Month: November 2014

China gifts 200 waste bins to environment ministry

The Chinese government today gifted 200 waste bins worth MVR500,000 (US$32,425) to the Maldivian government, during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

Deputy Head of Commission at the Chinese Embassy in Maldives, Mr Liu Ching signed the contract on behalf of the Chinese government, while Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Ali Amir signed for the Maldives.

Mr Liu highlighted the importance of keeping the environment clean and safe for the many tourists visiting the Maldives – of which around a third now come from China.

Malé City Council introduced litter bins to the capital for the first time this year, placing 200 around the city as part of new waste management regulations which impose a MVR100 (US$6.5) fine for littering.

Liu today said that he was keen to sustain the relationship between the two nations, whose bilateral ties have been expanding rapidly over the past two years.

As well as a steady stream of grant aid, the Chinese and Maldivian governments have penned deals regarding military aid and the development of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport.

As well as urging the Maldives to become part of its New Silk Road initiative, the Chinese government has promised to “favorably consider” financing the ambitious Malé-Hulhulé bridge project.

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Police detain Maldivian jihadis caught in Sri Lanka

Police have confirmed that three Maldivians have been arrested in Sri Lanka after being discovered attempting to travel to fight in the Syrian civil war.

Two men, aged 25 and 23-years-old, and a woman aged 18-years-old, have been returned to the Maldives after being detained by Sri Lankan police on November 4.

The three – all from the same, unnamed, island – travelled to Sri Lanka on one-way tickets and were arrested as a result of a tip off from Maldivian police. They told Sri Lankan authorities that they were travelling to Turkey for medical purposes.

Today’s news is the latest in a series of reports of Maldivians journeying to ISIS-held territories for the purpose of Jihad. Reports of Maldivians being killed while fighting in Syria first emerged in March this year, with the latest reports involving married couples and even a family of four all heading to the Islamic state.

A UN report obtained by the UK’s Guardian newspaper last week, noted that foreign jihadists were now travelling to Syria and Iraq on “an unprecedented scale”.

15,000 people were reported to have travelled to the region from more than 80 countries. Although the report did not name the countries, the Guardian mentioned the Maldives as one of the “unlikely” places from which ISIS supporters have emerged.

The UK government last month said it was aware of ISIS supporters in the Maldives. The leaked UN report noted that more than 500 British citizens had travelled to the region since 2011.

A protest march took place in the Maldives capital, Malé, in September, with around 200 participants bearing the ISIS flag and calling for the implementation of Islamic Shariah in the Maldives.

The surge in support for the ISIS –  the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – has led nations around the world to seek measures to prevent their citizens being recruited to the organisation which is accused of mass atrocities and war crimes by the UN.

Maldivian police told Minivan News today that they were unable to say if, and on what charges, the individuals were to be prosecuted. The President’s Office explained that, while the issue should not be seen as purely Maldivian problem, all Maldivian citizens are bound by the country’s laws, regardless of where they are.

Police today appealed to the public to report any incidences of people going to jihad, assuring that reports will be made confidential and informers protected.

Today’s police statement reported that the woman arrested on Tuesday had married one of her fellow detainees out of court in March this year, when she was aged just 17-years-old.

The Family Court announced in April that it will not register marriages performed by individuals without the court’s involvement, noting that this contravened the Family Act.

Religious extremists in the Maldives have both endorsed and performed such marriages, claiming that even private, out-of-court marriages should be treated as legal as long as the minimum Shariah requirements for marriage are met.

Government ministers have advised Maldivians against travelling abroad for jihad, with Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed saying that those seeking to take part in the conflict must not be punished, but offered rehabilitation and guidance.

Although President Abdulla Yameen has yet to speak publicly on the issue, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon has condemned ISIS for violating the principles of Islam.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party has meanwhile criticised the authorities’ response to the issue, with former President Mohamed Nasheed suggesting that President Yameen could do more to counter the growing threat of extremism.

“President Yameen feels he can deal with the Islamist threat later but first he wants to consolidate power,” Nasheed told the UK’s Independent newspaper in September.

“He has the Islamists with him and he can’t do away with them. He would deny that but I don’t see the government taking any measures against the Isis flag being displayed on the street and all the indoctrination going on.”

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Immigration department suspends exit permit regulations indefinitely

The recently introduced exit permit scheme has been suspended indefinitely after complaints about the regulation, which requires foreign workers to obtain permission from their employers before leaving the country.

Immigration Information Officer Hassan Khaleel told Minivan News today that the regulation was suspended after several complaints from different organisations, including numerous airlines and NGOs.

“The exit permit issue has been suspended from today onwards. We will consider and address every single complaint received and look at the regulation from several perspectives before re-implementing,” he explained.

The regulation, which came to effect on October 19, required expatriate workers to present a form signed by their employer at airport immigration before leaving the country.

Speaking at the time, Khaleel explained that the introduction of the exit permit system came after requests from employers concerned at the number of expatriate workers leaving the country without their employer’s permission.

He added that the immigration department believed the new regulations might help lessen the illegal practice of withholding passports – which has been described as ‘rampant’ in the Maldives by the US State Department.

Local NGO Transparency Maldives (TM) expressed concern, however, that the exit permits would exacerbate the well-documented abuses within the immigration system.

Advocacy and communications manager at TM, Aiman Rasheed, said that the regulation might have the same effect of withholding the travel documents of the worker, leading to the “employer having control over the mobility of the worker”.

“While this is an infringement on the freedom of movement for workers, it also presents opportunities for perpetuation of bondage, trafficking, etc, by limiting movement of the worker,” said Aiman.

While exact figures are unavailable, the number of expatriate workers in the Maldives has been estimated to be as high as 200,000 – equivalent to two thirds of the local population.

Long viewed as a country with a poor record on combatting human trafficking, the Maldives was this year removed from the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) watchlist.

Exit permit systems are also operated in other nations with large numbers of expatriate workers – such as the UAE and Qatar, although Qatar announced earlier this year that it was to abolish the practice after pressure from human rights groups.

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Agreement signed with Russian authorities for cooperation in criminal cases

An agreement was signed today between Russia and Maldives for cooperation in criminal matters at a ceremony at Traders Hotel.

Visiting Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika – also Russian Justice Minister – signed on behalf of Russia while Prosecutor General Muhthaz Muhsin signed on behalf of the Maldivian government.

Details of the agreement have not yet been shared with the media.

Muhsin told local media that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would also be signed today to facilitate training for Maldivian prosecutors in Russia and allow Russian prosecutors to work in the Maldives.

The agreements were arranged by former Prosecutor General Ahmed Muiz during his tenure – which ended twelve months ago, Muhsin added.

In August, a 25-year-old Russian woman caught smuggling 2kg of cocaine was deported before the conclusion of her trial at the Criminal Court, which had been stalled due to language barriers.

In July, the Russian Foreign Ministry had expressed outrage over the arrest of Roman Valerevich Seleznyov, 30, from the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) and called it a “kidnapping” by the U.S. Secret Service.

Home Minister Umar Naseer later said the Maldivian government would have “acted differently” if the home ministry had been aware that the alleged hacker expelled on July 5 was the son of a Russian lawmaker.

Selezynov’s father Valery Seleznyov called on Russian authorities to impose economic sanctions on the Maldives and reportedly offered US$50,000 for evidence proving his son was detained by US intelligence agents.

US officials have maintained that Maldivian authorities acted under their own laws, expelling Seleznyov from the country before his subsequent arrest.

Seleznyov is accused of bank fraud, identity theft, and other cyber crimes. The US have described him as “one of the world’s most prolific traffickers of stolen financial information”.

Russia currently ranks fifth in terms of the number of tourist arrivals to Maldives, and is one of the fastest growing tourist markets in the world. More than 33,000 Russian tourists arrived during the first five months of 2014,

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Baa Atoll Conservation Fund grants US$100,000 for seven projects

Free aid worth US$100,000 has been granted from the Baa Atoll Conservation Fund to finance seven environment protection and developmental projects in the atoll.

The fund was established in April 2012 following the designation of the atoll as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim handed award documents to the recipients at a ceremony held last night in Baa Eydhafushi.

The seven parties were selected following evaluation of 26 proposals. They were the Dharavandhoo development cooperative society, Kendhoo school, Kihaadhoo farm foundation, Maalhos women’s committee, Thulhaadhoo island council, and Eydhafushi Feyli association.

Baa Atoll, which includes Hanifaru Bay – an area world-renowned for sighting whale sharks and manta rays – was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in June 2011, after more than five years of lobbying by the government.

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Majlis accepts legislation on building code

The People’s Majlis yesterday accepted for consideration a bill submitted on behalf of the government by Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP Saudhulla Hilmy on building codes.

Presenting the 90-page draft legislation (Dhivehi) at yesterday’s sitting of parliament, Hilmy explained that the proposed law would establish a legal framework and set safety standards for the construction industry in the Maldives.

“One of the most important reasons for [submitting] this bill is because important measures are not taken due to the lack of a bill or law while many people have died or suffered serious harm in construction accidents,” the MP for Thinadhoo North said.

The submission of the bill was delayed due to changes made by ministers under successive governments, he added.

The bill proposes the formation of the ‘Maldives Building and Construction Authority’ to function under the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure.

The authority would be tasked with formulating rules and regulations, setting standards, and ranking and registering contractors and industry professionals.

All MPs who spoke during the ensuing debate spoke in favour of the bill and noted the importance of introducing a Building Act.

However, several MPs argued that the building and construction authority should be an independent institution free from political influence.

Some MPs objected to contractors from the atolls having to travel to Malé to seek permits or licenses while others suggested that the law should incentivise or provide equal opportunity for small and medium-sized construction companies.

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mariya Ahmed Didi said the submission of important legislation drafted during the MDP’s three years in government were delayed due to the “coup on February 7, 2012.”

As a result of changing regulations and the lack of a comprehensive building code, Mariya said several of her constituents in the Manchangoalhi ward of Malé had requests for construction permits declined.

MDP MP Ahmed Nashid contended that fines specified in the bill were excessive and suggested revisions at the committee stage.

PPM MP Jameel Usman meanwhile noted that the bill includes provisions for incentivising the hiring of locals in the construction industry.

He suggested that the law should also specify a reasonable period for approving construction permits and recommended improvements by the committee.

Jumhooree Party (JP) Leader Gasim Ibrahim contended that the faults in the bill were too numerous to be rectified at the committee and said it should be withdrawn.

As audit reports were exposing “serious corruption and negligence” by government ministries, Gasim argued it would not be advisable to require approval and permits from the housing ministry.

Following the preliminary debate, the bill was accepted unanimously with 61 votes in favour and sent to the national development committee for further review.

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Man assaulted in Malé

A young man was assaulted and seriously injured near the Usfasgandu area of Malé last night, reports local media.

A police patrol discovered the victim on the ground around 1am and took him to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Police said a group of men on motorbikes assaulted the youth and no arrests have yet been made. Local media reported that the victim was attacked with wrenches while he was working on his motorbike.

The extent of the victim’s injuries also remain unclear.

Earlier this week, two men were stabbed in a café in Malé while several violent assaults took place in the capital during the previous month.

A spate of violent assaults in the capital in August – which police said was a series of gang reprisals – saw three young men stabbed to death.

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Government ordered to pay MVR349 million in damages for terminated transport contract

The Civil Court has ordered the Maldives government to pay MVR348,995,154.60 (US$22.5million) to Dheebaja Investment Pvt Ltd for the abrupt and unlawful termination of a contract to establish ferry services in four northern atolls.

The verdict, dated October 23, said President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s administration had terminated a contract with Dheebaja on 30 May 2013 claiming the company had failed to fulfill terms by suspending ferry services to Baa Atoll Fulhadhoo and Fehendhoo Islands.

The transport services contract had been signed under former President Mohamed Nasheed in February 2010. Dheebaja was to provide ferry services in Noonu, Raa, Baa and Lhaviyani Atolls in exchange for 47 plots of land to build ferry terminals and tourism development.

The Civil Court found that the Waheed administration’s termination of the contract was unlawful, stating the government had violated the contract first by failing to hand over promised plots of land to Dheebaja.

The court ordered the Maldives government to pay nearly MVR349 million in damages to Dheebaja for it’s unilateral decision to terminate contract with only five days of notice. The amount is to be paid back within six months.

The Maldives is also currently facing a potentially crippling payout to India’s GMR infrastructure for the abrupt and unlawful termination of a contract to develop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport.

President Waheed had declared the US$511 million contract “void ab initio” (invalid from the outset) in November 2012 and gave GMR a seven-day ultimatum to leave the country.

However, a Singaporean arbitration court in June declared the agreement to be “valid and binding” and said the government and Maldives Airports Company Pvt Ltd (MACL) are liable to GMR for damages.

The arbitration tribunal is in the process of determining a compensation figure. Although GMR had initially sought US$1.4 billion – a figure that exceeds the Maldives’ annual budget – government sources say the figure will be between US$300million and US$600million.

The World Bank in 2013 said the payout would place severe pressure on the country’s already critically low foreign reserves.

Since President Nasheed’s controversial ouster in 2012, President Waheed and incumbent President Abdulla Yameen’s administration have terminated or renegotiated several contracts signed under Nasheed.

The government, on October 22, terminated an agreement made with India based Tatva Global Renewable Energy to provide waste management services in Malé and renegotiated a housing contract with India’s TATA group.

The US$190 million housing project had been delayed for more than two years.

Indian companies blamed the government of creating “undue challenges” for political gain to derail their substantial investments in the Maldives in a 2012 report in India’s Business Standard.

Nasheed’s government had been ousted after months of a vitriolic nationalist and anti–India campaign.

Several of Yameen’s ministers also served in Waheed’s cabinet. They include Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb, Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim, Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Dr Mohamed Muizzu, and Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed.

Incumbent Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon served as Waheed’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs while Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed held the position of Home Minister.

Since assuming power, Yameen has strengthened trade and political ties with China and the Maldives is now a partner in China’s flagship Silk Route.

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ARC exhibition opened by first lady

A photo exhibition for children’s rights NGO Advocating the Rights of Children (ARC) has opened in Malé’s National Art Gallery, with First Lady Madam Fathimath Ibrahim cutting the ribbon yesterday morning.

The first lady commended ARC for its efforts to promote and protect the rights of the child, and acknowledged the greater need to raise awareness on issues concerning children’s welfare.

The exhibition – which runs until Friday (November 7) between 10am and 11pm – features photographs depicting areas from the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Twelve photographs were chosen to be included in ARC’s official 2015 calendar, with the winners being revealed and certificates awarded by the first lady at yesterday’s opening ceremony.

All proceeds from the calendar sales will be used to fund ARC’s HOPE Campaign against Child Abuse.

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