Month: October 2014

Police team attacked in Raa Madduvvari

A team from the Maldives Police Service was attacked last night (October 8 ) on the island of Madduvvari in Raa atoll while attempting to arrest a suspect in an assault case.

A group of men reportedly under the influence of drugs assaulted a group of girls with a chain during an Eid show on the island and later vandalised the door of the island council office.

The police team was reportedly attacked by a 29-year-old suspect who resisted arrest. However, the suspect was taken into custody by a back-up team sent to the island around 8:30pm last night.

A 17-year-old male suspect was also arrested from the island earlier this week.

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US sailors visit children’s home, join clean-up event in Vilimalé

No additional reporting by missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan

Officers and crew from the USS Rodney M Davis visited the Kudakudhinge Hiya orphanage or children’s home in Vilimalé yesterday (October 8 ) and assisted with painting and repairs.

“The American sailors also worked with a local environment group Save the Beach Maldives to clean up island debris later that afternoon,” reads a press release from the US embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The USS Rodney M Davis – an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate with the US 7th Fleet – visited the Maldives this week on its last tour of duty.

The 27-year-old, 4000-ton, 435-feet long, and 45-feet wide frigate is due to be retired by the US Navy. Local journalists were invited for a tour of the ship on Tuesday (October 7).

In its last major operation in 2010, the frigate seized over 1,500kg of drugs from a vessel in the South Pacific Ocean.

Vice Admiral Robert Thomas said earlier this week that he expected the visit to the Maldives would be “tremendously beneficial to build on our excellent relationships with the maritime nations of the Indian Ocean.”

“The area is critical to regional security, and the partnerships we build with this training will go a long way to creating a more professional and stable maritime environment,” he was quoted as saying in an earlier press release.

The embassy meanwhile noted that the sailors volunteered their personal “liberty” time to participate in the activities in Vilimalé yesterday with support from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and Ministry of Law and Gender.

“Time off is very precious because our sailors put in long hours while we are at sea,” said Lt. Russell Wolfkiel, public affairs officer for the Rodney M. Davis.

“One of the highlights of deployment is the opportunity to engage with the local communities when we visit exotic ports like Maldives.”

The American sailors repainted the interior of the orphanage while special fire safety trainers explained how to service fire extinguishers and demonstrated their proper usage.

“This is very important for us. We are very appreciative of your team to come here and do some painting and to take some time to explain the fire alarm systems,” said Mohamed Shafeeg, deputy director of Kudakudhinge Hiyaa.

A second group of sailors meanwhile joined a clean-up event organised by a local youth group called Save the Beach Maldives. The debris collected from across the island included heavy concrete pieces left over from construction projects.

“We hope more people want to help places like this in the future because it’s not just a problem for Maldives here.  It’s a problem for everyone around the world,” said Fathimath Thanzeela Naeem, the lead coordinator for the clean-up.

“We are all connected by the ocean so I’m sure that bigger countries like the US could make an impact as well.”

The Rodney M Davis departed today after concluding its four-day stopover.

Aside from the day out in Vilimalé, the sailors also participated in sporting activities with the MNDF Coast Guard, “building camaraderie and friendships with the local mariners.”

“I like being able to come overseas and help out other people and see how they live,” said Petty Officer Daniel Cornede.

“Especially when it comes to cleaning up the beach, because I come from Hawaii, and this is how I was raised to pick up trash off the beach.”

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Man feared missing found asleep under palm tree

A 50-year-old who went missing on the island of Gan in Laamu atoll last night (October 7) was found asleep under a palm tree this morning, reports local media.

Police launched a search operation for Abdulla Naseer, from Galolhu Waterloo in Malé, after he was reported missing by his family around 11:24pm on Tuesday night.

He was found sleeping on a palm frond near the beach on the eastern side of the island by a search group of police officers and members of the public.

Naseer is reportedly married to a woman from Gan and was visiting the island for Eid holidays.

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Forum organised in Melbourne to raise awareness about Rilwan’s disappearance

No additional reporting by missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan

An open forum titled ‘Silencing Dissent: The Abduction of a Young Journalist in the Maldives’ is due to take place in Melbourne, Australia tomorrow (October 9) to raise awareness about the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

The event was organised by a group of concerned Maldivians residing in Australia and will be held Thursday 7:00pm Australian time at the Victoria College of the Arts, according to a press release from the #FindMoyameeha campaign.

“One reason why we are holding this forum is to keep Rilwan’s story alive,” explained Khadeeja Naseem, a member of the organising team.

“From what little we’ve heard so far it is highly likely that Rilwan’s disappearance is a forced one. By telling it far and wide – even in distant places like Australia – we hope to ensure that more hear about Rilwan’s story and that such sad events are never repeated.”

The forum will feature a series of talks and presentations from Rilwan’s family and friends about the journalist’s suspected abduction as well as challenges to freedom of expression in the Maldives.

Rilwan has been missing for 61 days and is believed to have been abducted at knife point outside his apartment building in Hulhumalé around 2:00am on August 8.

The organisers of the forum noted that Australia was “a close development partner of the Maldives” and has provided scholarships to dozens of Maldivian students and assisted with capacity-building of the Maldives Police Service through training and support.

“As an important bilateral partner, we feel that Australians can bear on the Maldives government to do more in the efforts to find Rilwan,” the press release stated.

“Although independent sources have pointed at evidence indicating Rilwan was forcibly abducted, the authorities, especially the Maldives Police Service has been reluctant to offer any substantial information on Rilwan’s whereabouts or how the investigation has been proceeding,” reads the Facebook page for the event.

“This is the first time a journalist has been disappeared in the country, and it is a shock for Maldivian society, despite the rise in murder and violent crime during the last decade.

“Rilwan’s disappearance is yet another tragic link in a series of events where journalists, democracy activists and proponents of free speech have been continually threatened and harassed. More significantly, these events are symptomatic of the reversal of the democratic gains Maldives has made in the past decade.”

Suspects in custody

In late September, police arrested four suspects in connection with Rilwan’s disappearance. While the Criminal Court has since released one of the suspects from remand detention and transferred a second to house arrest, two suspects still remain in police custody.

In a press statement on October 2, Rilwan’s family called on the police “respectfully” to share findings of the investigation and update the family, friends and wider public on progress made so far.

“Every day and night that passes without the truth of the case being revealed is filled with questions, anxiety, and deep sadness for the family,” the statement read.

Following the arrests last week, both Rilwan’s family and human rights NGO Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) welcomed the “progress in the police investigation”.

“The Criminal Court’s extension of their detention signifies progress in the investigation,” said MDN.

MDN released an investigation report last month implicating radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s suspected abduction.

The investigation report by Glasgow-based Athena Security confirmed evidence of possible “hostile surveillance” of Rilwan at the Hulhumalé ferry terminal in Malé conducted by two known affiliates of Malé-based Kuda Henveiru gang. One of the suspects was identified as Ahmed Shiran Saeed.

Minivan News understands Shiran is currently in police custody for unrelated charges.

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 report said gang activity in Rilwan’s abduction was a “strong possibility”.

The report noted increased radical activity among members of three main gangs in Malé – Bosnia, Kuda Henveiru, and Buru – and claimed members had participated in attacks against individuals they deem “un-Islamic”.

Rilwan had “regularly received clear threats to his life” for his outspoken criticism of religious extremists, the report said.

One man named in the report vandalised Minivan News office’s security camera on September 25 shortly before two others buried a machete in the building’s door.

A Minivan News journalist received death threats after the incident, which read, “You will be killed or disappeared next. Watch out.”

While police arrested a 32-year-old suspect on charges of stealing the security camera – who was clearly identifiable on the CCTV footage – the Criminal Court released the suspect with conditions the following day.

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Manadhoo council offers vacant plot for flat screen TV, sofa set

The Noonu Atoll Manadhoo island council has made an announcement seeking to lease a vacant plot of land on the condition that the lessee provide a flat screen television and a sofa set.

According to newspaper Haveeru, the announcement states that the council has decided to lease a 5,000 square feet plot for 15 years for a monthly rent of MVR3,000 (US$195).

The conditions for proposals or bids from interested parties include providing a 32-inch flat screen TV and a sofa set to the council. A drawing of the sofa along with specifications was included in the announcement.

In July, the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure informed all local councils to seek authorisation from the president before conducting any transaction involving state-owned land.

In June, the ministry had removed two parks from the jurisdiction of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party-majority Malé City Council, while the Dharubaaruge convention centre was reclaimed by the government in May.

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Court rules in favour of STO in Al Fresco cafe dispute

The Civil Court has ruled that the State Trading Organisation (STO) was within its rights to order the eviction of the Al Fresco cafe at the STO trade centre in Malé.

The Cloud Nine Catering and Cafes company – which operates Al Fresco – sued STO in January after the state-owned enterprise gave a 90-day notice to vacate the ground floor premises of the cafe.

In the judgment (Dhivehi) delivered on Thursday (October 2), the Civil Court ruled that the notice was given in accordance with the lease agreement.

The agreement contained a clause that authorises STO to terminate the lease with due notice, the judge noted.

Cloud Nine had argued that Al Fresco should be allowed to operate until the end of the lease period. The court granted a stay order in January halting the eviction pending a judgment.

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Two injured in gas cylinder explosion

Two crew members of the ‘Lily Regal’ cargo ship were injured yesterday in a gas cylinder explosion on board the vessel.

Lily Enterprises told local media that the two men – a Maldivian and a foreigner – were welding on deck when a gas cylinder inside a container exploded.

The Lily Regal was docked near the commercial harbour in Malé when the incident occurred.

Contrary to media reports, Lily Enterprises said the gas leak did not cause a fire on board the ship.

While the Maldivian has since been released after treatment of minor injuries at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, the expatriate is reportedly undergoing treatment for a leg fracture.

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Construction worker dies in fall from 10-storey building

An Indian construction worker died last night in a fall from the 10th floor of a building under construction in Malé.

Police said the incident was reported around 7:14pm and the man was pronounced dead on arrival at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital.

The Indian worker fell on the roof of the next door residence, police said.

Police urged construction companies to take precautionary measures on sites to ensure safety of workers.

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Principals association calls on government to address grievances of teachers

No additional reporting by missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan

The Principals Association of Maldives (PAM) has called on the government to address concerns raised by teachers, review the pay scheme, and identify education sector reforms.

In a press statement released on Sunday (October 5), PAM contended that wages were disproportionate to the extra hours put in by teachers and expressed concern with experienced teachers leaving the field at an alarming rate.

“Efforts to retain quality teachers and attract bright students to the sector should be carried out swiftly,” PAM suggested.

“Opportunities for professional development should be increased and broadened for [teachers] on the job. Teaching should be made an honourable and generous occupation worthy of people’s respect.”

Referring to the theme of this year’s International Teacher’s Day (October 5) – ‘invest in the future, invest in teachers’ – PAM called on the government to allocate large amounts in the state budget from 2015 onward to invest in teachers.

As teachers imparted knowledge, taught skills and instilled values needed by future generations, PAM stressed the importance of “thinking about the condition of teachers and taking into account their feelings and concerns”.

In addition to better pay and benefits, PAM suggested improving work environments as well as the quality of programmes and training courses conducted for professional development of teachers.

In her message on Teacher’s Day, Education Minister Dr Aishath Shiham pledged to provide more training and development opportunities for teachers and principals before the end of the year.

Dr Shiham expressed gratitude for the “hard and invaluable work” of teachers.

Noting that the most important aspect of education policy was implemented by teachers in classrooms, the minister said efforts were underway to prepare manuals or handbooks for teachers and parents as well as development plans for schools.

A detailed and longterm “subject improvement plan” would also be provided to teachers next year, she said.

Strike

Last month, the Teachers Association of Maldives (TAM) called off a planned nationwide strike to hold talks with the government.

Following a meeting with President Abdulla Yameen, TAM revealed that the president had asked for a detailed proposal to address grievances about pay and other issues.

The proposal on revising salary for teachers and improving efficiency in the education sector would be submitted this month following consultation with the education ministry, TAM said.

The response from President Yameen was “positive” and TAM received assurances that a pay rise would be considered, the association noted.

PAM also noted that the discussions with President Yameen was a positive development.

“The government’s decision to sit for talks and compile a timeline [on meeting the demands] is a sign President Yameen himself attended to the teacher’s demands,” TAM President Athif Abdul Hakeem told Minivan News on September 21 after teachers went to work dressed in black.

Around 90 percent of teachers were reported to have demonstrated by wearing black to work.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had also announced its support for the strike should discussions with the government fail.

“They have been asking for this raise from Maumoon’s administration, through Nasheed’s and Waheed’s administration and now into Yameen’s administration. It is with great sadness that we have to note that everyone has turned on a deaf ear to their pleas,” wrote MDP MP Rozaina Adam on her personal blog.

The Ministry of Education had earlier appeared unwilling to give in to teachers’ demands for higher pay and reform, while the Labor Relations Authority reportedly labelled the proposed strike as ‘not peaceful’.

A statement from the Civil Service Commission meanwhile noted that government was treating the potential strike as illegal.

Grievances raised by TAM include revised pay, protection of teachers and students, and official recognition of the association.

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