A young man was assaulted with an iron rod in the Galolhu ward of Malé around 9:15pm last night (November 16), reports local media.
According to eyewitnesses, the victim was assaulted by a group in the Karaa goalhi. He was taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital for treatment to his injuries.
Earlier in the day, an 18-year-old man was arrested after entering the Bilabong International High School with a machete during a gang fight.
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(0)The Ahmadhiyya School in Malé has been upgraded to a private international school and rebranded ‘Ahmadhiyya International School.’
Principal Mohamed Rasheed told local media yesterday that the Ministry of Education has approved a request to upgrade the school.
While the school would follow the revised national curriculum next year, Rasheed said Arabic, Japanese, and Chinese language classes would be offered to students in addition to B-tech and home science subjects.
Despite the upgrade, Rasheed said school fees would only be raised by MVR200. The school currently charges a fee of MVR800 for secondary students.
Ahmadhiyya was the first private school established in the Maldives and would become the fifth international school in the country next year.
In recent years, students from Ahmadhiyya have been among top achievers in the O’ Level examinations.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Criminal Court yesterday concluded hearings in the ‘Husseynube’ murder trial, obtaining the concluding statements from both the Prosecutor General’s Office and the defendants.
Hussain Mohamed Manik – known by the islanders of Hoarafushi as ‘Husseynube’ – was a prominent businessman found dead inside an abandoned house in September 2010.
Ahmed Ibrahim, Mohamed Latheef, and Numan Abdulla were arrested in connection with the murder and charged with terrorism in September 2011.
The Prosecutor General’s Office accused the three of murdering 61 year-old Hussain Mohamed after taking him hostage and robbing him.
It was accused that the defendants stole more than MVR100,000 and US$1000 in cash from the victim.
According to local media present at the court yesterday, the prosecution said that the three charged with the murder had confessed to police during the investigation, explaining how the incident had occurred.
The prosecutors noted that the information given by the suspects after the confession could only be known by a person involved in the murder. He also noted that their information had led to evidence that had been produced in court.
However, the defence lawyer told the court that police conduct during the investigation of the case was unlawful.
He said that any confession made outside of the court should be dismissed, to which the judge responded by saying that he would adhere to the clause in the constitution which states that confession made outside the court will be inadmissible.
Before concluding the hearing the judge announced that the case was to be concluded by the end of this month.
(0)Dislikes(0)The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has expressed concern over rising insecurity, claiming President Abdulla Yameen has failed to protect right to life and security on his administration’s first year anniversary.
In a statement issues yesterday (November 16), the MDP highlighted Yameen’s failure to find missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan, to address the rising numbers of Maldivians traveling abroad for jihad in Syria, or to bring to justice perpetrators behind the stabbing of former MP Alhan Fahmy, the murder of MP Afrasheem Ali, or the torching of opposition aligned Raajje TV.
“On this administration’s one year anniversary, there is no peace in the Maldives and the government has failed to protect citizens,” the statement said.
The MDP said the Yameen administration has failed to investigate the abduction and beating of several individuals by gangs, a spate of knifings and killings, death threats against journalists and politicians, and the vandalism of MDP members’ residences and properties.
However, speaking at a rally to mark the third anniversary of ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), Yameen said his administration has established peace and order in the country and accused the opposition of inciting terror and calling for anarchy in the Maldives.
“We have peace and order in Malé and all regions of Maldives. We have peace. However, this is not to say that isolated and significant dangerous crimes do not occur,” he said.
The PPM was established in 2010 “as an act of Jihad” to address terror, anarchy, torture and climate of fear during Nasheed’s tenure, he continued.
Referring to Nasheed’s order to arrest himself, Vice President Dr Ahmed Jameel Mohamed, and Jumhooree Party leader Gasim Ibrahim, Yameen said the former president had attempted to silence all dissident voices in the country.
The PPM will tolerate dissent, he pledged.
Nasheed had arrested judges, refused to abide by the decisions of opposition MPs, undermined religious scholars and Islam, and his supporters had torched government buildings, Yameen continued.
“President Maumoon then believed we had to embark on jihad,” he said.
Yameen went on to defend Nasheed’s ouster in February 2012, claiming the move was not illegal, but necessary to uphold the constitution.
“PPM is a party that loves peace,” he said.
The MDP has recently described Yameen’s administration has having been taken hostage by gangs and rogue police officers, while international groups have expressed alarm at the rise in gang violence in recent months.
(0)Dislikes(0)The National Drug Agency (NDA) has signed agreements with three rehabilitation centres in India – two in Chennai and one in Bangalore – to provide treatment to Maldivian drug addicts.
At a press conference today, NDA board member Ali Shahid Mohamed noted the government was offering rehabilitation opportunities overseas for Maldivians for the first time.
Addicts could now apply to receive treatment at the Indian rehab centres, he said, adding that the cost would have to borne by the patients.
The selected centres provide a high quality of treatment with qualified counsellors and good facilities, he said.
Since it began hearing cases in August 2012, the Drug Court ordered 524 individuals to undergo rehabilitation as of April.
The Drug Court was formed under the new Drugs Act passed by parliament in December 2011 as part of a policy shift away from taking a punitive approach against small-scale drug offences.
Cases of drug users or pedlars caught with less than three grams of illicit narcotics were to be handled by the specialised court.
The NDA informed the Drug Court in April last year that all rehabilitation centres in the country were at full capacity.
(0)Dislikes(0)The department of immigration has deported or repatriated 7,962 undocumented foreign workers so far this year under a voluntary departure programme, Minister of Defence Colonel (Retired) Mohamed Nazim has revealed.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Nazim claimed that the benefit of the deportations to the domestic economy was worth US$24 million a year.
“122 companies and private parties have been fined for hiring foreigners illegally and they have been prohibited from bringing in further [foreign workers],” he added.
Additionally, 21 places were raided in an operation to deport illegal migrant workers, he continued, which took place in Addu City, Laamu Atoll, Kaafu Atoll, and Alif Alif Atoll.
A fine of MVR50,000 (US$3,242) is specified in the law for hiring illegal migrant workers and deported foreigners are not allowed to return to the Maldives for ten years.
The immigration department deported 6,400 undocumented workers between January and July this year.
On April 24, Nazim announced a special operation to deport undocumented workers, promising that “the whole of Malé will be cleaned [of migrant workers]” within three weeks.
In December 2012, former President Dr Mohamed Waheed transferred the immigration department from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Ministry of Defence and National Security.
Of the 7,962 deported workers, Nazim noted that 6,590 voluntarily requested repatriation, 69 left due to poor health, and 890 were deported for violations of the law.
A further 407 workers were deported due to various problems, he added.
Census results and human trafficking
Asked if the preliminary results of the national census conducted in September – which found the expatriate population to be 58,683 – were accurate, Nazim said the figure did not match the government’s official records.
Nazim suggested that census takers were unable to gather accurate information due to either lack of cooperation from expatriates or failure to locate foreign workers.
“Looking at our total statistics, our records show that there are 120,000 foreigners,” he revealed, adding that the estimate for illegal or undocumented workers was 30,000.
Some members of the public were hiding undocumented workers, he continued, urging the public to work with the government to tackle the issue.
In a recent visit to Raa atoll, Nazim said island councils in three islands informed him that there were about 150 undocumented workers hidden from the authorities by their employees.
“So this can be done if councils, islanders, and the government work together to deport foreigners,” he said.
Nazim also revealed that MVR181 million (US$11 million) had been collected as work visa fees by the end of October, MVR198 million (US$12.8 million ) as security deposits, and MVR30 million (US$1.9 million) was given out for deposit refunds.
A secondary passport verification system was meanwhile established at the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) and the foreign employment section of the immigration system with the help of the International Organisation for Migration.
In addition to the repatriated or deported foreign workers, Nazim said 1,172 individuals were denied entry to the country – including 82 individuals with invalid passports, 503 individuals without employment approval, and 582 individuals turned away for other reasons.
While 3,102 individuals were granted business visas, Nazim said 770 individuals were granted special visas.
A MoU has been signed between the immigration department and National Centre for Information Technology (NCIT) to strengthen the expatriate online system.
Nazim also said efforts were underway to locate expatriates involved in human trafficking who were based in the capital Malé, including Indians, Sri Lankans, and Bangladeshis.
However, attempts to use the Maldives as a transit point or “gateway” for human trafficking – including sending foreign fighters to Syria – have proven unsuccessful due to the new passport verification system, he said.
“However, individuals traveling to the Maldives on fake or fraud visas were stopped and sent back,” he said.
In four cases of human trafficking investigated this year, Nazim said five victims were identified and 77 staff were trained to investigate such cases.
In June this year, the Maldives was removed the US State Department Tier 2 watch list for human trafficking and avoided relegation to Tier 3 along with the accompanying sanctions.
The 2014 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report noted that an unknown number of the approximately 200,000 expatriate workers in the country experienced forced labour.
Among the advice given in the report was the development of guidelines for public officials to “proactively identify” victims, noting that thousands of migrants have been deported recently without adequate screening for indications of trafficking.
(0)Dislikes(0)An 18-year-old man has been arrested after entering Billabong International High School with a machete during a gang assault.
Billabong Executive Director Ahmed Adhly Rasheed explained that a gang attack outside the school caused one individual to run into the school while the gates were open as pupils left for the day.
Police confirmed they were informed of a disturbance near Billabong school at 3:08pm, with another man was taken to hospital for treatment to head injuries received during the attack.
A third man arrested at the scene was later released after it was found he had not been involved in the incident.
Eye witnesses told Haveeru that a group of three men entered the school, one of them with a machete.
“Two of the men were captured by members of the public while the man with the machete was able to escape from the area,” said the eye witness.
As the timing of the gang violence coincided with the end of the school session, many students saw the attack up close.
The staff member explained that poor security has been a concern of the staff for a long period of time, noting that the neighbourhood was notorious for gangs and that anyone was free to walk into the school at any time.
The employee recalled an incident last year where a girl on her way to the school was injured after an assault by local gangs. The empty plot of land in front of the school is reported to be a regular meeting spot for gangsters.
Executive Director Rasheed, however, stated that the school has a strict security policy, with the gate closed and guarded throughout school hours.
“We have done what we can do to protect our children and staff from such incidences within our boundaries,” said Rasheed, who praised the school’s security measures for stopping the intruders.
“We have even reported the case of street violence each time in writing when a gang violence has occurred near the school even if it has nothing to do with the school.”
Gang violence has become one of the most prominent issues in the Maldives, with a 2012 study by the Asia foundation counting 20 to 30 gangs in the capital, each with 40 to 500 members.
Four recorded deaths have occurred as a result of gang violence so far in 2014, with one of them a case of mistaken identity.
Speaking in September, Home Minister Umar Naseer noted that he had identified around 50 gang leaders, and said that 13 of the 30 gangs in Malé could be considered “dangerous” criminal organisations.
Naseer linked the criminal activity strongly to gangs, saying “We cannot find a solution to the problem of stabbing and murders on the street without stopping drugs.”
*Article updated 24/11/14 to include responses from Billabong International High School
(0)Dislikes(0)Family members and friends of missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan have papered the walls of the Hulhumalé ferry terminal in Malé today (November 16) with new posters to mark 100 days since the journalist disappeared.
“The old posters fade, but we do not forget,” Rilwan’s sister Fathimath Shehenaz told reporters.
Rilwan was last seen on the Hulhumalé ferry in the early hours of August 8. He is believed to have been abducted at knifepoint at 2 am outside his apartment in Hulhumalé.
The posters of newspaper Haveeru’s August 22 front page carried the question ‘Was it Rilwan who was abducted in Hulhumalé?’ Family members and friends stenciled #PoliceMvFail over the posters.
“Today is the 100th day since he disappeared. But the state, the Maldives Police Services in particular, are yet to answer if it was Rilwan who was abducted in Hulhumalé,” Shehenaz said.
Police had arrested four people over the case in October. One suspect was held in police custody for five weeks, but the Criminal Court transferred him to house arrest this morning.
In a statement today, Rilwan’s mother Aminath Easa condemned the state’s failure to investigate her son’s disappearance and said, “the Maldivian state has failed to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous crime.”
“We do not believe the government has protected individuals right to life as per Article 21 of the constitution,” the statement continued.
Detailing the state’s failings in investigating the case, the statement noted:
The state is obliged to investigate Rilwan’s disappearance and find him, the statement continued, arguing a family must not be reduced to begging the state’s institutions for answers.
“We, Rilwan’s family, will continue to remind the state of its responsibilities and will continue to do all we can to find him.”
Human rights NGO Maldivian Democracy Network released a report in September implicating radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance.
Discounting theories of voluntary disappearance and suicide, the investigation – conducted by Glasgow-based Athena Intelligence and Security – concludes the disappearance is likely to have been an abduction.
The report confirmed evidence of possible “hostile surveillance” at the terminal conducted by two known affiliates of Malé based Kuda Henveiru gang.
Former president and opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed in a tweet today said the police “are incapable of finding Rilwan because it has been taken hostage by gangs associated with ISIS [Islamic State in Iraq and Syria].”
Home Minister Umar Naseer has previously acknowledged involvement of criminal gangs in the case.
Rilwan’s family on October 29 accused the police of negligence and have filed a complaint with the Police Integrity Commission (PIC).
(0)Dislikes(0)A team of Malaysian businessmen interested in investing in the Maldives through joint ventures with local businesses arrived in the country yesterday (November 15).
Maldivian High Commissioner to Malaysia Mohamed Fayaz told local media that the team includes 17 potential investors from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Malaysia.
Fayaz said the businessmen had expressed interest in investing in guest house tourism, fisheries, construction, export and import, and real estate and would be meeting with the Maldivian Chamber of Commerce, the economic development minister and local businesses during their three-day visit.
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