Day: May 22, 2014

Police conclude special operation regarding Taxi regulations

Police have revealed on 21 unlicensed drivers have been fined in a month-long operation to see if taxi drivers are observing the Taxi Driving Regulations.

During the operation – between April 16 and May 18 – police also fined 13 taxis who had tinted glass on their windows.

Additionally, 49 drivers have been fined for not displaying their licenses in a manner that can be easily seen by passengers while another 29 were fined for not correctly displaying the taxi number and name of its service station on the cab itself.

One person has been fined for not having fixed the vacancy indication board on his cab.

A total of 156 persons have been fined for various offences since the regulations – unpopular with many drivers – came into effect, revealed police.

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President appoints new member to the JSC

President Abdulla Yameen has today appointed Mohamed Faisal as the president’s appointee to the Judicial Services Commission (JSC).

Faisal had previously filled the post of secretary general at the People’s Alliance – a party originally established by Yameen but dissolved by the Elections Commission in February this year.

The watchdog – charged with appointment, promotion, and disciplining of judges – has recently faced criticism from both Yameen and the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party for its failure to include investigations into sitting judges.

In addition to the president’s representative, the constitution requires the ten-member commission to include the Majlis speaker; a judge from the Supreme Court, High Court and trial courts; the chair of the Civil Service Commission; the attorney general; and representatives from the Majlis, the public and the legal profession.

Faisal replaces previous presidential appointee to the judicial watchdog, Shamsul Falah, who was appointed on November 28, 2013.

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Four runaway girls from orphanage handed to Gender Ministry

Four girls who ran away from Villingili orphanage – ‘Kudakudhinge Hiya’ – have been found and were handed over to the Ministry of Health and Gender on Tuesday, police have confirmed.

According to local newspaper Haveeru, the ministry had previously revealed that the biggest problem at the orphanage was that the elderly children were not allowed to spend time outdoors.

In March last year police returned seven children who were found on a small vessel in the lagoon near Villimalé.

A further two girls were detained by the police in January 2013 after reportedly running away from the orphanage. The girls were held in Maafushi prison, prompting the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives to call for their immediate release.

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