Day: May 13, 2015

“Our prayers are as powerful as swords”: Malé is calm, but anger simmers

On a rainy Sunday night, dozens of families gathered in Malé to meet with lawyers over the detention of their loved ones, arrested from a mass anti-government protest on May 1. The vast majority of the 193 detainees had never been arrested before.

Some families had travelled rough seas and weathered strong winds to come to Malé to find out the news. Lawyers passed on messages from those in custody—where keys had been left, progress on monthly rent, extent of injuries—and advised families on how they could seek redress for police brutality.

The May 1 arrests were the largest numbers detained from a single protest in a decade. Some 20,000 protesters took to the streets on May Day against authoritarianism, and called for the release of jailed ex-president Mohamed Nasheed. When protesters attempted to enter Malé’s main square at dusk, the police cracked down with tear gas, pepper spray, baton charges, stun grenades and indiscriminate arrests. Malé’s streets were empty by 1:00am, and three leaders of the allied parties were arrested.

The government declared ‘victory’ with a fireworks display and said that President Abdulla Yameen will not negotiate over Nasheed’s imprisonment.

With opposition leaders and scores of supporters still in jail, the opposition coalition’s activities have slowed. Police have prohibited gatherings beyond 12:00am, and dispersed any attempts at street protests by arresting key figures. Malé City is calm for now, but anger is simmering.

Opposition supporters remain determined to continue protests, with many saying the police brutality they witnessed on May Day only strengthened their resolve. Growing international pressure over Nasheed’s imprisonment and scrutiny of the judiciary is giving many further hopes.

Anger in Dhoonidhoo

Businessman Mujthaba ‘Muju’ Saeed, 40, was among the first 50 detainees released last Thursday. The protesters in Dhoonidhoo detention centre are angry, but remain strong, he said. “As soon as I was released, I went to the opposition rally. We are not afraid, we are angry.”

According to Muju, two ruling party supporters were also arrested; one was on his way to open a shop while the other was on his way to a safari boat where he works.

Conditions at Dhoonidhoo island detention centre are cramped, with 40 people packed into cells designed to hold just 20. Some are sleeping upright, or sleeping by the entrance to the bathrooms. Many are still nursing injuries from beatings and pepper spray. Several people who were recently released said detainees are calling for the resignation of president Yameen, police chief Hussein Waheed and tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb from their cells.

Some 116 people have now been released, and the police have asked the prosecutor general to press charges against 129. If prosecuted, many face a MVR3,000 fine or a six-month jail term. Charges range from disobedience to order to assaulting police officers.

Zahiya Abdulla, 47, and two of her sisters were also arrested from the protest. In the women’s cell, those arrested from the protest held yoga classes, and bonded with others held on charges of drug abuse and sexual offences. “No one was crying despite the physical and verbal abuse they suffered. I will always be on the front lines of the protests,” she said.

An even bigger rally

The opposition has vowed to continue protests, with Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ibrahim ‘Ibu’ Mohamed Solih pledging to hold “an even bigger rally” by the end of the month.

“We have re-formed our ranks, and we’ve are out to go forward once again. Our resolve remains strong,” he told a thousand supporters at a rally this weekend.

At the rally, some voiced concerns over the how disorganised the May Day protest was, yet they described it as a success. A 23-year-old student marvelled at the sheer number of people at the rally: “People are aware now, they know what is going on.” A housewife said: “We came out by the thousands, we were unarmed, but they pushed us back because they had shields, batons, tear gas and pepper spray.”

Some were scared, but angry. A 62-year-old boat owner said he will march and protest as long as the police do not crack down.“But I do believe we will prevail. Our prayers are as powerful as any sword,” he said.

“We’ve been here before”

A 46-year-old, who had played a key role in organising the pro-democracy “August 12/13 protests” of 2004, told Minivan News he, too, was amazed by the numbers on May Day. He believes approximately 8,000 people had participated in the August12/13 protests a decade ago. “Now, we are seeing thousands more, women, young people, elderly, who’ve never participated in political rallies before,” he said.

The August 12/13 protests had forced then-President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to bring in liberal reforms, a democratic constitution and hold multi-party elections in 2008.

“We’ve been here before,” MDP MP Eva Abdulla said. “The exact same situation—large numbers of people on the street, president Nasheed in jail, the same heavy-handed tactics by the government, defiance to the international community, jailing hundreds, including parliamentarians – until the point the government just couldn’t continue.”

For Eva, there is no choice for the opposition but to continue with protests. “Public opinion does not matter to this government. But we must show all observers, we, the Maldivian public are not OK with what is happening.”

The international spotlight is once again on Maldives. Calls for Nasheed’s release are growing, with several countries, including the US, UK and India slamming the Maldives’ politicised judiciary at a recent human rights council session. The EU parliament last month urged member states to warn tourists over Maldives’ human rights record, and Nasheed’s family has asked the UN’s working group on arbitrary detention to rule his imprisonment as illegal.

But the government maintains the international community cannot dictate what the Maldives must do, and the home minister Umar Naseer has vowed to keep Nasheed in jail.

Eva said President Abdulla Yameen will relent as international pressure grows: “We are absolutely and entirely dependent on international goodwill.”

Back at the meeting between lawyers and families of detainees, one woman said she will now join the opposition protests because of her resort worker husband’s arrest on May Day. She had gone by the criminal court to see if she could catch a glimpse of him at his remand hearing the next day, but instead, she was verbally abused, pepper sprayed and pushed back by police in riot gear. She said she saw police officers pepper-spraying a pregnant woman.

“I’ve never seen such brutality before. It is almost as if the police view us as their enemies. But we are the real power here,” she said.

Photo by Shaari

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Government freezes Villa accounts

The central bank has frozen the accounts of several companies owned by opposition Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim, over a US$90.4 million payment allegedly owed as unpaid rent, fines and interest on several properties leased for tourism.

The Villa group has refused to make the payment and is contesting the tax authority’s claim at the civil court. Gasim has accused the government of unfairly targeting his business interests.

The Villa group operates businesses in shipping, import and export, retail, tourism, fishing, media, communications, transport and education. Only the accounts of companies which hold the properties were frozen. They are Villa Shipping, Villa Holidays, Gazeera Pvt Ltd and Maanenfushi Pvt Ltd.

Villa officials on Tuesday told local media the accounts slated to be frozen are empty.

But the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) says the government can suspend all services to the company, including customs clearance and foreign work visas, if it is unable to recover owed sums through the frozen accounts.

MIRA issued the US$90.4 million notice in February after the tourism ministry terminated agreements for several properties leased to Villa and subsidiary companies for resort development.

The move followed Gasim’s JP forming an alliance with the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party. However, the government denies the opposition’s accusations of unfairly targeting Gasim’s business interests.

The properties at stake were leased under a settlement agreement signed with the tourism ministry on December 12, 2013, less than a month after president Abdulla Yameen took office.

Some 27 cases challenging the termination of the agreements and MIRA’s notice as well as appeals of the civil court’s refusal to grant stay orders are ongoing at court.

Villa – which won the tax authority’s “Ran Laari” award last year as one of five companies that paid the highest amount to the state – insists it does not owe any money to the state.

The notice for payment expired on April 18, but MIRA did not freeze the company’s accounts saying the move may negatively affect the Maldivian economy, local media reports.

The Villa group has previously said freezing its accounts will “send shockwaves” through the Maldivian economy.

“It is not only Villa’s shareholders’ and the company’s rights that are lost [if bank accounts are frozen]. The rights of a lot of employees who work at the company, small and medium-sized businesses dependent on this company, guests who have made bookings at our resorts, tour operators, and many other people, would also be lost,” Villa Group’s executive director Shimad Ibrahim had said.

The Villa group employs over 5,000 people.

The central bank has also frozen the accounts of JH Resorts Pvt Ltd, the Maldives Tourism Development Corporation, Asia resorts, Yacht Tours Pvt and Medhufushi and the accounts of AAA Pvt Ltd.

Since the notice was issued, Gasim has not been seen in opposition protests or made any comments over a crackdown on the opposition, including the arrest of JP deputy leader Ameen Ibrahim on May 2.

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Former MP Easa released from police custody

Former Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Easa has been released from detention today amid allegations of mistreatment under police custody.

A police media official told Minivan News today that Easa’s family had requested permission to take the former MP overseas for a spinal cord operation. He was brought to ADK hospital for a doctor’s consultation and hospitalized last night.

The police authorised the medical leave after the family submitted a written recommendation from Easa’s doctor, the official said.

Easa was released from custody as police have determined that his prolonged detention “was no longer necessary for the investigation,” he added.

Easa was arrested from the mass anti-government protest on May 1 along with nearly 200 protesters. MDP chairperson Ali Waheed, Adhaalath Party president Sheikh Imran Abdulla, and Jumhooree Party deputy leader Ameen Ibrahim were arrested later in the night.

The three leaders of the allied opposition parties remain under police custody while most other detainees have been released.

The MDP has accused police of beating Easa and other detainees after their arrest from the May Day protest.

The human rights watchdog is investigating cases of alleged police brutality and custodial abuse.

Easa was allegedly kicked and beaten on the head with batons after he was hauled on to the police vehicle. Minivan News journalists at the scene heard Easa scream from the vehicle packed with SO officers.

Easa was limping when he was brought to the remand hearing on Saturday.

Police have denied the allegations and suggested that lawyers and families file complaints at oversight bodies such as the Police Integrity Commission and the Human Rights Commission of Maldives.

Ali Waheed was meanwhile brought to the ADK hospital in Malé for treatment last night.

Ali Waheed was reportedly taken to hospital around 6:00pm for an MRI scan of his spinal cord, which was recommended by doctors who diagnosed his back pain. He was taken back to Dhoonidhoo detention centre around 7:45pm.

His family had previously said Waheed had been brought to Malé a week after the doctor requested the scans. The family has also expressed concern with police failing to provide medication for Waheed’s diabetes.

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Islamic Ministry unveils special prayer garb for women

The ministry of Islamic affairs has unveiled special prayer garb for women today, following alleged complaints over women failing to wear the appropriate clothes at the mosque.

The new garb consists of a white burka with a large white underskirt. An un-named individual donated the first 50 pieces of clothing to the Islamic Center today.

“Sometimes, when women who go to the mosque to pray they do not wear appropriate clothes, which leads them to reveal awra. That’s why the individual donated the garbs on his own accord” said deputy minister Mohamed Ali today.

The islamic ministry plans to place similar pieces of clothing at mosques throughout the country. The mosques will be responsible for washing and laundering the prayer clothing.

Women usually pray in a separate area at mosques. At many mosques, the women’s quarters are walled off by wooden walls.

Speaking to Minivan News, deputy Islamic minister Dr. Aishath Muneeza said that the ministry had been considering placing prayer garb at mosques before the donation from a private individual.

“We receive a lot of complaints, mostly from tourists. In other countries, a lot of mosques provide prayer garbs and socks so that there is easy accessibility into the mosque,” she said.

Dr. Muneeza said it will not be compulsory for women to wear the new clothing, but said it is provided for women who may not have clothing suitable for prayer when they enter the mosque.

“For example, now very busy women can also pray at a mosque, instead of going all the way home to pray,” she said.

Photo courtesy of Raajje.mv

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Audit flags deficiencies in control of expatriate workers

An audit of the immigration department has identified deficiencies in the issuance of quotas and work permits as well as monitoring and enforcement measures.

The performance audit examined the “control of expatriate workers” in the Maldives after November 2012 and found that 68 percent of sampled quotas were issued against specified criteria.

The quota limits the number of expatriates that can be employed by a local business and is calculated based on the type of work. It is generated using an automatic formula in the ‘Xpat online system.’

“We observed the number of quota generated by the system through the use of the formula was more than were requested by the employers,” reads the audit report made public on Monday.

“Hence, the use of the formula resulted in issuing more quotas than was required. Such instances indicate that the [immigration department] did not consider the economic needs when quotas were issued.”

The audit also found that the department had not inspected all worksites before issuing quotas.

“This resulted in incorrect issuing of quotas; a police investigation report revealed issuance of quotas in respect of nineteen worksites that did not exist,” the report stated.

Of a sample of 40 quotas and employment approvals, 27 quotas and 13 approvals were issued when criteria were not met.

According to the 2014 census, there are 58,683 expatriates residing in the Maldives. However, the department of national planning has said the figure was much lower than numbers recorded by the immigration department.

NGO Transparency Maldives (TM) estimates there are 200,000 migrant workers in the Maldives – two-thirds of the country’s population.

A government report in 2011 revealed human trafficking to be the Maldives’ second most lucrative industry after tourism – worth an estimated US$123 million a year.

The Maldives ratified an Anti-Trafficking Act in December 2013, but TM says implementation, monitoring and enforcement of laws and regulations are crucial to prevent human trafficking.

Monitoring and enforcement

The department has not conducted research to determine the number of skilled and unskilled immigrant workers needed in the Maldives, the report observed, while the absence of a “sound policy framework” has resulted in a rapid increase in migrant workers.

Tackling illegal migration has since become “one of the main objectives of the department.”

The report noted that the absence of effective enforcement measures prior to 2014, after which the department “started conducting frequent investigations and they have strengthened their enforcement measures such as levying a fine on employers violating the regulations.”

“However, the [department] made slow progress in areas such as improving efficiency, staff capability quality of data and maintenance of complete data on the Xpat Online System,” it added.

The department began using the system in November 2012, but accurate information prior to then is not available as “migration of data from the labour ministry system…was not performed in a planned and systematic manner.”

“However, between 26 November 2012 and 31 December 2013 there were 9,914 expired work permits that were neither renewed nor cancelled,” it added.

As of September 2014, the department was owed MVR27.3 million in unpaid visa fees. However, apart from blacklisting the employers, the department “has not used its powers such as fining or holding passport of the employers.”

While the department implemented the US-donated PISCES border control system in August 2013, the audit observed “difficulties with entering and editing data”.

The system is not integrated with the Xpat online system, “which is hindering the achievement of the [department’s] objective in minimising illegal immigration.”

The department also failed to maintain data on workers who left under the government’s ‘Voluntary Departure Programme.’ The actual number of workers that departed under the programme is unknown.

The accuracy of the Xpat system cannot be ensured either, the report continued, as it cannot be used to trace workers who have left.

Information in travel documents “does not necessarily match with the information recorded in the system.”

“The employment approval of those leaving the country using a travel document would not be cancelled from the system,” the report noted.

Additionally, the department has not handled complaints “in a systematic manner.” The audit found that some complaints had not been attended to for over a year.

Recommendations

The auditor general’s office recommended that the department follow its standard operating procedures in issuing quotas and permits, conduct thorough checks at all stages, and take action against employers with unpaid work visa fees.

The audit also advised formulation of a framework on the number expatriate workers needed in the country.

The department should also “create a culture of serving the public,” evaluate staff capacity and workload, and recruit more staff where necessary.

A survey conducted during the audit revealed that a significant number of employers were not satisfied with the department’s services.

The department should also ensure that deposits collected from employers should only be used to deport workers. The audit office also advised revising deposit rates “at regular intervals to reflect the costs likely to be incurred.”

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IS enforces death penalty against Maldivian recruit

The militant organisation Islamic State has enforced the death penalty against a Maldivian recruit in Iraq.

Haveeru reported today that the Maldivian was thrown off the top of a tall building last month.

He was sentenced to death by an IS court, the newspaper reported, but the alleged offence is unclear.

The Maldivian had traveled to IS-held territories in Syria in late 2014 and had gone to Iraq last month following a military offensive by the Iraqi army to recapture Tikrit.

A number of Maldivians jihadis who traveled to fight in the Syrian civil war have been reported dead. Commissioner of Police Hussein Waheed in early January estimated over 50 Maldivians could be fighting in foreign wars.

Most Maldivian jihadis are believed to have joined the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat Al Nusra front in Syria.

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Two Malé schools vandalized

Two schools in Malé were vandalized this week.

A group of people entered classrooms at Iskandhar School and Jamaluddin School on Monday and Tuesday night, respectively, and broke projectors and fans and sprayed paint on the walls, boards and desks.

“Someone tried to break a fan and a projector in one of the class room in the second floor, they would have done this late last night as we discovered what had happened only this morning,” said an official from Jamaaluddin school.

Police confirmed that security guards were present at the front gates of both schools at the time.

“But we cannot say it was due to their negligence, as there are other entrances where suspects could have used,” an official said.

No arrests have been made yet and the reason for the vandalism is unclear, police said.

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Power cut at Addu hospital in dispute over electricity subsidy

A private hospital in Addu City is operating with a backup generator after the state owned utility Fenaka Corporation cut off its power supply.

Fenaka stopped providing electricity to the International Medical and Diagnostic Centre (IMDC) around 1:30pm yesterday after the hospital refused to pay electricity bills in solidarity with other businesses in the southernmost atoll.

Shops and business across the country have refused to pay bills in protest over the government’s decision to cease electricity subsidies in March, which led to monthly charges doubling and tripling in some cases.

“We are running the hospital on our backup generator. However, we still cannot produce enough electricity for the whole hospital,” said IMDC’s manager Fathuhulla Anees.

Anees said the hospital was only able to start the generator at around 11:00pm last night, causing a lot of difficulties in providing medical assistance to the 10 patients currently admitted at the 38-bed capacity hospital in the Hithadhoo ward of Addu City.

Hospital staff worked by candlelight until technical problems with the generator were resolved.

“We had to discharge some of the patients and transfer others to the regional hospital, because we were unable to provide urgent services,” he said.

Fenaka is the main electricity provider in the atolls and operates in 151 of the 188 inhabited islands of the Maldives.

Former health minister Dr Mariyam Shakeela – a shareholder in the Simdi Company that operates the hospital – has condemned the corporation’s move as inhumane.

In a tweet last night, Shakeela slammed Fenaka for cutting off electricity services to a hospital “without giving the opportunity to find a solution”.

Fenaka also reportedly cut off electricity to the Simdi showroom in Hithadhoo on Sunday.

Shakeela lost the health minister’s post in August last year after pro-government MPs voted against her reappointment to the cabinet. She has since been critical of the president Abdulla Yameen’s administration and has participated in an anti-government rally on May 1.

A businessman in Addu City meanwhile has filed a case at the Hithadhoo magistrate court seeking a court order to compel Fenaka to continue providing services despite unpaid bills. The court initially granted a stay order pending a judgment in the case.

Anees, who is also suing Fenaka over the power cut, said the magistrate court has since ruled against the businessman.

“They wanted to cancel the stay order, so they just ruled that Fenaka can cut power if bills are not paid. I don’t believe we will get justice from the new magistrate at the court,” he said.

Anees said that the hospital will not pay the bill until the court orders them to do so. The hospital refused to accept bills for March and April.

“We are not paying it because we are not able to. We are not paying it because we think it is unjust and discriminatory,” he said.

Electricity charges in Addu City and Fuvahmulah are up to 37 per cent higher than in capital Malé, according to figures from Fenaka.

The government’s decision to cut electricity subsidies to businesses in March left more than 5,700 businesses in the atolls facing millions extra between them in electricity charges.

The government previously provided Fenaka with about MVR11 million (US$713,359) a month to subsidise electricity for atoll businesses, but this cost must now be borne by the companies themselves.

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Military transfers crocodile from children’s park

The military has transferred the crocodile at the children’s park in Malé to an unspecified location.

According to local media, the crocodile was transferred on Sunday night ahead of work on adjusting its cage.

Ahmed “Gahaa” Saeed, then-deputy principal of Majeedhiyya School, caught the young crocodile in 1998.

It has since been kept in a cage at the children’s park and grew to about 10 feet in captivity.

The caging of the crocodile has attracted a number of protests, including one led by the Billabong International school in 2010, which drew attention to the small cage and bad conditions the animal has been kept in.

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