Day: August 5, 2014

Evacuation of Israelis demonstrates radical’s threat to guesthouse tourism

On July 28, an Israeli surfer on Thulusdhoo Island vandalised a protest placard featuring a swastika alongside an Israeli flag.

Within hours, an estimated 30 protesters from Malé travelled to the island to call for the expulsion of all Israeli tourists. The new arrivals were temporarily detained while the police evacuated 30 Israelis along with 4 tourists of other nationalities.

The incident has left several guest houses on Thulusdhoo empty and caused the cancellation of bookings, while nearby resorts have called off excursions.

Thulusdhoo, only 40 minutes away from Malé, is home to one of the country’s top surf breaks and – although Israeli arrivals amount to a small fraction (3,253) of the 1 million-plus tourist arrivals in Maldives each year –  Thulusdhoo’s nine guest houses rely heavily on Israeli surf tourism.

“Business will be down for the next three months. If incidents like this occur in the future, guest house tourism will suffer a lot of damage,” said Mohamed Hashim, who runs Batuta Maldives Surf View on Thulusdhoo.

Anti Israeli sentiment has been growing in the Maldives since the onset of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. The Maldives has announced plans to boycott Israeli imports, thousands have marched in solidarity with Palestine, and over MVR5 million has been donated to a humanitarian fund for Gaza.

Maldives luxury resorts – with one hotel on one island – are shielded from the local citizenry and society but they have offered islanders little benefit from its multi-billion dollar profits. Local tourism, on the other hand – while it offers hope of greater wealth distribution – is particularly vulnerable to unrest within the community.

Vigilante action of the sort seen on Thulusdhoo could pose serious risks for this emerging sector.

Real danger?

Interviews with protesters reveal that they had demanded police escort guests off the island through the protesting crowd in order to show tourists “they cannot provoke us”.

One man claimed the Israeli tourists were soldiers and described their actions as condescending. He further claimed the tourists had told locals, “We are Israelis. You cannot do anything to us.”

Condemning the police’s detention of the protesters while guests were evacuated, he said the police had treated the locals “worse than the Jews.” Israeli tourists must face the protesting locals, he argued, claiming even US President Barack Obama had gone to places where shoes had been thrown at him.

“This is a slap to Maldivian Muslim faces. After harming Muslims in that country, they come here, to a Muslim country, stay in a Muslim community and slap us in the face.”

“They have given Maldivians a warning. Just as they are killing children there, tomorrow they will kill your children,” he continued.

Another man said, “They cannot come to the Maldives on that passport. This is a 100 percent Muslim nation. Jew, Christian dogs cannot come into this country.”

No confrontation

Thulusdhoo Island Council President Ahmed Anees has denied the claim of confrontations between protesters and guests, saying that the community had in fact resolved the issue before those journeying from Malé arrived.

Batuta manager Hashim said that, though he did not believe that any of the protesters would have physically harmed guests, guest house owners could not agree to demands for guests to be escorted through the irate crowd.

“Escorting guests off through a crowd opens up opportunity for danger, for example someone in the crowd throwing a stone. We didn’t allow them the opportunity,” he said.

Rumors on social media and irresponsible media coverage had caused the situation to escalate, he said.

“Just as insults to our Prophet Mohamed riles us up, the swastika riles them up. It represents the Holocaust in which millions of Jews died. The guest shouldn’t have vandalised the placard. I do not support their actions. The boards were taken down. The issue was resolved,” he continued.

Protesters have gone on to hold a series of nightly demonstrations in Malé, calling for a ban on tourists from Israel. The Israeli and American flags were burned in front on Relax Inn and Mookai Hotel in Malé on Thursday.

Hashim said he did not see how banning Israeli tourists could have an economic impact on Israel.

“A ban on imports from Israel can cause an economic impact, but banning Israeli tourism is not that important. It affects our economy, not theirs,” he said.

Evacuation “heartbreaking”

Israeli citizen and tour operator Tom Niv – present on Thulusdhoo during the incident – described the evacuation as “heartbreaking.”

“I am fully against ugly behavior. When ugly behavior occurs, whether it’s from Israelis or locals, the police should get involved. As a travel agent, I am not accepting any kind of unwelcome behavior. We are guests in this country and we should respect rules.”

Thulusdhoo is “no longer safe for us,” Niv continued. “That a few extremists can impact a whole nation is crazy.”

Both Niv and Hashim maintained that Thulusdhoo was tourist friendly up until the evacuation.

“The guests mixed with the locals, frequented local businesses such as souvenir shops and went fishing on local boats,” Hashim said.

“There was a really good vibe, even clients posted on social media, look these are Muslims, we are Jews, see how good friends we are and see how much fun we have together,” Niv said.

“Almost everyone who came to Thulusdhoo got really connected with the locals. They weren’t like in resorts, like servants. It was not about money or tips. They really became good friends.”

Anees said residents continue to welcome tourists of any nationality, though he admitted he was now apprehensive of having Israeli tourists on Thulusdhoo.

Repercussions

Hashim fears businesses might now be wary of investing in Thulusdhoo in the future.

“Any act that may harm tourism worries us. Tourism is a very vulnerable industry. Burning flags in front of hotels in Malé and calling for tourism bans will scare off tourists,” he added.

Deputy Minister of Tourism Hussein Lirar said the safety of tourists is the government’s first priority, and that it is holding discussions on preventing similar incidents in the future.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Home Affairs are in the process of establishing Tourist Police to deal specifically with tourist affairs.

“This is quite important as the number of tourists coming to Malé is also increasing,” he said.

For Niv, the evacuation will have far-reaching consequences for guest house tourism in the Maldives.

“Israelis are not the only one who went away, Australians, French – not too many – but they will tell their friends that local islands are not safe anymore.”

“Now it is against Israel. But tomorrow it could be against Europeans or against Americans. It shows what can happen in certain conditions. This will definitely damage tourism in local islands and tourism in general,” said Niv.

Demands for a ban on tourists from any country should be directed at the government, while disagreements with any state’s actions ought not to translate into direct threats against tourists.

The incidents on Thulusdhoo reveal the risks radicals could have on guest house tourism. Local disputes over the actions of an Israeli – or a tourist of any nationality – should be taken up with police and local government.

Failure to do so could cause irreparable harm to the guest house sector.

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Government’s reaction to death threats is a test of democracy: IPU

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has called on the Maldives to make a speedy investigation into the death threats against opposition MPs and to offer them full protection.

The statement follows a series of death threats made against seven Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs on Saturday night (August 2).

“IPU is deeply concerned by these acts of intimidation against MPs in a country where many parliamentarians have been victims of attacks, harassment and arbitrary arrests in recent years,” said the IPU.

Secretary General Martin Chungong said “the authorities’ response to the threats and their capacity to promote, with the help of the opposition, real inclusiveness and political dialogue will be a litmus test for the democratic process in the Maldives.”

“The authorities must act with the necessary resolve to bring the culprits to justice,” continues the statement.

MP Eva Abdulla – a recipient of the threats, and the first Maldivian member of the IPU – told Minivan News that she had received no update from the authorities regarding any investigation or protection after reporting the incident three days ago.

“I am alarmed the parliament has not said anything,” she said.

“The MNDF should take some action, the Majlis have not said anything, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union is speaking before the parliament,” Eva added.

Meanwhile, police claimed that an investigation had been launched on the day the threats were received, with a spokesman describing the investigation as “going very fast”.

When asked about the level of security offered to MPs, the spokesperson stated that it was the responsibility of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) to provide a bodyguard.

Both the police and the MNDF were unwilling to comment on the level of protection currently offered to MPs.

The Sergeant-at-Arms – the head of the Majlis’ independent security team – told Minivan News that he had been informed of the threats, adding that the usual procedure was to inform MNDF and the police.

He suggested  that authorities have no capacity to track who sends these threats, a point previously contested by the opposition who have suggested those culpable are being protected from prosecution.

Threats

In the death threat sent to MPs on Saturday, the perpetrators referred to the murder of Ungoofaaru constituency MP and Islamic scholar in October 2012.

“It is not a sin to kill those who challenge Allah’s words and call for freedom of religion. Afrasheem Ali was an example,” read the message.

While the murder of Dr Afrasheem was the most shocking attack on an elected representative in the country’s history, former MDP MP Alhan Fahmy was left unable to walk for months after being stabbed in the back in February this year.

The safety and rights of MPs have previously been a concern of the IPU, who in November 2013 arranged an emergency visit to the Maldives.

The organisation’s request for an urgent visit was prompted by the growing list of cases involving Maldivian MPs – 24 in total – filed with the IPU’s Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians.

Death threats made against those in the public eye have become a norm in Maldivian cyberspace. Politicians, bloggers, and social media users have reported receiving threats for a range of reasons, from their support of a particular political party to their advocacy of freedom of religion.

Earlier this week, 15 journalists from different media outlets received SMS threats in relation to the coverage of gang violence in the capital Malé.

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has previously expressed concern over the prevalence of cyber threats, and urged victims to report threats made via Facebook, Twitter, or comments on blog posts to the police.

“In light of recent events, at a time of high levels of intolerance, and increase in gang related violence, do not treat any form of cyber threat as an idle threat,” said HRCM Vice President Ahmed Tholal.

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Ebola health alert issued, minimal risk for Maldives

The Ministry of Health has issued a health alert regarding the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, although the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said the risk is minimal for the Maldives.

“We have discussed this with the WHO as well, the risk is minimal for Maldives,” said Dr Aishath Aroona, an epidemiologist at the HPA.

” It is very unlikely as there are very few people going or coming from these three countries to Maldives, and infection control in the Maldives is very effective,” she said.

The health ministry has warned against travelling to the three countries in which the disease have been found – Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

The ministry requested anyone who has travelled to these countries to look for symptoms of the disease for 21 days and to seek medical assistance should any be recognised.

Meanwhile, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is working with the Department of Immigration and Emigration to identify people arriving in the Maldives from these countries.

These people will be checked at the airport’s health counter and released if the virus is not found. The HPA will keep track of those released, advising them to report immediately if any symptoms are found. In this event, the agency recommends people visit the major tertiary hospitals rather that health centers and clinics.

Additionally, the agency has sent infection control guidelines to to all health service providers around the country – including those at tourist resorts – to ensure the safety of patients and staff. Doctors are asked to take great care and proper measures to avoid infection, including the use of gloves and waterproof clothing.

Dr Aroona said that WHO is working in these countries to ensure no infected person travels abroad in order to minimise the risk of a global outbreak.

The disease

The health ministry alert referred to WHO warnings regarding the virus noting that, while it is currently known to be transmitted only through direct contact and bodily fluids of an infected person, the possibility of the virus being transmitted through other means is still under investigation.

The WHO has reported total of 1,603 cases and 887 deaths since March in the three afflicted West African countries. While Nigeria has reported three probable cases there is no outbreak in the country, with further information revealing that one of the three had come to the country from Liberia.

The incubation period between infection and the onset of symptoms can last from two to 21 days.

After this period the first symptoms of the disease which become visible include fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache, and a sore throat. This is followed by diarrhoea and vomitting.

The disease can impair the functioning of organs such as the kidneys and liver and can results in internal and external bleeding. Currently there is no vaccine or cure for Ebola and past outbreaks have had fatality rates of up to 90 percent.

More information on the Ebola virus disease have been provided by the WHO here.

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MPs debate allowing civil servants to campaign for public office

The government has proposed revisions to the Civil Service Act that would allow civil servants to campaign for public office without resigning from their jobs.

“If these amendments are passed, our civil service employees would be able to campaign for elected posts while remaining in their jobs and have the opportunity contest elections,” explained Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP Mohamed Ameeth Ahmed Manik at today’s sitting of the People’s Majlis.

Presenting the legislation (Dhivehi) on behalf of the government, the MP for Raa Madduvari explained that the amendments to the 2007 law were part of a raft of bills proposed by the government to bring outdated laws in line with the new constitution adopted in August 2008.

Opposition MPs have expressed concern that the changes may lead to the politicisation of the civil service, which currently employs just under 25,000 Maldivians – over 7 percent of the population.

Ameeth meanwhile noted that the Supreme Court had ruled Article 53 of the act was unconstitutional.

In September 2011, the Supreme Court backed a ruling against the prevention of civil servants’ participation in political activities.

The courts referred to Article 30(a) of the Constitution, which states, “Every citizen has the right to establish and to participate in the activities of political parties.”

The case was filed at High Court in late 2008 by Mohamed Hanim, who was demoted from his post as director general at the Ministry of Youth and Sports after he spoke at a campaign rally of the then-opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party.

Ameeth noted today, however, that the revisions would establish boundaries for civil servants who wish to be active in politics.

The amendments would prohibit civil servants from using powers to directly or indirectly influence political activities as well as participating in political activity either during official working hours or in a way that casts doubt on impartiality in the performance of duties.

Additionally, civil servants would be prohibited from filling any post in a political party or submitting a form to register a political party.

The restrictions were necessary to ensure that the civil service was free of political bias and undue influence, Ameeth said.

The amendments also stipulate that political appointees, judges, employees at state-owned enterprises, soldiers, and staff at the judiciary and parliament would not be considered civil servants.

Article 77(d) of the Civil Service Act – which prohibits campaigning for public office – would meanwhile be abolished.

Despite Ameeth’s claims, however, the bill does not propose abolishing Article 51 of the act, which stipulates that civil servants must resign six months ahead of contesting an election.

Conceding that the draft legislation could have shortcomings, Ameeth appealed for MPs to offer “constructive” criticism and noted that stakeholders could be consulted at the committee stage to address concerns of civil servants.

Debate

In the ensuing debate, opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ali Azim alleged that the main purpose of the bill was to “force all civil servants to join PPM.”

He further claimed that employees hired for government-owned corporations were forced to sign PPM membership forms.

MDP MP Abdulla Shahid – former speaker of parliament – contended that the amendments would return civil servants to the “enslavement” of the years before 2007, warning that it could be used to dismiss large numbers of civil servants.

Civil servants could be fired if they refuse to attend “certain rallies” or put up campaign posters, he claimed.

MDP MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik meanwhile called on the government to set a minimum wage of MVR4,500 (US$292) a month for civil servants.

Statistics published by the Civil Service Commission in June showed an estimated 40 percent of civil servants are paid less than MVR4,999 (US$324) per month.

MDP MP Mariya Ahmed Didi noted that current President Abdulla Yameen – who resigned from the government and formed the People’s Alliance party in 2008 – had backed the legislation in the 16th parliament (2003-2008).

The prohibitions in the law were intended to establish a “professional civil service” and ensure “institutional memory,” she said.

Civil servants would have an undue advantage over other candidates since they could misuse their authority, she suggested.

Majority Leader Ahmed Nihan, however, insisted that former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom deserved “full credit” for creating an independent civil service.

The present administration also deserved gratitude and praise from civil servants for ensuring the right to participate in political activity, he added.

MP Ahmed Amir of the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) – coalition partner of the ruling PPM – meanwhile suggested seeking advice from the Supreme Court when the legislation is reviewed by committee.

While the amendments prohibit civil servants from being a signatory to a request to form a political party, Amir noted that the constitution guarantees the right to form political parties to all citizens.

PPM MP Abdulla Rifau said it was “regrettable” that parliament had not amended the law in light of the Supreme Court ruling.

The PPM government would ensure that civil servants receive a pay rise when the economy improves, he added.

Rifau went on to accuse employees in the health sector of “pestering” the government with politically motivated acts of sabotage.

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Malé City to improve bus service based on new survey

Malé City Council has conducted a bus service survey to identify potential improvements to the capital’s public transport.

“From this survey, we found that many people are using the bus service, and many want to improve the service. Necessary improvements must be brought about as a top priority,” said Male’ Mayor Mohamed Shihab.

The survey was conducted after the council received a number of complaints regarding buses. It consisted of thirty questions posed to a randomly selected sample of 180 people.

The results showed that women make up the majority of passengers (52 percent) using the service which was introduced in 2011.

The percentage of people travelling by bus is low during weekends, particularly on Fridays, the survey revealed. It also indicated that most people (40 percent) use the bus in the morning compared to the afternoons (20 percent) and evenings (16 percent).

While only 31 percent reported being unhappy with the overall bus service in Malé, respondents reported several concerns.

Approximately half of respondents said they were unhappy with the bus fare – currently MVR5 per journey, while 58 percent said were unhappy with the hours of service. The bus currently runs from 6am until 1am.

Over a third of respondents did not approve of the current seating arrangements on the bus while another 32 percent complained about the condition of the vehicles. Twenty one percent said they were unhappy with behavior of bus conductors, while a similar number of people said they were bothered by the behavior of other passengers.

Respondents complained over punctuality of buses, with only 24 percent stating that buses arrived on time.

Even though buses are supposed to arrive at each stop every 15 minutes, 30 percent of respondents said they had to wait for over 20 minutes. Those who expressed discontentment with the bus stops (35 percent) said their main concerns was the lack of a shelter or a place to sit down.

A majority of respondents (61 percent) wanted more bus routes to be introduced.

Shihab said that, while the results of the survey indicated the sentiments of those who utilise the service, there would be many who were not taking the bus due to certain other issues.

He said that providing a bus service in Malé is very challenging due to the conditions of the city, including heavy traffic and construction work, but also due to failures of the service provider.

The service is provided by MVK Maldives Pvt Ltd, who are also facing criticism over failures in providing public ferry services.

The mayor noted that any reforms would be made in accordance with the agreement between MVK and the council.

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Crime in Ramadan declined 40 percent, reveals police

The number of crimes reported in the capital Malé during the holy fasting month of Ramadan in 2014 declined 40 percent compared to the same period last year, police statistics have shown.

While a total of 1,476 crimes were reported in the capital during Ramadan 2013, police revealed that the figure declined to 884 this year.

Cases of theft decreased from 544 last year to 226 in Ramadan 2014.

Followed by theft, the second highest number of cases involved traffic accidents with 176 during the fasting month, which saw a slight increase from 163 last year.

While 131 drug cases were registered this year, the figure was 212 in 2013.

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Monitoring border 24/7 near impossible, says coastguard commander

Monitoring the Maldives’ borders and ensuring security 24 hours a day is difficult and costly, Coastguard Commander Colonel Mohamed Ibrahim told the press today.

Speaking to reporters following the opening ceremony of a three-day maritime seminar in Malé, Ibrahim noted that the islands of the Maldives were surrounded by open waters, which covered a territory “larger than South Korea.”

The coastguard together with customs and police were utilising limited resources to the best of the institutions’ ability, he added.

Surveillance operations were conducted once a month with assistance from neighbouring countries, the colonel noted.

More than 30 representatives from state institutions are participating in the seminar, which is conducted by Transport Authority of Maldives (TAM) in conjunction with the International Maritime Organisation.

Ibrahim meanwhile expressed confidence that “the speed and quality of services provided to the public by technical experts” would improve as a result of the seminar.

In addition to formulating a national plan for search and rescue operations, participants at the seminar are reportedly expected to discuss how to reduce response times for disaster management from 48 to 24 hours.

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Maldives media initiates ‘Help Gaza’ telethon

Media outlets in the Maldives have initiated a telethon to raise funds for the ‘Help Gaza’ fund.

The telethon will start on Friday at 2:30pm and continue until midnight on Saturday.

The ‘I will also help’ telethon has called on state employees and private companies to donate a day’s wages to the fund.

The Maldives Customs Services, Maldives Ports Limited and Faafu Atoll Hospital have pledged to donate a day’s wages from all employees to the fund.

Over MVR5 million (US$ 323,624) has now been collected from private donations since the fund was established on July 17.

Raa Atoll Kinolhas Island with a population of 360 people alone has donated MVR 52,623 to the fund in four days.

Meanwhile, the Help Gaza collection fund on Baa Atoll Maalhos Island was stolen on Sunday. According to the island council, approximately MVR10,000 had been collected when the box was stolen.

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Majlis members send six bills to committee

Six pieces of legislation submitted on behalf of the government by Progressive Party of Maldives MPs were sent to committee for further review at today’s sitting of parliament.

The bills include amendments to the Goods and Service Tax Act, amendments to the Immigration Act, a bill to repeal an outdated law on allowing detention for more than seven days, amendments to the Civil Service Act, amendments to the Human Rights Commission of Maldives Act, and amendments to a number of laws to remove inconsistencies with the Decentralisation Act.

While most of the bills were accepted and sent to committee with comfortable majorities of between 50 to 64 votes, the proposed amendment to the Immigration Act was accepted with 46 votes in favour and 19 against

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