Ahmed Shareef of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the Jumhoory Party’s (JP) Abdullah Jabir have won seats in the People’s Majlis based on official provisional by-election results provided by the Election’s Commission tonight.
Under these provisional results, Shareef will become the MP for Thimarafushi, while Jabir will answer to the constituents of Kaashidhoo. The Thimarafushi seat was previously held by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Musthafa who was disqualified by the Supreme court over a decreed debt.
Musthafa
In 2009’s parliamentary elections, Musthafa won the Thimarafushi constituency seat against Ghassan Maumoon, Former Preisdent Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s son.
Polling for parliamentary by-elections on the islands of Kaashidhoo and Thimarafushi closed today at 4:05pm, with counting getting under way soon after following a day of largely peaceful electioneering.
Official provisional results announced by the Elections Commission tonight show that PPM’s Shareef won Thimarafushi constituency with 1756 votes (56%). Musthafa came in second with 1327 votes – a 428 vote difference.
Shareef was the Atoll Chief of Thaa Atoll from 2006-2008, last three year’s of Gayoom’s administration.
“It will be a tough vote between Shareef and Musthafa, because both of them are from this island”, a 27 year old man from Thimarafushi observed when interviewed by Minivan News. “Last time Musthafa won, it was against Gayoom’s son. Now if he wins against a person from same island, it will be significant,” he added.
A total of 3616 voters are registered for Thimarafushi constituency which include; Guraidhoo island (1408 voters), Gaadhifushi island (434 voters) and Thimarafushi (1774 voters). Only 3086 people were found to have voted, while 35 votes were disqualified.
Musthafa was said to have taken the lead in almost all these islands, except for Guraidhoo – well known to be a PPM strong-hold.
As the day wore on, five people were arrested from Guraidhoo this morning for allegedly vandalizing the island council office and smashing up windows, according to Police Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef.
Meanwhile, Jabir triumphed in the Kaashidhoo by-election with 1107 votes (54%). The MDP candidate followed him with 919 votes while PPM candidate Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim came fourth with nine votes, a single vote behind another candidate who had contested independently and came in third.
Jabir and Waheed
Eligible voters for Kashidhoo constituency stands at 2231 while the turn out was 2060. The constituency is made up of 1422 voters from Kashidhoo island and 809 voters from Gaafaru.
Though Waheed contested on a PPM ticket, the party had officially endorsed JP candidate Jabir and requested Waheed to withdraw his candidacy, but he declined.
Polls Peaceful
The polls, which were contested for two separate seats in the Majlis, are the first parliamentary elections to be conducted since the controversial transfer of power that saw President Mohamed Waheed Hassan take office in February.
Polls opened peacefully at 8:00am this morning on Kaashidhoo and Thimarafushi and ran peacefully throughout the day, except for the incident on Guraidhoo.
Elections Commission President Fuad Thaufeeq said in a press conference this afternoon that the commission had received a single complaint regarding the voter’s registry, with the rest of the complaints relating to elderly people or people with special needs who need assistance in voting.
“Elections officials at the ballot box will decide whether to give permission for assisted voting. But some people were dissatisfied with officials decision and complained.” he explained.
Local media yesterday reported that 21 complaints relating to the manner in which campaigning for today’s elections was being conducted were brought to the EC.
However, an EC spokesperson told Minivan News this morning that it was happy with the way voting was being conducted and had not received any fresh complaints so far today.
“Right now, there are no other complaints that we have received and we do not believe there are any significant problems for voters,” the commission spokesperson added. “we are quite happy that things are going smoothly and people are being encouraged to vote,” He observed.
When asked regarding the potential impact that yesterday’s complaints may have had on voters, the Elections Commission said it was monitoring polling stations and police conduct very closely.
police officers near barricades
Meanwhile, the MDP this afternoon praised what it has called a “peaceful and calm” voting environment during today’s by-elections, whilst appealing for its supporters to remain calm and show “maximum restraint” as the day progressed.
In a statement, MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said that the party remained fully confident in the Elections Commission’s ability to ensure free and fair elections amidst calls for a new nationwide presidential poll after former President Mohamed Nasheed alleged he had been forced to resign in a “coup d’etat” in February.
“The MDP has consistently called for early presidential elections in the Maldives to resolve the political deadlock that exists since the unlawful transfer of power on February 7 following police and military backed coup in the Maldives,” Ghafoor claimed.
“Elections today are held at a time when [former President Maumoon Abdul] Gayyoom has publicly stated early Presidential elections would not be held in the Maldives citing conditions for elections are not right and also that Elections Commission does not have the capacity to hold early elections in the Maldives.”
Dr. Waheed’s role
During a busy election weekend, President Waheed was himself in Thimarafushi on Friday afternoon, where he endorsed PPM candidate Ahmed Shareef just a few hours before campaigning ended.
Speaking to the inhabitants, Dr.Waheed claimed that the government held a great majority in the parliament and added that electing Shareef would help expedite the government’s performance.
He also promised that the Thimarafushi airport development will begin soon. Meanwhile, several islanders claiming to oppose the
Shareef standing behind Dr.Waheed in Guraidhoo visit
present government walked out of the island in retaliation to Waheed’s visit.
“Around 200-300 people including men women and elderly went to nearby uninhabited island called Hiriyanfushi. They did not want to be here when coup president arrive,” a Thimarafushi councillor told Minivan News.
MDP supporters alleged that Waheed visited Thaa atoll during the elections to promote the PPM’s candidate and influence voting. “The School wall was even painted in pink when Waheed visited there yesterday,” MDP supporters claimed.
While polling was ongoing today, heated arguments and mild clashes reportedly erupted between supporters of Dr.Waheed and his opponents on Vilufushi island of Thaa atoll, where he was visiting.
No arrests were made but the police tightened the security around the school in the area where the President met Vilufushi islanders.
The Four Seasons Hotels group has said it is taking on a record number of apprentices at its Maldives resorts over the next twelve months – despite still facing challenges in attracting local women to work in the tourism industry.
At a ceremony held at the Nasandhura Palace Hotel in Malé this morning, 34 graduates were honoured for completing twelve month training courses in specific hospitality areas such as housekeeping and guest management, food preparation, marine transportation and watersports.
The hospitality group, which operates both the Four Seasons Resort Landaa Giraavaru and Four Seasons Resort Kuda Huraa properties in the Maldives, is taking on 60 apprentices during the next year – a company record.
Speaking at the ceremony, Armando Kraenzlin, Regional Vice President and General Manager for Four Seasons Resorts in the Maldives, said that while “interest and the ambition to learn” was growing amongst the Maldivian workforce, encouraging women to come and work was, if anything, more difficult.
“We would ask the government, help us get more girls [into the scheme] in future,” he said. “ It has got harder today than a few years ago and that can’t be right.”
While supporting the work of groups like Four Seasons in training local staff to take up more specialised positions in the country’s resort industry, one body representing Maldivian tourism workers has called on the private sector and the government to reconsider how the current curriculum prepares school leavers for a career in the hospitality industry.
From the perspective of the Four Seasons’ operations, Armando Kraenzlin today said that schemes such as its graduate programme were vital to a company continuing to try and drive innovation across its 86 hotel operations. However, he claimed the training programmes were not without challenges.
“This year we lost one member [of the graduate program] after twelve hours,” he said.
Kraenzlin said that confusion had arisen after the staff member had not realised that they had agreed not to smoke on the resort as part of their contract, a commitment the person was unable to fulfil.
Applicant hunger
However, the company claimed that with some 500 applicants looking to fill just 60 apprenticeship spaces this year – there was a clear hunger and demand for training positions such as these in the tourism industry.
“People have travelled 16 hours by boat to come to sit interviews here in Male’ with us,” Kraenzlin said, a development he claimed demonstrated the commitment of staff to obtain places on the graduate scheme.
During today’s ceremony, Four Seasons claimed that as part of this year’s graduate class, an additional discipline call “international conversations” was being taught in order to help staff communicate with an increasingly diverse customer based including guests from China, Korea and Russia.
Beyond just learning language, the company claimed the course was designed to provide an understanding of these nations’ history, culture and even cuisine.
For the year ahead, Kraenzlin said the company was also currently working on launching a prototype engineering course.
“We know that Maldivians are tech-savvy, as well as engineering-savvy,” he said.
Kraenzlin added that with the company’s graduate scheme now in its eleventh year, the program was very much “here to stay”. Yet he called on the government, represented by Education Minister Asim Ahmed in the audience, to help to strengthen the training the company provided to local workers.
“We are inviting the government to tell us how to do this better. Who knows, maybe we will have one class who makes it to the finish-line without any casualties during the year,” he said, referring to previous applicants who had dropped out from the course.
Education Ministry
In addressing Kraenzlin’s invite, Education Minister Asim said that Four Seasons was an “important partner” in regards to education and training in the country, especially for helping to bridge skills gaps in the current curriculum.
“There is a shortage of skills in the country that is a major challenge needing to be addressed,” he said.
With tourism being one of the most significant contributors to the nation’s economy, Asim welcomed the work of resort groups such as Four Seasons in helping the ongoing development of the national work force.
“I am personally a major supporter of linking with the private sector with schemes such as this,” he said.
TEAM view
In addressing Four Seasons’ commitments to staff training, the Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM), which aims to represent local workers’ rights in hospitality, said it was ultimately encouraged by the apprenticeship programmes ran by the multinational group.
TEAM’s Secretary General Mauroof Zakir, who was himself a graduate of Four Season’s training programme between 2004 and 2005, believed such programs were a huge benefit to the local workforce.
“From my personal understanding, the Four Seasons graduate program is one of the best. When I did the programme, I really didn’t know anything about the resort industry before going in,” he said. “When I came out, I had a much greater understanding of the work environment, though I don’t know how the program has changed since.”
Despite welcoming the graduate scheme, Zakir claimed that more needed to be done by both the government and the tourism industry to provide greater practical experiences of the resort industry to school students.
“Both resort management and the government need to look at providing more practical experiences for students of resort life,” he said. “We need to look at changes to the curriculum to get more visits to resorts. School leavers should have a much better understanding of how resorts work.”
While Zakir said he was aware of several high-end multinational resort chains providing training programs for local workers, he believed many locally-owned resorts, usually targeted at more mid-market tourism, needed to do more with their respective training schemes.
TEAM said it was not presently involved in helping outline training programs, adding that it did not receive much information from either the government or industry regarding existing projects. However, with an organisational mandate to try and increase the capacity of Maldivian workers in the tourism industry, the organisation claimed it would be open to playing a role in the development of future vocational training for local people.
Female worker challenge
In addressing Four Seasons’ concerns about a short-fall in the number of Maldivian women coming to work at the country’s resorts, Zakir said he believed there were several issues affecting local recruitment of females into the hospitality sector.
“Groups like Four Seasons have been trying hard to get local women to work at its resorts. But we don’t see much improvement in the number of women workers.” he said.
Zakir claimed that more “extremist” views had been “widely spreading” around the country in recent years, creating additional social problems in encouraging female workers to come and work in hospitality.
To try and counter these messages, TEAM said that it was vital to communicate with schools and parents that resorts were not a threatening environment for women to work at.
While there had been concerns in the past involving allegations of sexual harassment against female staff, Zakir stressed that local women should not be discouraged from seeking employment on resorts.
“We need more local women working on resorts right now,” he said. “An estimated 300 to 400 Maldian women are currently thought to be working in hospitality at resorts. This is a very small amount.”
In terms of practical ways to encourage a greater number of female staff, Zakir suggested resorts could provide more regular transportation to and from resort islands as one possible solution. Such a measure, he claimed, could allow female staff to commute to work more regularly, allowing more contact with their families at home.
The Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) had criticised the policies of Male’ City Council (MCC) over the allocation of land, arguing that the current policies are in violation of decentralisation laws.
The PPM claimed today that the Maldivian Democratic Party(MDP) have been granted land at surfer’s point an Usfangandi, whilst requests from other parties for space to use have been rejected, Haveeru has reported.
The MCC responded in local media that the land allocation complied with current regulations.
During the week it emerged that the Housing Ministry had issued a letter to the MCC informing them of their decision to take the Usfangandu area away from the Council’s control due to the continued political activity on the site. The MDP lease was due to run until the end of June.
The court case concerning the removal of the MDP from the surfer’s point area last month was dismissed this week after the judge ruled that MDP interim chairperon Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik did not have the authority to submit the case on behalf of his party.
A man who was kept under house arrest has been found dead inside the property today.
Local media has reported that the deceased, identified by police as Mohamed Yazeed, 51 of Dhaandhoo in Gaafu Alifu Atoll, was being kept under house arrest for a drug related offence.
No details have been given as yet regarding the cause of death.
Provisional results from today’s two parliamentary by-elections indicate that the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate Ahmed Shareef and the Jumhoory Party’s (JP) Abdullah Jabir have won seats in the People’s Majlis.
Under these provisional results, Shareef will become the MP for Thimarafushi, while Jabir will answer to the constituents of Kaashidhoo. Thimarafushi seat was previously held by Maldivian Democratic Party MP Mohamed Musthafa who was disqualified by the Supreme court over a decreed debt.
Polling for parliamentary by-elections on the islands of Kaashidhoo and Thimarafushi closed today at 4:05pm, with counting getting under way soon after following a day of largely peaceful electioneering. Official provisional will be announced by the Elections Commission at 8:30pm this evening.
Provisional results announced from the polling stations show that PPM’s Shareef won the seat for the constituency of Thimarafushi with 1755 votes. Musthafa came in second with 1327 votes – a 428 vote difference.
A total of 3616 voters are registered for Thimarafushi constituency which include; Guraidhoo island (1408 voters), Gaadhifushi island (434 voters) and Thimarafushi (1774 voters).
Musthafa took the lead in almost all islands, except Guraidhoo – known to be a PPM strong-hold.
Meanwhile, Jabir triumphed in Kaashidhoo by-election with 1107 votes. MDP candidate followed him by 784 votes while PPM candidate Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim came third with 141 votes.
Eligible voters for Kashidhoo constituency stands at 2231. The constituency represent 1422 voters from Kashidhoo island and 809 voters from Gaafaru.
Though Waheed contested on PPM ticket, the party had officially endorsed JP candidate Jabir and requested Waheed to withdraw his candidacy, but he declined.
Polls Peaceful
The polls, which were contested for two separate seats in the Majlis, are the first such elections to be conducted since the controversial transfer of power that saw President Mohamed Waheed Hassan take office in February.
Polls opened peacefully at 8:00am this morning on Kaashidhoo and Thimarafushi, whilst elections for vacant seats in both the Thaa Atoll Gaadhiffushi Island council and Haa Dhaal Atoll Kumundhoo island council were also contested today.
Police Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News that no significant arrests were believed to have been made over the last two days in relation to the hotly contested Kaashidhoo and Thimarafushi polls.
“So far, even in Male’, things have gone very quietly and peacefully,” he said.
Local newspaper Haveeru reported that 21 complaints had been received by the Elections Commission (EC) yesterday evening over concerns about the conduct of the parliamentary by-elections during the weekend. According to the report, 16 complaints by yesterday had been filed relating to campaigning in Kaashidoo and four complaints were raised concerning Thiamarafushi.
Election Commissioner Fuad Thaufeeq could not be contacted by Minivan News at the time of going to press regarding the nature of these complaints. Local media has reported that the complaints concern the obstruction of campaign activities on the islands, as well as acts of violence. Sub-Inspector Haneef said this morning that police were continuing to work closely with the EC.
On Friday, Commissioner Thaufeeq described campaigning for the Thimarafushi seat as “heavy”, though said he remained confident today’s polls would be successful.
The claims were made the same day that Mohamed Musthafa, the disqualified Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) member seeking re-election in the Thimarafushi, questioned the actions of the police alleging they had been working to intimidate locals regarding today’s voting.
Musthafa warned that the police presence on the island had intimidated locals, particularly after recent arrests, which he argued were without good cause. He alleged that one of the young men arrested on Tuesday received a head wound after a police officer pushed his head into a wall.
Haneef countered that police have made their preparations for the poll and have deployed the necessary officers. When asked about the precise numbers he said that it would depend on the intelligence received from the island.
Updates:
09:28 – Rain is falling in Thimarafushi, where the MDP’s Mohamed Musthafa is competing against PPM’s candidate Ahmed Shareef, to regain his seat after he was disqualified in by the Supreme Court over a decreed debt.
Shareef was the Atoll Chief of Thaa Atoll from 2006-2008, the last few years of Gayoom’s administration.
“It will be a tough vote between Shareef and Musthafa, because both of them are from this island”, a 27 year old man from Thimarafushi observed when interviewed by Minivan News. “Last time Musthafa won, it was against Gayoom’s son. Now if he wins against a person from same island, it will be significant,” he added.
In 2009 parliamentary elections, Musthafa won Thimarafushi constituency seat, but had to go for a revote following vote rigging case filed by Ghassan Maumoon, then-DRP’s candidate. However, Musthafa won the second round as well.
09:32 – President Waheed was himself in Thimarafushi on Friday afternoon, where he endorsed PPM candidate Ahmed Shareef just a few hours before campaigning ended, Minivan News’ Hawwa Lubna reports.
Election official and police officer stand near Thimarafushi school
Speaking to the inhabitants, Dr.Waheed claimed that the government has a great majority in the parliament and added that electing Shareef would help expedite the government’s performance.
He also promised that the Thimarafushi airport development will begin soon. Meanwhile, several islanders claiming to oppose the present government walked out of the island in retaliation to Waheed’s visit.
“Around 200-300 people including men women and elderly went to nearby uninhabited island called Hiriyanfushi. They did not want to be here when coup president arrive,” a Thimarafushi councilor told Minivan News.
MDP supporters allege that Waheed is visiting Thaa atoll while the elections are underway, to promote PPM candidate and influence vote. “School wall was even painted in pink when Waheed visited there yesterday”, MDP supporter claimed.
09:43 – Meanwhile, over on Kaashidhoo, the rain has now stopped. Minivan News reporters have observed that 115 votes have so far been processed, with polling having been conducted peacefully.
Abdullah Jabir, candidate from Jumhoory Party (JP) and MDP candidate Ahmed Haleem is competing over the Kaashidoo seat. JP candidate Jabir has been endorsed by Dr. Waheed and Gayoom’s PPM party.
10:08 – The Elections Commission (EC) has said that it has not so far received any additional complaints regarding the conduct of polls today. Local media yesterday reported that 21 complaints relating to the manner in which campaigning for today’s elections was being conducted were bought to the EC.
However, an EC spokesperson told Minivan News this morning that it was happy with the way voting was being conducted and had not received any fresh complaints so far today.
“Right now, there are no other complaints that we have received and we do not believe there are any significant problems for voters,” the commission spokesperson added. “we are quite happy that things are going smoothly and people are being encouraged to vote.”
When asked regarding the potential impact that yesterday’s complaints may have had on voters, the Elections Commission said it was monitoring polling stations and police conduct very closely.
“We are quite happy so far,” the spokesperson said.
10:28 – Voting in Guraidhoo island of Thaa atoll was briefly halted around 9:30am, according to reports from the island. However, EC Director General Mohamed Tholal confirmed that voting did not stop and it is continuing.
“An elderly man claiming to be incapable wanted another person to help in casting the vote. But we cannot allow that. The problem is solved now. Voting is continuing.” Tholal said.
10:55 – Five people have been arrested on Guraidhoo island for breaking an entry into the island council office and smashing the window, police official has confirmed.
According to a source on the island, arguments broke out between two candidates supporters after a registered observer of MDP candidate Musthafa went to the island. “We don’t know yet who attacked the island council office,” the source noted.
11:57 – MDP Observers are gathered in two of the guraidhoo ballot boxes, EC Director General confirmed in a tweet.
Hassanfulhu shows voting ink mark
12:00 – Confirmed voting details for the by-elections at 11:30 am.
12:15 – Ibrahim Hassan Fulhu, aged 57 said that he is happy voting is going smoothly. “I did not expect elections to go peacefully like this. I thought people would hijack vote boxes and create chaos. But lets see. Things may go wrong later,” Hassan Fulhu added.
12:45 – On Kaashidhoo, Minivan News reporter Zaheena Rasheed has said voting has continued smoothly into the afternoon, with contesting parties both running exit poll booths outside the ballot area. Both booths are serving drinks to their own supporters.
Jumhoory Party candidate (JP) Abdulla Jabir who is near the polling station has said he is certain of victory in today’s election.
12:57 – Both candidates standing in the Kaashidhoo election have called on supporters to show maximum restraint, while alleging that their opponents are trying to incite violence at the polls.
13:00 – There is three hours left before the polls close in Kaashidhoo. MDP representatives have claimed all is proceeding smoothly, whilst exit poll monitoring is being used to try and ascertain number of voters turning out so far.
13:07 – Minivan News’ Zaheena Rasheed has noted there is a sizeable police presence on Kaashidhoo. Two police officers are said to be manning each voting booth, whilst patrols are also taking place.
A spokesperson for the police could not confirm the exact number of police at the island at present, adding that numbers would change throughout the day depending on the atmosphere. However, the mood on the island is presently said to be festive with approximately half of registered voters now believed to have cast their votes.
Police stationed at the road blocks
13:30 – Voting continues peacefully over in Thimarafushi. Police have tightened the security near the voting stations at Thimarafushi school and youth center. Roadbloack have been placed on the nearby roads to prevent traffic.
13:35 – Heated arguments and mild clashes erupted between supporters of Dr.Waheed and his opponents, according to reports from the island of Vilufushi. No arrests have been made so far. But the police have tightened the security around the school where President is meeting Vilufushi islanders.
14:30 – Police Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef has said that by-elections have continued to run smoothly despite an earlier incident of unrest in the island of Guraidhoo, Thaa Atoll.
Haneef confirmed five people had been arrested earlier today in connection with the incident that occurred in Guraidhoo, where a group of men were said to have vandalised the local Island Council Office.
He said that the windows of the Island Council Office had been smashed by the group.
14:41 – The MDP has praised what it has called a “peaceful and calm” voting environment during today’s by-elections, whilst appealing for its supporters to remain calm and show “maximum restraint” as the day progresses.
In a statement, MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said that the party remained fully confident in the Elections Commission’s ability to ensure free and fair elections amidst calls for a new nationwide presidential poll after former President Mohamed Nasheed alleged he had been forced to resign in a “coup d’etat”.
“The MDP has consistently called for early presidential elections in the Maldives to resolve the political deadlock that exists since the unlawful transfer of power on February 7 following police and military backed coup in the Maldives,” Ghafoor claimed.
“Elections today are held at a time when [former President Maumoon Abdul] Gayyoom has publicly stated early Presidential elections would not be held in the Maldives citing conditions for elections are not right and also that Elections Commission does not have the capacity to hold early elections in the Maldives.”
15:55 In a press conference Elections Commission Vice President Ahmed Fayaaz noted that voting has continued peacefully with no obstructions. Queues near the voting stations have reduced and voting is scheduled to close at 4pm. However, Fayaaz says those who join the queue before four will be given the chance to vote. He added that provisional results will be announced between 8pm-9pm tonight.
16:05 Voting at two ballot ballot boxes stationed on Thimarafushi and two boxes placed in Kaashidhoo have been closed at 4pm as no one was in the queue. Vote counting is expected to begin within half an hour.
16:10 Voting details as of 3:15pm show 90 percent of the eligible voters have voted, according to EC.
16:35 Elections Commission President Fuad Thaufeeq has said in a press conference that the commission received only a single complaint regarding the voter’s registry. Most complaints relate to elderly people or people with special needs who need assistance in voting. “Elections officials at the ballot box will decide whether to give permission for assisted voting. But some people were dissatisfied with officials decision and complained.” he explained.
16:42 All the 12 ballot boxes placed in for the four by-elections have now been closed and vote counting has started.
18:11 Provisional results announced so far from the polling stations suggests:
1. Thimarafushi constituency: PPM candidate Ahmed Shareef is leading with 1428 votes. MDP Musthafa has received 1241 votes. Only one out of the seven ballot boxes remaining.
2. Kaashidhoo constituency: JP candidate Jabir is leading with 717 votes while MDP candidate Haleem stands second with 669 votes. PPM candidate Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim is on third with only eight votes. Though Waheed is contesting on PPM ticket, the party has officially endorsed Jabir and pledged their full support to him. Two out of the total five boxes remaining.
Police have confirmed investigations are continuing into the death of a male member of staff at the W Retreat and Spa Maldives resort this morning – with preliminary findings suggesting the man passed away of natural causes.
Police Spokesperson Hassan Haneef confirmed that police were notified by the resort this morning that a 55 year-old Indian national who worked as a chef at the North Ari Atoll property had been found dead.
”His body was found dead inside his room at about 3:45am,” Haneef said. ”The body was then taken to South Ari Atoll Mahibadhoo Hospital.”
Haneef added that according to the doctor on duty at the hospital, the chef appeared to have died of natural causes. Haneef stressed that police were still investigating the case before confirming the cause of death.
W Maldives
In a statement, W Retreat and Spa Maldives, which is operated by the Starwood Hotels brand, confirmed that a male staff member had passed away today.
“The hotel team immediately contacted emergency services and local authorities requesting assistance at the resort. Local authorities are investigating the case currently,” the company stated.
“W Retreat & Spa Maldives is extremely saddened by what has transpired and would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the deceased.”
As resort management were continuing to work with local authorities over the case, W said it was not able to comment further at present over the possible cause of death.
“The safety and security of our staff and guests continues to be a priority at all times,” the company added.
While unrelated to today’s incident, Indian nationals working in the country have been at the forefront of several high-profile police investigations over the last two weeks.
High profile cases
Late last month, an Indian national working in a local resort was attacked with a hammer and mugged while in Male’ city – allegedly by a former employee of the resort he worked in.
The victim, identified by India’s Express News Service as 24 year-old Ramakrishnan Sadanandan from Thiruvananthapuram, was reportedly attacked at 2:30pm on March 31 while staying in a local guest house.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, police confirmed investigations were taking place into the suicide of a 39 year-old Indian national whilst he was in custody at Dhoonidhoo. The exact details of the suicide were being looked into by police.
However, the case prompted Indian High Commissioner Dynaneshwar Mulay on Friday to raise concerns over the general treatment of Indian expatriates in the Maldives by the country’s police and judiciary in particular.
No injuries have been reported after a safari boat yesterday collided with a reef in Maldivian waters, military officials have confirmed.
Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) spokesperson Colonel Abdul Raheem said that crew and tourists aboard the crashed vessel had since been transferred to another diving boat. The MNDf spokesperson said he was unsure as yet if the boat had been removed from the reef where it collided.
The Sun Online news agency reported that the collision occurred yesterday evening within the reef of K. Fushidhiggaru and involved a boat called the Royal Manta. According to the report, 23 tourists and 15 crew were on-board the vessel at the time of the crash.
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