Police summoned Gassan Maumoon, son of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, for questioning today concerning disturbances outside his residence Endherimaage on Thursday during a protest by the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
A 17-year-old boy was struck on the head with a wooden plank allegedly thrown from Endherimaage while protesters led by MDP MPs, councillors and senior members were marching by the former President’s residence.
Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam told Minivan News today that Gassan was among a number of people police were questioning regarding Thursday’s events.
Police were investigating complaints of damage caused to the former President’s property as well as the injury caused to the 17-year-old, Shiyam explained.
Police had received information that suggests the wooden plank that injured the 17-year-old was hurled or dropped from the building, he said.
However, said Shiyam, police could not divulge further details at this stage of the investigation.
Minivan News journalists at the scene on Thursday observed gravel, stones, hot water and sharp metals raining down on the protesters from Endherimaage. A number of reporters at the scene were also hit by the pouring gravel.
Several MDP activists claimed that the wooden plank was hurled from the second floor balcony of Endherimaage. After the victim was rushed to hospital by MPs on the front line of the march, MDP activists clashed with Gayoom supporters blocking the entrance to Endherimaage and threw stones at the building, smashing a window on the first floor.
MP Ali Waheed, who defected to the ruling party in May, told state broadcaster MNBC that the boy was behind MP Alhan Fahmy when the object struck him straight on the head.
The 17-year-old, identified as Hussein Hassan, was rushed to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) by the MPs on a passing pick-up, he said.
Speaking to MNBC One outside IGMH, Waheed displayed blood stains on his shirt resulting from the head injury caused by the impact.
Other eyewitnesses who spoke to the state broadcaster corroborated the MPs’ account of the incident.
The brother of the injured boy told Minivan News Thursday night that according to doctors “his skull was damaged and parts of the skull have gone inside his brain.”
The boy underwent surgery to remove wood particles from his brain.
IGMH media coordinator confirmed today that the boy was conscious and his “condition is now stable.”
The spokesperson refuted media reports that the boy’s left side was paralyzed. “His left side is very weakened, but that is not paralysis,” she explained.
A family member outside the ICU told Minivan News that the family was certain the object that struck Hussein Hassan “came from above.”
“Everyone who was there said that that was how it happened,” he said.
Right to remain silent
Gassan Maumoon meanwhile told reporters outside police headquarters this afternoon that he exercised the right to remain silent after “it appeared from some of their questions that they were accusing me.”
Gassan was accompanied by the former President’s lawyer Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim ‘Wadde’ and former Attorney General Aishath Azima Shukoor.
The former President’s newly-formed Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) held a protest at artificial beach last night in response to the ruling party’s “intimidation of judges.”
Hundreds of supporters participated in the protest, where they called for the resignation of Chief of Defence Forces Moosa Jaleel and Police Commissioner Ahmed Faseeh for failing to provide security to the former President.
Asked by MP Ilham Ahmed if they should march to the presidential residence Muleeage, the protesters unanimously supported the notion.
PPM Interim Council Member Umar Naseer – former deputy leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party – however announced around 10:45pm that the protest march was to be cancelled after police sent a summons to Gassan.
Meanwhile, after text messages were circulated on Friday claiming the PPM was preparing to attack and “smash Haruge [MDP camp],” a large number of ruling party supporters gathered at Haruge for a hastily arranged rally at 9pm last night.
Speakers at the rally, including Presidential Commission Spokesperson Abdulla Haseen, President’s Advisor Ibrahim ‘Ibra’ Ismail, MP Ahmed Easa and former Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad, severely criticised the judiciary for lack of competence and integrity.
An egg was thrown into Haruge during Ibra’s speech.
In an interview with private broadcaster DhiTV shortly after Thursday’s protest turned violent, Gayoom claimed that damage was caused to his residence and adjoining houses in “a terrorist attack” orchestrated by the government.
“They came with their activists and attacked my home,” Gayoom said. “They attacked nearby houses as well.”
Moosa Jaleel and Ahmed Faseeh should “personally bear responsibility” for the damage to his residence because riot police were not present to intercede, the PPM figurehead said.
Appearing on private broadcaster VTV later that night, Gayoom said he would file criminal complaints with police, the Prosecutor General and pursue civil action against the protesters.
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Gayoom can go fly kites. The people of Maldives will never forgive him. These cronies and pawns who benefited from his 30 year rule just cannot earn a descent living without cronyism.
Like the father the son is a criminal and proved to have inherited heartless violent ways of a psychopath.
He is scum like his father
what a big bloody joke. The game that was played by Gayoom and his cronies using state media and resources are being played by a another dictator and his cronies!
We should do to Gayoom what the brave people of Libya did to Gaddafi... and his sons
Did you have to go to jail?
Put your house up for sale?
Did you get a good lawyer?
Are you shopping anywhere?
Change the color of your hair?
Are you busy?
If gayyoom needs to have peaceful life in Maldives, he needs to forget about those thirty years of power.He really needs to digest that there is no way that he can come back to the privious position.He may think there are lots of people behind him to support,but its a very wrong thinking and it may destroy everything, his family too will be at risk.
Just get the lesson from Egypt,Lybia....
Gaddafi had power and till the last minute of his life, we all have seen thousands of people supporting him and saluting him.He kept saying that his people loved him.But it was only a minority of people.The majority was against him.He thought he can win it but he has failed and it cost his life too with his family members.This is a very fresh lesson.A man who has ruled a country for 42 long years has finished his life from the people who he used serve.
So its a kind of same happening here in the Maldives.Mr Gayyoom is still thinking he can comeback.If so he is very wrong.It will never happen!!!
Our present generation is having a very different thinking, those old people will never digest it.They do not have power to understand the present generation.They are way too old and their level of thinking will never fit...beleive it or not this is the reality!!!
I blame MDP and the Maldives Police Service for everything that happened that day. This inculdes the injuries sustained by the 17 year old boy and also the damage caused to the property and belongings of Gayyoom and his family.
The police simply failed to protect our citizens from the MDP thugs. Their presence was not anything more than symbolic. MDP have established thugs' rule here and they call it a democracy.
I am no fan of Gayyoom but this time I believe he is not at fault.
Gayyoom ruled the country with a very heavy handed approach. And we elected the present government because we had had enough of such a dictatorship. Sadly it looks like Gayyoom's dictatorship is nothing compared to the harshness and uncaring attitude with which MDP government is ruling this country.
The MDP government is more corrupt than any government we have ever seen. They have destroyed our economy and sold all our assets to foreigners. By the time they leave, we will have nothing except the people.
The MDP already know that they will not get elected in 2013 so they are grabbing whatever they can lay their hands on.
They are harassing Gayyoom and his family because they want to divert peoples attention from the no confidence votes against their minsters the opposition is talking about.
If the wooden piece, stones or hot water had not fallen on the protesters, they would have entered the Qayyoom's house and caused danger for the people who have living in the house which includes Qayyoom and his family. Why are we forgeting this point. The MDP protesters were there to cause harm to Qayyooms family, not to protest. When one of them got hurt, now they are all changing the whole thing and starting a blame game against Gassan and Maumoon's family. What were the MDP protesters doing near that house in the first place. If you had all peacefully stayed in your homes, no one could have got hurt. Every one in Maldives knows MDP always works like this, with thugs causing harm to others. There is no peace in Male' because of this Anni and his followers.
Gayyoom how do u feel.
Hope u ma be feel something same.
The pain of taking innocent people to Dhoonidhoo & Polce Court.
Hope you will be behind bars one fine day accorsing to present laws.
Mohamed Ibrahim
"...The people of Maldives will never forgive him."
I hope all Maldivians never forget their history, at least the very recent history, the past fifty years or so. But we already seem to have forgotten what went on during Nasir's time. He also ruled the Maldives with an iron fist for 21 years. His word was law. There were many Ivan Naseem cases, cases where people in custody were tortured to death. GD Thinadoo was burnt after given orders by President Nasir to evacute within 24 hours. He misused government funds. All this, the current generation seem to have forgotten. Today he is considered a national hero worth to be commemorated by naming our only international airport after him. It took just thirty years of another dictatorship to forget Nasir's brutal regime!
@ Leena..have you thought about the outcome of such an action. Libya is been destroyed but they can survive. they have got resources but do we? If we start a war in this country, our tourism sector will be drained to zero and economically we will be in crisis.
We brought democracy into this country for a better future, not to wipe out our future and those of our kids..
MDP's protests were made only because their MP Mustafa will loose his seat if Supreme Court ruled he is guilty.
Many says, this will be what will happen for Mustafa cannot escape from the accusations. So MDP is trying to intimidate Supreme Court by bringing their thugs out onto the streets.
It is funny that the ruling party is protesting. The ruling party, I thought are to settle matters smoothly. Not by intimidation or by threatenning others.
The same smelly people helping the dictator. Aishath Asima Shukooru and Aishath Shiham
Maumoon, Yaamin and their supporters will do anything to disrupt SAARC summit. The government have to be very careful and screen every civil servant, police, army, MP, judge etc etc regardless of their seniority.
@leena. Gazzafi was in power when all this happened but in Maldives Anni is in power. so there is a big difference.
The government worse than Hitler's now. Corruption,drugs,killing at its best.
@ Ameen
Addu is not going to be prepared in time for the SAARC Summit. We all know that. There is a huge amount of work to be be done and no one can complete it in 20 or so days. So it is of MDP's interest to cause disruption of social harmony and to set the date of the Summit to a later date.
We need change again!! Our current president has failed in every possible way! We had enough of this!
Whoever we all blame, we are certain of one thing; that is the root-cause of such bitter incidents in our country is keeping Gayyoom free. Why he (Gayyoom) kept free because we have no proper Judiciary. Why we have no proper Judiciary is because we have no proper Parliament. Why we have no proper Parliament is because we have not enough people who are working for the well-being of the people.
I think this is exactly what Ibra is also talking about
This is contagious disease passed on from Endherimaage Abbas Ibrahim to his nephew.
People be warned. This is only a glimpse of what Maumoon's family will do to any one who opposes them should they come into power again. Be it MDP, DRP or any other party. Once a Dictator always a dictator.
Anni has no power to punish maumoon except blaming. he and his MDP boys has to fear and tear upon him. we will kick this selfish government to the dump, on 2013.
Leena, you are a terrorist!
Both are the same. We need saner and responsible people now to lead Maldives. This is really pathetic and I wonder if there is any patriotic Maldivian who can save us from these disasters?
HAVEERU , DHITV & DHIFM react and keen to publishing & covering GASSAANU PICTURES daily thrice. IT SEEMS THESE MEDIA's MOVING LIKE GASSAAN's PR FARMS.
That gives very good picture of there policy with politically motivated unbalance attitudes towards modern democracy.
This is not what we want in this country!
Another circus act by the yellow clowns ..all because Musthafa was procuted ? If he has done wrong then he should be punished for his crimes , isn't this all about democracy and reformation that we seeked after that so called 30 years !!! All of you blind faithed yellow morons get lost now your time is ticking .. Tick tok tick tok.. It will be all over in no time .. Bye bye
Another weak stunt by the rulling. All I can see is a country falling apart with a failed system.
HAVEERU PROMOTING DICTATOR's SON
It’s official: Haveeru is the opposition paper
After publishing several articles to discredit the current regime, Haveeru Daily has now proved that they are the main opposition newspaper in the Maldives, backing the bid of the ousted dictator to regain power even at an age approaching a century.
Haveeru was established in 1978, with the main purpose of critizcizing and demonising the then President Ibrahim Nasir and to bring Dr. Zahir’s friend Gayoom to the power. After successful campaigns, Zahir Hussain and his team were successful and they established the world’s most brutal regime in Maldives.
The now deposed Dictator Gayyoom was sworn in on 11th Nov 1978 and since then Haveeru was instrumental in promoting the dictatorship and Haveeru journalists were praised and recognized for their efforts in humiliating the Maldivian citizens. Key players such as Hoarafushee Saleem, Hiriga Zahir, Mohamed Shaheeb, Ali Rafeeq and Moosa latheef were rewarded with National Awards for their contribution in maintaining the brutal regime and in hiding corruption and human rights violations. An analyst told DO that Haveeru journalists were more successful in crushing Maldivian dreams and sustain the oppressive rule of Gayyoom’s dictatorship than any other group of journalists in recent world history.
“Interestingly they did not regret what they did. They crushed the dreams of a nation and campaigned against democracy and rule of law. They labeled democracy activists as traitors and trouble makers” said the analyst. “When democracy was established they started a campaign to discredit the first democratic government and now they want to bring back the Dictator, if they can”
Many Maldivians criticize the current regime for its support to Haveeru. “Government still publishes announcements in Haveeru. They are even using a Government property. This is outrageous. Haveeru’s agenda in totally is against the will of people and the nation”. Said Abubakuru Ismail.
For the past 30 years, Haveeru used Government funds and property to run its business and President Nasheed’s Government has completely failed in addressing corruption cases against Haveeru. Some Maldivians argue that all Haveeru properties should be confiscated until the funds taken from the Government are retuned. “Definitely Government should not publish anything in Haveeru “ Said Mohamed Ibrahim, a JP activist.
Currently Haveeru runs daily articles, some as baseless while others are one sided to prove that the current government is not capable. Zahir Hussain has woed to do everything possible to get parlimentary majority to the opposition and to block MDP Coalition from winning a second term.
Like Father , LIke Son,,,
Killer who wants to become president, and countdown starts from now.