Day: July 30, 2014

Three dismissed in ongoing strike at Palm Beach Resort

Three senior staff at Palm Beach Resort in Lhaviyani Atoll have been dismissed after 50 staff staged a strike over alleged discriminatory polices at the resort.

According to a staff member on strike at Palm Beach, 50 housekeeping and food and beverage personnel at the resort stopped work at 10:00pm on Tuesday night following a public dispute between General Manager Fabrizio Dani and Restaurant Manager Ali Ashraf.

“We are calling for the removal of general manager from the resort also calling for an end to discriminatory policies between the European and Maldivian staff here,” Ahmed Abdulla told Minivan News.

He claimed the Maldivian staff were fed poor quality food compared to their European colleagues and said the management had failed to provide adequate arrangements for breakfast during Ramadan.

“We were not even given dates to break our fasts,” he said. “We will continue with our strike until demands are met.”

There have been no negotiations between the workers on strike and the management yet, Abdulla said.

In addition to Ashraf, Assistant Manager Ilyas Ibrahim and Supervisor Abdulla Mohamed were dismissed last night. The three have now left the resort.

Speaking to Minivan News, Ashraf said his dismissal had been “unfair.” He alleged the management of Palm Beach resort employed Russians, Italians, and Bangladeshi workers without work visas.

He also claimed the resort’s management had failed to sign employment contracts with the staff and were not paid for overtime work.

Minivan News was unable to contact either Fabrizio Dani or Palm Beach Resort despite repeated attempts.

In March, 18 members of staff at Vilu Reef Resort were fired after a petition detailing grievances. Workers at Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) also staged a strike in the same month over low quality of food and cuts to annual bonus pay outs.

Maldivian staff at One and Only Reethi Rah also held a strike in January over alleged ill-treatment by the management.

In a similar case in September 2013, staff at Irufushi Beach and Spa resort reported a “firing spree” affecting staff members professing to support the Maldivian Democratic Party.

According to the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly Act 2013, tourist resorts, ports, and airports fall into a category of places in which protests are prohibited.

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Five injured in spate of street violence in Malé

Four men and a woman sustained serious injuries in four separate incidents of violence in Malé City on Monday and Tuesday, the Maldives Police Services have said.

The first incident took place near the Eid Mosque in Maafannu ward around 7:40pm. Muggers attacked a pedestrian from the back and demanded he hand over his mobile phone. The man was hit on the back of his head, police said.

Minutes later at 7:45pm, two men were attacked in Malé’s suburb Hulhumalé Island near Flat no. 60. One of the men was stabbed in the shoulder and the other was stabbed in his head, the police said.

At 8pm, two masked men on motorbikes stabbed a 23-year-old woman in the back in front of a known gang hangout at the junction of Kalhuhuraa Magu and Husnuheena Magu in Malé. The ADK Hospital in Malé said the woman had suffered serious injuries.

An 18-year-old was also stabbed in the back in Heinveiru ward of Malé at 8:40pm on Monday.

All five have been hospitalised.

Police said they do not know if the attacks were connected and declined to reveal further details.

According to the police no arrests have been made yet. However, police have confiscated a motorbike in connection with the attack on two men in Hulhumalé.

Police statistics reveal 95 incidents of assault reported in July alone. The number brings up the total number of assault cases to 697 this year. Approximately 1500 cases of assault are reported annually in the Maldives, of which a majority occur in Malé.

A 2009 study by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has identified a weak criminal justice system to be the root cause of high crime rates in the Maldives. The HRCM said delays in court processes, failure by law enforcement agencies to implement sentences and failure to prosecute drug traffickers also contribute to growing crime rates.

The study also highlighted social factors such as a housing crisis, lack of employment opportunities, and lack of entertainment facilities for young people as a driver of crime.

Approximately 43 percent of respondents in the HRCM survey said they did not feel safe in their Malé homes, while 63 percent said they do not feel safe walking alone on the streets of Malé during daylight hours.

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Man arrested for sexually abusing underage boy

A 38-year-old man has been arrested in Malé on charges of sexually abusing an underage boy.

The Maldives Police Services arrested the man under a court warrant at 6:00 pm on Tuesday. The suspect has been detained for 15 days.

A family member of the victim reported the incident to the police.

Reports of sexual abuse of underage boys have been increasing in the Maldives.

On June 10, the Criminal court sentenced a 38-year-old man to 14 years in jail for molesting a 16-year-old boy. In January, the Ungoofaru Magistrate Court sentenced a 51-year-old man to 10 years in jail for abusing a 14-year-old boy on multiple occasions.

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Fuvahmulah man dies after fall from tree

A 24-year old man has died today after falling from a tree in Fuvahmulah Island.

According to local media, Fareed Mohamed, fell head first from a height of 25 feet when the branch he was standing on gave way. The fall reportedly broke his neck.

Mohamed had climbed the tree to pick a purple coloured berry called dhambu.

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India – Maldives Friendship Festival kicks off

The India – Maldives Friendship Festival kicked off on July 25 with a cricket tournament between SAARC countries.

The three-week long festival – organised by the India Club Maldives in association with the High Commission of India in Malé and the Friendship Association of India-Maldives – runs from the Independence Day of the Maldives, July 26, to the Independence Day of India, August 15.

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh competed in the first match on July 25. The final match is scheduled for August 1 at Malé Ekuveni Stadium.

The festival also includes a friendship walk on August 8 and a cultural evening and magic show at the Olympus Theatre on August 12.

“It is hoped that the festival would help further strengthen people to people interaction between both the friendly countries,” the India Club Maldives said.

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