The fire which gutted the Dhiraagu building in Thaa Veymandhoo has been confirmed as a case of arson by police.
The police said there was signs that the door had been forced open, which led them to believe the fire was deliberately lit.
Marketing and communications manager for Dhiraagu, Mohamed Mirushaan, said the fire had crippled all forms of communication on the island.
No one has been arrested so far and police are currently investigating the case.
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(0)A Pulsar motorcycle was set on fire last night in Hulhumale in what police believe to be a case of arson.
According to the police the incident occured at 3:00am and the fire was put out within a few minutes with the assistance of the MNDF fire and rescue team.
The serious and organized crime unit is investigating the case, police said.
(0)Dislikes(0)More than a hundred parties are vying for the four cafes up for bid in the Alimas Carnival area.
According to the Male’ municipality, 130 different parties have shown interest.
All bids must be made before the start of February said president of the municipality, Sarangu Adam Maniku.
He also said that the winners of the bid would be decided based on four criteria: price, plans to develop the cafe, number of Maldivian employees and business concept.
(0)Dislikes(0)A fishing vessel sank after it ran aground on Alifushi reef in Raa atoll this morning.
‘Kandu Roalhi 7’ of Alif Alif Ukulhahu left the Alifhushi harbour this morning at around 5:55am, experienced engine failure and crashed into the reef.
Another dhoni attempted to tow the vessel back to Alifhushi harbour, but during this process Kandu Roalhi 7 sank into the harbour.
MNDF northern command sent coastguard divers to the scene and together with the stricken vessel’s crew they managed to raise the vessel.
The coastguard website stated no one was hurt in this incident. This is the second incident of this nature in two days
(0)Dislikes(0)The Maldivian National Defense Force (MNDF) have started a project to improve the roads on Dhuvaafaru in Raa atoll.
According to the MNDF, many residents of the island are also taking part in the project.
This project is being conducted with the assistance of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Maldives will benefit from short-term funding for island and developing nations pledged at the The UN’s Climate Change Forum in Copenhagen, President Mohamed Nasheed told a press conference on his return home, even if the accord itself was not as comprehensive as hoped.
Ten per cent of the $30 billion in short-term funding would go towards helping small island nations adapt, he said.
“The talks were a success for the Maldives as funds were pledged for adaptation. We will get the money we need,” Nasheed said, adding that the challenge now was to improve the country’s capacity to undertake such large projects.
“I can say now with confidence that we will provide water, sanitation, electricity and build harbours in all islands. The only question is when can we do it? That depends on how fast we can work,” he said. “God willing, we will not face difficulties with money now.”
In addition, the Maldives’ high profile on the world stage now meant it can go straight to important world leaders, Nasheed said.
“A lot of people were depending on us, so I think if we need something and ask for it, now it will be easier to get it done.”
Nasheed drew praise from many world leaders, including Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, for his sustained negotiations with stubborn countries. Such mediation was necessary, Nasheed explained, due to a “deep mistrust” between developing and developed countries.
Six countries, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Tuvalu opposed the accord.
Nasheed said he talked with the Tuvalu prime minister and the Cuban negotiator and convinced them to sign. “I pleaded with the Nicaraguan president. The Saudis stepped aside when the Americans asked them to…the Venezuelan official refused to speak to me. Just refused to speak at all.”
Others were friendlier. Nasheed was given a lift back to the conference centre by Rudd after a BBC debate, chatted with UK billionaire Richard Branson, and even had to cancel a meeting with former US presidential candidate and environmental advocate Al Gore due to a double-booking. “The World Bank president (Robert Zoellick) called constantly up to the last minute,” Nasheed added.
The cost of the trip was covered by other countries, while the ongoing publicity benefits would be considerable, he added.
“We spend US$1 million on tourism promotion. Even if we had spent billions I’m certain we wouldn’t have got the same degree of coverage as we have over the past two or three weeks across the world on newspapers and TV.”
The accord itself “was a good beginning”, and a far better outcome than failure, he noted.
“If we had been unable to get this, everything would have failed. We were working in an environment of fear that could have caused serious conflicts among nations,” he said. “If no accord had been reached, the status of the UN would have been in jeopardy while some European leaders would have been unable to go back to their people.”
Nasheed said he viewed the final accord as a framework with “many promising features that could become legally binding.”
“A decision will be made on lowering the limit from 2 degrees to 1.5 degrees celsius based on the advice and counsel of the Inter-government Panel on Climate Change in 2015,” he explained.
“The science says the world really has seven years to make a decision. If something is not done in seven years, climate change will go beyond our control or reach a tipping point.”
(0)Dislikes(0)Parliament today passed legislation to provide financial assistance and protect the rights of people with disabilities.
Of the 53 MPs in attendance, 52 voted to pass the bill, while one abstained.
Presenting the committee report, Fuahmulah South MP Ahmed Maseeh Mohamed, said a bill proposed by the government in July to protect the rights of the disabled was combined with a bill submitted by Vilufushi MP Riyaz Rasheed on providing monetary assistance to people with disabilities.
A sub-committee selected to review the legislation consulted with the Maldivian Thalassemia Association, Care Society and senior officials of the ministry of health as well as the attorney general’s office.
Once ratified, a council will be formed and entrusted with compiling a national database on the disabled, protecting the rights of the disabled, overseeing monitoring centres, formulating guidelines for their operation, addressing complaints and compiling an annual report.
The government will provide financial assistance of a minimum of Rf2,000 (US$155) a month for disabled persons.
The law states that the disabled should be given special protection in work places and cannot be discriminated against in the provision of employment.
It further calls for the establishment of a special educational centre for the disabled and for the government to provide free education for disabled persons up to the age of 18.
All government schools will be required to establish facilities for the disabled and no one shall be denied an education due to a disability.
Persons found guilty of harassing or mocking disabled persons are liable to be fined between Rf5,000 (US$389) to Rf10,000 (US$778).
Further, public places, such as supermarkets and parks, are required to have facilities such as ramps to enable access for disabled people.
Maldivian citizens with disabilities are among the most marginalised people in society. A study conducted in 2008 found that 25 per cent of children with disabilities in Haa Alifu and Haa Dhaal never left their homes.
The bill was passed today with three amendments proposed by Kelaa MP Abdullah Mausoom of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).
Among the amendments were making people with disabilities on the national registry eligible for the monthly benefits without evaluating the extent of their disabilities.
Mausoom’s most contentious amendment was to make children with thalassemia eligible for the monthly benefits.
During the debate on the two bills, several MPs supported providing financial benefits to families with thalassemia children.
“Parents will have the option of not including their children on the list or registry,” said Mausoom.
The amendment was passed with 35 in favour, two against and 19 abstentions.
During the final debate before the vote, MPs on the committee said the thalassemia association objected to including thalassemia patients in a bill for persons with disabilities.
Maseeh, chairman of the committee, said the bill was based on article 35(b), which states “disadvantaged people are entitled to protection and special assistance from the family, the community and the state”.
He added the bill clearly specified people with disabilities in terms of psychological and physical disabilities who face difficulties in society.
“The bill is formulated to provide financial and special assistance to people with disabilities,” he said. “That is why the Maldivian Thalassemia Association said they do not want children with thalassemia to be given that label.”
Defending his amendment, Mausoom said the purpose of the legislation was providing “special assistance”, which includes families facing financial burdens to treat their children with thalassemia.
Thulusdhoo MP Rozaina Adam said the title of the legislation would not matter to families of children with thalassemia.
Most MPs spoke of the importance of allocating funds for the financial benefits in next year’s budget to ensure that the laws are enforced.
(0)Dislikes(0)The positions of 5400 civil servants could be cut in the new year after parliament’s budget review committee revealed that Rf119 million has been earmarked for redundancy packages.
Furthermore, a letter from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to the speaker of parliament tabled on 7 Dec disclosed that 228 staff have already been dismissed while 387 have been served notice, according to independent MP Mohamed Nasheed.
Abdul Muhsin, vice president of the CSC, said the government had yet to consult with the commission regarding the redundancies for which it had apparently budgeted.
“The moment we heard of this from the parliamentary committee we wrote to the Finance Ministry for more details,” he said. “If the government are making redundancies, they have to work with the independent commission.”
The government is legally obliged to dismiss civil servants through the commission, explained Nasheed, a safeguard to ensure an independent bureaucracy by reducing the government’s control over civil service employment by offering tenure and certainty of employment.
“Under the Civil Servant Act section 47(c) there are seven specific guidelines under which a civil service employee may be dismissed, and none of these grounds have anything to do with redundancy,” he said. “The government currently isn’t empowered to dismiss so many people in the name of downsizing. The concept of redundancy is new to the Maldives – it has never been envisioned in our country.
This meant, he said, that if the government was planning to restructure and streamline the civil service, “then it must be done through legislation, and not administration.”
“Maybe there are reasons to restructure,” he said. “But if I’m a civil servant and I’m to be dismissed, I want to at least have the basic certainty that it is because of the new rules and not because of my political beliefs or which party I’m in.”
(0)Dislikes(0)A dhoni on a sea cucumber harvesting trip ran aground on Laamu Gaaerifaru reef this morning.
According to the Maldives coast guard, the dhoni belonged to Ibrahim Ali of Raa Rasgetheemu. The accident occured at 8.50am this morning and the coast guard was contacted immediately.
A craft including police was dispatched from Laamu Madivaru and recovered the dhoni by 9:40am.
None of the six people on board were hurt, although the coastguard noted that the dhoni did not have a safety certificate nor was it carryng life jackets.
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