A Maldivian woman and her Sri Lankan husband have confessed in a Sri Lankan court to using illegal drugs, reports Haveeru.
The couple confessed when presented with evidence against them by police.
A Mount Lavinia court has issued an order to extend the police custody until 5 March. The couple were arrested on 19 January.
Drug crimes in Sri Lanka attract heavy sentences, including life imprisonment and the death penalty.
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(0)Police have arrested a man discovered with eight large packets of suspected narcotics.
The 37 year old man, Ali Shukoor from Kulhudhufushi in Haa Dhaalu atoll, was arrested during an operation conducted by police to arrest drug dealers in the atolls.
The Maldives Police Service is currently investigating the case.
Police also seized 17 packets of alleged drugs in Sinamale’ during a special operation by Galolhu police station.
Police reported they have found suspected narcotics in Sinamale’ three times recently.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Juvenile Court has sentenced a 17 year old to eight months in prison for attacking his mother at a court hearing, reports Haveeru.
At the court hearing regarding a robbery, the minor punched his mother in the face for denying that he was at home during the robbery, the court official said.
The mother fainted and was taken to hospital immediately.
The minor was sentenced under Article 88(b) of the Penal Code, but the sentence is only partial due to the offender’s age.
(0)Dislikes(0)Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom visits Egypt to take part in the 22nd Scholar’s Meeting.
The meeting will be held from 22 to 25 February.
More than 90 delegates from Islamic countries will take part in the meeting.
(0)Dislikes(0)Vice President Mohamed Waheed is on an official visit to India. He arrived in the neighbouring country on 18 February.
This follows close visits by Indian Chief of Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor, and MP Rahul Gandhi to the Maldives, and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently signed by the Maldives and India.
On 19 February at a meeting held at the official residence of the Indian Vice President Hamid Mohamed Ansari, Dr Waheed thanked India “for its support in introducing democracy in the Maldives.”
Vice President Ansari assured Vice President Waheed of the continued support from India to the Maldives in the areas of social and economic development.
Dr Waheed then met with President of India Pratibha Patil on 20 February. At a meeting at the official residency, the vice president said providing education and job opportunities for Maldivian youth was “important to prevent them from the scourge of drugs,” and asked that Indian institutions assist in providing more higher education opportunities for Maldivian youth.
The vice president then met with Indian External Affairs Minister Shri S. M. Krishna. Dr Waheed asked for assistance in preventing drugs being trafficked from India into the Maldives and providing rehabilitation treatment for addicts.
Dr Waheed also met with Indian Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Prithviraj Chavan. They spoke of the issue of climate change.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Maldives Science Society (MSS) held a stargazing event at Lale International School on Thursday night, in conjunction with Astronomers Without Borders.
The event was presented by British mathematician Thomas Goodey, a Cambridge university graduate, who visited the Maldives recently to study the solar eclipse on Jan 15.
Goodey gave a history of astronomy and explained that the Maldives was an excellent place for stargazing. The Maldives Open Source Society (MOSS) also introduced astronomy software called ‘Stellarium’ which allows users to learn the sky and locate different celestial objects.
While the outdoor stargazing session was cancelled due to bad weather, the MSS said it would hold the session again so students could see celestial bodies for themselves.
(0)Dislikes(0)President Mohamed Nasheed has claimed that dealing with past human rights violations is one of the most difficult issues currently confronted by the government.
In a letter to the new Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, the president said the Maldives has recently emerged from a long period in which human rights “were routinely violated and in which many people, including members of the new Government, were tortured.”
“Thankfully, the country has been able to turn its back on such times and is now busy establishing itself as a modern liberal democracy with a full separation of powers and strong human rights safeguards,” the president wrote.
“One of the challenges facing the new Government as we look to consolidate democracy, rule of law and human rights is how to come to terms with the difficult episodes in our past without jeopardising our future.
“Dealing with the issue of torture, and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment is without doubt one of the more difficult issues we are confronted with, especially in our small closely-knit community. Our favoured approach is to avoid retribution and instead to recognise, come to terms with, and learn from such tragic episodes as a means of ensuring that the memory of the victims is honoured and that we avoid repeating the same mistakes.”
Bokova she is the first woman to hold the post since the foundation of UNESCO in 1945.
(0)Dislikes(0)President Nasheed has urged all political parties of the Maldives to opt for dialogue on national issues, during his weekly radio address, and spoke of the country’s economy.
The president said the government will be able to begin a number of new development projects within the next few months, provided with proper frameworks and funds.
He stressed the importance of passing the proposed taxation bill, and urged newly elected leader of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, to work on passing the bill.
The President spoke of the budget deficit and the need to to ensure a fast recovery from the economic downturn.
The taxation bill, along with the loans agreed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), should give the country a budget surpluss by 2012, he said.
Before concluding his address, the president noted the significant increase in the number of tourists arriving in the Maldives this January. With 67,478 tourists arriving in the month, it became the highest number of tourists arriving in the month of January in the last five years.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Maldives Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has opened the bidding process for Herathera Island Resort, a 456 bed property in Addu atoll.
The MTDC recently paid US$3.5 million to end a long-running court dispute with former management Yacht Tours, after the company stopped paying rent claiming the MTDC had failed to fulfil a contractual obligation to build a channel between the resort and the adjoining island of Hulhudhoo.
The MTDC said it was searching for an “experienced and capable party”, with a minimum of five years experience running a luxury hotel of over 300 beds.
It also said the successful bidder would be required to pay a US$7-10 million non-refundable deposit “to ensure the company is capable of managing the resort.”
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