Category: News in Brief

Al Jazeera reports on tourism, fishing, and crime in the “real Maldives”

Al Jazeera’s Nidhi Dutt travelled to the Maldives to talk to resort managers and worker in the fishing industry as well as victims of crime in what is described as the “real maldives”.

“A lot is going on here that people never know. Everything is shut off to the outside world,” said Fahma Zadha, whose husband was murdered on the streets of Male’ last year.

“We want to give the message to the outsiders that this place is not safe anymore, we can walk like we could ten years back.”

Al Jazeera reported that the next president would need to overcome both social and economic problems in order to keep both tourists and locals happy.

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Stay-home mothers deserve pensions: Nasheed

Stay-home mothers deserve pensions as well as enhanced work opportunities, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential candidate Mohamed Nasheed said during a campaign event yesterday evening (Tuesday).

Taking calls during a Q&A session held for women, Nasheed said he would find a means to raise funds for said pension, reported Haveeru. He also highlighted the gender components of the MDP’s manifesto.

“Out of the 137 programs included in our policies, six have been solely designed for women,” he said, according to Haveeru.

Among MDP’s proposed policies for women are flexible working hours, complemented by day care services. During the Q&A, Nasheed added that housing is a primary concern for mothers and that this would be addressed by his administration, if elected.

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Seven arrested with sharp objects and weapons inside ‘Adu Park’

The police have arrested seven man in connection with a case where sharp objects and weapons were discovered in ‘Adu Park’ in Henveiru.

Police said the searched the park last night [3 September 2013] at about 7:45 pm and discovered knives, sharp objects, and other weapons.

According to police the seven persons were inside the park when police searched the area.

Police said that the seven men were aged 30, 23, 19, 22, 25, 20 and 31.

Serious and Organized Crime Department is further investigating the case, the police added.

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UN Secretary General calls upon Maldivians for peaceful election

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged the people of the Maldives to ensure that Saturday’s elections are “conducted in a credible and peaceful manner.”

In a statement posted on the Secretary-General’s official website, he encouraged all candidates to respect the results and to overcome past differences, no matter the winner.

“He urges all Maldivians to work together in a constructive manner toward national harmony and democratic consolidation and he highlights, in particular, the need for a renewed commitment to the institutional reform process,” read the statement.

The UN has announced that it will be sending an observer group to the country for this weekend’s poll.

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Can Maldivian institutions ensure free and fair polls?: The Hindu

“A free and fair poll will depend on how the fledgling institutions in Maldives — which began operating in a democratic space after the first real multi-party presidential polls in 2008 — cope with the competing demands,” writes R. K Radhakrishnan for the ‘The Hindu’ newspaper.

“It’s 11:oo pm on Tuesday (September 3) in Male’s artificial beach, which serves as a meeting ground for people and an open-air sports complex, but no one seems to be in a hurry to leave.

A blaring music system belts out techno, pop, soft rock and even blues. Nearby, youngsters play some serious basketball.

Welcome to the ‘3 on 3 street challenge’, tournament, conducted by the youth wing of a political party, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). As many as 16 men’s teams compete for the MVR 40,000 ( $2,600 approximately) prize money.

There is a handsome cheque for runners-up too. And, there’s also a tournament for women, with a fourth of the prize money. The finals will be held on September 4, barely three days ahead of the vote! ‘3’ is PPM presidential hopeful Abdulla Yameen’s number on the ballot paper.

Elsewhere, Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed, who is running as an independent candidate, inaugurated a new airport on September 3. A day earlier, his cabinet annulled a decision to make Addu City Equatorial Convention Zone – where the last Saarc summit was held – an uninhabited area. A third presidential candidate, multi-millionaire resort tycoon Qasim Ibrahim, has been accused by rivals, including the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of distributing freebies to voters to garner votes.

“There is no electoral offences act,” says Ahmed Najaaf Saleem of Transparency Maldives, which has the largest number of observers on the ground for the elections. “The complaints mechanism of the elections commission has been an utter failure,” he added.

The Elections Commission (EC) has not laid down the ground rules for activities such as sports meets of inaugurations. The only criterion available now is that a candidate can spend MYR 360 million for the election. This is calculated from the day of announcement of elections; the period before, and the expenditure incurred by the candidate’s party and others are not taken into consideration.

It’s not merely politicians who are indulging in acts that would be a direct violation of code of conduct in most democratic nations. It involves other institutions too. The head of the Maldivian Police Force, Abdulla Riyaz tweeted on September 1: ‘MPS created 9 years ago today. Thank you sir @maumoonagayoom for the executive decision to create a service for the protection of people.’

He was thanking former President Maumoon Gayoom, whose half-brother, Abdulla Yameen is a candidate.”

Read more.

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Prison to be built on Kaashidhoo

The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced a deal with Maldivian construction company Aima to build a prison in Kaashidhoo, in Kaafu Atoll.

The open prison, designed to house 700 inmates, will cost MVR143 million (US$9.2 million) and should be completed within 18 months, Sun Online has reported.

“This project in Kaashidhoo is based on ‘open jail’ concept. We will use 90 percent of the land area for agriculture. Most prisoners will be engaged in this work, and their work will also benefit their families,” Minister of State for Home Affairs Mohamed Fayaz told the media today.

During a ceremony at the Home Affairs Ministry today, Fayaz is reported to have said that prisoners incarcerated in Kaashidhoo should be able to earn enough whilst in prison to prevent re-offending upon their release.

He added that the construction would add much-needed capacity to the Maldives prison network, noting that currently not all sentences can be carried out due to lack of space. Fayaz also took aim at the previous government, arguing that the last administration had released many convicts too early.

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MP Siyam’s alcohol case sent back to police

A case involving the discovery of alcohol in the luggage of prominent businessman and MP Ahmed ‘Sun Travel’ Siyam has been sent back to police from the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The case was said to have included incomplete information regarding the discovery of the bottle during luggage screening at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in March, reported Haveeru

Siyam is also head of the Maldivian Development Alliance (MDA), the country’s newest political party. The MDA has formed a coalition with the Progressive Party of Maldives for this Saturday’s presidential poll.

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Thimarafushi airport opens in Thaa atoll

Thaa Atoll’s Thimarafushi airport was officially opened this morning by President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan. The airport was developed by state-run Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC).

The airport was developed to provide an efficient means of transport to the people, Haveeru reports, although as the airport does not have a control tower flights will only land during the day.

Addressing a crowd at the inauguration ceremony, President Waheed emphasized that the airport would facilitate faster development within the atoll, in part by improving tourist accessibility.

The President noted that certain infrastructural development requirements must be fulfilled for the airport to be considered fully complete, reports Haveeru.

The airport development project was originally awarded to Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) in April 2012. MACL subcontracted the project to MTCC for MVR32 million ($2.8 million) the following month. Delays, allegedly due to financial constraints, fueled political tensions earlier this year.

The airport will be operated by Island Aviation, which runs the Maldives national airline Maldivian Air.

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