Category: News in Brief

President Nasheed meets his South Korean counterpart

President Mohamed Nasheed met with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak last Thursday as part of his visit to Seoul for the B4E Summit.

President Nasheed and President Lee discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and spoke of ways to strengthen mutual cooperation.

President Nasheed said South Korea and the Maldives could work together especially in the areas of fisheries and the environment.

He also spoke of business and investment opportunities in the Maldives.

President Lee commended the Maldivian president for his efforts to bring the issue of climate change to a global platform and for his role in bringing democracy to the Maldives.

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Cargo carrier overturns, two crew members drown

Police have reported a cargo carrier travelling from Noonu Atoll to Malé overturned  near N. Manadhoo and lost two of its passengers.

The carrier was travelling with seven crew, one of whom swam ashore to Maafaru, Noonu Atoll, and reported the incident. Another passenger was rescued by police, and three others swam ashore to Maafaaru.

Police from Noonu, Baa, Raa and Lhaviyani Atolls were searching for the two crew missing members, until Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) found the two bodies 24 metres below the surface yesterday afternoon.

The carrier was transporting two excavators, a tractor and a steel oil tank.

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President Nasheed calls for a global price on carbon

Speaking at the Business for Environment Global Summit (B4E), President Mohamed Nasheed said the price of carbon should be global because we live in a global economy.

President Nasheed said stating a price on carbon would “unleash tremendous change” and develop a market for cleaner technologies.

“Some countries are still arguing development means becoming dirtier and dirtier as they become richer and richer,” the president said, noting that the goal for carbon-neutrality “will soon need to be done everywhere else.”

President Nasheed said although becoming carbon neutral and combating climate change was urgent, he had faith that human ingenuity would “allow us to flourish indefinitely.”

He said in this time of change there would be uncomfortable uncertainties as well as new opportunities, and urged the world to “leave behind the dirty economy of the 20th century.”

President Nasheed and the First Lady Laila Ali are currently in Seoul, in the Republic of South Korea, for the B4E Summit.

President Nasheed has been awarded the UN’s ‘Champion of the Earth Award’ for his work to combat climate change and will receive his trophy tonight in Seoul.

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Dr Baari says President is not trying to establish a church in the Maldives

Minister of Islamic Affairs Abdul Majeed Abdul Baari said accusations made by the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) that President Mohamed Nasheed is seeking advice from the Islamic Ministry to establish a church in the Maldives are false, reports Miadhu.

Dr Baari said “missionary work has been in the Maldives for quite some time. But this government is working with the Islamic Ministry to eradicate that work.”

He pointed out several instances in which the previous government was linked to ‘spreading Christianity’ such as the opening of Salaam School, which was opened by former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom himself.

Minister Baari claimed Christian missionaries had been using the word ‘salaam’ to spread their religion in Muslim countries and said Gayoom was then forced to close the school.

He mentioned a teacher in Mauhadh school who was trying to spread Christianity in the school and was sent to another island, but not removed from the country.

Dr Baari also mentioned the former president’s personal photographer, Najmi, was convicted for translating the Bible into Dhivehi language, and said several members of the previous administration were distributing Christian books in the country.

He said Naseer’s comments were a hoax and there was no truth in the matter.

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Chinese delegation visiting the Maldives

A delegation of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) has arrived in the Maldives for a good-will visit, reports Miadhu.

Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, Sun Jiazheng, is heading the delegation.

Speaker of Parliament, Abdulla Shahid, invited the delegation to the Maldives.

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Vice President launches mLearning

Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed launched Wataniya Telecom Maldives’ mobile learning service yesterday afternoon at the Holiday Inn.

The mLearning system, called Education Anywhere, is an initiative from Wataniya, Mobitel Sri Lanka and the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Colombo.The system has been successfully implemented in the University.

mLearning is an interactive tool that uses the internet to create a virtual classroom anywhere there is a Wataniya broadband connection.

Dr Waheed said the service would open more opportunities in higher education for many students who cannot afford to attend classes, or who cannot leave home for other reasons.

He added the government was looking into the possibility of introducing a similar programme for the health and education sectors.

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President and First Lady depart for South Korea

President Mohamed Nasheed and First Lady Laila Ali departed for South Korea last night.

They will be participating in the Business for Environment Global Summit (B4E Summit) which will take place in Seoul from 21-23 April.

The summit allows for dialogue and business-driven action for the environment, with some of the topics on the agenda being resource efficiency, renewable energy and climate change policies and strategies.

During their visit, President Nasheed will also meet with the President of South Korea, Lee Myung-Bak, to discuss ways of strengthening diplomatic relations between the two countries.

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Vice President urges legislation to combat human trafficking

Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed spoke yesterday at a meeting on human trafficking in the South Asia region, and called for an effort from law enforcement agencies, government authorities, civil society and international organisations to combat human trafficking in the region.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) produced a report on the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking of Women and Children for Prostitution, where they said the Maldives is a country “where the primary form of trafficking is forced labour.”

Dr Waheed noted although the problem is global, Asia has the highest index of human trafficking.

The vice president said there was a concern that “human trafficking could become a growing problem in our country,” and noted the suggestions made by the ADB and IOM.

He said the government is working on combating the issue, and has mechanisms in place to repatriate victims who are brought to the Maldives.

He said there needed to be a more vigorous effort to form legislation and governmental machinery to combat trafficking.

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President ratifies Presidential Transition Bill

President Mohamed Nasheed ratified the bill on presidential transition yesterday, which details the process of a presidential transition.

The Act states if the President-elect or Vice President-elect require expenses or services, the Director General of Transition should provide them. These services include office space with furniture and equipment, office supplies, staff salaries and a provision of technical experts and their salaries.

The Act also states no funds will be provided for services and facilities in connection with any obligations incurred by the President-elect or Vice President-elect, either before the day of the announcement of election results or after the inauguration.

The bill was originally passed by Parliament on 6 April 2010.

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