Police report that a boy last seen aboard a boat traveling to Male’ from Kendhoo in Baa Atoll has gone missing.
There were total five persons aboard the boat, police said.
Police said that the boy was 20 years of age and was reported missing on Sunday afternoon.
The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and police have begun an operation to search for the body.
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(0)Local religious NGO Jamiyyathul Akhawaathu has today issued a press release denying rumors that it has been campaigning for the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
The NGO said that it would never follow or promote a political party ”especially a party that is anti-religion such as the Maldivian Democratic Party.”
”Some of them are circulating false information regarding the NGO, saying that the NGO is campaigning for the ruling MDP,” said Jamiyyathul Akhawaathu in a press statement. ”Jamiyyathul Akhawaathu is not an NGO that is working under a political party.”
The NGO further called on those circulating “these false allegations” to “stop misleading people and fear God.”
”Rather than spending their valuable time on such things, we call upon them to work for the benefit of life and afterlife.”
(0)Dislikes(0)Police have arrested an escaped prisoner with illegal drugs in Male’.
Police reported that they arrested the man while he was sitting near Dharubaaruge, in possession of 24 packets of suspected narcotics.
The first time police attempted to arrest the man at his home, he escaped through a ventilation duct, police said.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Islamic Ministry received a record amount of money as alms last year, reports Haveeru.
The Ministry received Rf 36 million (US$2.8 million) last year, an increase of Rf 9 million (US$700,000) on 2009.
Assistant Director General Ahmed-ulla Jameel told Haveeru that the number of people giving alms had also increased, as a result of “an increased public awareness about religious matters.”
The Ministry’s Alms Committee would distribute the money to the poor, Jameel told Haveeru.
(0)Dislikes(0)The government will resettle 500 people from Maavaidhoo to Nolhivaranfaru in Haa Dhaal atoll over the next few days, reports Haveeru, along with islanders from Kunburudhoo and Faridhoo.
Haveeru reported that 134 houses have been built in Nolhivaranfaru to accommodate the influx of residents, with an additional 47 constructed with Chinese assistance.
The President’s Office has also stated that the regional utilities company is upgrading electricity and water on Nolhivaranfaru at a cost of US$1.6 million.
(0)Dislikes(0)Daily news paper Haveeru has reported that Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Thasmeen has said that he has heard rumors that a no-confidence motion was to be filed against speaker of parliament Abdulla Shahid.
The paper said it was attempting to get more information regarding the matter.
Neither Shahid or Thasmeen were responding to calls at time of press.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Cabinet is scheduled to hold next week’s meetings in Kulhudhufushi in Haa Dhaalu Atoll, reported Haveeru.
Haveeru quoted an official at the President’s office saying that next week Thursday’s cabinet meeting will be held in Kulhudhufushi and that he does not know how long the ministers will remain in the island.
The paper also said that staffs at the President’s Office have been working in Kulhudhufushi for the preparation of next week’s meeting.
(0)Dislikes(0)Is former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom reviewing his political options for the future in the light of the inevitable mid-term crises facing the MDP Government of his successor, asks Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror newspaper.
“The question has acquired significance in the light of Gayoom returning from a Malaysian holiday earlier than expected, to spearhead the campaign of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) for the local council polls due in February.
“Proving critics wrong, Gayoom had made an honourable exit after 30-long years of controversial rule when Nasheed as leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) defeated him in the run-off presidential polls in 2008. The change-over came with an understanding that the new Government would allow him to retire in honour with protection against legal action for alleged wrong-doings while in power. The MDP campaign had centered on human rights violations under the Gayoom regime, and Nasheed himself was designated ‘Prisoner of Conscience’ by Amnesty International.
“Hiccups in the implementation of the agreement apart, there was nothing to suggest in the interim that Gayoom would consider throwing his hat into the ring. This was so, despite the fact that Gayoom had handed over the reins of the party to his vice-presidential running-mate, Thasmeen Ali. He however agreed to remain as the ‘Supreme Leader’ of the party, in what was considered a sinecure position with no real responsibility or authority. Not any more, or so it now seems.”
(1)Dislikes(0)A tourism boom in Sri Lanka following the end of the country’s long-running civil war will not impact tourism in the Maldives, the former President of Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, Srilal Miththapala, was reported as saying in the Lankanewspapers website.
“It is a misconception to think that Sri Lanka and Maldives will be competing in the tourism industry as both countries offer different products. The Maldives islands and beaches are unique and it draws tourists who like that kind of an environment and in Sri Lanka we cater to a different genre of tourists, the site reported him as saying.
“With several major hotel and resort chains such as Indigo, Movenpick and Shangri-La taking steps to invest in Sri Lanka, questions have been raised as to whether the current boom in tourism would draw fierce competition between Sri Lanka and its friendly neighbour, Maldives which maintains a thriving tourism industry,” the site reported.
“Despite many being under the impression that the current trend in Sri Lanka might threaten the Maldivian tourism sector, several hoteliers in Sri Lanka are of the view that the developments in Sri Lanka would not have much of an impact in Maldives as both countries deal with two different areas of tourism.
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