Tag: Addu City

Second victim of link road accident dies

A second victim of a motorcycle accident in southern Addu City died while undergoing treatment in India last night.

Ahmed Sammah, 20, suffered severe head injuries in the accident on Addu City’s link road on April 1o.

Mamdhoon Ahmed Ali Didi ‘Mandey,’ who was sitting on the back seat of Sammah’s bike died within a few hours of the accident. He had also suffered severe head injuries.

Sammah was treated at the Hithadhoo Regional Hospital and Malé’s Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital before he was flown to India on April 12.

The accident occurred when Sammah attempted to overtake a car.

His death is the third fatality in Addu this month. A 16-year-old victim of an accident died of injuries on March 30 while undergoing treatment at the regional hospital.

Hussein Hilmy, an Addu City councillor, said more police officers are needed to effectively control traffic.

However, police said most accidents in Addu City were caused by speeding rather than traffic congestion.

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Father and daughter injured in hit-and-run accident in Addu City

A father and daughter were injured in Addu City last night in the second accident in the southernmost atoll this week.

Meanwhile, two young men have died in two separate accidents on April 10 and March 30.

According to local media, Mohamed Faiz, 43, was driving on a motorcycle with his daughter, Fazana Mohamed, 23, when it collided with a jeep on the link road around 8:50pm.

Fazana was treated at the operation theatre for internal bleeding at the Hithadhoo regional hospital. Her father’s injuries were not severe.

Police declared a search for the driver of the jeep who “fled the scene.” Police located the jeep, hidden in a garage, this evening and arrested the 40-year-old driver.

Hussein Hilmy, an Addu City councillor, told Minivan News today that work is currently underway to implement recommendations made by a team from the transport ministry on improving road safety.

Hilmy said more police officers are needed to effectively control traffic.

However, police said most accidents in Addu City were caused by speeding rather than traffic congestion.

“With the help of the Addu council secretariat we are trying to raise public awareness on the issue of going past the speed limit and the rule of the use of helmets by both the driver and the passenger on the specified area of the road,” a police media official said.

All motorcycle riders are now required to wear helmets on the Addu City link road, which connects three interlinked islands.

A 22-year-old young man died from injuries sustained in an accident that occurred on the Feydhoo main road after midnight on April 10.

The victim was identified as Mamdhoon Ahmed Ali Didi ‘Mandey.’ He was on the back seat of a motorcycle driven by his 20-year-old friend, Ahmed Sammah.

Police said the accident occurred around 1:20am when the motorcycle attempted to overtake a car at a relatively high speed, lost control, and crashed into a wall.

Mamdhoon was thrown into the air and hit the wall. He suffered severe head injuries and was pronounced dead at the regional hospital around 5:00am.

The second victim is still in critical condition with head injuries and has been transferred to the capital for further treatment.

Mamdhoon was completing a course at Professor Hassan Ugail’s scientific research lab on the island of Vaavaru in Lhaviyani atoll.

He was reportedly planning to leave for Indonesia next month for a dive-master course.

A 16-year-old victim of an accident in Addu City meanwhile died of injuries on March 30 while undergoing treatment at the regional hospital.

An 18-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl also sustained injuries after the two motorcycles collided in the Hithadhoo link road.

In November, a 33-year-old man died following a motorcycle accident whilst two men died in September after their motorcycle collided with a pickup.

Some 71 accidents have occurred throughout the country in April with 651 accidents so far this year.

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Power company says hands are tied over $45m subsidy cut

The state-owned electricity provider to the atolls says its hands are tied after subsidy cuts last month left more than 5,700 businesses facing millions extra between them in electricity charges.

Companies on three more islands joined growing protests over the subsidy cuts today. Much of the anger is targeted at the state-owned Fenaka Corporation, which provides electricity to the Maldives’ remote islands.

The government previously provided Fenaka with about MVR11 million (US$713,359) a month to subsidise electricity for atoll businesses, it said yesterday, but this cost must now be borne by the companies themselves.

Fenaka Corporation managing director Mohamed Nimal told reporters on Monday that the company was only implementing government policies.

“If the government changes the rules today or categorises special customers and decides to provides subsidies to small businesses, we will bill them at those rates,” he said.

Fenaka has 46,590 meters in 151 islands, of which 5,765 meters were registered as business consumers, Nimal said.

Most shops, cafés and restaurants in the northern hub of Haa Dhaal Kulhuduhfushi were closed in protest over higher electricity bills yesterday, while more than 100 people demonstrated outside the local Fenaka office.

Businessmen protested in Addu City while those in Gaaf Dhaal Thinadhoo and Haa Alif Dhidhoo are planning to boycott paying their bills.

Electricity bills for businesses doubled, and in some case tripled, when the subsidy was discontinued last month.

Nimal said Fenaka could not address the concerns of businessmen across the country as it was “not a regulatory body” or policy maker. The National Social Protection Agency was in charge of issuing subsidies, he added.

Domestic households have also been told to reapply for subsidies before April 9 as part of a shift to targeted subsidies aiming to save the government money.

The government provided about MVR700 million (US$45 million) in subsidies to Fenaka last year, which Nimal said benefited rich and poor alike. This annual expenditure on subsidies is not sustainable, he said.

While shops have reopened in Kulhudhufushi, local media reported today that all shops and cafés have closed in Haa Dhaal Makunudhoo in protest.

Businesses in Fuvahmulah are meanwhile preparing to submit a petition to President Abdulla Yameen, warning of layoffs and price hikes due to a 50 percent rise in electricity bills.

Subsidy

Fenaka officials said bills in Kulhudhufushi are higher than other islands because businesses were charged a much lower rate than the tariff structure approved by the energy authority in 2009, leading to a threefold increase when the subsidy was removed.

While the actual rate was 7.50 laari per unit for usage above 400 units, the now-defunct upper north utility corporation charged 2.75 laari per unit for Kulhudhufushi businesses.

Then-President Dr Mohamed Waheed established Fenaka in 2012 with a mandate to provide electricity, water, and sewerage to island communities after dissolving the provincial utility companies set up by his predecessor.

Meanwhile, despite the price of crude oil falling in the world market, Nimal said Fenaka could not reduce the price of electricity as it was making investments in infrastructure developments and improving service provision.

When the subsidy was introduced, the price of diesel was MVR8 per litre compared with MVR11 per litre at present, he said.

Renewable energy

Dr Ibrahim Nashid, managing director of Renewable Energy Maldives, told Minivan News today that removing subsidies for small businesses could be counterproductive.

As the main consumption of electricity in a small island comes from businesses rather than households, Nashid argued that the island’s economy and Fenaka’s income will be adversely affected if businesses were forced to shut down.

Nashid suggested that “demand side management” policies and “streamlining” high overhead costs of the Fenaka corporation would result in more savings.

At present, small islands have both a powerhouse and a Fenaka office, he noted, calling for the two to be consolidated.

He stressed that a number of other solutions were available in lieu of price hikes, such as investing in solar energy.

“But the solution for a person with a big hammer will be hitting the nail harder when he doesn’t have other tools,” he said.

Producing energy through solar panels is currently cheaper at 25 US cents per hour, he continued, whilst the cost with diesel would be 35 US cents per hour.

Although renewable energy requires a high initial investment, Nashid said there are interested and capable parties in the Maldives.

“In my view, we can provide electricity for everyone at a flat rate of MVR2.50 [per unit],” he said, adding that the technology was available, “viable and economically proven.”

Nashid welcomed the ongoing solar energy projects but criticised their limited scope as well as the government’s “lack of political will” and long-term planning.

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Businesses around Maldives protest electricity subsidy cut

Most shops, cafés and restaurants in the northern business hub of Haa Dhaal Kulhuduhfushi were closed in protest over electricity subsidy cuts on Sunday as anger builds among companies around the Maldives over steep rises in power bills.

Businessmen demonstrated in Addu City in the south, while others in Gaaf Dhaal Thinadhoo are preparing to boycott paying their bills, which in some cases tripled overnight when the subsidy was removed.

In Kulhuduhfushi, more than 100 shops and restaurants will be closed until 8pm Sunday in protest over “unfair electricity rates” and subsidy cuts, while more than 100 people have been protesting outside the office of electricity company Fenaka since this morning.

Shops would normally open from the early morning until 10pm.

“We will continue to raise our voice till the government is ready to listen to us,” said Adam Shareef, a member of the steering committee on electricity subsidy cuts in the island.

“We will continue our protest outside the electricity company till the government responds, but the shops will reopen tonight.”

The government has removed electricity subsidies to companies from last month onwards, while domestic households have been told to reapply for subsidies before April 9.

Businesses in Kulhuduhfushi, Addu and Thinadhoo have condemned the subsidy cuts and are also angry about the high price of electricity in the atolls compared with the capital, Male’ City.

Only a few shops were open in Kulhuduhfushi today, including the two state owned shops run by State Trading Organization and the businesses of Mohamed Zuhair, a well-known businessman in the atoll.

“I do support the cause and I think the differences in electricity prices are a gross discrimination between the peoples of the atolls and the people of Male’ City,” said Zuhair, also a member of the steering committee.

“But closing down all the shops without giving due warning to the public will not benefit them. That’s why all of my shops are open.”

Zuhair said one of his shops had previously received monthly bills of MRV 23,000 ($1,500) and these have now shot up to 60,000, while another store’s bill tripled from MVR 7,000 to MVR 21,000.

The difference in electricity prices between Male’ and the atolls is an issue of big public concern.

Prices in Haa Alif, Haa Dhaal, and Shaviyani atolls are 72 percent higher than in the capital, while those in Addu City and Fuvahmulak are up to 37 per cent higher than in Male’ city, according to figures from Fenaka Corporation, which provides electricity for most islands in the Maldives.

Mohamed Ismail, a local from Kulhuduhfushi, said: “We feel like we are second class citizens. The state is providing electricity for the islands as well as Male’.

“So why should there be any difference? Are we not worthy of being treated fairly?”.

Meanwhile a group of businessmen in Addu City in the south also protested over differences in electricity prices and the subsidy cut.

“Some businesses did not accept the electricity bills and today a number of businessmen protested outside the electricity company office,” said the mayor of Addu City, Abdulla “Sobe” Soadhig.

Businesses in Gaafu Dhaalu Thinadhoo, also in the south, have decided not to pay the electricity bill until the government reinstates subsidies or prices fall.

“We are in talks with the government to find a solution to this problem. But we cannot simply wait and hope for a government response,” said Abdulla Saneef, a Thinadhoo council member.

“The steering committee, which pretty much covers all businesses, has already decided not to pay the electricity bills.”

The government has previously said that the large distances between the Maldives’ remote islands mean that services such as electricity will inevitably be more expensive in the atolls.

The International Monetary Fund has urged the government to move its subsidies to a targeted system, rather than blanket payments.

Fenaka had not responded to queries at the time of going to press, while President’s Office spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz was unavailable for comment.

The government, presenting its 2015 budget, said that it would target electricity subsidies to the poor, while rumours have been circulating on the social media that households with air conditioning systems would not receive the domestic subsidy.

However, Mujthaba Jaleel, CEO of National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) said that “every household that applies for the subsidies will get it,” according to Haveeru.

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Soldier to be punished over Facebook support for ex-minister

A soldier who expressed support online for imprisoned former defence minister Mohamed Nazim is to be punished by the army.

Hassan Firaz, stationed in Addu City in the south, on March 26 wrote a Facebook post that went viral, reading: “We are with you, Nazim sir”.

He made the comment, which was widely reproduced on Twitter, after the ex-minister was found guilty of smuggling weapons and sentenced to 11 years in jail.

A source close to Firaz told Minivan News the lance corporal was accused of making political statements and flown to Malé on Saturday.

He now faces demotion or relocation to a remote outpost, the source said.

A spokesperson for the Maldives National Defence Forces declined to comment on “internal matters”.

Nazim, who had served in the army for 25 years and held the post of defence minister for three years, commands widespread support in the army, two soldiers who asked to remain anonymous told Minivan News.

“People are unhappy about what has happened but they are too afraid to speak out,” one of the soldiers said.

The ex-minister’s brother Adam Azim in a tweet on March 29 claimed many police and army officers are loyal to Nazim.

President Abdulla Yameen dismissed Nazim from the cabinet after police discovered a pistol and three bullets at his home during a controversial midnight raid.

The ex-minister says rogue police officers planted the weapons on the orders of tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb, a claim the police and Adeeb deny.

Nazim’s family meanwhile said the trial was a conspiracy “in which powerful forces within the Maldivian government have sought to destroy him and thus prevent him from contesting for the leadership of the ruling party.”

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party said Nazim was unfairly sentenced, condemning the Criminal Court’s refusal to call a majority of defence witnesses.

Some nine high-ranking officers were dismissed for “sowing discord within the army” during the political turmoil of the contested presidential polls of 2013, which ended with a victory by president Yameen. Nazim was the defence minister at the time.

Ten aviation security command officers, who also report to the defence ministry, were also dismissed at that time. They were told they were being made redundant because of budgetary constraints.

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Victim of accident in Addu City dies of injuries

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A 16-year-old victim of an accident in Addu City died of injuries yesterday while undergoing treatment at the regional hospital.

According to police, an 18-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl also sustained injuries after two motorcycles collided in the Hithadhoo link road around 5:55pm yesterday.

Both cycles were also damaged beyond repair. The 16-year-old boy was driving one motorcycle while the 18-year-old was driving the second vehicle.

Police said the 18-year-old was flown to Malé for treatment last night whilst the 16-year-old girl was undergoing treatment at the Hithadhoo regional hospital.

Several fatal accidents have occurred on the Addu City link road, which connects three interlinked islands in the southernmost atoll.

In November, a 33-year-old man died following a motorcycle accident whilst two men died in September after their motorcycle collided with a pickup.

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Two Maldivians reported dead in Syria

Two Maldivians have died in the Syrian civil war this month, according to local media reports.

Abdulla Mohamed Didi, 38, from Addu City, died in a bombing in Syria’s Idlib on March 26, while Ahmed Munsiu, 28, from Fuvahmulah Island, died on March 18 in Syria, Haveeru Daily has reported.

Abdulla reportedly left to Syria via Malaysia three months ago, without informing his family. He was married with three children.

Speaking to Haveeru, Munsiu’s mother Rifath Ahmed said her son had gone to Syria with his wife, Suma Ali on February 22.

Rifath said the couple regularly communicated with her online, but since Munsiu’s death, she has not heard from Suma. However, she has heard Suma was in good health.

In February, local media reported a three-month-old Maldivian baby died in Syria after suffering from respiratory difficulties. The child’s mother attempted to travel back to Malé due to a lack of adequate medical facilities, but was prevented due to lack of cooperation from her husband, local media said.

Since the first reports of Maldivians travelling to ISIS-held territories for jihad surfaced last year, a steady stream of recruits have left the country, including couples and entire families.

The exact number of Maldivians who have traveled abroad for jihad remains unclear, but Commissioner of Police Hussein Waheed in early January estimated over 50 Maldivians could be fighting in foreign civil wars.

Waheed’s comments came after local media reported a dozen had traveled to Syria at the start of January.

Despite assurances that the activities of radicals are being monitored, the group said to have left in early January included a number of individuals known to police.

They included a suspect in the murder of MP Dr Afrasheem Ali, and an individual arrested over the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

Since then, on February 1, a former cleric of Malé’s Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital and his wife reportedly left to ISIS-held territory in Syria for jihad.

In January, four would-be jihadis were apprehended in Malaysia, with media reporting that they were brought back to the Maldives and released after the authorities seized their passports. A similar group were returned from Sri Lanka in November.

In September 2014, online Jihadist group Bilad Al Sham Media (BASM) claimed four Maldivians had been killed in the Syrian civil war.

A BASM Facebook post that month said two Maldivian men identified as Abu Dujana and Abu Ibrahim had died in battle.

These reports followed similar stories in May 2014 when two Maldivians – who had taken the names of Abu Nuh and Abu Turab – were said to have been killed after travelling to Syria for jihad.

While the group claimed that Abu Dujana was the founder and editor of the BASM page, the group has not provided any information regarding his real identity, stating that this omission was at the request of his mother.

Local media had, however, identified Abu Dujana as Yameen Naeem of Georgia in the Maafannu ward of the capital Malé. It was reported that the man, in his early twenties, travelled to Syria after studying in Egypt.

On August 24, Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed said in a tweet “ISIS is an extremist group. No space will be given for their ideology and activities in the Maldives.” He has since urged Maldivians not to travel abroad for jihad.

Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon on August 26 issued a press release condemning human rights abuses carried out by the IS and called for the respect of life and dignity in the spirit of Islam.

Subsequently, approximately 200 people carrying the ISIS flags marched in Malé calling for the implementation of the Islamic Shari’ah.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party has repeatedly questioned the government’s sincerity, alleging the government had failed to take concrete action against growing radicalism.

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Fenaka begins MVR35 million water project in Addu City

The state owned utility company, the Fenaka Corporation, has begun a MVR35 million (US$2.2million) project to provide potable water to all the residents of Addu City.

Inaugurating the project in Addu City last night, environment minister Thoriq Ibrahim said the state funded project will be completed by the end of 2015.

A sewerage system is to be established on Hithadhoo, and the government has taken a loan from the OPEC fund to establish sewerage systems in the remaining islands of the atoll, he said.

The total cost of establishing water and sewerage systems in Addu City amounts to MVR600 million (US$39 million), he explained.

The former Southern Utilities Limited (SUL) company, along with UK’s Biwater International Ltd had begun a US$42 million project to improve the atoll’s supply of drinking water and sewage treatment in 2010.

Biwater International was to establish desalination plants to provide potable water and install sewage treatment plants, pump stations, and pipe work systems.

SUL was to contribute US$15 million and Bywater was to invest US$27 million but the project soon stalled as a result of mismanagement, said Thoriq.

The Fenaka Corporation was established to take over from the seven utility corporations established during the administration of former President Nasheed.

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Masked men enter Maradhoo home, assault family

Masked men forcibly entered a home in the Maradhoo ward of Addu City around 7:30am this morning and assaulted a father and son, reports local media.

The 47-year-old man and his 17-year-old son were taken to the Hithadhoo regional hospital for treatment of injuries.

The masked men also damaged property and electronic equipment at the ‘Aanika’ residence. According to online news outlet CNM, a two-year-old girl was also injured in the attack and sustained a head wound.

The incident follows the arrest of a 23-year-old from Maradhoo yesterday on suspicion of attacking a 34-year-old with a machete the previous night (November 21).

Police said he was arrested with a court order from his home in Maradhoo.

The suspect in custody has a criminal record for drug abuse, violent assault, theft, and assaulting a police officer on duty, police said.

While sources from Maradhoo suggested to local media that this morning’s incident was related to Friday night’s stabbing, police have not confirmed any connection.

Following a spate of stabbings this year, the government has proposed the strengthening of  laws prohibiting the carrying of sharp weapons, including restricting the constitutional rights to remain silent and retain legal counsel.

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