Year: 2015

Hulhumalé reclamation to cost US$22 million less than expected, says Tourism Minister

The second phase of the Hulhumalé land reclamation project will cost US$ 22 million less than expected and will now amount to US$50 million, Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb has said.

Speaking to Haveeru, Adeeb said the cost of the project had been reduced after President Abdulla Yameen held direct discussions with the dredging companies. Land reclamation began last night (January 10).

“Reclaiming the land and the revetments will now be completed at US$50 million after ceaseless effort by President Yameen. He held many discussions with the current contractor Belgium Dredging International to bring the price down,” said Adeeb.

Adeeb said Yameen had secured the US$30 million loan from Bank of Ceylon to finance the project.

Hulhumalé phase one reclamation saw 188 hectares of land reclaimed to house a population of 60,000, while the second phase aims to house 100,000 residents.

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MWSC Managing Director dismissed

Malé Water and Sewerage Company’s (MWSC) board has dismissed Managing Director Ahmed Umar from his post, reports local media.

Speaking to Haveeru, Chairman of the Privatisation Board Mohamed Nizaar said that the board decided to terminate Umar and said an individual to replace Umar has been suggested to the government.

Haveeru reported that Umar was appointed to the post of the Public Company by President Abdulla Yameen on a Jumhooree Party slot in the coalition government.

MWSC and its management were severely criticised for lack of response after the capital’s 130,000 residents were left without running water for nine days following a fire at the MWSC desalination plant in December.

After a government request for assistance, India, China, and Bangladesh airlifted bottled water, while both India and China sent in ships equipped with desalination plants to produce water for the capital.

Normal operations resumed at the Malé water plant on December 13.

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Police tow 111 illegally parked vehicles in one day

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has towed 111 illegally parked vehicles on Saturday (January 11).

A police media official told Minivan News that the 111 vehicles towed included 56 two wheeled vehicles and 55 four wheeled vehicles.

“Of the 54 two wheeled vehicles, 21 vehicles did not have the number plates, while 16 of the confiscated four wheeled vehicles did not have number plates,” said the official.

According to the police, all of the vehicles without a number plate would be transferred to Thilafushi Island and sold as scrap metal.

“If the vehicle owners wish the vehicles to be returned back to them, they have to present adequate documentation to prove ownership and pay all fines which are due,” said the media official. “The vehicles to be taken to Thilafushi will remain in Malé for a period of time for owners to claim them.”

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India to hold Bollywood dance show to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations with Maldives

The Indian High Commission has announced plans to hold a Bollywood-themed dance show to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations with the Maldives.

Speaking at a function held this morning, Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives Rajeev Shahare said the high commission will hold an “entrance free, high quality dance show at Alimas Carnival Area on January 23”.

“In celebration of 50th anniversary of relations and Maldivian Independence, every month will include thematic activities part of a year long celebration. January will be our Bollywood month taking into account Maldivian love for Bollywood,” said Shahare.

The show is said to feature Mumbai based Bollywood dance troupe, Ferris Wheel Entertainment. The troupe consists of dancers for famous movies and makeup artists.

Meanwhile, other events for the month include a Bollywood Quiz – where the winner gets a Bollywood tour – and an art exhibition with art work created by Indian and Maldivian children called United Colors.

The events are sponsored by the State Trading Organization (STO), telecom provider Ooredoo, the State Bank of India and Indian infrastructure giant Tata Housing.

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Education Ministry hikes teachers’ pay by 35 and 15 percent

The Ministry of Education has increased the salaries of some teachers by 35 percent, and others by 15.

At a ceremony at the Islamic College on Friday (January 9) the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Dr Abdul Mushin said Leading Teachers with a Masters degree will now take home a monthly salary of MVR17,334, having previously received MVR13,218.50.

Teachers with a Masters degree have been awarded a MVR4,000 hike in salary, increasing take home pay from MVR12,228 to MVR16,374.

Those with a Bachelors degree were awarded a MVR3,600 hike – increasing take home pay from MVR11,238 to to MVR14,894, and teachers with a Diploma Certificate were awarded a MVR2,600 hike – increasing take home salary from MVR8,671 to MVR11,337.

Teachers who hold other qualifications were awarded increases between 25 and 15 percent.

The academic year is to start on January 11 and will end on November 24.

The increase in salary comes after 90 percent of the country’s teachers protested in September last year – wearing black clothing to raise awareness over issues such as poor pay, inadequate protection of teachers, and the failure to grant the Teachers Association of Maldives official recognition.

Speaking at a press conference today, education minister Dr Aishath Shiham said President Abdulla Yameen had fulfilled his pledge to honor teachers, and that the government’s aim was to employ qualified teachers and provide them with adequate pay.

The ministry had made all necessary preparations for the academic year, the minister said, adding that no student would have to stay home from school due to lack of space or facilities.

Meanwhile, State Minister for Education Adam Shareef said schools would begin teaching the newly compiled national curriculum starting tomorrow.

President Yameen in October made creative arts – including music and dance – optional subjects in curriculum after pressure from religious conservatives and political parties.

Shareef said the ministry will hold training on changes to the curriculum for media, parents, and teachers in the next few months.

Although all books for the new curriculum have not yet been printed, the first packages for the first term have been printed and are being dispersed to schools, Shareef said.

Deputy Minister of Education Ibrahim Ismail today said the government had spent MVR12 million on repairing and renovating 212 schools for the new academic year.

Deputy Minister Azleen Ahmed said the education ministry had given out loans and scholarship to over 1000 students for higher studies in 2014. The same opportunity will be extended this year, he said.

The ministry’s top priority for 2015 was to establish an Islamic University, Azleen said. A bill had been drafted to facilitate the establishment of the Islamic University and will be submitted to the parliament when it opens in March, he continued.

In November, the Maldivian Democratic Party’s budget review committee suggested that the government had not budgeted the required MVR532 million (US$34.5 million) needed to raise the salaries of teachers despite promises made by both President Yameen and Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel.


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Teachers’ Black Sunday protest prompts government talks, strike decision pending

President Yameen announces rise in teachers’ salaries

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Crime lowest in five years, claims Police Commissioner

Police Commissioner Hussein Waheed has told media that 2014 saw the fewest reported incidents of crime in five years.

18,193 cases were reported to the police last year, he explained – a drop of 1.7 percent compared with 2013.

Haveeru reported Waheed as saying that theft – the most reported offence – was considerably lower than it had been over the past five years.

However, police statistics show that while reports of theft in 2014 had dropped compared to 2012 and 2013, they were still higher than in the three preceding years. Reported theft in 2014 was 26 percent higher than in 2009.

Comparing 2014’s figures with 2009, there were increased reports of robbery (4.9 percent), drug offences (32.6 percent), and domestic violence (69 percent). Reported cases of assault dropped between 2009 and 2014 by 44 percent, while traffic accident reports fell by 18.4 percent, sexual offences by 15.7 percent, forgery and counterfeiting by 41.6 percent, and vandalism  by 42.3 percent.

Waheed also noted that two-thirds of the 3,139 drug-related cases in 2014 were reported outside of the capital, Malé, which is home to around one-third of the country’s population.

Waheed told media on Thursday that 50 Maldivians were thought to have travelled abroad for Jihad, while noting that the unresolved case of missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan had been the biggest investigation of 2014.

Source: Haveeru

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Yameen congratulates Sirisena as government denies arrival of unseated Sri Lankan officials

President Abdulla Yameen has congratulated recently elected Sri Lankan President Maithiripala Sirisena while the foreign ministry has quelled rumours that senior members of the outgoing government have “fled” to the Maldives.

In a message to his new Sri Lankan counterpart, President Yameen offered congratulations on behalf of himself and the people of Maldives.

“Through the election, Sri Lankans have demonstrated yet again the strength of the country’s democracy and the resilience of its institutions. The election result is a testament to the trust and confidence that Sri Lankans have on your policies, your leadership, and on your commitment to the advancement of Sri Lanka,” said Yameen.

Former health minister under President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sirisena took 51.3 percent of the vote on Thursday (January 8), ending the incumbent’s ten-year rule – which had looked sure to continue just weeks earlier.

“Let me take this opportunity to invite you to make a State Visit to the Maldives at your earliest convenience. Such a visit would give us the opportunity to exchange views in taking our relationship forward,” continued President Yameen’s message.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed speculation that key figures from the outgoing Sri Lankan government had “fled” to the Maldives.

“The Government of Maldives confirms that no senior official in the previous Government in Sri Lanka travelled to the Maldives after the Presidential election,” read a press release from the ministry today.

The foreign ministry’s statement came after the Colombo Telegraph cited reliable sources as saying that the former Sri Lankan defence minister Gothabaya Rajapaksa had travelled to the Maldives as soon as his brother’s defeat was confirmed.

Former President Rajapaksa has said that he looks forward to a peaceful transition of power.

President Yameen last week transferred all Sri Lankan prisoners held in the Maldives upon a request from Rajapaksa, who cited humanitarian grounds for the move.

Just under ten thousand Maldivians live in Sri Lanka, with bilateral trade said to have grown by 40 percent in 2013.


Related to this story

Maldives to transfer 15 Sri Lankan prisoners upon request of President Rajapaksa

No threat to Maldivians in Srilanka, assures Sri Lankan foreign minister

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No apparent progress in police search for Rilwan, family plans protest for Friday

The Maldives Police Service is continuing the search for missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan as a top priority, without “interruption or boredom”, Commissioner of Police Hussein Waheed has said.

“In the year 2014, the case that the Maldives Police Services worked the most on and was unable to complete investigations into was the disappearance of Maafannu Shining Star Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla,” Waheed told the press today.

“I assure Rilwan’s family in this opportunity that the police will continue the search without any interruption or boredom. I wish for Rilwan’s safe return,” he said.

Rilwan is believed to have been abducted at knifepoint in Malé’s suburb Hulhumaé in the early hours of August 8.

“From our investigations so far, there is no evidence to suggest Rilwan is dead. Therefore, our hope is he is still safe and alive,”

Waheed refused to reveal details of the search for Rilwan despite repeated questions from the press.

Reporters questioned the commissioner on Rilwan’s whereabouts, whether Rilwan is believed to have been abducted or if his disappearance was voluntary, and on possible groups responsible for and their motivations for disappearing Rilwan.

“I am unable to provide additional details on this case, as some information revealed previously and information circulated by different sources cast a shadow over our work. Therefore, I am constrained from revealing ongoing efforts and plans for the future,” he said.

Rilwan’s family has accused the police of negligence, and has planned a march titled ‘Suvaalu March’ – or ‘Question March’ – on Friday (January 9).

The walk is to start at 4pm from Malé’s Artifical Beach area.

Police dragging their feet, says brother

Speaking to Minivan News, Rilwan’s brother Moosa Rilwan said the state had failed to protect his brother and public pressure was necessary to force the police to expedite investigations.

“Tomorrow marks the 154th day since my brother disappeared. The police are still dragging their feet. We are completely dependent on the police to find him. We can only move forward when the investigations are completed,” he said.

Public pressure had previously worked, resulting in the arrest of four individuals, he said.

The home ministry had told the family in a recent meeting that police are still waiting on analysis of DNA samples from two cars which may have been used to abduct Rilwan.

“Five months on, the DNA samples have not been analysed. No one is in custody anymore. No motive has been explained. Police still cannot definitively tell us if it was an abduction,” he said.

“Meanwhile, my family and I are reduced to begging the authorities for help. President Abdulla Yameen still refuses to comment on the case. This is unacceptable,” he said.

Rilwan’s family has filed a complaint with the Police Integrity Commission requesting the watchdog to investigate police negligence in the case.

Home Minister Umar Naseer has previously acknowledged involvement of gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance.

Gang involvement

Local media on Wednesday reported an individual arrested over the case traveled to Syria for jihad in early January. He was accompanied by six members of the Kuda Henveiru gang including Azlif Rauf, a suspect in the brutal murder of MP Dr Afrasheem Ali.

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 – concluded 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.

The report identified Azlif’s brother Arlif Rauf as the owner of a red car, which may have been used in an abduction reported on the night Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan disappeared.

Police were investigating Arlif’s car for having been illegally imported to Hulhumalé on August 4, and returned to Malé sometime between August 13 – 15, the report continued.

It also suggested gang leaders had been exposed to radical Islam during incarceration in prison, saying that they openly supported the actions of the Islamic State in Iraq and recruited jihadists for the war in Syria and Iraq.

MDN on October 23 accused the police of negligence in investigating the disappearance for their failure to inform the public on progress and failure to confirm if the abduction reported on the night Rilwan went missing was related to his disappearance.


Related to this story

Rilwan suspect’s detention extended for the fifth time

Two immigration officers and Afrasheem murder suspect among group of twelve jihadis

Missing journalist’s family accuses police of negligence, files complaint

Home minister acknowledges gang involvement in Rilwan case, blames opposition for slow progress

MDN investigation implicates radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance

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Over 50 Maldivian militants fighting in foreign wars, reveals Commissioner of Police

There are over 50 Maldivians fighting in foreign wars, Commissioner of Police Hussein Waheed has revealed.

“These people leave the country under normal procedures. So it is not easy to identify if they are traveling to go fight with foreign rebel groups,” Waheed told the press today.

“However, within a few days we hear that they have joined these groups. Our statistics estimate there are 50 Maldivians working with foreign rebel groups.”

The commissioner’s estimate dwarfs the figure suggested by Home Minister Umar Naseer to  the People’s Majlis in December. Naseer at the time said that over seven Maldivians were fighting abroad.

In the past fortnight, at least twelve Maldivians have traveled to Syria via turkey for jihad.

Responding to a question from Minivan News on mechanisms to prevent radicalisation, Waheed said police might reveal plans at a later late.

“We are working on it. Even now, we are doing a lot of work with the Islamic ministry and other relevant government institutions.”

The police do not yet know who the most vulnerable groups to radicalisation are in the Maldives, Waheed continued, pointing out recent jihadis included both genders, urban and rural areas, and people of all ages.

When asked if radicalised groups posed a domestic terrorist threat, Waheed said the police are tracking individuals associated with foreign militant groups.

“We know who the foreign militants are. We are monitoring their activities. My hope is, I believe we will be able to monitor them to the extent they are unable to [present a threat] in the Maldives.”

He appealed to the public to share any reports of individuals who may leave the Maldives for jihad.

Exodus

According to reliable sources, a group of six that left the country on December 27 included two immigration officers. Others in the group include two women who are spouses of two of the men and a one year old infant.

The second group of seven all belonged to Malé’s Kuda Henveiru gang. They include a suspect in the brutal murder of Dr Afrasheem Ali, Azlif Rauf.

Azlif’s group also included an individual arrested over the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan, one man arrested for issuing a death threat, one man classified by the police as a dangerous criminal, and three men with criminal records, local media have reported.

Waheed refused to comment on Azlif’s whereabouts.

In 2013, the former Maldivian National Defense Force officer was put under house arrest over pending terrorism charges, but the Prosecutor General’s Office withdrew charges last September.

Waheed said the police can only prevent such people from leaving the country if the force receives prior information that they may be traveling for jihad.

Maldivians are not barred from international travel, Waheed said, and so “it is not easy to figure out what motive they are traveling for”.

In November, Sri Lankan police detained three Maldivians who were allegedly preparing to travel to Syria through Turkey.

The incident followed reports of a couple from Fuvahmulah and a family of four from Meedhoo in Raa Atoll travelling to militant organisation Islamic State-held (IS) territories.

In November, a jihadist group called Bilad Al Sham Media (BASM) – which describes itself as ‘Maldivians in Syria’ – revealed that a fifth Maldivian had died in Syria.

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

In late August, Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon issued a press statement condemning “the crimes committed against innocent civilians by the organisation which identifies itself as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.”


Related to this story

Two immigration officers and Afrasheem murder suspect among group of twelve jihadis

More than seven Maldivians fighting in foreign civil wars, reveals home minister

MDN investigation implicates radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance

Police detain Maldivian jihadis caught in Sri Lanka

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