Day: September 25, 2014

Minivan News office attacked with machete, CCTV camera destroyed

A machete knife was lodged into the door of the Minivan News building this afternoon shortly after a renowned gangster removed a CCTV camera from outside the building.

An eyewitness saw two men with long hair flee on a motorbike after leaving the knife on the door at around 2:25pm, immediately after the man took down the security camera.

The eyewitness heard the men pound the door with the knife. The rusty machete knife was left in the door of a ground floor apartment of the building.

One Minivan News member has received a threat by SMS in the hours since the attack.

“You will be killed or disappeared next, be careful,” read the message.

Minivan News has lodged the incident and shared footage with police as well as making an official request for protection for its staff and premises.

The man seen attacking the office – wearing a white T-shirt – is clearly identifiable on the CCTV footage as he walks past the door, reaches up and grabs the camera off its perch.

The incident comes shortly after the publication of an investigative report – commissioned by the Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) – into the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

The investigation – conducted by Glasgow-based Athena Intelligence and Security – implicated radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s suspected abduction.

Citing the abduction of several young men in June by a vigilante group in a push to identify online activists advocating secularism or professing atheism, the investigation report found gang activity in Rilwan’s abduction to be a “strong possibility.”

The abductions in June followed local media reports of a meeting between Islamic Minister Shaheem and youth groups who expressed concern over insults to Islam online and the promotion of homosexuality.

The man seen attacking Minivan News today appeared to have been part of the group that met both the Islamic minister and Home Minister Umar Naseer prior to the abductions.

“Minivan News is extremely concerned at this blatant attempt to intimidate our staff and damage our premises,” said a spokesman for Minivan News.

“Fortunately, the individual guilty of this attack has clearly been caught on CCTV and so we expect police will have little difficulty in bringing him to justice.”

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President Yameen pledges 24-hours electricity to all inhabited islands during 2015

Reliable electricity for 24 hours will be provided to all inhabited islands during 2015, President Abdulla Yameen pledged at a ceremony held last night to inaugurate the distribution of 77 generators by government utility company Fenaka to the atolls.

In addition to the 77 generators, President Yameen said the Fenaka Corporation has procured 60 generators.

“God willing, all these engines will be commissioned next year and all the equipment needed for the engines and the distribution network has now been brought,” Yameen said.

When distribution of the power generators is complete around mid-2015, President Yameen said electricity for 24 hours would be assured for the entire country “for the first time in Maldivian history”.

Aside from the 170 islands covered by Fenaka, Yameen noted that the State Electricity Company (STELCO) was already providing electricity to other inhabited islands with larger populations.

Assuring electricity service across the country was “not a small accomplishment,” he added, expressing gratitude to the Fenaka management team and CEO Mohamed Nimal.

Fenaka was established in June 2012 by former President Dr Mohamed Waheed after dissolving seven provincial utility companies formed by his predecessor.

The 77 new generators were procured for US$5.9 million from China’s FuJian Yanan Power, including 40 generators of 160 -200 kilowatts, 24 generators of 250-300 kilowatts and 13 of 500 -1000 kilowatts.

Cables required for the project were purchased from Sri Lanka’s Kelani Cables Company for US$33.9 million

A contract for the distributional boxes for the project was awarded to local Power Engineering company for approximately US$ 16.9 million in July.

In July, opposition Maldivian Democratic Party MPs objected to frequent power cuts in their constituencies, including Addu City, Noonu Velidhoo and Laamu Gan.

Yameen meanwhile said efforts were underway to provide electricity services at an affordable price, which includes making arrangements for purchasing oil and generating electricity from renewable sources.

Following a visit by Indian Foreign Minister Salman Kurshid in February, the Indian government pledged to supply petroleum products “on favourable terms.”

Yameen also said state-owned enterprises (SOEs) should be “integrated with the government’s mainframe policy,” which would ensure that government-owned companies cooperate, work towards common goals and implement the Progressive Party of Maldives’ (PPM) manifesto.

The new administration sought to identify “inherent problems” with the government companies and improve interfacing and networking.

While the boardroom would have autonomy to manage the company, Yameen revealed that a group of ministers have been tasked with coordinating among the companies.

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Local sustainable fisheries auditor appointed in Maldives

Sustainable fisheries consultants MacAlister Elliott & Partners have trained and appointed a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) auditor in the Maldives.

Seema Ali will specialise in MSC assessment programmes, awarding sustainable fisheries certification to local companies in a move aimed to support employment in the Maldives.

“It is great to have someone based in the Maldives who can take on new MSC assessment programmes and also manage existing ones, for example through surveillance audits,” said Kat Collinson of MacAlister Elliott.

The Maldives’ skipjack tuna fishery is the first Indian Ocean tuna fishery to receive the MSC certification in 2012 for its low-impact technique where each wild fish is caught individually to reduce by-catch.

“Seema has embraced the role with great enthusiasm and she will also be well placed to take on new and existing MSC assessments in other parts of the Indian Ocean such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia,” Collinson added.

Collinson undertook MSC Chain of Custody (CoC) surveillance audits of the Maldives skipjack tuna pole and line fishery while in the Maldives. CoC standards for seafood traceability ensures the MSC ecolabel is only displayed on seafood from sustainable sources, explained MacAlister Elliott.

Traditionally the Maldives’ primary industry, the fishing industry has declined in recent years, falling behind tourism and construction as the country’s third-largest industry.

The volume of fish catch in the country has been steadily declining for the past seven years. While approximately 185,000 tonnes of fish were caught in 2006, the number had dropped to about 70,000 tonnes in 2011.

During the past five years, the value of the nation’s fisheries industry declined from MVR489 million (US$31.7 million) to MVR321 million (US$20.8 million) with a corresponding fall of 3.3 percent of the economy to 1.1 percent in 2012.

Statistics released by the Maldives Monetary Authority this month showed that fish purchases declined by 44 percent to 2,124.7 metric tonnes between July 2013 and July 2014.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has recently started awarding halal certification to local fisheries companies in order to open up Islamic markets for export.

The move followed notification from the European Union that extension of the duty-free status of imported fish from the Maldives would be rejected due to he country’s failure to comply with international conventions concerning freedom of religion.

UK Supermarket chain Sainsbury announced earlier this year that it had introduced the country’s first certified sustainable tuna sandwich using the MSC eco-label.

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Maldives trailblazers say medals don’t matter: AFP

“Their swimmers train in the Indian Ocean and the women soccer and handball players haven’t managed a goal between them at the Asian Games, but the Maldives says it does not care about success — yet,” writes the AFP.

“Getting 142 athletes from the poor islands, best known as a honeymoon paradise, to the Games in Incheon, South Korea, has already been an achievement, according to team leaders.

And a Muslim nation insisting that at least a third of the team should be women has also raised eyebrows among fellow Islamic states.

South Korean fans have taken to their hearts the athletes from a nation of less than 350,000 who have yet to win a medal at the Asian Games or Olympics.

The swimmers are often still battling in the pool long after rivals have finished. The women’s footballers conceded 38 goals in three matches without scoring and Japan beat their handball team by a huge 79-0.

But Maldives Olympic Committee secretary general Ahmed Marzooq said the results do not matter.

“Just before we came I told the athletes that there would be criticism and comments. But I told them, ‘We don’t care about any result that comes, just perform, just enjoy the Games.'”

In an indication of the difficulties their athletes face, swimmers Nishwan Ibrahim and Aishath Sajina have to train in the Indian Ocean — at night — off the capital Male.

‘We swim in the sea and there’s a current and lots of rubbish, and it’s dark,” Ibrahim told AFP. “We don’t have any swimming pools. It’s really different from the pool here. It’s difficult in the pool, the sea is more buoyant.’ ”

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