Month: May 2012

Police recover electronics stolen from Irin Enterprises offices

Police have recovered a laptop and other electronic items stolen from Irin Enterprises Office and returned them to the owner.

Police said the items were discovered inside the house of a minor, already in police custody, following a police search of his house.

The minor was arrested on April 23 for alleged involvement in a different case, police said.

A police investigation revealed that another minor involved in the robbery of Irin Enterprises was also in police custody, arrested in connection with a different case on April 25.

According to statistics released to the media by the Home Ministry’s Juvenile Justice Unit, 155 offences committed by minors have been filed this year.

Most of the cases involving male juveniles were related to drugs, theft, sex, assault and vandalism, while most of the cases concerning females related to alcohol, creating unrest in an unlawful gathering, and theft, according to the Juvenile Justice Unit.

The unit also noted that 68 percent of minors who committed felonies are children who do not attend to school. The most number of crimes were committed by children between the ages of 16-18.

Factors leading to the involvement of children in criminal activities included the “negative influence of the media”, adults luring them into a criminal environment, and having parents who were criminals, the report noted. and

According to police statistics for the month of May, 58 cases of theft, five cases of robbery, five cases of assault and 18 cases of drugs have been reported.

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All-party talks will not resume until EC decision reached

All Party Roadmap Talks will not continue until the Elections Commission (EC) has completed its investigations into a dispute over leadership of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), local media has  reported.

The secretariat of Ahmed Mujuthaba, who is mediating the all-party discussions, has said that talks were expected to reconvene after the EC makes a decision over the legitimacy of a vote to remove the MDP President and Vice-President, Haveeru reported.

The latest round of all party talks, scheduled for last Saturday, were aborted after parties aligned with the government refused to recognise the legitimacy of the MDP representatives in attendance.

Dhivehi Rayithunge Party (DRP) Deputy Leader Ibrahim Shareef said last week that the DRP was waiting for the EC to make a decision on the legality of the MDP’s current leadership, as well as its authority to appoint representatives to the all party talks.

“[The representatives] must be properly endorsed by the party. Somebody with the authority to nominate the representative of the party, such as the president or vice president,” he said at the time.  Shareef also noted that the DRP was “unhappily” not present during Saturday’s talks.

Dr Ibrahim Didi was removed from his position as President of the MDP, as was the Vice President Alhan Fahmy, after the party’s national council voted unanimously in support of motions of no-confidence brought against them on April 30.

Two days later, Dr Didi presented an official complaint to the EC, arguing that the procedure used to remove him from power was against the rules of the version of the MDP constitution that is legally registered at the EC.

The EC announced on Sunday that it would take a further ten days to reach a decision on the MDP case, Haveeru reports.

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Service inequalities plague thalassaemia sufferers

Eighteen years ago when Aishath Hassan got pregnant with her third child, little did she know of how her life was about to be completely changed. Six months after the birth of her daughter, Aishath became extremely concerned about the worsening health conditions of her baby.

Worried, she took the baby to a doctor, where she heard the word “Thalassaemia” for the first time.

“The doctor told me my daughter was thalassaemic. Till that day, I did not know what it was or how it had happened. But from that day onwards, my life completely changed,” Aishath, now 45, recollected.

With almost 18 percent of the population registered as carriers, Maldives has the world’s highest incidence of the crippling genetic blood disorder. For those like Aishath’s daughter with Beta Thalassaemia Major, the disease causes severe anaemia and requires lifelong blood transfusions and treatment.

“Screening for thalassaemia, as well as treatment of thalassaemics, is costly but at the moment it’s free in the Maldives. Thalassaemic children require continuous and regular care and treatment to stay alive,” wrote Dr Ibrahim Mustafa, PhD in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, an important contributor of thalassaemia projects in his blog in January 2012.

“They require monthly transfusions and treatment with the drug Desferrioxamine, injected five times a week. The annual cost of treatment exceeds US$6,000. At present only, Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) ensures permanent cure for Thalassaemics. But the cost of this treatment ranks between US$30,000 and US$50,000. Due to the low income of average people, this costly treatment BMT cannot be afforded by many families,” he noted.

Currently, 535 patients with thalassaemia major are registered and receive regular blood transfusions at the National Thalassaemia Center (NTC) in the capital Male’. Aishath’s daughter is among them.

The pair visit the centre every two weeks, despite the costly and exhausting four-hour journey from their home island of Thodoo in Alif Alif Atoll.

“It is very tiring and every trip nearly cost nearly Rf3000 as travelling and accommodation prices. We don’t have any other choice,” Aisthath noted.

“On the islands, sometimes blood and medicines such as Desferal (a drug used to moderate iron in the blood of transfused patients) is not available while vital medical treatments charge money. But once we came [to the NTC]almost everything is free. Blood is guaranteed. All services and medicines are available,” she further explained.

Inequalities and financial burdens

The inequalities in the services available to the thalassamia patients in Male’ and    on other islands was noted as a key problem in the statement released by  Maldivian Thalassaemia Society (MTS) on the occasion of World Thalassaemia  Day, marked on May 8.

While the world marks thalassaemia day with the motto “Patients Rights Revisited”, MTS contended that today authorities have “largely neglected” the rights of thalassaemia patients who face numerous challenges to stay alive, especially those in small inhabited islands of the Maldives.

The statement read: “We see huge inequalities in the provision of medical treatments and services to thalassaemia patients living in the islands and services available from the centre established by the government in Male.”

Even though the government has arranged for blood transfusions on the islands, MTS says that for various reasons the service and necessary medications are unavailable, forcing patients to bear high costs of travelling to other nearby islands or to the capital in order to get blood transfusions, without which they will die.

Meanwhile, Program Manager of the Maldives Thalassaemia Society, Imaan Mohamed, noted that the organisation was receiving numerous complaints regarding problems receiving services under the national health insurance scheme, Aasandha.

“We have received several complaints from thalassaemia patients and their parents that hospitals and health centres are charging for medical treatments, including blood transfusions, because they have reached the outpatient coverage limit. But, we were  informed during the scheme’s inception that thalassaemia patients would not have the Rf10,000 limit allocated for outpatient services,” Imaan explained.

“So we are discussing with relevant authorities about how to solve this problem, but we have not received a good response,” she added.

Aishath meanwhile called for authorities to make mandatory blood donor tests and other associated treatments free.

“Around Rf1000 is required to test a blood donor,” she said. “That money is deducted from their Aashandha account or we have to pay the donor. So it will be a huge relief if the tests are available for free,” she noted.

The Aasandha Office was not responding at time of press.

“More awareness”

With contributions from the government and NGOs across the country, thalassaemia awareness increased dramatically after 1992 and the word became a household name.

The intitiatives included the Thalassaemia Prevention Program, comprising health education, population screening and genetic counseling  by the Society for Health Education (SHE), while in 1993 the National Thalassaemia Program was  formulated and in December 1994 the National Thalassaemia Centre  inaugurated with a 17 bed ward, blood bank facilities and a diagnostic laboratory service.

Of those screened for thalassemia in 1999, 21.9 percent were carriers, while this rate fell to 18.3 percent in the same period while the number of new thalasaemia cases decreased by almost 50 percent from 43 in 1999, to 24 in 2003.

However, Imaan from the Maldives Thalassaemia Society warned that with “no existing comprehensive national  program” to address thalassaemia in the Maldives, the success rates may not be maintained in the future.

“In the past five years, 30 new cases of thalassaemica  have been registered while earlier statistics show that the figure was lower,” Imaan observed.

She noted that the Health Ministry’s National Thalassaemia Program, which ended in 2006, included important elements such as population screening, thalassaemia education, prenatal diagnosis and medical termination of pregnancies of foetuses with thalassemia major.

“It is very upsetting that we don’t have a national program now. People need these services and more awareness programs need to be conducted for prevention of Thalassaemia,” Imaan concluded.

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High Court rules against keeping Muheeth murder suspect under house arrest

The High Court has overturned a previous Juvenile Court ruling to keep the main suspect in the murder of Abdul Muheeth under house arrest, declaring that the minor should be detained in accordance with the Home Ministry.

The High Court said yesterday that it had been notified by the Prosecutor General (PG’s) Office that the original Juvenile Court decision had not properly considered the present charges against the suspect or his criminal record.

In overruling the Juvenile Court, the High Court said the minor might become a threat to the society if detained under house arrest.

The PG also claimed during the High Court ruling that the Juvenile Court had not properly considered that the suspect, who is a minor, might influence the trial’s witnesses should he be released from police detention.

It was noted yesterday that the Juvenile Court has issued five warrants related to the case, with the most recent requesting that the suspect be put under house arrest.

The four previous warrants issued requested the suspect be kept in a place determined by the Home Ministry over concerns he might influence witnesses should he be released from detention.

The High Court said that when keeping a suspect in detention, the presiding judge in the case is required to refer to several different factors, such as the crime involved and the challenges faced in investigating the offence.

Other factors a judge needed to consider were the number of persons involved in the crime, the nature of the crime, the penalty for the crime, the probability that the accused might flee and the probability of influencing witnesses.

The High Court stated that the suspect had a criminal record with five previous offences.  The court said that these cases included involvement in an unlawful gathering whilst in possession of a violent weapon, a charge of assault using a violent weapon and one case of terrorism. In considering the suspect’s record, the High Court said it could be believed he might be a threat to the society if released from detention.

The PG requested the High Court to keep the minor in pre-trial detention until the court reaches a verdict on the case.  However, the High Court said the police had earlier requested the Juvenile Court grant an extension of detention for 15 days and it could only refer to police requests made at that time.

Muheeth, of G. Veyru, was stabbed to death near the Finance Ministry building on February 19.  Five suspects were arrested in connection with the case.

Police Inspector Abdulla Satheeh has previously told local media that the investigation into Muheeth’s death showed that the victim had not been involved in gang related crimes and this was not being considered a motive for the attack.  Satheeh added that the victim had no police record and was working in a responsible job at the time.

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‘Mosquito Lady’ and local community combine to deter unwanted guests on Kuda Huraa

Pest control consultant Trudy Rilling-Collins, better known as the ‘Mosquito Lady’ has been working closely with Four Seasons Kuda Huraa resort and the local community of neighbouring Boda Huraa to introduce sustainable and environmentally friendly mosquito control procedures.

As the South-West monsoon season reaches the Maldives, wetter weather will bring rain to replenish the water tanks that provide safe drinking water for the people of the islands. But it is not just the human population who will be glad to see the clouds rolling overhead.

The increased rainfall is also particularly appealing to the country’s mosquito population, which will take full advantage of any available water in which they can lay their eggs. Any stagnant body of water will be most appreciated by Aedes aegypti and her cousin Aedes albopictus, the mosquito species that carry the dengue virus which has been afflicting Maldivians in increasing numbers in recent years.

Aedes aegypti will utilise any water available in which to lay her eggs. She will live for only one month, but in that time her larvae will take full advantage of any accommodating bucket, well, puddle, blocked drain or water tank.

She will sustain herself during this period by feeding exclusively on human blood, unlike her cousin who will happily feed off any red-blooded creature.

Aedes aegypti is a particular fan of mid-market tourism, preferring to find accommodation in close proximity to the local community. Eager to ingratiate herself with her human food supply, she can visit up to five people per blood meal, potentially passing the dengue virus to all she acquaints herself with.

She will be able to lay four lots of eggs in her lifetime which is more than long enough to see her young grow into fully grown biting adults, a process that takes only one week.

Fully booked

One place where Aedes aegypti and her kin will not receive a hospitable welcome this year, however, is on the resort island of Kuda Huraa in North Male’ Atoll and the inhabited island of Bodu Huraa next door.

The resort has this year enlisted the help of Trudy Rilling-Collins, otherwise known as ‘Mosquito Lady’, to ensure that its hospitality extends only to the human guests.

Trudy runs her own consultancy, specialising in environmentally responsible pest control, and has been working closely with Four Seasons Kuda Huraa and the Bodu Huraa community to ensure that there are no vacancies for dengue spreading visitors.

The resort on Kuda Huraa and the local community share a symbiotic relationship. The resort provides around 13 percent of the registered population in Bodu Huraa with jobs and has provided vital infrastructure to the local population.

The town’s sewerage system was provided by Four Seasons and the company has even assisted in providing fresh water to Bodu Huraa during the current dry season.

This close relationship is not lost on the mosquitos, who can easily travel the short distance between the islands, to feed happily from tourists and locals alike.

Trudy studied the biological control of insects and became disillusioned with the extensive use of harmful pesticides in what she sees as often futile attempts to control pests.

The use of pesticides in a diesel fuel carrier, referred to as fogging, is widely practised in the Maldives and throughout the tropical regions, although Four Seasons Kuda Huraa, which also pays for mosquito control in the two islands, has not fogged since Trudy’s arrival in April.

“The neurotoxins present in pesticides used for fogging on the islands have the same effects on humans that they have on the insects, it just takes far higher doses to affect humans,” said Trudy.

“Fogging kills only a small percentage of adults, five to ten percent if you’re lucky, and over time results in increased resistance,” she added.

Trudy believes that the key to mosquito control lies in making the area inhospitable to the pests: “80-90 percent of the problem can be sorted by eliminating standing water where mosquitoes breed.”

The effects of these chemicals are also harmful to the local environment, a particular concern for SEAMARC, a Maldivian an environmental consultancy that works closely with Four Seasons.

Alban Viaud, a marine biologist on Kuda Huraa, explained that the fogging chemicals which are quickly washed into the ocean are harmful to marine health: “Only a few parts per million can kill fish.”

Trudy has been working closely with the resort, the local council, schools and the community to implement a sustainable, effective and environmentally friendly way to keep mosquito numbers down.

Strength in numbers

After having visited the islands, there is a strong understanding emerging that, rather than chemicals, it is the community that is the strongest weapon in making Aedes aegypti feel unwelcome.

Measures have been taken to clear breeding grounds during Trudy’s time on Bodu Huraa. She has worked with the islanders to identify and eliminate as many breeding grounds as possible.

Of particular concern were the islands old septic tanks, long since replaced by the sewerage system supplied by the resort, but still capable of retaining water through gaps in the paving slabs. After water collects in such areas, Aedes aegypti is sure to follow.

Covering these gaps with concrete eliminates the tanks as another potential holiday home for the mosquitoes.

A similar, and innovative, method to prevent mosquitoes checking in to household water tanks was in full swing when Minivan News visited Boda Huraa.

Ringed hoses, filled with sand were being constructed in order to secure a fine mesh over the top of the water tanks, allowing access to rainwater but not to mosquitoes.

In the shade of the local council building, three resort employees could be found steadily working on the project. With around 250 tanks on the island, the team had a long way to go but seemed enthusiastic.

One of the men working on the rings was resort employee Rafeeq, who has been assigned the vital task of checking, sampling and clearing potential breeding areas. The job will require four hours of Rafeeq’s time every day, for six days every week.

The town’s households have been surveyed and divided into eight zones, meaning that each house should be checked three times in each one month cycle.

Around the corner, another simple and sustainable method was being used for removing larvae from water supplies. Fish are a far more welcome guest in the ground wells. No room service is required as they feed largely off any larvae they can find in water, which the townsfolk no longer use for drinking. One type of fish often found in the wells can eat up to 40 mosquitoes in three minutes.

Community action

“Energy and action are key components  the success of this project. I try to push for simple sustainable solutions,” said Trudy.

“But it takes someone on the ground to create action,” she added.

A vital part of her mission in Bodu Huraa has been to raise awareness and create enthusiasm for the eradication scheme. This has involved numerous presentations given to all sections of the community, from the employees at the resort to the children in the local school.

Shafyga Arif, the island’s Community Health Officer noted that there had been a big reduction in the mosquito population since the scheme had begun.

She also noted that the community would be important in keeping numbers low, with leaders appointed within each of the project’s eight zones. “They have to do it themselves. Each person should take responsibility. People had some previous awareness but didn’t care before,” said Shafyga, who has herself pledged nine hours of her working week to the project.

Back at the council building, the Island’s Council President Abdel Rahman Saleh explained that a local task force comprising fifty members of the local community had been formed to work on the scheme.

The task force members are working on a volunteer basis as there is no space in the council’s current budget for the scheme. Saleh said that he had requested more funds for such projects for next year.

“The task force will work. The government requested that we continue the project for twelve weeks, but we intend to continue it forever,” he added.

The appreciation of the health and environmental benefits of these sustainable methods appeared to be widespread as Trudy neared the end of her time on the islands.

Of equal importance was the realisation that the fight against the mosquitoes will only be as strong as its weakest link, and that the resort, the local government and the community must continue to patrol and eradicate potential breeding sites.

With the entire community working together and remaining vigilant, it is hoped that Kuda Huraa and Bodu Huraa will be receiving poor reviews from Aedes aegypti for the foreseeable future.

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STO, STELCO and Dhiraagu boards reconstituted by president

President Mohamed Waheed Hassan has reconstituted the Boards of Directors for the State Trading Organisation (STO), the State Electric Company (STELCO) and telecommunications group Dhivehi Raajjeyge Gulhun (Dhiraagu).

Abdulla Faiz is set to take the Chairperson role for the STO board. Ahmed Shareef and Ibrahim Athif Shakoor will take the Chairman role on the Board of Directors at STELCO and Dhiraagu respectively, according to the President’s Office webste.

The announcement was made after President Waheed earlier this month announced he was reconstituting the boards of six other companies.

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DRP leader anticipates divergences of opinion within governing coalition

Leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Ahmed Thasmeen Ali yesterday said that he expected to see divergences appear within the government’s seven party coalition, local newspaper Haveeru has reported.

Speaking at the opening of the DRP’s new headquarters, Thasmeen said that he expected all parties to field separate candidates in the next presidential elections.

“We believe that different candidates would represent the various political parties of the coalition government in the election. However, we must all agree to sustain the current government till 2013 to ensure that the people are provided with the fundamental services and benefits from a government,” Thasmeen told Haveeru.

Minivan News was unable to reach either Thasmeen or his deputy leaders Ibrahim Shareef or Dr Abdulla Mausoom for comment.

Thasmeen argued that the coalition was formed in an abrupt manner and so differences of opinion were likely to emerge.

Thasmeen’s comments also made mention of the DRP’s motivations for joining the governing coalition. The DRP leader said the main reason the party joined the government was to ensure the protection of services to the public.

“If the functioning of the government was compromised at a time when the provision of services to the people had already been hindered and the system was facing major challenges, the people would be plunged into an increasingly dire situation,” Thasmeen is quoted as saying.

Deputy Leader of the DRP, Ibrahim Shareef previously told Minivan News that the provision of public service was one of the party’s core values which were not to be compromised, even if this meant going against the rest of the coalition.

Thasmeen also took the opportunity yesterday to reassert his party’s opposition to proposals made in the Majlis’s Financial Committee to reform the the Aasandha healthcare scheme which is set to vastly exceed its budget in 2012.

The Financial Committee is currently dominated by parties aligned to the government.

When asked by Minivan News if there were any policies other than opposition to the previous Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) that united the ruling coalition, President’s Office spokesman Abbas Adil Riza said he had no comment to make.

Thasmeen last week spoke out against the bill proposed by the MPs Ahmed Ilham of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Riyaz Rasheed of the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) to withdraw the Maldives from the Commonwealth.

Thasmeen was reported as being disappointed that the coalition had not been properly consulted before the bill had been submitted and promised “categorically” that his party would not support the bill.

At that time, Abbas said that he was happy that the coalition was strong: “It shows that even on issues on which we disagree, we can work together. That’s what being in a coalition is all about.”

Additionally, Thasmeen said that, within the coalition, it was only his party and the DQP that had specifically pledged to work with one another.

“We have an agreement with Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) that we would function jointly. However, the rest of the political parties in the government do not have such an agreement to work together,” Haveeru reports.

DQP leader Dr Hassan Saeed was not responding at time of press.

The governing coalition currently controls 45 of 77 seats in the People’s Majlis, 15 of which belong to the DRP. The remainder are held by the MDP.

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Stop buying iPads, computers and phones, ACC tells government

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has ordered the Finance Ministry to cancel plans to buy computers, iPads and phones for government ministries, claiming that only the People’s Majlis can approve ministerial salaries and benefits.

The Finance Ministry on April 30 released a circular approving the purchase of mobile phones, computers, and iPads for ministers from state funds allocated to the respective ministries. Furthermore, the finance ministry said the treasury would cover up to Rf 4000 (US$260) in monthly payments for ministers’ phone bills.

However, the ACC has told the Finance Ministry that no state institution could approve salaries and benefits for its staff, claiming that the task fell under Majlis’ jurisdiction.

“Article 102 of the Constitution authorizes the People’s Majlis to allocate salaries and benefits for the President, Vice-President, Judges, Members of Parliament and staff of the state institutions. Instead of state institutions deciding for themselves on matters within Majlis jurisdiction, we have ordered the Finance Ministry on May 7 to approve such benefits through the Majlis,” an ACC statement read.

“We would like to remind you the Auditor General has repeatedly criticized such actions in his audit reports and called on state offices not to do so without Majlis authorization. Further, when this commission asked the Majlis for advice on phone allowances, the Majlis Finance Committee told us in a letter on 30 March 2011 to act according to the salary structure approved by the Majlis on 28 December 2011 until the Majlis decides otherwise,” the statement noted.

The Auditor General Ibrahim Niyaz last week released a report on the Department of Judicial Administration (DJA) noting that between October 2008 and December 2011, Supreme Court judges had paid their phone bills amounting to RF 281,519 (US$18,280) from the state budget, despite the fact that the parliament had not allocated phone allowances to the judges.

Niyaz has recommended the amount be reimbursed and that the granting of phone allowances be determined by the parliament.

The Supreme Court on 16 May 2011  released a statement claiming that no Supreme Court judge had received phone allowances, after local media accused judges of misappropriating state funds for phone allowances.

Meanwhile, Chief of the IMF mission in the Maldives, Jonathan Dunn, warned parliament in April that if the country does not reduce its expenditure, it risks running out of reserves and miring the country in poverty.

Furthermore, the Majlis Finance Committee last week has projected that the Maldives budget deficit will reach 27 percent of the GDP by the end of year 2012, a 175 percent increase on earlier forecasts.

Government spending in 2012 is expected to increase by almost 24 percent, reaching Rf17.45 billion (US$1.13 billion) at the end of the 2012, while government revenue for 2012 will be Rf2.6 billion (US$168.6 million) less than the projected amount of Rf10.87 billion (US$704 million) – a 23 percent plunge.

With the shortfall of revenue and increased government spending, Head of the Majlis’s Financial Committee, Deputy Speaker and People’s Alliance (PA) MP Ahmed Nazim observed that the budget deficit will exceed from Rf 3.9 billion (US$ 252 million) to Rf9.1 billion this year (US$590 million), amounting to 27 percent of the country’s GDP.

Finance committee member and MDP MP for Kulhudhufushi, Abdul Ghafoor Moosa, told reporters that unplanned spending on police and military personnel and planned reimbursement of civil servants pay cuts in 2010, are both significant causes for rising costs to the government.

He observed that the largest shortfall in revenue is a direct result of the US$135 million pulled out from the budget with new government’s recently revised policy on lease extension payments for resort islands.

Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) anticipated receiving a total of Rf375 million (US$ 24 million) for lease extensions, however the income received dropped to Rf23 million (US$1.5 million) as a result of the decision to accept the lease extension fees in an annual installment instead of a lump sum as decided by former administration.

The loss of concession fees from Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), the result of a successful Civil Court case to block the Airport Development Charge (ADC) filed by the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) while it was in opposition, also saw the government receive only US$525,355 from the airport for the quarter, compared to the US$8.7 million it was expecting.

The government-aligned PA’s Deputy Leader Nazim however contended that the 23 percent drop in government income was caused by unrealised revenue from privatisation schemes and a shortfall of Rf 166.7 million and Rf435 million (US$28 million) from the projected dividends of Dhiraagu and import duties respectively.

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