 19:30 local time, reports Haveeru.

17:13 – Safari boat operator Danielle Clayton, currently on her vessel in Dhaalu Atoll, said that she and her crew had not experienced any adverse conditions since the country issued a tsunami warning this afternoon.

“We first found out about the situation from Facebook, but since then we have come into the atoll with a number of other [live-aboard] boats,” she said.

Clayton added that they had been visited by the coastguard and remained in touch with other vessels for updates on the situation.

“Our crew are local guys and they have been getting in touch with people too.”

17.15 – Director General of the Department of Meteorology, Hassan Waheed, has confirmed that due to the aftershock the tsunami warning has been extended until 7.30pm local time.

17:16 – The airport has issued a statement noting that a tsunami watch “means there is the potential for a tsunami, not that one is imminent”. The airport continues to be on amber alert and “all seafarer vessels are advised to keep distance from the jetties and moor in the mooring areas located in the outer harbour area.

17:23 – The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has issued a fifth notification following the earthquake, scaling back the tsunami watch area to Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Diego Garcia. Estimate arrival times for a tsunami in the Maldives have now passed, but the watch period continues for two hours past the estimate (11:49GMT/16:49 local for Male’, and 11:44GMT/16:44 local for Gan).

17:29 – Indonesia’s Jakarta Post reports “small tsunamis” reaching upto 80 centimeters high have hit Meulaboh and Sabang cities in Aceh.

17:59 – The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has cancelled the tsunami watch alert for both the 8.6 earthquake at 1339 Male time, and the 8.2 aftershock at 1543. “Sea level readings now indicate that the threat has diminished or is over for most areas”, the centre reported.

19:45 – Director General of the Meterological Department confimed the cancellation of the tsunami watch saying: “The danger has passed. The wave was recorded mostly affecting Indonesia. There was only a small rise in our tsunami gauge.”

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