Police used tear gas grenades to disperse a large crowd, after political demonstrators from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) clashed during an MDP rally at the artificial beach last night.
Sub Inspector Ahmed Shiyam reported that both protesters and police were injured in the skirmishes, although none seriously.
At around 10:30pm a large crowd of DRP supporters were still gathered outside the party’s headquarters opposite and were not responding to police instructions to disperse.
Police dressed in riot gear then entered the premises and escorted a number of the DRP’s senior leadership to a waiting pick-up truck, including Vice President Umar Naseer, Vice President Ali Waheed, and DRP spokesperson Ali Solih.
Shiyam confirmed that police had taken the DRP leaders into custody, but said police were not yet revealing the number of people arrested or the location to which they were being taken. At 11:00pm he said the situation was under control and police would be releasing further details over the weekend.
In a live interview with SunFM last night, Naseer and Waheed claimed they were on a police launch being taken to Dhoonidhoo prison.
Roads in Male’ around parliament and the president’s palace have been closed by police in an apparent effort to avoid demonstrations such as the one that took place outside Muleaage and the MNDF headquarters in late January, which could interfere with the donor conference on 28-29 March.
Speaking to Minivan News earlier today, DRP member Mohamed ‘Mundhu’ Hussain Shareef observed that “while [President] Nasheed has good PR outside the country, this time the audience is in town. He is not going to be able to fool a foreign audience – half the donor community is in town.”
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Yeah as Mundhu says, they want to scare away donors who are here to help Maldivians. Shows how much they love the people of the country!!
Taken to an undisclosed location? And we can't say how many people are being detained as well?
We do need full transparency, especially when we deal with the opposition.
I have a feeling these DRP thugs can only be controlled by the only method they know - the method they practise when they are in power. Lock them all up.
Our President Nasheed is too soft towards these corrupt buggars...i think he should become a DICTATOR for 48 hours......
President Mohamed Nasheed,
Is this the democracy that you have brought to your country? You look like a wolf in sheeps clothing.
finally,,,,,
Just be ashamed of yourselves. Can’t believe this is how you guys are behaving yourself. It is the lives of ordinary citizens you are damaging. Maldives has become a political play ground for the parties involved while damaging the economic stability of the country. While MDP and DRP play their barbaric and idiotic games, the social wellbeing is going haywire; Gang violence is increasing, no children protection against paedophiles, streets of Male’ isn’t safe anymore, young generation is on drugs and incapable of participating in economic growth/development,...etc. The country is in the brink of bankruptcy and economic meltdown and all you political parties can do is just fight and argue on who should have the power on the functioning of the government. As a citizen I am sad to see these idiots slowly killing the future of our nation just for the sake of their own selfish interests.
@ concerned: Agree with you 100%. If this childish and selfish behavior of these parties don't stop, then we ordinary people need to sack the MPs that we elected!
I support Salim waheed comments, in a democracy opposition should not be harmed and their should be transperancy, i think maybe shihab has the former culture.he spend too long with them.
just to reply to "concerned" above. I do not condone what the parties are doing but pls get facts right. rate of gang violence has come down, the country is not on a brink of an economic meltdown, the dollar market has somewhat stabled, drugs generation is in a better footing, people are using the new health insurance scheme madana and appreciating it.
The economy has nothing to do with what two parties do in Male. The country's economy is based on the resorts and they are picking up.
thanks
Such a pity that this is the side of Maldives some of us have chosen show to the donors while we are asking them to help develop our country at the donor conference. I'm sure the donors would find it very attractive and feasible to invest in a country whose main legislative and political people act with such immaturity and irresponsibly.
I remember MDP organizing leaflets calling for the boycott of the tourism industry and distributing these leaflets outside Tourism Fairs in Germany and UK
MDP calling for the boycott of the Maldives Tourism Sector.
for 30 years Maldivian economy was stable, but within one year, where has all the money gone? and not even one single audit report during this government time, he came to power in 2008, and now its 2010.
pathetic attempt to wreck the maldives image for donor conference. DRP is only hurting maldivian people. mundhu should be ashaimed of himself
"DRP member Mohamed ‘Mundhu’ Hussain Shareef observed that “while [President] Nasheed has good PR outside the country, this time the audience is in town. He is not going to be able to fool a foreign audience – half the donor community is in town.”"
So Mundhu, who is behind all this?
Who do you think will be interested in showing "the audience" what we, Maldivians are capable of?
And who do you think will be interested in giving them the wrong impression?
Dear Mr. JJ Robinson,
This article unfortunately does not tell us why the clash began?
I think the readers will be interested in knowing what led to the clashes.
Mr. President, its about time that u shud take a firm stand against these corrupt bastards. People like mahloof, umar naseer and ali waheed shud be locked up just the way you were being locked up most of your life! For Fxxx's sake u dont have to be soft on them. Show your powers!
This is like "Dhe bulhaluge araarun."
I am getting weary of the irresponsible and idiotic behaviour shown by our elected politicians.
At this rate, our country will go deeper and deeper into an economic crisis. Why can't we be responsible people and move on with the country's development in a more cultured way?
Does the average man on the road deserve to be punished just because DRP could not win the last presidential election? If DRP wants to lead the country, then show us your capability as leaders. Not as thugs.
"We do need full transparency, especially when we deal with the opposition."
Salim you are being unreasonable here. Are you saying the police is hiding information from the public?
Does the police force need to make a public announcement of who and who are they arresting before they arrest people?
Surely they too need time to make their actions transparent.
Hehe..Natasha! Well said! Just a couple of years ago people like Dr Shaheed and Mundhu were accusing Anni and MDP of trying to spoil the country's image and distrupt foreign assistance to the Maldivian people. Now its our turn. Tit for Tat.
All empty suits in the name of politicians!!!!
The opposition is simply vomiting out it's jealousy and hatred against ruling, desperate to deprive this government of delivering anything to the public both in and out of the parliament.It's simply that they don't want anyone else to succeed where they failed and they need this illusion in their campaign propaganda.They need a good dose of antibiotic,it might not taste sweet ...... 😀
Finally, those losers got a taste of their own medicine. I hope they are taken to that undisclosed location and STAY there.
Undisclosed location: Guantanamo Naval Base Prison Complex, Cuba.
This is a new height of the political rivalry between DRP and MDP!
A desperate attempt by DRP to try interrupt the donor conference!
If donor conference succeed and the government is able to get donations, DRP can see that it will be put to use for the people!
It would be difficult for the DRP cult and especially Gayyoom and Mundhu to see this happening!
Reply to Ahmed: I think you are just being ignorant of what’s happening in Maldives. FYI there is no organisation as such to measure social facts in the Maldives. Only way is to read what’s on the news. If you read what’s on this site for the last month or so you would figure out what I referred to.
Currently Maldives is run on borrowed debt, giving insurance is alright but one has to think of getting a sustainable income to compensate it. If you just have a glance over the last Balance of Payments, you would figure out Maldives has been running on deficit.
In respect to dollar, get information on BML; they have restricted how much you could take money while abroad, and making a TT on a foreign currency is a burden; they would say they don’t have any foreign credit lines at the moment. One of the main reasons is; the country’s biggest foreign currency earner’s (Tourism Industry) income doesn’t go through the financial system of the country.
Tourism only benefits a selected few, the last Three Tourism Master Plan has emphasised to get in place a tourism strategy to pan out tourism benefits to all but it’s far from achieved. Besides relying on one such sensitive industry is always bad news.
Interesting how first the opposition, which I personally see its leaders as power greedy kept claiming that MDP government would not bring anything good to the country, along with other claims. But when there is a bunch of people who has a lot of money which can be invested in Maldives if we can convince them, who in Maldives would really want to disrupt that? Are we not in a dollar crises, trying to recover slowly. Who would want any political party to disrupt something which can be good for the country? I do not know why the opposition party has planned to give Maldives a bad name and scare away donors. Investment usually means good for economy and most likely increase in job availabilities for Maldivians.
But ofcourse we cannot control who says what as everyone has their personal freedom to speak out. But it also shows who is willing to damage the country's economy in return for future power. Its a bit silly.
The person who thinks nasheed has to turn into a dictator for a day needs a mental health assessment. Because he is already one.
MDP messed up Maldives tourism indusry by calling an international boycott. We will have to re-build the nation once we get rid of the slef centred presidnet Nasheed.He and his party is focused on remaining in power not makng the lives of Maldivian any better, just like the former regim.
MDP was calling for Selective boycotts when hundreds of Democracy activists were being tortured and tried in stupid executive controlled courts.
while the family of the both sides of the leader was ripping the country dry of its wealth through corruption
after every single vote taken in the country was rigged and manipulated.
when political parties were banned, sidelined and direct action was met with unrepresented police brutality by direct orders as it proove now...
if there was any substantial ground for the their claims it will not be 150 thugs but 1000s of ordinary ppl calling for their rights like it 5-2 years back
but now its just the mattter of slush funds being traced by the Auditor general, Looks like the stakes has never been higher for DRP. they didnt behave live this when they were voted off.. so one can decide what their interests are, just the the money, they are not passionate politicians just corrupt bastards..
I just cannot understand why Anni or MDP is trying so hard to defend the auditor general. I'm MDP but I believe that he should resign since it is clear that he has used government funds for his personal benefit. I believe that he's not worth fighting for unlike the case of Dr. Shaheed's vote of no confidence.
The reason why I voted MDP is to get rid of Maumoon who had hundreds of Mr. Naeems as his allies and today I see MDP trying to defend a crook.
MDP often takes the UK as an example of democracy. I remember back in 2004 when Mr.David Blunkett, then the home secretary was forced to resign for abusing his power to speed up a visa application for her lover's nanny.
At his resignation he stated that the questions about his honesty was damaging the government. I believe Mr. Naeem should do the same and be made an example of what would happen to people abusing power.
It is disgusting that the ruling party is tryong to protect a curropt ....., MDP came to power promising the people that the party will eradicate corruption in the country.
May Allah shower His best blessings Upon Maldives for now and evermore.
No dought that that there could be external forces who is trying to get space created by the fight of the two main parties. But Maldivians are determined not hat happen.
Look who is babbling, this is the same thing we saw during 2007, 2008 also, then the current President Nasheed was on the driver's seat where Umar Naseer is today. Maumoon orders to arrest Nasheed as he orders to arrest any dissent voice against him today. The irony is they try to label this as new democracy where the people don't get any benefit. We dont care Maumoon, Nasheed and Umar's fight, but what cares us is they are destroying everything we have, social harmony, national wealth, friendship and solidary among families.
i do agree with Ekaloa; all the income, happiness that we had, have been stolen. noting reaches to our hand now, we can only face violence...both MDP and DRP MP & leaders have to take the full responsibility. please show our children a peace full and better feature.
When Gayoom didn’t get through the primary amendment in the last DRP Congress, he is spoiling the DRP, and strengthening the PA. Quite smart move of him.
As a Maldivian who lives in UK, I am currently in Maldives to visit my homeland and to experience the first democratic term.
I've been to observe the protest of DRP this evening and the picture was the most horrible I could ever see in a democratic state. I do understand that democracy is still in its infancy in Maldives but this should not be tolerated. Even the constitution unequivocally says in article 27 "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought and the freedom to communicate opinions and expression in a manner that is not contrary to any tenet of Islam" A poor old man who profess his views, and not a malice, to the Police has dragged and then thrown to the Police van and it was really brutal. I've even complained to the police who were present in full riot gears and even by calling in to the police station for these unfair acts and their lack of professionalism in giving policing to such protest. The answer that I got was "its the order that they get and they cant help it.
With regard to the Auditor General's allegation, it has been proven by the Anti Corruption commission that the AG has embezzled state funds. The president and MDP should stop barricading AG and the public is suspicious about his integrity. Maldives need a tolerant environment and more pluralism. It needs to improve its position in corruption ranking.
Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others.
also anni has added another dark thing in the name of freedom to our future..his gang of adhaalath and MDP religious chapter is spreading extremism and empowering mullas...if these mullas get crazy this would be the last we see of a maldives
1- JJ Robinson, Factual error. It was not an MDP rally but a lecture by a Islamic scholar on Islam.
2- Mundhu, as always working to keep Maldivians in poverty.
3- Members of Parliament. They are already in default by not protecting the Constitution by not completing the decentralization bill within the date prescibed in the Constitution. I say dissolve the parliament. It is too costly to keep this non performing bunch.
its very clear from mundhu's comments that all these r pre-planned by DRP, hopin to 'fool' the 'foreign audience'. as soon as they leave maldives, everything would b fine.