Month: February 2014

Man arrested for stealing mobile phones from boats docked in Malé

Yesterday (15 February) police have arrested a man who allegedly stole six mobile phones from three boats docked at Malé Fisherman’s Harbor.

Police said that he was caught by Maafannu Police Station officers who were patrolling Maafannu ward on Saturday night.

The man was stopped by police officers when they noticed his odd behavior and while police officers were taking him to Maafannu station to search his body he threw a bag which had the stolen phones inside.

Police said when officers asked him about the phones he confessed that he had stolen them from different boats in the area. Police subsequently went and handed the stolen phones to their owners.

Criminal Investigation Department is further investigating the case, police said.

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Maldives signs MoU permitting flights to Saudi Arabia

Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding on strengthening air transport between Saudi Arabia and the Maldives, Maldivian airlines are now permitted to fly to Saudi Arabia.

The MoU was signed during a meeting between the Maldives’ Minister of Defence and National Security Mohamed Nazim and the Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation’s vice president during Nazim’s official trip to Jeddah in January .

The Defence Ministry informed local media that, with the signing of the MoU, flights from both countries are now permitted to fly to one other. They stated that 14 flights a week are now allowed to fly from the Maldives to Jeddah, Riyadh, and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

According to the ministry, the national airline Maldivian, as well as private carrier Mega Maldives has expressed interest in holding flights to Saudi Arabia.

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Maldives voted number one honeymoon destination

A survey taken by online reservations service Agoda has revealed the Maldives to be the number one honeymoon destination in the world.

Agoda’s Global Honeymoon Survey carried out in January and February asked over 15,000 visitors to choose their ideal destination, with  over 20 percent choosing the Indian Ocean nation.

“We know the Maldives is a popular destination for couples but we were surprised that its allure is so global, said Errol Cooke, Global Hotels vice-president.

One in five respondents chose the Maldives, with the Greek islands and Paris coming a distant second and third place, with 7.8 and 7.6 percent of the vote, respectively.

The Maldives tourist industry celebrated over one million arrivals last year for the first time in its history, with an increase in 17 percent compared with the previous year’s figures.

Growing from just 2 resorts with a bed capacity of 280 in 1972, the industry now encompasses over 100 resorts with a bed capacity of around 25,000.

Tourism now directly accounts for around thirty percent of the country’s GDP and has contributed to the Maldives’s rise to become South Asia’s wealthiest nation, with GDP per capita doubling over the past ten years alone.

The current government hopes to expand bed capacity in order to achieve the current Tourism Masterplan’s projection of 1.75 million arrivals by 2021.

Bali, Hawaii, Italy, and the Caribbean followed in Agoda’s list, with results showing that nearly 90 percent of European honeymooners preferred to travel outside of the region. The figure was just 65 percent for Asian travellers

“Among countries where we had more than 100 respondents, only three didn’t pick it as the most popular dream honeymoon destination – the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand,” revealed Cooke.

China’s growth to become the world’s largest outbound travel market in 2012 has been reflected in the Maldives, with Chinese tourists growing from 10 million in 2000 to 83 million in 2012.

Unsurprisingly, China became the largest source market for the Maldives largest industry in 2010, amounting to nearly 30 percent of arrivals last, year.

Last year’s Maldives Visitor Survey, conducted by the Ministry of Tourism found that 23 percent of respondents had journeyed to the country for their honeymoon.

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Fenaka Corporation to manage Hinnavaru waste management system

Komandoo Island Resort has officially handed over the management of the waste management system it installed in the island of Hinnavaru in Lhaviyani Atoll to the Fenaka Corporation.

The system – worth MVR1.4 million – was handed over to the Fenaka Corporation with the signing of an agreement on Saturday. The agreement was signed by Fenaka Corporation’s Utilities Services Division Director Hussain Hameez and Komandoo Island Resort’s Roaming General Manager Ali Adam.

“This project costs about USD90,000. Even previously, when waste in this island of Hinnavaru increased to the point where it became difficult to manage and posed difficulties, this resort used to extend assistance. In this way, the resort has extended immense help over the past two or three years,” Hameez told local media.

Hameez stated that Fenaka Corporation has now begun preparations to manage the system on a long term basis and that it is currently looking to hire new employees for the work.

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“There is no task too menial or lowly for a Maldivian”, says Home Minister

The Maldives Police Services has inaugurated the third in a series of youth camps titled ‘Blues For Youth’ on Sunday on the island of Feydhoo Finolhu.

Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer, Minister of Youth and Sports Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, and the Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed addressed the participants of the camp at the inauguration event held on Sunday morning.

In his address, Home Minister Naseer focused on the importance of local youth involvement on all kinds of work and as a way of decreasing the need for foreign labour in the country.

“There is no task too menial or lowly for a Maldivian. If doing the work earns you an income, and is a service unto the nation, then it is not too lowly for us,” said Naseer.

“None of the work currently being conducted by foreigners in this country is either lowly or dirty work. It is not something that we Maldivians cannot do.”

He called on the Maldivian youth to partake on whatever work that may come their way, “keeping in mind that our ancestors fulfilled all these tasks, did all this work, without employing any foreigners to do the work for them”.

“Youth must become independent people who do not extend hands to others to ask for aid and charity. Let us make our youth become people who work to earn a living and can take care of themselves through their own work,” he stated.

Naseer commended the police force’s initiative in continuing the youth camps, and reiterated his previous announcement that national service will be made obligatory for all school leavers.

He stated that the camp is now a “stepping stone in the preparations the state is making to introduce national service”.

He called on parents to work to familiarise children with work environments, stating that this is among the main objectives of the camp, in addition to instilling discipline in youth participants.

Youth Minister Jamal also spoke at the inauguration, asserting that “the whole nation is determined to turn the youth into disciplined individuals”.

“The uniformed forces display exemplary discipline. If the youth of the country follow their example and take up their disciplinary norms, this country will easily become one that fulfills its development goals,” Jamal said.

Jamal further revealed that his ministry is aiming to open 24 sports arenas through out the country. He stated that the aim was to employ youth in jobs created at the ministy’s youth centres and sports arenas by the end of the year.

Speaking at the event, Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed acknowledged that the crime rate in the country had increased in recent days, while assuring that the police have also stepped up their efforts to deal with the issue.

Police will pay extra attention to protecting youth and adolescents from entering lives of misdeeds and crime, he added.

The third camp in the ‘Blues For Youth’ series will be held for a period of two weeks in the island of Feydhoo Finolhu. The current intake of the camp is 51 youths aged between 15 and 18 years.

The second in the series was completed in January 2014 in the same island with 64 participants. The first was held in Addu City and Fuvahmulah in late December 2013.

“A weekend with MNDF”

In addition to the Police, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) is also conducting a series of training targeted at young persons.

The MNDF concluded the third in its programme titled ‘A weekend with MNDF’ on Saturday.

According to the defence force, the objective of the programme is to instil Islamic values, the spirit of nationalism, and love for the country in the hearts of youth. Furthermore, participants will be trained to deal with challenges and to increase self-confidence, while an additional module will teach participants more about the functions of the MNDF.

The MNDF states that the initiative emerged from President Abdulla Yameen’s first 100 day plans, and that it is a part of the administration’s youth policy and social policy.

The defence force further announced that it would be commencing dive courses and security guard training for youth in the near future.

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Week in review: February 9 – 15

The Supreme Court’s running battle with the Elections Commission resurfaced this week, with a trial for contempt of court – including the dissolving of political parties – being sprung on commission members.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) slammed the case as an attempt at intimidation prior to the Majlis elections, with Mohamed Nasheed suggesting that an election boycott would do less harm to democracy than participating in a fraudulent poll.

As campaigning for the March elections began in earnest, the MDP criticised the current government’s development plans, while the ruling coalition questioned the opposition’s commitment to separated branches of government.

Estranged coalition member the Adhaalath Party, meanwhile, continued its plan to field candidates in direct competition with its supposed allies, much to the chagrin of Jumhooree Party leader Gasim Ibrahim.

As the government approached 100 days in charge, ambitious plans to double the current pension pot through “innovative” investments were announced, while plans to enhance the role of Islam in society took further shape.

Plans to increase Islamic education are likely to hindered slightly, however, after the Teacher Association revealed its plan for strike action should the government not heed requests for reform. Elsewhere, court employees refusing unpaid overtime were suspended.

The development of Kulhudhuffushi airport appeared a step closer this week, with environmental regulations altered in order to allow dredging of the island’s mangrove.

Local NGO Ecocare continues to view the project as unconstitutional and economically unviable.

The cabinet’s promised discussion on the implementation of the death penalty took place this week, with ministers urging President Abdulla Yameen to establish regulation for execution procedures.

The confession of the country’s most recent recipient of the sentence, Hussein Humam was used as key evidence in the continuing Criminal Court case against his alleged accomplice in the murder of Dr Afrasheem Ali.

The recent recipient of an 18 year sentence for drug trafficking, Ibrahim Shafaz ‘Shafa’ Abdul Razzaq, this week appealed his sentence from Sri Lanka after being allowed to leave the country on medical grounds last week.

Questions regarding the Criminal Court’s own actions were also asked this week as it continued to refuse new cases sent by the the Prosecutor General’s Office, despite requests from the Supreme Court. The new PG will now start the job with a backlog of over 500 cases.

Members of the Majlis national security committee were informed by the Asia Pacific Group of the country’s obligation to enact anti-laundering legislation, while the parliamentary privileges group summoned police to give information on the investigation into the Alhan Fahmy stabbing.

Former Police Integrity Commission Chair Shahindha Ismail this week accused both the Majlis and the police watchdog of “intentional negligence” in investigating the chaos that followed the controversial transfer of presidential power two years ago.

Rising numbers of tourists in Malé led the council to issue a suggestion to all local hoteliers that visitors be made aware of appropriate dress codes in inhabited areas.

The latest figures from the Maldives Monetary Authority revealed that tourist arrivals has risen by 17 percent in 2013, though this was not sufficient to prevent Air Asia X suspending its Maldives services.

Finally, the Maldives slipped further down RSF’s Press Freedom Index, dropping to 107th in the list. Elsewhere in the media, DhiTV and it’s sister station DhiFM Plus were asked to stop broadcasting upside down pictures of Elections Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek.

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Over 1,500 complaints lodged over voters list

More than 1,500 complaints have been filed at the Elections Commission (EC) concerning the eligible voters registry for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

According to the EC, the Progressive Party of Maldives submitted 1,385 complaints while the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party made 66 complaints.

A further 120 complaints were lodged by individuals, the EC said.

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Climate injustice an opportunity for more sustainable justice: Nasheed

“I see the injustice created by climate change as an opportunity,” said former President Mohamed Nasheed stated in his keynote address at the “Women Rising for Climate Justice – A Day of Action” event held in Male’ on Thursday night.

Women, poor women in particular, face greater hardships and challenges from climate change injustices, he noted, adding that Nasheed said that three women died for every man who died in the 2004 tsunami.

The event was organised by local NGO Voice of Women (VOW) with Women’s Earth & Climate Action Network (WECAN). It was also in collaboration with ‘One Billion Rising for Justice‘ (a global campaign to end violence against women, calling for justice and gender equality).

Recalling his visits to temporary shelters for victims of the tsunami in Maldives, Nasheed said that hardships faced by women after such a disaster were also far greater. Commenting on the impact of climate change on health, he said the effects were also felt more strongly by women, as individuals and as caregivers.

Conflicts and wars that result from that scarcity of natural resources caused by climate change also have a greater impact on women, Nasheed said.

“We see that women stand up when they face hardships. When women stand up and take action, I believe things improve in a more sustainable manner,” he continued. “I have found their [women’s] work, courage, and willpower to be of an amazing level, especially because of how my life turned out to be in the past two or three years. I am sure you will work to find a solution for this issue. And I believe you can find those solutions. And I believe you can save this world.”

In addition to Nasheed, Minister of Environment and Energy Thoriq Ibrahim also spoke at the event, pledging to raise his voice on behalf of women in climate change issues. He also said increasing women’s participation and protection of women’s rights in social and economic planning is very important to minimise the impacts of climate change.

A statements of encouragement and solidarity sent from female leaders involved in climate change justice was also delivered at the event.

Among those who sent the message were former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, the founder of WECAN Osprey Orielle Lake, and Director of Climate Wise Women Tracy Mann.

A song produced by VOW ‘Climate Justice, Vow with us’ was performed live at the event, before all attendees signed the WECAN declaration ‘Women of the World Call for Urgent Action on Climate Change & Sustainability Solutions’.

The declaration

The declaration was ratified at the International Women’s Earth and Climate Summit held in New York in September 2012. Described as “the clarion call to the women and men of the world” – the declaration targets the global women’s movement for climate action and sustainable solutions “to put the world on notice that women will take action at all levels”.

Calling for the fulfilment of existing international agreements on women’s equality and climate change, the declaration makes a number of demands from governments and communities.

Notable demands of the declaration include the call for a binding climate treaty to reduce carbon emissions under United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), demands to bring atmospheric CO2 concentrations to below 350ppm, to protect 20 percent of the world’s oceans by 2020, and 40 percent by 2040 in marine preserves and sanctuaries.

In terms of energy, it demands the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies and the introduction of carbon taxes, increasing investment in conservation, energy efficiency, and safe energy, divesting from “dangerous and dirty” fossil fuel developments (such as fracking and deep-water oil drilling) while also rejecting greenhouse gas emissions reductions through high-risk technologies (such as nuclear energy, and geo-engineering).

In climate funding, the declaration demands prioritising and increasing of adaptation funding to build community resilience for ‘”those most affected by climate change” and making them more accessible for community-based groups, including women’s groups.

The declaration also calls for “common but differentiated responsibilities” between the global north and global south in resolving the climate crisis and implementing new economic indicators and structures that encourage sustainability and abandon models for limitless economic growth.

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Civil Court judge reveals she was offered US$5 million bribe

Civil Court Judge Aisha Shujoon has revealed she was offered a bribe of US$5 million by a party to a case she was presiding over.

Appearing on state broadcaster Television Maldives’ (TVM) variety show ‘Heyyambo’ on Friday, Shujoon said that was the only time she was offered a bribe.

“I didn’t accept and raised my voice. So [the person] left,” she said.

Asked if she knew of cases where judges have accepted bribes, Shujoon said she was personally not aware of an instance.

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