Minivan News Journalist Expelled Again

Phillip Wellman, a journalist for this website, will be forced to leave the country on Friday morning, just five days after returning to the Maldives. He was expelled from the country once already on November 3, 2006 along with a freelance photographer.

“They will be welcome in the Maldives in two weeks’ time,” said Chief Government Spokesman, Mohamed Hussein Shareef in November. But now it seems that is not so.

Wellman returned on January 15, but after only two days in the country he was summoned to see immigration officials on Wednesday morning and was given 48 hours to leave the country.

It is unclear at this stage whether he will be able to return. The notification of Wellman’s expulsion came the day after the US Ambassador to the Maldives left the country. Wellman is an U.S. citizen.

The Immigration Controller, Ibrahim Shafiu who is also a DRP Majlis member appointed by the President, says Wellman does not have “permission” to be in the country. Minivan News contacted the government before his arrival to inform them of his intention to return and received no objection to the proposal. He is currently here on a tourist visa valid for thirty days.

“The harassment of Minivan and MinivanNews.com journalists must stop,” said Reporters Without Borders in response to Wellman’s expulsion in November.

“We once again point out that an opposition media has as much right to work freely as a pro-government media,” Reporters Without Borders added.

Wellman’s second expulsion comes only days after the publication of a damning 2006 annual report by the South Asian Press Commission (SAPC), which said the Maldives “continues to be a journalist’s prison.”

“The continued detention and house arrest of a number of journalists is an issue of serious concern, as are the charges against five journalists and editors working for Minivan, which would appear to constitute a concerted effort by the authorities to target this publication,” said the report.

The SAPC’s study referred specifically to an incident in which Minivan News’ offices in Colombo were raided by Sri Lankan Interpol officers on a false tip-off from Police Chief, Adam Zahir, that the office was being used to store weapons.

“The Mission deplored the abuse of Interpol against exiled journalists and overseas Maldivian media, the blocking of Dhivehi Observer and Maldives Culture websites, and the jamming of the shortwave frequency of Minivan Radio.” The report added.

Minivan News has recently been working hard to assert greater independence and produce more objective and balanced news. The website has received much praise for its efforts and is seen by people within both the government and the opposition as the premier English language publication on the Maldives, read by many influential members of the international community.

The Maldives currently ranks 144th in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, slightly lower than Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but higher than Russia and Iraq.