Tag: Addu City

Court cancels hearing of suspects charged with terrorist attack on Gan police station

The Criminal Court has today cancelled scheduled hearings into the case against suspects charged with an arson attack on Addu City Gan Police Station on February 8, 2012.

The hearing was cancelled as the Prosecutor General’s Office was unable to summon the witnesses to court.

The suspects have been identified by the court as Ahmed Rasheed of Beachflat house in Maradhoo, Ali Rimaz of Liverpool house in Maradhoo, Hussein Zuhair of Heaven in Hithadhoo and Hassan Naeem of Sunshine in Hithadhoo.

In August 2012, terrorism charges were laid against over 40 individuals accused of setting the Seenu Gan police station on fire, including Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Rasheed and Addu City Councillor Ahmed Mirzadh.

On 10 November 2014, eight police officers testified at the Criminal Court against the accused.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Victim of motorcycle accident in Addu City dies

A 33-year-old man died Tuesday night (November 11) in Addu City while undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in an accident on the Hithadhoo main road, reports local media.

Three men were injured when two speeding motorcycles collided on the main road around 7:30pm.

The deceased was undergoing treatment at the Hithadhoo regional hospital when he passed away.

In September, two men died after their motorcycle collided with a pickup on the link road of Addu City.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Police officers testify against February 8 arson suspects

Eight police officers testified at the Criminal Court today against several defendants accused of setting fire to a police station in Addu City on February 8, 2012.

At today’s hearing, the police officers reportedly identified the accused and testified that they had thrown stones at police officers blocking the causeway between Feydhoo and Gan and had broken through police lines before entering Gan police station.

The officers also claimed some of the defendants had bragged about setting the station on fire.

More than 80 people from Addu City are currently on trial – charged with terrorism – for acts of arson on February 8, 2012, which saw police vehicles, courts and police stations torched in the southernmost atoll.

Some 89 individuals from the island of Thinadhoo in Gaaf Dhaal atoll are also facing terrorism charges. The atoll council office, court building, police station and several police vehicles were set on fire in Thinadhoo on February 8.

The Criminal Court yesterday issued a warrant ordering police to hold 12 defendants from Thinadhoo and one from Gahdhoo – including Thinadhoo island council member Abdulla Saneef – in detention pending the outcome of the trial after they failed to attend a previous hearing.

The accused were presented to court under police custody yesterday.

Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed reportedly asked the accused to submit their justifications in writing for the court to reconsider the decision.

Following its investigation into the nationwide unrest and violence on February 8, the police forwarded over 100 cases to the Prosecutor General’s office, requesting that 108 individuals be charged with terrorism.

Acts of arson are considered terrorism under the Terrorism Prevention Act enacted by the administration of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The offence carries a jail term of between 10 to 15 years.

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Hussain Waheed and Chief Inspector of Upper South Division Mohamed Basheer were summoned to the court last night to explain why police failed to execute an earlier order by the court to bring suspects to face trial.

The court has previously said it was facing difficulties summoning defendants from the southern atolls as well as housing and feeding the accused. Under the Judicature Act, terrorism trials must be conducted at the Criminal Court in Malé.

Speaking at parliament today, Progressive Party of Maldives MP for Thinadhoo North Saudhulla Hilmy accused opposition-aligned private broadcaster Raajje TV of inflaming passions and inciting violence by falsely reporting on February 8 that MDP MPs had been killed by the security forces.

Raajje TV has since denied the allegations.

February 8

In a press release issued on September 18 after the hearings were scheduled – following a hiatus of over a year – the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) contended that the trials against dozens of the party’s members and supporters were politically-motivated acts of intimidation.

The party also accused the government of threatening to prosecute persons who participate in MDP activities.

The press statement also noted that police officers who committed crimes on February 6, 7, and 8 were not being prosecuted.

On February 8, 2012, riots spread across the country following a brutal crackdown on an MDP march in the capital.

Thousands of MDP supporters took to the streets of Malé in a protest march after former President Mohamed Nasheed declared his resignation the previous day had come “under duress” in a “coup d’etat”instigated by mutinying police officers of the Special Operations (SO).

Following an investigation, the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) concluded that the heavy-handed police crackdown on the MDP walk was “brutal” and “without warning” while the “disproportionate” use of force left dozens of demonstrators injured and hospitalised.

Al Jazeera filmed parts of the crackdown, reporting that “police and military charged, beating demonstrators as they ran – women, the elderly, [with] dozens left nursing their wounds”. The BBC meanwhile reported “a baton charge by police on crowds gathered outside one of the main hospitals.”

Amnesty International warned that failure to prosecute police officers accused of human rights abuses and “serious failings in the justice system entrenched impunity”.

Moreover, former PIC Chair Shahinda Ismail told Minivan News in September 2012 that a staff sergeant caught on tape kicking a fallen demonstrator “was promoted after this incident.”

In February this year, Shahinda told Minivan News that detainees arrested in Addu City on February 9 were “forced to walk on smoldering coals”.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Addu City guesthouse venture kicks off

Southern Addu City’s flagship guesthouse venture kicked off today with the council handing over 29 plots of land to an Indian company for the development of approximately 250 beds.

Speaking to Minivan News, Mayor Abdulla ‘Sobe’ Sodiq said SG18 Realty intends to develop between 10 and 15 room guesthouses on each plot of privately owned land.

Of the 29 plots, 17 are on the island of Hithadhoo, 10 in Maradhoo, and two in the Maradhoo-Feydhoo ward.

Landowners will receive land rent and ten percent of net profits from the guesthouses, Sobe said.

Guesthouse development on inhabited islands was a key election pledge of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, to which all members of the Addu City Council belong.

Opposition leader and former President Mohamed Nasheed was also present at today’s ceremony.

The US$20 million Addu City Guesthouse Venture aims to develop 2000 guesthouse beds, five diving centers, six water sports centers, six restaurants and a sailing club in the Maldives’ second most populous region.

In addition to SG18 Realty, a Danish and a Dubai company have also expressed interest in developing guesthouses in Addu City, Sodiq said. The council is now evaluating the two remaining proposals.

The foreign developers have also expressed interest in managing and operating guesthouses, which could lead to the transfer of tourism money abroad, Sodiq admitted.

But the mayor said guesthouse tourism would allow locals to establish tourism related businesses such as laundry services, food and beverage, and entertainment.

“This is a bed and breakfast model. Even if foreign companies manage and operate the guesthouses, there will be a multitude of local businesses, such as restaurants, laundry services, souvenir shops, water sports, and diving centers. These businesses will benefit community and put money in the pockets of locals,” he said.

Once the buildings are completed, landowners would also have the opportunity to manage and operate businesses if they pay back 20 or 30 percent of the property value, Sodiq said.

However, majority of landowners do not want to operate the businesses, he said.

Addu City Council also intends to create jobs through the venture and will conduct training programs to train tour guides, lifeguards, and staff to manage guesthouses, he added.

“This project will benefit everyone in Addu, not only particular people,” Sodiq said.

“Most Addu City men spend their working lives outside their home island in resorts around the country. They only come home once or twice a year, for their children’s birthdays. They miss their children’s first steps, first day at school and sometimes do not even make it home for the birth of their children.”

“People are desperate. This venture is an opportunity for Addu resort workers to return home, work in their home islands, own or operate their own businesses.”

The guesthouse venture will also make Addu City’s Gan International Airport viable, Sodiq said.

At present there is only one guesthouse with eight beds registered in Addu City.

The Maldives’ tourism industry with over 100 resorts and nearly one million visitors per year brings in approximately US$2 billion annually.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Nasheed’s residence in Addu attacked during early hours

The home in which former President Mohamed Nasheed is staying during his trip to Addu was last night pelted with stones, the party has claimed.

Nasheed’s residence was attacked at around 1am on Monday morning, with the party telling local media that the incident has been reported to police.

With the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) president visiting the southern atolls on party business, a rally held in Feydhoo on Friday was attacked by youths wielding wooden planks and rocks before the party’s local headquarters were torched.

All seven suspects arrested in connection with the attack in Feydhoo have since been released, prompting condemnation from the MDP. Nasheed himself has today expressed thanks to the local police, noting the difficult circumstances in which they are working.

Nasheed – recently elected as MDP party president – lodged a complaint with Metropolitan Police Service in the United Kingdom earlier this month following a death threat sent to his phone while attending the Conservative Party conference.

The MDP’s offices in Malé were also attacked on three successive nights last month, with a number of attacks on the homes of its MPs accompanied by continued SMS threats.

Speaking in Fuvahmulah during the trip to the southern atolls, Nasheed suggested that senior politicians were behind the attacks and that the government was failing to deal with escalating gang violence.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Addu Council to prioritise dealing with waste management issue in 2015

Addu City Council has announced that they will be prioritising a waste management programme when drafting the budget for 2015.

The council stated that there is an even higher need for this at present due to the development of guest house tourism in the city.

Addu City Mayor Abdulla Sodiq also reflected on the importance of increasing public awareness on waste management, local media reports.

The council stated that the waste management system they intend to introduce will facilitate the conversion of recycling and the production of fertilisers through the burning of waste.

The council had previously discussed conducting a waste management program in Addu with the assistance of the Ministry of Environment.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Suspects in MDP rally attack released

All seven suspects arrested in connection with an attack on an opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) rally in Addu City on Friday night have been released.

A police media official told local media that the suspects were released last night due to lack of sufficient evidence for prosecution.

While 16 suspects were arrested from the scene after a group of masked men attacked MDP supporters at the Feydhoo harbour area with wooden planks and stones, police released nine suspects the following morning.

Police said the remaining suspects were released due to lack of evidence to hold them in remand detention, though the case remained under investigation.

Three police officers injured in the clashes were treated at the Feydhoo health centre, police said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

President Yameen’s administration has failed, contends Nasheed

No additional reporting by missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan

President Abdulla Yameen’s administration has failed to deliver on campaign pledges to improve the economy and ensure public safety, former President Mohamed Nasheed contended last night (October 11).

Speaking at a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) rally in Fuvahmulah, Nasheed said the government was unable to explain or show how it would create the promised 94,000 new jobs after almost one year in office.

“One of the most important reasons for the bleakness we are seeing is the lack of employment opportunities. And we cannot see a plan or project from this failed government to increase employment opportunities,” the opposition leader said.

Referring to the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Act, Nasheed claimed foreign multi-national companies were reluctant to invest in the Maldives.

President Yameen has hailed the SEZ Act as a “landmark law” that will “transform” the economy through diversification and mitigate the reliance on the tourism industry.

The government maintained that SEZs with relaxed regulations and tax concessions were necessary to attract foreign investors and launch ‘mega projects’ for economic diversification, which would create jobs and elevate the economy to a “new production frontier.”

On the government’s pledge to provide MVR10,000 a month to fishermen during lean periods, Nasheed said fish purchasing prices have declined since the new administration took office in November.

“We are saying the [Progressive Party of Maldives’] government has failed because they are not practicing what they preach at all,” he said.

A campaign pledge to provide financial assistance to local farmers has also not been fulfilled, Nasheed added.

While the government pledged to ensure security and rehabilitate wayward youth, “we are seeing that the job uniform of youth has become balaclavas and masks,” Nasheed said.

Criminal gangs were roaming the streets of Malé, Nasheed continued, and the security services were unable to curb gang violence.

Failed centre

As the “central government has failed”, Nasheed suggested that development should be sought through local councils.

“I for one am certain that we, the people of the Maldives, cannot reach a safe shore without empowering councils,” he said.

“While President Yameen and the PPM government is failing, we are seeing the Maldivian state failing as a result. The Maldivian state is not just their government. We are also part of the Maldivian state. We cannot let this state fail.”

The system of decentralisation should be strengthened to avoid becoming a failed state, Nasheed argued, noting that the MDP had majorities in many local councils.

The MDP could serve the public through councils while remaining the opposition party, he said, by undertaking efforts to create jobs and develop infrastructure.

Of 30 councillors in Fuvahmulah, Nasheed noted that 24 councillors were elected on MDP tickets.

Nasheed observed that the fiscal deficit has ballooned to MVR4 billion (US$259 million) while the projected deficit agreed upon last December as part of a record MVR17.96 billion (US$1.16 billion) budget was MVR1.3 billion (US$84 million).

The deficit was plugged with the public’s savings at banks, he contended, expressing concern with the impact on the financial sector should the government find itself unable to pay back treasury bills.

“Third hand”

Referring to the PPM expressing concern with the arson attack on the MDP Hithadhoo South office on Friday night, Nasheed said the MDP believed either the PPM or senior government officials were behind the attacks.

If the PPM and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom were telling the truth about the ruling party’s involvement, Nasheed said a third party should be responsible.

“[President Yameen] is saying it is not his party or ministers that are attacking our rallies and attempting to harm us. And we are saying we are very worried about this. So there is a third party,” he said.

“Who is the third party? Who killed Afrasheem? Who abducted Rilwan? Who are sending us texts once a day threatening to kill us? Who is torching our offices and disrupting our rallies?” he asked.

Nasheed said the MDP was concerned that “the third hand” could overthrow the government.

“We are ready to remain as the opposition sincerely for five years. We are not impatient to come into government,” he said, calling on President Yameen to reveal who “the third hand” is to the public.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

MDP office in Addu City torched after masked men attack rally

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) office for the Hithadhoo South constituency in Addu City was torched last night (October 10) after masked men attacked a rally in Feydhoo earlier in the evening.

A group of masked men wielding wooden planks and rocks reportedly attacked participants of the rally held at the harbour area of the Feydhoo ward.

Of 16 suspects arrested from the scene, police said seven remain remain in custody while nine have been released.

A number of police officers active in the area sustained varying degrees of injury while attempting to control the disturbance, police said in a statement last night.

Members of the public were also injured in the clashes, police added. While some supporters attending the rally were assaulted, rocks were reportedly thrown at others and one person sustained head injuries.

Opposition-aligned private broadcaster Raajje TV’s equipment was also damaged.

Chief Inspector of Police Ahmed Shifan, commander of the south division, told local media that the incident would be investigated as “a serious matter” but claimed there was no evidence to suggest the attack was politically motivated.

The MDP office in Hithadhoo was meanwhile set on fire around 11:30pm, shortly after the rally ended.

MDP MP for Hithadhoo South, Ali Nizar, told local media that the arson attack caused more than MVR1 million worth of damages to electronic equipment and property at the office.

The office was almost completely destroyed in the fire, which also spread to a shop next door and caused damages to goods.

Nizar alleged that the office was set on fire by a group of youth involved in disrupting the rally, who left for Hithadhoo on a taxi.

The fire was extinguished by the Maldives National Defence Force’s fire and rescue service.

Police said a search was underway for suspects but no arrests have yet been made.

Last month, the MDP main office in the capital Malé was also set on fire following vandalism of the party’s office for two consecutive nights and numerous death threats sent from unlisted numbers to MDP MPs, the party’s senior members and dozens of journalists.

While the door of former MDP MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor’s home was torched, crude oil was thrown on former President Mohamed Nasheed’s residence and the windshield of Chairperson Ali Waheed’s car was smashed.

Speaking at last night’s rally, Nasheed accused President Abdulla Yameen of employing “wayward youth” to carry out attacks against the opposition.

MDP Chairperson Ali Waheed said the party would seek information about the culprits and make sure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) meanwhile put out a press release today condemning the arson attack “in the harshest terms”.

“This party will not support such acts regardless who commits them. This party is concerned about such acts that harm political parties, public property, and lives,” the statement read, appealing for cooperation with the government’s efforts to ensure security and stability in the nation.

The ruling party called on the authorities to investigate the arson attack and take prompt action.

“All parties should have the opportunity to carry out political activities peacefully,” the press release stated.

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom also condemned the arson attack on social media today.

“We must never allow such violence in this country,” the PPM leader tweeted.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)