The Chinese Embassy in Malé held a reception to mark the Chinese New Year in Dharubaaruge last night.
Speaking at the reception, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon stated that relations between the Maldives and China have strengthened and “accelerated to unprecedented levels in the last year”.
Dunya noted that the relationship between the two countries was based on “sovereignty and territorial integrity; it is about non-interference in each other’s internal affairs; it is about peaceful co-existence; and most importantly, it is about cooperation for mutual benefit.”
Chinese Ambassador Wang Fukang stated while “high level exchanges have been frequent and fruitful” between the Maldives and China, “economic cooperation has been enhanced and expanded”, along with “people to people exchanges”.
Fukang pledged that the Chinese government will facilitate Maldivian fish products to be exported to China, will encourage more Chinese tourists to visit the Maldives, will provide more training and scholarship opportunities for Maldivians, will improve cooperation “in areas like technology, culture and wealth”, and will “enhance cooperation particularly on issues like climate change”.
Last night’s speeches were followed by cultural performances from both Maldivian and Chinese youth, including a song sung in Mandarin by a Maldivian performer.
Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader and former President Mohamed Nasheed has predicted that he will be jailed in the upcoming weeks.
Speaking at the party’s 129th National Council sitting last night (February 10) Nasheed stated that although he will be very saddened to leave his family and worldly pleasures, he is determined to patiently bear the pain and “if necessary, even torture”.
“Nevertheless, with your permission, I would like to spend my jail days as the president of this party”, Nasheed said, requesting that the party “try and free me as soon as possible” and to “try and find a way in which I could be saved without being sentenced”.
Nasheed’s challenge of the composition of the Hulhumalé Magistrates Court bench was rejected on jurisdictional grounds on Monday (February 9), paving the way for the court to resume his trial for the January 2012 detention of Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed.
Nasheed has described judicial proceedings as being influenced by the government, making them “unfair”, alleging that the government’s intention was to sentence him before the new Penal Code is implemented in April, 2015.
Nasheed’s legal team has subsequently submitted the case to the Civil Court, again challenging the composition of the Hulhumalé court bench. The first hearing of the case is scheduled at Civil Court today at 4pm.
In last night’s meeting held to discuss the steps that need to be taken by the MDP in defending the Constitution, Nasheed also said that more than 10 parliament members from the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) are discussing switching to the opposition alliance.
The MDP and Gasim Ibrahim’s Jumhooree Party (JP) signed an agreement during a mass rally last Thursday (February 5) night to “defend the spirit of the Constitution and do everything necessary to guarantee the rule of law”.
The agreement pledges to prevent the passing of any propositions in the People’s Majlis against the letter or the spirit of the Constitution, both inside and outside of the Majlis. Currently, the two parties control 34 seats in the 85-seat legislature.
The MDP National Council also decided last night to pass a motion submitted by Villimalé constituency president Mohamed Ibrahim Manik to lift the disciplinary measures preventing MPs who had violated the party’s whip line from participating in votes taken in the party’s internal bodies.
It was also decided that Anas Abdul Sattar be appointed as the party’s secretary general.
Nasheed stated that the joint parliamentary group to be formed under the MDP-JP agreement will strive towards appointing Maamigili MP Gasim to post of speaker of parliament.
Gasim’s decision to stand for the position last May prompted the end of his party’s alliance with the PPM, though the JP did not officially sever ties until late last month.
Nasheed also assured that, if and when the alliance gains the majority, the current composition of independent institutions, such as the Judicial Services Commission, will be changed.
“I will be even more active from block C of Maafushi Jail,” concluded Nasheed.
The Maldives Police Services has accused former Defense Minister (retired) Colonel Mohamed Nazim of plotting to overthrow the government and harm senior government officials.
A police statement issued at 9pm tonight claimed to have found documents in a pen drive confiscated from Nazim’s house during a midnight raid on January 18 suggesting he “was plotting to physically harm senior Maldivian state officials.”
“In addition, police intelligence has received information that he was plotting with various parties to overthrow the government,” the statement read.
During the search, the police claimed to have found a pistol, bullets and an improvised explosive device.
Nazim was arrested at 1:15am on Tuesday (February 10) on charges of treason and possession of illegal weapons. The Criminal Court has extended his detention for 15 days.
At a 9pm press conference at Villa TV tonight, Nazim’s legal team said the former minister is being framed and have implied the firearms found during the raid were planted. Nazim’s remand sentence is to be appealed at the High Court tomorrow.
If convicted, Nazim faces a jail term between seven and ten years. The police have forwarded charges to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
“Framed”
Nazim’s lawyer Maumoon Hameed suggested weapons may have been planted, claiming police officers who raided Nazim’s apartment had spent ten minutes in the bedroom in his absence. Further, police only announced they had found an improvised explosive device days later after an analysis conducted without independent oversight, he said.
“This is nonsense,” Hameed repeatedly told the press at Villa TV tonight.
After police forced open Nazim’s door at 3:30am on January 18, police immediately entered Nazim’s bedroom, taking him, his wife and two of their children to the living room, Hameed explained.
“After the whole family was taken to the sitting room, the police officers who had initially entered the apartment remained in the master bedroom for approximately ten minutes.”
A team of plainclothes officers arrived afterwards and produced a search warrant. The pistol and three live bullets were found in a bedroom drawer during a search in Nazim’s presence.
The improvised explosive device had not been found during the initial search and the item was not even listed in a record of items found during the search, he said.
The police have maintained they were unaware the apartment they were raiding belonged to the former defense minister and said they had decided not to arrest him at the scene due to his high profile.
Hameed questioned police’s decision to arrest Nazim after the completion of investigations, and claimed such an arrest can only be made through a PG order.
Jumhooree Party MP and former Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz accused the police of unprofessionalism and said: “This was clearly done to frame Colonel Nazim.”
Nazim and his wife’s passports have been confiscated.
His arrest appears to be part of a larger crackdown on political rivals by President Abdulla Yameen. The former minister had revealed his presidential aspirations following the raid on January 18.
Nazim was a central figure in former President Mohamed Nasheed’s ouster. He had delivered an ultimatum to Nasheed demanding an unconditional resignation on February 7, 2012.
He has served as Defense Minister for three years now, first under Nasheed’s successor Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan.
Following Nazim’s dismissal, Nasheed’s former Chief of Defense Forces Moosa Ali Jaleel was appointed as Defense Minister.
Prior to Nazim’s arrest, President Yameen retired Vice Chief of Defense Forces Ahmed Mohamed and appointed Brigadier General Ahmed Shahid to the post.
Changes brought to military ranks in late January include the dismissal of Major Ahmed Faisal and Captain Ibrahim Naeem from the posts of head of the Special Protection Group (SPG) and Head of Armory, respectively.
Lieutenant Colonels Ahmed ‘Papa’ Fayaz and Abdul Rauf were appointed to head the SPG and Armory respectively.
(PHOTO: MOHAMED NAZIM ADDRESSING MUTINYING SECURITY FORCES ON FEBRUARY 7, 2012)
Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) has expressed concern after pictures began circulating on social media depicting a man holding a 3 foot crocodile in his hands.
Haveeru reported that the small crocodile seen in the picture is now kept in a little pond at a house belonging to one of the individuals pictured, who are believed to have found the crocodile on an uninhabited island on Malé Atoll.
“We are going to investigate this case. We urge citizens to inform relevant authorities first if you see any such animals,” Haveeru reported MNDF spokesperson Major Adnan of saying.
“The crocodiles being sighted these days are most likely to have drifted with the currents from nearby countries,” said EPA Director General Ibrahim Naeem. “If crocodiles were to populate this country, it would have happened thousands of years ago.”
The Criminal Court has remanded former Minister of Defence and National Security Colonel (retired) Mohamed Nazim for 15 days in police custody.
Nazim was arrested last night at around 1:15am and was taken to Dhoonidhoo Detention Centre.
Nazim’s lawyer Maumoon Hameed told Minivan News this morning (February 10) that his client was being charged with offences related to activities against the state, while his arrest form described the charges as terrorism and possession of illegal items.
Members from both the Adhaalath and the Jumhooree Party have today said they will join Nazim’s legal team, while the Prosecutor General’s Office has declined to comment on any aspect of the case.
Nazim himself tweeted news of his arrest to his followers shortly after 1am, also announcing that he had left the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives.
A press conference by Nazim’s legal team is scheduled to be held tonight at VTV at 9pm, explained the law firm of Maumoon Hameed – Premier Chambers.
Meanwhile Adhaalath Party spokesman Sheikh Ali Zahir tweeted saying that he has decided to join Nazim’s defence team along with former Commissioner of Police MP Abdulla Riyaz.
Adhaalath Party President Sheikh Imran Abdulla has been one of the few politicians to comment on the case today, tweeting his belief that Nazim would not kill anyone in order to gain power.
“Nazim has been treated with injustice. We are and have been against injustice,” read another post from Imran today.
Following comments made in the media regarding the charges yesterday, Riyaz told Minivan News that he was convinced the case was “purely political”.
“The legal team has prepared a very strong case, and can positively prove that the items found at Nazim’s house do not belong to him,” he said.
Nazim had been minister of defence since the controversial transfer of presidential power in February 2012, having delivered an ultimatum on behalf of mutinous police and military units demanding President Mohamed Nasheed’s unconditional resignation.
Prior to his dismissal, he was considered one of the most powerful figures within the government, holding the health portfolio as well as chair of the Local Government Association (LGA).
Special Operations officers raided Nazim’s home in the early hours of January 18, with police later saying they had found dangerous weapons – including a pistol and an explosive device during the search.
After initially expressing support for the minister, Nazim was dismissed from his position two days later, being replaced by Major General (retired) Moosa Ali Jaleel on January 20.
Police have maintained they were unaware that the home belonged to the defence minister prior to the raid, later telling media that the decision was made not to make arrests due to the profile of the suspect.
After the passports of both Nazim and his wife were confiscated, the former minister was summoned for questioning at police headquarters earlier this week.
The National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) has announced the commencement of the two month application period for renewed electricity subsidies.
In an announcement made on February 9, the NSPA stated that the period for submission of forms will run from February 10 to April 9.
The forms are to be submitted to the NSPA desk in Faashana Maalam of Dharubaaruge in Malé and island council offices in other regions.
The NSPA recently revealed that the criteria for state provided electricity subsidies is under review to ensure subsidies are granted in a proportional and fair manner, as “the wealthy and the poor are now being the same subsidies”.
The Maldives has been included in the World Cup qualifying stage in the Asian zone for the 2018 World Cup finals to be held in Russia.
The country was included in qualifying as one of the top 34 Asian national teams, reported Vaguthu, with Afghanistan and Bangladesh the only other South Asian countries to appear in the qualifying round.
The Maldives is currently ranked 131st in the FIFA world rankings. The highest ever ranking attained by the country was in 2006 at 126, while lowest was 183, in 1997.
The qualifying matches – which are to be played as home and away fixtures – are due to start on June 11, while the group draw is to be decided in April.
The top team in each group will qualify for the third round in the World Cup qualifications, while also automatically qualifying for the 2019 Asian Cup – the biggest footballing event in Asia.
The mother of Indian national Rubeena Buruhanudeen will travel to the Maldives where she will attempt to visit her daughter, who has been held in pre-trial detention for four and a half years.
Shafeeqa Beevi has asked Maldivian authorities permission to visit her 30-year-old daughter, who faces charges of infanticide and attempted suicide after the death of her ten-month-old son in 2010.
Despite local lawyers taking up Rubeena’s case in 2012, it has remained stalled, with the last scheduled hearing in December delayed as the court requested to hear from the doctor who initially examined the child’s body.
Her lawyers are seeking an additional hearing to claim their client’s diminished responsibility.
Meanwhile, a campaign to secure her release is gaining momentum in her home state of Kerala, with over 8,000 people having signed the ‘Save Rubeena’ petition, calling for the intervention of authorities in the case.
The petition is to be delivered to the Indian High Commission in Maldives, and the Chief minister of Kerala, Oommen Chandy – who has already met with Rubeena’s parents, promising action.
India’s Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj was handed the petition on Sunday (February 8), explained Anupama Mili, a journalist for the New Indian Express who is helping with the campaign.
“There is already an online campaign started on Facebook ‘Save Rubeena’. This is followed by the miraculous escape of another Indian, Jayachandran Mokeri, recently from Maldives,” explained Anupama.
Jayachandran had been imprisoned for 8 months on what he claimed were false child abuse charges, before being released on December 25 after the case became publicised through Indian media.
“His friends and relatives started the group ‘Save Jayachandran Mokeri’ in Facebook and started campaigning for him in all levels including media, bureaucracy, different political parties and even religious and business leaders,” said Anupama.
The same group is now campaigning for justice in a number of cases involving Keralites incarcerated in the Maldives, converting the Jayachandran Facebook page for the ‘Save Rubeena’ campaign.
“After [Jayachandran’s] return, he told me about many other Keralites with more or less similar plight,” she added. “I gave the report in my paper, and hit headlines here.”
Shafeeqa Beevi has not seen her daughter in five years
Renewed hope
Jayachandran has claimed he came into contact with around 21 Indian nationals while in Dhoonidhoo detention centre, though statistics provided to Minivan News by the Maldives Correctional Services show only seven Indian nationals – all male – being held in the country.
The New Indian Express has today reported that Kerala’s social justice minister Dr M.K. Muneer will seek the support of the External Affairs Ministry to keep better records and to offer assistance to Keralites detained abroad.
The case has also sparked debate in India over the practice of poor girls from Kerala being sold off to foreign nationals in return for money, with Rubeena’s mother saying her new husband had cleared the family’s crippling debts as part of the arrangement. He has since divorced her during her incarceration.
In an interview republished in Minivan News yesterday, Shafeeqa recalled the deterioration of her daughter’s marriage, and the confusion surrounding her grandson’s death.
Sources close to Rubeena’s case have learned that she confessed to the killing before having received any legal assistance, and has since said she was heavily medicated at the time of her child’s death, with only a vague recollection of events.
Shafeeqa also explained the renewed hope the campaign had given her after four years without progress.
“It was after the release of Jayachandran master, I renewed my hope. He had met Rubeena in jail and she had given him my number.”
“I had completely lost my hope. But now, things are apparently changing. My hope has been restored. Many people who have never seen me or are even connected to me are trying to bring my daughter out of that prison.”
The Kerala campaigners have also taken up the cause of Indian National Nabeesa Beevi, who had been left stranded in the Maldives after death of her husband last year.
Nabeesa – left partially paralysed, reportedly after complications during a caesarean birth – was returned to India yesterday (January 9) after social justice minister Muneer informed the Indian High Commission in Malé that Kerala state would be willing to pay for her care.
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