Police arrested 52 persons during last night’s protest who they claim are connected to various gangs in Male’.
A group of youths, led by opposition MPs, have commenced series of protest demanding the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed after the government decided to shift the fixed Rf12.85 dollar exchange rate within a 20 percent band.
Police said those arrested were known to be involved in crimes such as robberies, assault and battery and theft.
”We would like to note that gang members active on the front line of such protests at a time when the police are trying to curb the rise in gang related crimes could potentially obstruct the work of police,” said police in a statement. ”We advise people to conduct any activities that obstruct work by police to try make the society peaceful.”
”Some of the protesters who were covering their faces were reported to have sharp knives and such weapons with them,” police said, adding that some of the handmade explosives used in the demonstration could have potentially caused casualties.
Police also said that owners of shops near the intersection the protesters have called ”Tahrir Square” have repeatedly complained that the protest was causing damage to their businesses.
”Therefore, we would also like to remind protest organisers that the protest disturbs the residents of the area and causes damage to the business of shops located in the area,” said police.
Police appealed to politicians to cooperate with the work of the police to curb the rising crime rate in the Maldives.
The Police request for political cooperation comes after opposition MPs have said they would not pass the Crime Prevention Bill presented to the parliament which gives police the authority to search houses without a court warrant, suspend the right to remain silent all persons accused of crimes mentioned in the bill, and grants them the authority to hold persons in detention for 90 hours without a court warrant.
The bill has a ‘sunset clause’ making it active for 18 months, however the international community has expressed concern that the bill contradicts rights guaranteed in the constitution.
Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP Riyaz Rasheed told the press that he did not trust the police to provide them so much power, alleging that that police were violent and brutal in dispersing Saturday night’s protest, and that police would misuse those powers to arrest politicians.
No force was used during last night’s protest, police said, however a number of officers were injured by rocks, paving stones and other thrown objects.
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What a lot of bollocks! The average citizen life has been affected by the dhodhiya policies of this government......and the average citizen has lost faith in this government........I don't believe these efforts by minivan to twist the truth.....and let's see if this will b published....... And for the record I am neither a gang member no any party fantastic, just an average citizen who was conned into voting for a 'change'
The protest held in Male on previous two nights is nothing to do with the rising prices of goods. It has everything to do with the Crime Prevention Bill which would enable the police to bring the powerful rich people mostly embedded in the Opposition to justice.
The whole point of the so called protest is to ensure the Police use tear gas to disperse the crowd.
I wonder whether the Parliamentarians in other countries are as hypocritical as our MPs.
MPs showed us their faces past two nights in the crowd that was orchestrated by the Zed DRPs to show the public that they are sincerely concerned about the rising prices of goods.
The fact is almost all of the MPs we saw in the crowds were those who supported to have 20,000 added as committee allowance to their already 42500 salary and 20,000 living allowance.
In addition they voted to have a Parliamentarians Privilege Bill passed with financial benefits such as 30% of their salary as pension after a single term of 5 years and duty free cars when ordinary citizens have to pay 200% of the price of the car as import duty.
Moreover, the demand to have health insurance for life that has to be made available to them from not only SAARC Countries but ASEAN Countries as well.
And to call them "Honourable Member" for their life and to have VVIP service at every airport where such services are offered.
"... after the government decided to shift the fixed Rf12.85 dollar exchange rate within a 20 percent band."
Now, now, now.
It is NOT a 20 percent band, for God's sake.
It is a 40 percent band -- 20 percent above and 20 percent below Rf 12.85.
Do your maths Ahmed Nazeer before you post.
This article is misleading.
Gang members might have been caught from the front lines of the protests. But they were intruders and infiltrators. Not organisers or participants of the protests as such.
The gang members were not there on the first night of protesting. But the police say they caught dozens of them last night, that too from the front line.
I have no information to prove it but I am also hearing that gang members and other hooligans were deployed by MDP to disrupt peace at Tahrir Maidan.
@ Minivan and Police - please don't forget that this is a free country and everyone has the right to participate in demonstrations. If the gang members have committed a crime please arrest them and if not whats the big deal writing about it.
How did it obstruct their efforts, if 52 gangsters, whom are known to be involved in other crimes, were arrested?
I am made to believe there are areas where they can protest, surely not in our door front. Its not only Maumoon Abdul Bloody Gayoom or not only Mohamed Bleeding Nasheed, who has grand children or children who has to sleep and rest. Our little once too need to rest, do home work and sleep as well.
Call every damn thing freedom or according to constitution filth or some bull and bother rest of the world is not freedom, freedom ends where our nose begins. Haven't these morons heard of that.
Where are these damn Police, where is the rule of law.
After two days of protest price has hit sea level, another two nights it will be so low now that, perhaps when we buy day to day items like, live lizards, iguana's and snakes the shop keepers perhaps are willing to give us the animals as well as cash for it.
Bleeding Nuisance. Why can't these people go and protest in lonuziyarai kolhu.
All these days I am hearing youth don't work and simply hanging around. now all of a sudden they are worried about rising prices, well it will not come down. wake up, you elect any fart as our president. it will never come down. You can keep our children up all night long for the rest of their life the prices will never come down.
Gi. Joe, Irony is these so called law makers Buruma Gasim, Thameen are joining the hooligans and barking at middle of the night in this little island.
Well you can't bring down a government like that, be patient, every five years you will get your chance to get elected.
maldivians need a strong class in economics. Maldives is a country that imports everything, including the 'tis dathi' on the head of moya naasira!!! guess these elected 'honourable' MPs who were protesting have not heard of 'inflation' in the countries we import from!
Macro and micro economics need to be drilled down into their thick skull in the Majlis! ...and hopefully the ignorant civilians will follow suit in understanding... hopefully...
Youth uprising against escalating food prices huh! i wonder how many among them are actually earning by working in a regular job and are responsible individuals..all we see is the lot who didn't finish their secondary education...who hangs around in places and make a nuisance all day and night...Z-DRP's members leading..and ofcourse the "famous" comedian Yousay suddenly very sympathetic about the common people's pain!this is bad politics and a very dangerous path to take by the ZDRP, PA and the gang! No one will benifit from this..surely not the common man! people should wake up and use their brain to understand the dirty trick played by the power hungry politicians...teh irresponsible opposition
Dear maumoon n yaamin. Please bring all the looted money of maldivians and dump in our economy if u really wanna save it.
@egon
... and also the looted money by governments prior to Maumoon namely that of Nasir and Mohammed Amin
... and stop the looting of money by the current government.
hey Eythi-Meethi, Our situation here is not because of dhoadhiyaa policies of the government but it's because of the irresponsible, money-hungry MPs mainly who belong to the irresponsible Opposition Party
@rinzy.the gang members are out in the street disturbing our citizens because the so called lawyers Former AG Hassan Saeed and Justice Minsiter Jameel has given verdicts on gairu haaziru gaa.
I have a few questions. I'd really like to discuss this.
The exchange rates have been increased ("implemented a band") to control the black or parallel dollar market in the Maldives ... OK ... The government might or might not have known the consequences of taking a decision like that .. OK .. This might work or might not (my guess that it won't) .. but OK ..
Why on earth did customs have to increase their US Dollar exchange rates from RF12.85 to RF14.10 for their dubious customs taxing purposes?? Would this have anything to do with controlling the dollar black market?? Won't this increase the prices of everything? Does this mean the government is trying to MINT money?? Won't these kind of actions will make the whole situation bonkers??
I worked hard to get rid of the old monkey .. but I guess from a land of idiots .. we cannot find anything but idiots .. I guess I am an idiot too ..
It is only beginning of very huge gang wars that will orginize some people from government structure for political purpose and creation new modern organizing crime clans/For 300.000 peoples better to live in good old tradition with peace than play dirty game under name of democracy /What you got and what is change from 2008 election?nothing and situation getting worse day by day and people who real think about what is actualy happend know that hell will be in nearest future in Male because criminals structures reach level that they need to start spread control over big territory and mafia war will be definitely/so you was dreaming in 2008 about democracy?you got it!
All this so that they can chuck out or delay the sunset law. All the gang members are now safe to be deployed by their grandmasters to fullfill their greed for power. Poor ordinary Maldivian citizen. Dont u see u all are being used to full fill the the needs of their greed.
Can some one tell the international community that the so called chaandhanee square measures ,,,, 50 feet X 50 feet. If Mahfool lies down on the side of the squre it takes just 10 Mahloof to cover the side of the square. Ha hah hah .... Thahreer square ge bai kakkaa dho ... Zed ah magey salaam.
Time to show Z-Drp what Maldivians really want is peace and freedom to live peacefully.
Naju,fact, the last government allowed raif to sit on hudhufushi and did not collect the rent due, corruption and dhodhiya siyaasath. 2011, the MDP government has extended the lease of the same hdhufushi to raif, without collecting the overdue taxes....again corruption and dhodhiya siyasath. I chose to use my brain, rather than follow these party lies like a monkey
That is rauf, of course and this is just one example that the same rhetoric and white washing continues today.......as well as the same corrupt pole in power and dhodhiya siyaasath.......nothing ahas changed in Maldives except That to make matters worse, this govt, is he'll bent on enforcing Margaret thatchers' conservative policies.......everyone is behaving irresponsibly, the opposition, the govt, the mps, the media.....no hope for maldives