Nine students of the Feydhoo school in Addu City were arrested yesterday over possession of nude photos and videos, reports local media.
Police did not reveal any further details of the case, but confirmed that the suspects taken into custody around 2:00pm on Sunday (October 5) were below 18 years of age.
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(0)The trial of 35 people from Addu City charged with terrorism over arson attacks in Addu City on February 8, 2012 resumed at the Criminal Court yesterday after a hiatus of over a year.
Of the 35 individuals charged with setting fire to the Gan police station in the aftermath of the transfer of presidential power, only three were summoned to the court.
The trial was reportedly postponed because the defence lawyers were not provided documents related to the case.
The court has said it was facing difficulties summoning defendants from the southernmost atoll as well as housing and feeding the accused. Under the Judicature Act, terrorism trials must be conducted at the Criminal Court in Malé.
More than 80 people from Addu City are facing terrorism charges for acts of arson on February 8, which saw police vehicles, courts and police stations torched. Riots spread across the country following a brutal crackdown on an opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) march in the capital.
In a press release issued on September 18 after the hearings were scheduled, the MDP contended that the trials against dozens of the party’s members and supporters in Addu City and Gaaf Dhaal Thinadhoo 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.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure has contracted the Maldives Road Development Corporation to build two roads in Feydhoo, Addu City.
At an event held at the ministry for signing of the contract today, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Mohamed Muiz revealed that the project is worth MVR7.9 million.
According to Muiz, the corporation will be building Rahdhebai Magu and Bandharu Mathee Magu, with work commencing as soon as the environmental impact analysis of the project is completed.
(0)Dislikes(0)Two men died yesterday after their motorcycle collided with a pickup on the link road of Addu City.
Police identified the deceased as Hussain Juman Ali, 18, and Ibrahim Aswad, 27, both from the Hithadhoo island of the southernmost atoll.
The accident occurred in the causeway linking Hithadhoo and Gan, police said. The 60-year-old driver of the pickup has since been taken into police custody.
Numerous accidents have occurred on the link road, including an incident involving the Afghan national football team’s bus during the recent AFC Challenge Cup. Many more have resulted in fatalities on the 14km causeway – the longest road in the country.
(0)Dislikes(0)A 15-year-old girl was raped in the Maradhoo ward of Addu City last week after she was given alcohol, reports local media.
According to newspaper Haveeru, the minor was raped by a group of men and was found lying on the road.
Police have arrested suspects in connection with the case.
“We are questioning all the suspects we have identified relating to the case, we will look in to this quite seriously,” Chief Inspector Ahmed Shifan, commander of the police south division, was quoted as saying.
(0)Dislikes(0)The government spent about MVR10 million (US$648,508) on renovating mosques across the country ahead of Ramadan this year, Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed informed parliament yesterday.
Responding to a question tabled by Addu Meedhoo MP Rozaina Adam concerning developments in her constituency, Shaheem said MVR1 million (US$64,850) was allocated in July for the renovation of 65 mosques in the southernmost atoll.
Plans for the construction of a large “modern” mosque in the Hithadhoo ward has been discussed with the Addu City Council, he revealed.
As the people of Addu City, however, requested the construction of an Islamic Centre with classrooms and a library, Shaheem continued, the project has been revised “in line with the people’s wishes.”
Funds have been allocated in this year’s budget to commence the project, he added.
The council was also informed earlier this year of plans to construct a waqf building to raise funds for Islamic affairs, he continued, noting that proceeds from leasing the building would be spent under the council’s supervision.
The funds would be used for mosque renovation and Quran classes, he explained, adding that the ministry was seeking finances from the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah.
(0)Dislikes(0)The government’s “indifference” to providing regular ferry services in Addu City has been described as discrimination towards smaller islands by Addu Meedhoo MP Rozaina Adam.
“If a ferry service in Malé is interrupted, the government rushes to reestablish it. But if it is the islands they it is allowed to go on for long periods. This is a huge discrimination,” she said.
There have been no regular ferries in Addu City for the past two years and the service is frequently on complete halt at times, said Addu City Mayor Mayor Abdulla ‘Soabe’ Sodiq.
Many are forced to take expensive private boats, while in medical emergencies people usually hire a speed boat for approximately MVR 2500 – double that rate at night.
Hulhumeedhoo, with an estimated population of over six thousand, is disconnected from the rest of the inhabited islands of the city which are joined by the 14km Addu Link Road causeway.
The Hulhumeedhoo-Feydhoo public ferry system had been established in 2009 as part of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) government’s campaign to connect the Maldives through a public transport network.
The service is provided by MVK Maldives Pvt Ltd under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract. Many inhabitants of Hulhumeedhoo travel to Feydhoo for work and to visit Hithadhoo Regional Hospital.
Rozaina Adam also expressed concern that inconsistent services were damaging both the health and the finances of locals.
“It is very hard for them, sometimes appointments at the Hithadhoo hospital get cancelled because the ferry does not show up without any prior notice,” she said.
On 26 July, Rozaina held a press conference expressing concern over the failure to provide a sea ambulance for the area. She accused Minister of Health Mariyam Shakeela of reneging on a promise made before the Majlis to provide the service.
The Addu Meedhoo MP has described the speedboat allocated for Addu as unfit, noting that the cover is ripped, the floor cracked, and that the vessel is without GPS, and a compass, among other equipment.
Standstill
Mayor Sodig noted that the government had awarded MVK the Dhoogas Guest House in Gan as an incentive for providing the ferry service.The guest house “which was functioning well when handed over”, said the mayor, is now mostly vacant and ignored.
“It was utilised to some extent during the SAARC Summit, but they are not running the place at all,” he said.
The handing of Dhoogas to MVK was investigated by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) in 2010 which found the guest house was awarded in contravention of relevant laws and regulations. The then-MDP government denied these allegations.
Management of the guest house, with approximately fifty rooms, was in handed over to former MP Abdulla Jabir’s ‘J Hotels’ in February this year, and was renamed ‘J Palace’.
While the city council is tasked with monitoring the service, mayor Sodig said today that they were unable to contact MVK to discuss the issues.
Addu council have been discussing the issue with the government since 2012 with no action being taken, the mayor said.
“We have brought this issue to the attention of all past transport ministers. And the Dhoogas guest house is given to MVK to provide public transport service here, but we are seeing that they are unable to do so,” he said.
MP Rozaina also said attempts to communicate the issue with the government have been in vain, mainly due to confusions regarding the institution responsible following the recent abolition of the Ministry of Transport.
“They told me I should contact home ministry, but they told the council to contact economic ministry. The parliament was not informed of these changes in the ministry, so it will be very difficult for MPs to inquire,” said Rozaina.
Minivan News was also unable to reach MVK, or the Ministry of Economic Development regarding the issue. The listed official numbers of MVK were out of service.
While the Addu city council is still working on resolving the issue, Rozaina has pledged to raise the issue in the Majlis if a solution is not found within a week.
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Police arrested a 23-year-old male suspect yesterday while he was attempting to smuggle MVR700,000 (US$45,396) worth of drugs to Addu City.
According to police media, the individual arrived in Gan airport in the southernmost atoll on Maldivian flight Q2-101 with the illicit narcotics taped around his thighs.
The case is under investigation by the Hithadhoo police station.
(0)Dislikes(0)Today’s sitting of parliament was disrupted by ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MPs during minister’s question time after opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ali Azim suggested that the Tourism Ministry was widely perceived as corrupt.
In a followup question posed to Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb, MP Azim asked whether corruption at the ministry was stalling mid-market tourism development in Addu City, prompting yelling and screaming from pro-government MPs.
In the ensuing disorder, MPs sprang from their seats and acrimonious arguments broke out between pro-government and opposition MPs, forcing Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed to adjourn proceedings less than 15 minutes after they had begun.
However, unlike yesterday’s sitting – which was eventually cancelled after disruption forced a halt in the morning session – today’s sitting resumed at 11:30am and preliminary debate began on government-sponsored amendments to the Child Protection Act.
When the sitting resumed with Deputy Speaker Moosa Manik presiding, MDP MPs raised several points of order objecting to being denied the opportunity to question the minister.
As the ruling coalition had majorities on government oversight committees, MDP MP Rozaina Adam noted that the opposition party could not summon ministers for questioning at committee, leaving the 30-minute minister’s question time at sittings the only avenue to hold the executive accountable.
MDP MPs accused pro-government MPs of deliberately disrupting proceedings to prevent opposition MPs posing questions to the minister.
Deputy Speaker Moosa Manik, however, ruled that the minister’s question time had elapsed and urged MPs to allow the sitting to proceed.
Tourism in Addu City
Tourism Minister Adeeb was summoned to today’s sitting to answer a question tabled by MDP MP for Addu Maradhoo, Ibrahim Shareef, regarding plans for developing guest houses and infrastructure in the southernmost atoll.
In response, Adeeb said Addu City would have 5,000 tourist beds at the end of the current administration’s five-year term, which would ensure development of the whole atoll.
Addu City would be part of the first special economic zone (SEZ) created by the government’s flagship legislation currently before parliament, Adeeb added, which would also include Gaaf Alif, Gaaf Dhaal and Fuvahmulah.
“So when the development plan comes through [the SEZ], we see that Addu City will be the gateway for the whole [southern] region,” he said.
Adeeb argued that SEZs with tax exemptions and other incentives for investors were necessary to develop the Maldives, suggesting that policies were needed to make other regions of the country more attractive to potential investors.
Investors could not be drawn with the current rate of US$8 per square meter to lease state-owned land for tourism development, he added, noting that the area around the Equatorial Convention Centre also required foreign investment.
Investors “would surely come” if they were offered “tax breaks” for five or ten years to invest in SEZs, Adeeb suggested.
The tourism minister also declared support for the guest house tourism initiative undertaken by the opposition-controlled Addu City Council.
Development of resorts in uninhabited islands and plots of land “in the periphery” would provide sources of liquor and water sports to guests, he said.
The number of tourism beds in Addu City is currently 1,094.
Adeeb told Minivan News last month that contrary to criticism of the SEZ bill, one of the objectives of the legislation was to develop tourism outside the central atolls or the ‘seaplane zone’.
“Even you see even President Nasheed’s guest houses, it’s getting centralised in Malé because it’s more feasible here,” he explained.
“I believe that by doing the SEZ Act, we will bring the investment to these regions and this is the real decentralisation of investments.”
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