A team of 22 police have returned from India after completing a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) course.
According to police, the course was held from 2f November 2009 to 16 January 2010 in the Central School of Weapon and Tactics, Border Security Force (BSF) at Indoor in India.
As part of the program the group learnt weapon usage and handling, crime scene investigating, managing security and outdoor events for VIPs and counter terrorism.
The only other time Maldives police have taken a SWAT course was in Thailand in 2005.
Police Lance Corporal Fazeem Abdullah (SN 2345) was chosen as the Best Student from the course.
Parents have shut down the Shaviyani Feydhoo school for two days by refusing to send their children to school.
The school, which had around 170 students, was closed on Sunday and Monday because parents were unhappy that a principal had not been appointed despite the academic year having already started.
The previous principal, Mathew Varugees, returned to India at the end of last year.
Aishath Mohamed from the school’s parent teacher association said “The parents are not happy. The school is being run without a princiapal and it is affecting the studies of the children.”
“The old principal could not speak Dhivehi and many parents can’t speak English, so there was a major communication issue,” she said. “We had many issues to discuss but it was not possible and no one was happy with the situation. Even Mr Varugees agreed there was a communication problem – that is why he left, he said this school needed a Maldivian principal.”
Aishath said a senior teacher, Mohamed Shahid, had been running the school in the interim, “but he only agreed to stay until the start of the school year, when a new principal was promised.”
Parents have gone to the island office and demanded a new principal within the next two weeks.
Principal was arranged
Their story clashes with that of the Feydhoo councilor, Mohamed Mustafa Ismail.
“A principal was arranged for our school by the education ministry. Everything was ready including accommodation and transfer,” he said.
“But when the parents found he was not a Maldivian principal, they didn’t accept it. They gathered outside the island office and said not to bring the principal, because they would not let him set foot on the island.
“Obviously we had to let the ministry know that we could’t bring him here, and they have now said they can’t find a Maldivian for the position.”
Mustafa said while the parents had given the government two weeks to find a Maldivian principal, “it’s not like we can go to a shop and buy one. It’s hard to find Maldivians who are qualified for the job.”
He blamed the teachers for failing to show teamwork with foreign principals.
“Good teamwork is needed to work when working with foreign people, but the Maldivian teachers don’t like it and they tell the parents who then react this way,” he said
“By closing down the school the parents have got it wrong. It is not the solution.”
The movement of foreigners throughout the Maldives will be restricted, according to new rules implemented by the ministry of human resources, youth and sport.
All foreigners wishing to travel between islands from 1 February 2010 must present appropriate documents to the captain or person in charge of the vessel, the ministry revealed.
Speaking to Minivan News, Minister of Human Resources Hassan Latheef said the travel restrictions were being implemented to reduce the number of illegal expatriate workers travelling between islands.
“The problem of illegal workers in this country is huge, we have been getting many complaints from islands,” he said.
“An example is in Laamu atoll: illegal workers have become involved in agricultural business and are driving local farmers out of business.”
He acknowledged that “while we can’t deport everyone, I believe that stopping them from moving around is the first step towards solving this issue.”
Proper documentation
From February all foreigners must carry one of three documents to be able to travel around the country: either a valid work permit, proper visa documents for visitors, or a special letter from the ministry allowing travel.
Any captain or vessel owner which transports foreigners without these documents will face legal action, the ministry said.
Impact
Asked how the community might react to such measures, Latheef said “There won’t be much difficulty in implementing these measures, because even now ships have to keep a log of all the passengers it carries. There will be no inconvenience at all, as most crews will be able to check documents very fast and efficiently.”
Asked about the impact on non-working foreigners in the country, Latheef said “All they have to do is provide a visa or document showing their purpose in the country.”
Tourists “may find this alarming,” admitted Ahmed Solih, permanent secretary of the tourism ministry.
“But if the situation is explained, they will understand,” he said.
One expatriate currently working in the country wasn’t so sure.
“As someone who travels on a daily basis does this mean I have to carry my documents with me in case they are checked? Having to carry around papers all the time feels very restrictive,” he said.
“It feels like there is a currently a bit of a witch-hunt against expatriates, with the retraction of the liquor licences and the difficulty getting work permits – is the government trying to drive out skill sets the country doesn’t have?”
Solih said the problem of illegal workers was a national issue, particularly for a relatively small community like the Maldives.
“These measures may seem dramatic but this decision has only been made after many other alternatives have failed. I am sure there will be measures in the rules to account for the tourism industry.”
The ongoing dispute between the finance ministry and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) has heated up, after the CSC warned it would take legal action against any CSC member who prepares a wages bill with the reduced salaries.
A letter circulated among permanent secretaries urged them to send the salary sheets to the finance ministry with the restored levels, and said employees who prepared the wage bill would have to bear responsibility both for the reduced salary and disregarding the CSC’s directive.
The finance ministry retaliated by threatening legal action against government payroll officers who failed to fill out a reduced salary sheet, while a highly-placed source in the government said political appointees rather than civil servants would fill out the salary sheets.
On 13 January the finance ministry issued a statement directing all government institutions to make out the salary sheets according to the reduced amount, claiming that the three month period of reduced civil servant pay is to be increased until the government’s “special circumstances” are resolved.
The CSC has meanwhile announced that the finance ministry’s agreement to reduce civil servants’ salary for three months is now over, claimed that all civil servants must receive their full salary starting from this month.
The country’s political parties divided over the issue.
The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) claimed the finance ministry “has no right” to deduct the salary of civil servants.
DRP member Mohamed Hussain ”Mundhu” Shareef said the party was resolute that civil servants would receive the same salaries as before.
“When President Nasheed came to the administration, reducing the amount of civil servants to from 29,000 to 18,000 was not in his manifesto,” Mundhu said, accusing him “of torturing the people”.
Reducing, increasing and resolving civil servants salaries was in the hands of the CSC, he said, and that the finance ministry was unable to set the salary against the CSC’s wishes.
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed “Colonel” Nasheed said the salary crisis was a national issue and an “economic domino” waiting to fall.
“If the CSC is upset there are a lot of problems we face other than civil servants salaries,” he said.
Nasheed suggested that the government institutions involved needed to get together and come to an agreement.
The head of the police drug enforcement unit Mohamed Jinah has claimed “it won’t be long” before police arrest the remaining four of the top six drug dealers identified by President Mohamed Nasheed.
“Two of the top six drug dealers have been arrested. We will arrest the remaining four as soon as possible,” he promised.
“They are not difficult to catch, but we want to catch them with a lot of proof and evidence. That is why it is taking so long.”
Jinah said that instead of focusing on capturing street level drug dealers, police had this year tried to target the higher levels and block the problem from the top.
”Hopefully, this year we will also arrest many smugglers and drug dealers,” he added.
Police also revealed today that they had pursued 2363 drugs-related cases in 2009, 1038 of which were sent to the prosecutor general’s office.
Police also conducted 200 “special operations to capture drug dealers in Male, ” Jinah revealed.
Last year police also seized 11.5 kilograms of drugs, including heroine, cannabis and benzodiazepine.
That haul meant the number of new drug users had been reduced by 43 per cent compared to previous years, Jinah said, citing a police survey.
Meanwhile, the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Service (DPRS) recently caused controversy by transferring 87 inmates to house arrest, many of whom were drug offenders caught in possession of less than three grams of narcotic.
The DPRS said seven of them had been returned to jail because of bad behaviour “and not following the rules we applied to them.”‘
Nafiza Abdul Gafoor expertly holds a rock melon in her hands, and shows the technique for cutting it. The 32 year-old has worked in the farming sector for years, and training in Malaysia last year has also made her among the few Maldivians qualified in ‘auto pot’ farming.
‘Auto pot’ is a variation on hydroponics, and was introduced to Maldives through rock melon farming projects carried out by UNDP and Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture.
“This is a very good method of farming for the Maldives,” says Nafiza. She works as field officer in the four month-old greenhouse in Gnavyiyani Atoll Fuvamulah.
Creating a greenhouse
UNDP and the Ministry of Agriculture invited proposals from interested NGOs in early 2009.
“Our proposal won as we had already found the land and installed the well needed for it,” says Nafiza, who is part of the NGO Society for Environmental Awareness (SEA).
A melon ripening in the greenhouse
The Malaysian experts assigned to the project did not deem the land as suitable as it was too swampy. Within three months another area of land was procured, and it took the experts ten days to set up the green house and plant the first batch of rock melon plants.
“Now we always maintain 500 plants here,” Nafiza says.
The tedious task of weeding at the onset put off some of those recruited from the eight wards of the island: “Our staff is from nearby three wards now, as the greenhouse is on one end of the island.”
The first six months salary is paid by UNDP. Afterward, seventy per cent of dividends reaped from selling rock melon will be divided among staff with the rest being equally split for marketing, procuring products, and business expansion.
The staff of 32 consists mostly of women apart, with the exception of three men.
Aiminath Waheeda, 42, is a tailor by profession and has her own tailor shop but professeses a fascination for farming.
“My children are grown up now. I have time to do this, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” says Aiminath.
After selling the first batch of melons last month she says she hopes for a better income in the future.
Planting and harvesting
“Within 58 days of planting we can harvest melons,” Nafiza explains.
The melons have to be visually perfect without any marks; this means that Nafiza and the others are careful to avoid walking near the plants once they flower, in case the brushes up against any leaves: “If you touch the plant or even brush up against it after it had flowered, there is the chance of the melon getting marks.”
Special fertilizers are added once a week to the tank that pumps water to the pots through an automated system. This is increased to twice a week once the plant flowers.
“After harvesting the melons we get rid of the plant, and plant the prepared ones the next day.”
Local supplier Happy Market buys melon from them and sells to resorts.
Misty inside the greenhouse
Expansion
“We wanted to introduce a method of farming that would also appeal to the younger generation,” says Dr Aiminath Shafia, state minister for agriculture. Youngsters aren’t keen to toil in the sun, and modern methods such as this could tempt them to farming, she reasons.
The scarcity of land in Maldives and the potential for creating high quality products is another reason for introducing auto pot production methods.
“We have also discussed it with resorts, which are willing to buy the produce if quality and consistency can be guaranteed.” Dr Shafia says linking the greenhouses with resorts is part of the project.
The pilot project carried out in Noonu Atoll Kendhikulhudhoo a couple of years ago proved to be a roaring success and is on the verge of expansion, while in Vaavu Atoll Felidhoo the green house is doing extremely well and another in Baa Atoll Baarah is already selling to nearby resorts.
The next two projects are an island in Addu Atoll and in Thaa Atoll Veymandoo. “We have not done projects in Addu Atoll and there are resorts nearby there, and Veymandoo is a farming island and we have other projects there as well,” Dr Shafia says.
She wants to introduce this method of farming to more people.
“We are willing to carry out little projects of ten pots for a small fee to those who reside in Male,” she says.
Police have arrested two men in Kaafu Himmafushi carrying packets of suspected narcotics.
Ismail Ibrahim, 30, of Meadows, Kaafu Himmafushi was arrested at 4:00am this morning with five packets of suspected narcotics.
Ahmed Abdullah Gadhir, 28, of Alhivilaage, Gaafu Dhaalu Thinadhoo was arrested last night at 11:50pm. Gadhir was in possession of one packet of alleged drugs.
According to police, both men were arrested after police received information the men were using illegal drug use.
In a back room of a shop on Boduthakurufaanu Magu, sea cucumbers lay drying all around and the stench of stale fish hangs thick in the air.
Ahmed Riza, 43, brings out a shark fin for inspection before opening a huge flip-top container filled with fins of varying sizes. The cartilage, once fused to the body of a ill-fated shark, was still visible, sitting like a row of teeth across each of the dull grey fins.
Riza is a middleman, who for the past 20 years, has earned a living buying and selling shark fins to foreign customers. He sells up to 400kg of shark fins a month at around Rf300 (US$23) a kilo.
But the cruel manner in which fins are sliced off sharks before their bodies are dumped in the sea, coupled with the endangered status of many species, prompted the government to make a landmark decision last year. President Mohamed Nasheed announced the Maldives would outlaw shark fishing up to 12 nautical miles (22km) off the coast of all atolls.
This March, the ban is to be extended to cover oceanic sharks – a move praised by marine biologists who have lobbied hard for the 37 species of shark that swim through the Maldives to be protected.
In preparation, the government proposed a three-point plan: find alternative livelihoods for the 200-odd shark fishermen, increase police boat patrols and educate customs officials to recognise shark products. As shark fins are largely for export, the success of the ban rests on the vigilance of Maldives Customs.
With the March deadline fast approaching, however, little appears to have been done. While Dr Hussain Rasheed, the state minister for fisheries and agriculture, maintains that “by and large people know about the shark ban”, interviews with those working in the industry reveal otherwise.
Riza was unaware that it was President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration that had made the decision.
“We first heard about it during Maumoon’s time but since this government came to power we haven’t heard anything about it. They haven’t made any official announcements,” he says.
Marie Saleem, an environment consultant who worked in the Marine Research Centre for 16 years, expresses a similar sentiment.
“I’ve also been trying to find out [what the government has done] and to my knowledge nothing has been done since then.”
Tourist attraction
Ibrahim Adam, 32, is from Alif Dhaal Dhagethi, one of main shark fishing hubs, where six boats catch around two tonnes of shark fins a month each.
A shark fisherman for the past 15 years, Adam was anxious about the impending ban, which will end his monthly income of between Rf12,000 (US$934) and Rf15,000 (US$1,167).
According to Marie, once de-finned, Maldivian fishermen do not discard the remainder of the shark.
“Although some divers have seen sharks without fins, the fishermen I’ve worked with salt and dry the shark.”
The fins are then sold to distributors such as Riza and on to foreign customers, predominantly from East Asia, where they are a delicacy. A key ingredient of shark fin soup, the fins are considered to have rejuvenating properties and sell for more than $300 a kilo.
Stable ecosystems
As predators at the top of the food chain, maintaining shark populations in balance is crucial to the preservation of ocean ecosystems. Overfishing of sharks triggers a domino effect of changes that carries down to several fish species and contributes to the overall degradation of these fragile ecosystems.
As part of their campaign, marine biologists showed that keeping sharks alive was more profitable to the Maldives: for 30 per cent of tourists who visit for the Indian Ocean archipelago for its spectacular marine life, sighting sharks is a priority.
Moreover, while the shark fishermen contribute an estimated US$100,000 a year to the economy, diving with sharks generates a hefty US$2.3 million.
In October, guests staying at Soneva Fushi resort complained after seeing shark fins drying on Baa atoll Thuladhoo, said Anke Hofmeister, a marine biologist at the resort.
“They took photos and we sent them to the ministry, but they said they were not certain these fins were from the reef so it slipped through a loophole.”
After March this loophole will be closed but both Adam and Riza say they still hope the government will amend the ban.
“We’ll be happy if they just give us an area. Maybe they can designate an area outside of the tourist zones for us,” Adam says.
In 1998, concerns about the effect of shark fishing on the tourism industry led the government to impose a 10-year moratorium on shark fishing in seven tourist atolls. However officials acknowledged there was no way of determining whether a shark fin came from a tourist atoll.
Trade in shark fin is to be banned from March
Plan of action
State Minister for Fisheries and Agriculture Dr Hussain Rasheed Hassan says the government is committed to conservation, adding his ministry is in the process of formulating a National Plan of Action using results from consultations with affected communities.
“Shark fishing is very seasonal. It’s not a livelihood as such…it’s not their whole livelihoods. Nothing drastic will happen if we have a total ban on it, and as a nation it’s our responsibility to protect sharks.”
Rasheed said the government was recruiting 30 Fisheries Enforcement Officers for all atolls to check fishing vessels for necessary paperwork as well as their catch.
But, he said, a lack of funds had thus far thwarted the government’s main objective: to buy back the equipment used for shark fishing.
“We urge those concerned and NGOs to help out by buying back the fishing gear,” he appealed.
Thereafter, the ministry plans to encourage shark fishermen to take up the more lucrative alternative of fishing for yellow-fin tuna, although Rasheed concedes, this requires larger fishing vessels.
Until then, shark fishermen such as Adam still await government assistance.
“The fisheries minister came to our island last year and told us about the ban. He said the government would find other ways for us to live before they impose the ban. We’re still waiting on that,” he said.
“I was very sad when I first heard about it. It’s my entire livelihood and what I do to support my family. It would be a great injustice to tell us not to go fishing anymore. It’s like telling someone not to go in to the office.”
President Mohamed Nasheed has opened the Maldives as a place “to test the latest renewable technologies in energy, waste, water, housing and transport.”
Speaking at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, Nasheed invited assembled government ministers and energy company representatives “to come to the Maldives and share the best of your technologies.”
“The Maldives is open for business. To my mind, the smart money is green,” he said, predicting the introduction of a carbon market would eventually drive up the price of fossil alternatives.
“Renewables are becoming more efficient and affordable. While fossil fuels may [now] appear cheaper, sooner or later polluters will be forced to pay for the damage their products cause. When they do, market failures will be corrected and carbon pollution will be properly penalised.”
During the three day Summit, Abu Dhabi’s General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced the emirate will invest US$15 billion in alternative energy projects, including Masdar City, the world’s first carbon and waste-free city.
“Abu Dhabi has reliably provided the world with energy for several decades,” Sheikh Mohammed said. “Global demand for energy continues to increase ever rapidly. As an energy provider, we have the responsibility to continue to meet that demand.”
Nasheed said he hoped Abu Dhabi’s “pioneering work in renewable energy and carbon neutrality” could be utilised in the Maldives to help fulfil the country’s ambitions of becoming carbon neutral in 10 years.
“I am here today because, in many ways, Abu Dhabi represents the future,” he said.
“I am here because this enlightened country is jettisoning the past and embracing change. Abu Dhabi is investing the proceeds of yesterday’s resources to build the green economy of tomorrow.”
Abu Dhabi is a cosmopolitan metropolis that sits on nine per cent of the world’s oil reserves and generates 15% of the GDP of the United Arab Emirates. Much of the emirate’s wealth stems from the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company which produces 2.7 million barrels of oil a day, a figure the company has previously said it hopes to push to four billion during 2010.
“Some nations choose to take a back seat in this green revolution,” Nasheed said, “but others, such as Abu Dhabi, are playing a major role in the greatest transformation since the start of the Industrial Age. With the leadership being shown here, I am certain we can tackle the climate crisis.”
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