Day: July 29, 2014

Israeli tourists evacuated from Thulusdhoo after local unrest

Security services evacuated 34 tourists from Kaafu Thulusdhoo Island following unrest after an Israeli tourist destroyed an anti-Israel placard yesterday (July 28).

Thirty Israeli tourists, and four of other nationalities, agreed to be evacuated last night after police intelligence revealed that more protesters were travelling to the island to join those calling for the guests’ removal.

Managing Director of the Batuta Maldives Surf View Mohamed Hashim said the incident occurred outside his guest house, after an Israeli surfer took down a placard featuring a swastika alongside the Israeli flag and snapped it in two.

Anti-Israeli sentiment has been growing in the Maldives as the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestinians continues to result in heavy civilian casualties in Gaza.

As news of yesterday’s incident spread locals became agitated, explained Hashim, who subsequently informed Island Council President Ahmed Anees. Anees then contacted the police.

Around 30 additional protesters subsequently travelled to Thulusdhoo from Malé and were detained upon arrival, said Anees, being kept at the local station and the island’s social centre.

“Police intelligence said that more were coming from Malé,” explained Anees. “They said it was the best thing that they leave for the night.”

A police spokesperson has said that they provided assistance to the Thulusdhoo Island Council and the Ministry of Tourism, although they declined to give further details.

Neither Anees nor Hashim were certain of the guests’ current whereabouts while officials from the tourism ministry were not responding to calls at the time of publication.

Anees explained that 10 tourists – all non Israelis remained in – the island, while those protesters detained by police were released after the Israeli tourists’ evacuation at midnight yesterday.

Thulusdhoo guest houses

Nine guesthouses have been registered in Thulusdhoo since the relaxation of guest house policy in an industry still dominated by the high end one island/one resort model.

The island – just forty minutes from Malé – is home to one of the countries’ top surf breaks, with a majority of bookings coming from Israeli surfers, explained Council President Anees.

“This is a big loss for us because most of the people depend on guest houses,” he explained, pointing out that this type of incident was unprecedented on the island.

“It is a calm island. Only a few people were involved in this thing,” he explained, suggesting that the unrest had been fomented by outsiders from Malé.

Guest house manager Hashim – who lost all 8 of his guests last night – also suggested that the incident may have been due to the large number of non-locals present on the island for the Eid holiday.

“There have been no problems since we opened two years ago. Tourists are always very friendly with locals,” said Hashim who noted that around 60 percent of his bookings came from Israelis.

“It is a big blow for our business. There are three months of surfing left. I don’t know what we will do now.”

Israeli tourists represent only a small fraction of tourist arrivals to the Maldives, making up just 0.3 percent of the more than one million people who visited the country in 2013.

Anti-Israeli sentiment

The incident in Thulusdhoo was followed by small but vocal protests in the capital Malé during which protesters burned the Israeli flag.

Maldivians have been increasingly active in their calls for an end to the bloodshed in Gaza, with an estimated 13,000 marching through the capital Malé in solidarity with Palestinians earlier this month. Smaller demonstrations were held throughout the country.

Last week the government announced a boycott – admittedly symbolic – of Israeli products and the annulment of all cooperation agreements signed since the resumption of diplomatic ties in 2009.

“I do not think Maldivians want any help from Israel or want to keep up relations with Israel,” said Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon who has described recent attacks on UN shelters in Gaza as “cowardly and shameful”.

During last week’s meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, the Maldives joined 28 other member states in calling for an independent inquiry into Israel’s violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in Palestine.

Maldivian citizens have also donated over MVR2million (US$130,000) to the Gaza Fund which will be distributed via the Qatari Red Crescent after August 17.

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President has reduced home minister’s powers, claims Haveeru

President Abdulla Yameen has reduced the powers of Home Minister, local news agency Haveeru has claimed.

Citing an unnamed senior government official, Haveeru said Yameen’s decision comes in response to Home Minister Umar Naseer’s order on low ranking police officers to investigate Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb for alleged unlawful activity.

In a separate report, Haveeru has also claimed Naseer in a January 26 confidential letter requested the Maldives National Defense Forces (MNDF) to provide an armed military bodyguard or a pistol to defend himself.

Naseer declined to comment on both allegations today. Meanwhile, President’s Office Spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali also refused to comment on the issue and said all cabinet ministers are authorized with the necessary powers to carry out their responsibilities.

Speaking to Haveeru earlier, Muaz denied the reduction of the Home Minister’s powers and  said there have been no changes in the Home Minister’s mandate or powers.

Powers

According to Haveeru, Yameen limited the Home Minister’s powers because Naseer had given direct orders to low ranking police officers without consulting the president. The investigation order came in the second week of July after the commissioner of police delayed investigations into the alleged wrongdoing, Haveeru reported.

Adeeb co-chairs the cabinet’s economic council along with Yameen and is the deputy leader of Yameen’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

Article 16 of the Police Act allows the home minister to command individual police officers of any rank, and gives him powers equal to that of top level police officials. However, the same article also states the president may limit these powers.

Referring to a police mutiny which unseated former President Mohamed Nasheed in February 2012, Haveeru’s source claimed Yameen may have reduced the home minister’s powers to prevent another ‘February 7’. Police officers had demanded Nasheed’s resignation claiming the former president had issued unlawful orders.

Naseer had also allegedly ordered a probe into the controversial arrest and expulsion of Russian national Roman Valerevich Seleznyov earlier this month, Haveeru said.

Speaking on state broadcaster Television Maldives last week, Naseer had said the Maldivian government would have “acted differently” if the Home Ministry had been aware that an alleged hacker expelled on July 5 was the son of a Russian lawmaker.

Haveeru also claims to have received a copy of a confidential letter Naseer had sent to Minister of Defence Mohamed Nazim on January 26. In the letter, Naseer allegedly wrote, “Maldives Police Service intelligence has received information of a plot to attack me. In this regard, if I was attacked with a sword, my securities can not control that.”

But the MNDF have refused to comply with the minister’s request and security for Naseer continues to be provided by an unarmed police officer and a personal bodyguard, Haveeru reported.

Tension with Yameen

Naseer has previously accused Yameen of illicit connections with local gangs and drug cartels. Naseer’s comments came after Yameen beat him in the PPM’s presidential primaries in 2013. Naseer has also suggested Yameen’s involvement in the murder of PPM MP and Islamic scholar Dr Afrasheem Ali.

Naseer was then expelled from PPM and went on to back Jumhooree Party (JP) candidate Gasim Ibrahim. The JP placed third and endorsed Yameen in the second round of polls on the condition that the two parties form a coalition government.

After appointed as home minister, Naseer has said his allegations against Yameen were untrue and were mere ‘political rhetoric.’

The coalition was dissolved in May on a dispute over the parliamentary speakership. Two of the four JP ministers have signed on to PPM, and the third was dismissed. Naseer is the only remaining minister on a JP slot.

He is being prosecuted for ‘disobedience to orders’ regarding a January 2012 incident in which he called on anti-government protesters to storm the military headquarters with 50 ladders.

The Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office is charging Naseer with violating Article 8 (a) of the General Laws Act of 1968, which prohibits speech or writing contravening Islamic tenets.

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