Month: October 2014

Nasheed submits details of police alleged to have destroyed Malé city’s areca palms

Former President Mohamed Nasheed today revealed details of the culprits he believes to have been behind the felling of the areca palm trees planted by Malé City Council (MCC) last weekend.

Speaking to the media outside of MCC office, Nasheed said he had shared the names of some of the police officers involved with the council, after it had requested the public to submit any relevant information.

Around 25 areca palm trees planted on both sides of Majeedhee Magu – the city’s main thoroughfare road – were chopped in the early hours of October 24 by a group of masked men wielding machetes.

Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer revealed in a tweet today that he has received Nasheed’s report.

“This govt will NOT ask Police/MNDF to carryout anything unlawful,” wrote Naseer.

Nasheed alleged that two men were arrested by Maafannu police at around 3am following the incident and that a senior official from the Special Operations (SO) unit arrived and demanded the arrested men to be put into an SO vehicle which arrived simultaneously.

Two officers from Maafannu Police followed the SO vehicle after the arrested men were handed over to the SO unit only to find that the vehicle entered Iskandhar Koshi police headquarters, explained the former president

He also accused one high-ranking police officer of revising a statement given by a Maafannu police officer at the scene that night, cutting down the two-page statement to half a page and instructing other officers at the station not to speak about the incident.

Meanwhile, a police media official told Minivan News that a professional standards investigation is being carried out after the increasing prevalence of reports of police involvement in the incident. The home minister has also instructed all police executives to assist the Police Integrity Commission it any investigation.

While speaking at a separate conference with all MDP Malé MPs, Galolhu Uthuru MP Eva Abdulla condemned the government for its lack of response over the recent events happening in the capital.

“With the lack of response from the government after the palm trees incident and the fear spreading the society at the moment, it is clear to us that the government wants the society to remain in in this fear,” said Eva.

MDP Spokesperson and Maafannu Uthuru MP Imthiyas Fahmy accused the government of “state sponsored terrorism” by its refusal to take adequate action for the crimes happening in Malé.

In a statement released on October 25, Malé City Mayor Mohamed Shihab condemned the chopping down of the palm trees by saying that the “unlawful act was an injury caused to all citizens of the Maldives and especially the beloved people of Malé”.

Meanwhile, Former Police Commissioner and Jumhoree Party MP Abdulla Riyaz told local media that police should have stopped the group of people in the act and said that the police have the technology and competence to arrest the people involved – referring to an extensive network of cameras in the capital.

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President vetoes amendments to Child Protection Act

President Abdulla Yameen has vetoed amendments passed by the People’s Majlis to the Child Protection Act on October 14, requesting revisions based on advice from the attorney general.

In a letter to parliament – read out at today’s sitting – President Yameen explained that the government submitted the amendments to the 1991 law to remove inconsistencies with the new Constitution adopted in August 2008.

Article 36(b) of the Constitution states, “Primary and secondary education shall be freely provided by the State. It is imperative on parents and the State to provide children with primary and secondary education. Opportunity for higher education shall be generally accessible to all citizens.”

However, the amendment bill (Dhivehi) passed by parliament states that the state shall freely provide pre-school, primary, and secondary education to all “Dhivehi children living in the Maldives.”

President Yameen noted that the amendment to Article 5(b) of the Child Protection Act contravenes Article 36(a) of the Constitution – which states that “Everyone has the right to education without any discrimination of any kind” – as it implies that the state does not have to provide free education to foreign or expatriate children residing in the country.

“And considering Article 2 and 28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to which the Maldives has acceded, providing free primary education to all children living in the Maldives without discrimination is obligatory,” the president’s letter explained.

Therefore, it added, the amendment to the Child Protection Act was contrary to the obligations placed on the state by the convention.

Moreover, the president observed that the amendments make it mandatory for the state to provide pre-school education to all children.

The amendments also contravene rules for the state to assist pre-schools operated by local councils specified in the Pre-schools Act of 2012.

The president noted that providing mandatory free pre-school education in all inhabited islands would place a burden on the state budget and recommended consultations with the education ministry and finance ministry regarding government policy.

In the ensuing debate, opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mariya Ahmed Didi criticised parliamentary committees for hastily approving legislation without proper study or consultations with stakeholders.

Leader of the Majlis have in recent weeks, however, called upon committee members to speed up work after a number of Majlis sessions were cancelled due to lack of work on the house’s agenda.

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP Jameel Usman had submitted the amendments on behalf of the government in June. The social affairs committee reviewed the amendments and forwarded the legislation to the Majlis floor earlier this month, after which it was passed with 51 votes in favour and two abstentions.

MP Ahmed Nihan – parliamentary group leader of the PPM, the majority party in the Majlis – conceded that the inconsistencies with the constitution and pre-school law were missed due to an oversight in the legislative process.

Nihan said the majority party should ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future.

Following the debate, the amendment bill was returned to committee for further review with 58 votes in favour and one abstention.

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PPM has fulfilled many pledges in manifesto, says Tourism Minister Adeeb

The ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has fulfilled many of its pledges, deputy leader and tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb has said.

“This government’s pledges are laid out in our manifesto. I would like to note as this government marks 11 months in power, this young government has fulfilled many pledges,” Adeeb told reporters at a press conference to mark the PPM’s third anniversary on Monday.

The PPM has increased elderly pension from MVR2300 to MVR 5000, reduced fuel and food prices, and maintained the value of the Maldivian Rufiyaa, the minister said, while pledging to destroy the dollar black market.

Adeeb in March had promised the increase in elderly pensions would come through the sale of T-bills and other financial instruments and not through the state budget. But Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad in August admitted the government is forced to rely on the budget to finance the handouts.

The Finance Ministry has said the unplanned increase in handouts and debt servicing is responsible for a ballooning budget deficit, which currently stands at MVR 4 billion (US$260million). The Majlis had planned for a deficit of MVR1.3 billion when it passed the record MVR17.95 million budget.

The finance ministry in September cut back on planned development projects and announced a 20 percent cut in recurrent expenditure, excluding wages and allowances, to curb the deficit.

The PPM’s most noteworthy pledges include a cash handout of MVR10,000 to fishermen during lean months and MVR8,000 to farmers, a doctor for every citizen,and unlimited healthcare under the Aasandha insurance scheme.

After President Abdulla Yameen assumed power, the fisheries ministry announced the MVR10,000 fishermen handouts would be issued through an insurance scheme with a monthly premium of MVR500.

The health ministry launched the unlimited Aasandha scheme and a doctor for every family program in February, though the family doctor project is at present operating only in Malé’s suburb Villimalé and Faafu Atoll Nilandhoo Island.

The PPM also pledged to begin oil exploration in the Maldives, to create a youth city in Malé’s suburb Hulhumalé, to create 94,000 jobs, bring 11 resorts into operation every year, increase annual tourist arrivals to 5 million, and give resort workers shares in resorts.

Women will be allowed to work from home and will be given investment money to encourage female entrepreneurship. Senior citizens will also receive MVR 00,000 on retirement at 65 years of age, said PPM manifesto – launched just days before last year’s presidential poll.

The party also promised higher education to any student who passes tenth grade O’Level with three passes and promised to provide 2000 youths with opportunities for higher education.

Adeeb said the government had faced serious challenges when it assumed power in 2013 including debt repayment and a health and education sectors in ruin. But the PPM and the government has achieved great success, he said.

“We have five years to fulfill pledges in the manifesto. Of those five years, 11 months have passed. There are many days left. So I think we should be given time in evaluating this government’s success,” he said.

“There will be more prosperous changes in the next year,” he promised.

Meanwhile, opposition leader and former Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) President Mohamed Nasheed has said the PPM government has failed to fulfill pledges or ensure security in the country. The country has been taken over by rebel police and gangs, he claimed.

Referring to the government’s failure to find missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan or take action against several masked men who attacked MDP supporters in an Addu City rally, Nasheed said the government has failed to bring perpetrators of serious crime to justice.

He also criticised the government for its decision to ‘freeze employment’ in an attempt to reduce the ballooning budget deficit.

More than 5000 students are to finish their O levels, said the former president, with a further 2000 completing A levels – suggesting that these groups would be lost to gangs without gainful employment.

“The budget deficit has risen higher than ever before. The government is in huge amounts of debt after selling treasury bills to make ends meet,” he added.

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Police statements taken from six children after unrest at Villingili shelter

Statements were taken from six students at the Villingili orphanage over a disturbance in which both staff and property were harmed last night (October 26).

A police media official confirmed that police were called to the scene by the children’s shelter staff and that they questioned and took statements from six of the children.

The refused to give further information stating that investigations into the incident were still ongoing.

The children’s shelter also refused to comment on the matter, while officials from the Ministry of Health and Gender were unavailable to comment at the time of publication.

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MTCC not responsible for severe sand spill on Komandoo reef, says environment minister

The state owned Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) will not be penalised for a severe sand spill on the reef of Komandoo Island in Shaviyani Atoll, Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim told parliament today.

The sand spill – which has destroyed large swathes of the island’s reef – was caused by a storm surge, Thoriq said.

The MTCC – in charge of a coastal protection and land reclamation project on the island – had implemented the required measures to prevent sand spills, but bad weather and swells caused the erosion of reclaimed areas and washed piled up sand onto the reef, Thoriq said.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Komandoo MP Ahmed Nashid blamed the MTCC’s slow progress for the sand spill, claiming the sand piles had been left on the island’s shores since 2012.

If the project had been completed on time, the spill would not have taken place, he suggested.

Minister Thoriq told the Majlis this morning that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) had acknowledged sand had spilled onto the reef.

“However, the island council’s members said the spill was not reported in case it may halt the project,” said Thoriq.

MP Nashid had summoned the minister for questioning, asking if the ministry had done a survey of damages and if the MTCC would be penalised for the spill.

Thoriq said the environment ministry had not been informed of the spill prior to Nashid raising the issue, but had monitored the area afterwards. An EPA team had visited the site and found the MTCC had followed all environmental procedures outlined in the environmental impact assessment report, he explained.

According to Thoriq – who said the exact date of the spill was unknown – explained that the sand had now washed off into the ocean with currents and the reef was showing signs of regeneration.

If any party reports environmental violations, the EPA will inspect site and take required action, he added.

The ministry does not have the capacity to monitor all ongoing projects, and will only begin an inspection if a violation is reported. But the ministry does take punitive action against companies who violate EIAs, he insisted.

The government intends to carry out projects to address erosion in seven islands this year, the minister told MPs, with approximately 97 percent of inhabited islands in the Maldives reporting severe erosion.

The government will spend MVR116.3 million (US$ 7.5 million) on protecting 3,482 meters of shore in the seven islands, he said.

In May, environmental NGO EcoCare accused Netherlands based Boskalis of committing environmental crimes after it caused sand to be deposited onto Baa Atoll Eydhafushi Island during a reclamation project.

The company’s rainbow technique for reclamation had also covered houses and vegetation on Eydhafushi and Raa Meedhoo Island with sand and water.

Minivan News was unable to reach the EPA to confirm if action had been taken against Boskalis for damages.

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MP Nazim left Maldives on same night travel restrictions were placed

Former Deputy Speaker and Dhiggaru MP Ahmed Nazim reportedly left the Maldives for Malaysia the same night that travel restrictions were placed on him following a Criminal Court order.

Haveeru reported that Nazim left the Maldives last Wednesday night (October 22) while the Criminal Court issued an order to immigration authorities to withhold his passport on the same night at 9.45pm.

Police confirmed that Nazim’s passport has been held but refused to give any further information as to why the passport was held in the first place.

An independent report into the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan also mentioned the Dhiggaru MP’s name, alleging that Nazim had attempted to implicate the tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb in the case.

The report by private UK-based intelligence firm suggested that Nazim had promised to provide a journalist with information linking Adeeb – also deputy leader of the PPM – with corruption if he could be linked to the disappearance of Rilwan.

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Tourist arrivals register 10 percent growth in three quarters of 2014

Tourist arrivals in the first three quarters of 2014 registered a 10.1 percent growth compared to the same period last year, reaching a total of 901,004 guests by the end of September, the Ministry of Tourism has revealed.

Visitors from Asia and Pacific countries accounted for 50 percent of all arrivals during the first nine months of the year.

However, the ministry noted in a statement last week that “the pace at which arrival from the region was increasing have slowed down since June.”

“While the region enjoyed a robust growth of 22.3 percent at the end of first two quarters of 2014, growth rate slowed down to 17.3 percent by the end of the third quarter of 2014,” the ministry explained.

“The region injected 53,454 tourists to the total arrivals to the country during the month of September, summing up the total arrivals from the region to 450,296 by the end of the period from January to September 2014.”

China (31.8 percent), India (3.5 percent), Japan (3.1 percent) and South Korea (2.7 percent) were the leading markets from Asia and the Pacific region, the ministry revealed, with Australia (1.6 percent) “emerging as a potential market from this region.”

“The Chinese market, registered a negative growth (-1.7 percent) for the first time in September 2014 since becoming the number one market in 2010. However, the market ended up with a healthy 14.8 percent growth at the end of the period from January to September 2014 with a total of 286,838 tourists.”

Tourist arrivals from Europe meanwhile increased 1.6 percent in the first three quarters compared to the same period in 2013, reaching 386,914 visitors.

“In terms of individual markets from Europe, leading markets were Germany (7.7 percent), the United Kingdom (7.4 percent), Russia (5.7 percent), Italy (4.8 percent) and France (4.2 percent),” the ministry revealed.

Arrivals from the Americas registered a strong growth of 25.2 percent in September with double digit growth rates recorded from all major markets in the region.

“With just a couple of hundred tourists less than that of Americas, Middle East followed closely behind bringing in a total of 28,641 tourists at the end of the period from January to September 2014 accounting for 3.2 percent of all arrivals during the period,” the ministry noted.

“This region also posted a heavy growth of 20.5 percent during the month of September 2014 ending the period with a robust 16.9 percent growth.”

Meanwhile, one new resort – Loama Resort Maldives on the island of Maamigili in Raa Atoll – and seven new guest houses opened during September.

“With these new additions, the total number of registered establishments reached 488 with 30,893 beds at the end of September 2014,” the ministry noted.

“While the total number of registered resorts increased to 112 with 23,917 beds and guest houses increased to 195 with 2,723 beds, number of hotels and safari vessels remained at 18 and 163 with 1,542 beds and 2,711 beds respectively by the end of September 2014. At the end of this period on average there were 292 establishment with 26,905 beds in operation.”

Statistics show that total bednights during the period was 5.4 million, with an average occupancy rate of 74.6 percent – an increase of 1.6 percent compared with the same period in 2013. Average duration of stay remained steady throughout the January to September period.

Quarterly economic bulletin

The Maldives Monetary Authority’s (MMA) quarterly economic bulletin released last week meanwhile observed that the “favourable growth in the tourism industry during the year suggests that the arrival of a million tourists during one calendar year is likely to be achieved in 2014 as well.”

“Reflecting the growth in bed nights, total tourism receipts grew by an annual 12 percent during the first six months of 2014 and totalled US$1.3 billion,” the central bank revealed.

While the market share of Europe fell from 51 percent in the first half of 2013 to 47 percent in the same period this year, the MMA noted that arrivals from Germany and the UK increased.

“In particular, the sustained growth of arrivals from UK, with a market share equivalent to 8 percent, reflects its economic revival to pre-crisis levels,” the bulletin suggested.

“Other markets in Europe, however, indicated sluggish or negative growth in tourist arrivals, contributing to the overall marginal increase in arrivals from Europe.”

The MMA also observed that in the past five years “the development of guesthouses as a low cost accommodation option for tourists in local inhabited islands has gained significant momentum.”

The authority noted that the number of guest houses in the industry is now over 2,400

“As at the end of June 2014, the number of registered beds in the [guest house] industry is recorded to be over 2,400. While the bed capacity of guesthouses accounted for a mere 2 percent of the bed capacity of the industry as a whole in 2010, it has now come to represent 8 percent of the total bed capacity in tourism establishments,” the bulletin stated.

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MDP submits 12,000 membership forms

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) submitted 12,000 membership forms yesterday to the Elections Commission (EC).

MDP Chairperson Ali Waheed told the press that the main opposition party’s membership would rise to over 50,000 once the new membership forms are processed.

The MDP is currently the largest political party in Maldives with 40,940 registered members.

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NGO to conclude breast cancer awareness month with walk around Malé

The Cancer Society of Maldives (CMS) will conclude the breast cancer awareness month with a walk/run around the capital Malé on Thursday (October 30).

“Breast cancer survivors are going to participate in the walk. There will also be a CMS stall at Raalhugandu raising awareness about breast cancers and women’s boduberu at Raalhugandu during the walk,” said Chairperson Juwairiya Saeed.

According to Aasandha usage statistics, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the Maldives, with the most number of cases coming from Malé and Addu City.

Prevention of non-communicable diseases – including cancer – is a focus of the government’s 2006 -2015 Health Master Plan.

An awareness campaign was held from October 12 to 16 at the Huravee Building in association with the Table Tennis association of Maldives where members of the public were invited to play table tennis and donate money for the cause.

“Our main aim this month is to raise awareness and we have been doing so by conducting session about breast cancer every Wednesday night. Our sessions are focused at promoting self-diagnosis so that the cancer is detected in the early stages where it is easily curable,” explained Juwairiya.

The cancer society of Maldives is cut launched an SMS quiz about breast cancer as part of the awareness campaigns with a chance of winning a weekend for two at Reveries Diving Villa at Laamu Atoll. Participants must SMS ‘BC’ to 360 and answer all 10 questions correctly to be entered for the prize.

In February, CMS conducted a breast cancer screening at Addu City with the help of voluntary doctors from Singapore with plans to make the screenings an annual event to be held at a different atoll every year.

Juwairiya said that the association plans to establish a psycho-social support group for cancer patients, survivors and family members while highlighting the importance of eliminating the current social stigma surrounding cancer.

“CMS is also working on trying to establish a cancer database detailing the locations of the cancer patients, the expenses incurred for the treatment in order to identify suitable treatment methods. World Health Organization has expressed interest in the project,” said Juwairiya.

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