Category: News in Brief

Stranded container ship in Male’ refloated: MNDF

A container ship was yesterday (Janaury 7) stranded in waters on the eastern side of Male’ for three hours before tug boats were able to successfully refloat the vessel, local media has reported.

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Spokesperson Colonel Abdul Raheem told Minivan News last night that the ship, called Auguste Schulte, sailed under a Liberian flag.

The MNDF told local media that while the ship itself did not suffer much damage from the incident, investigations would be carried out on the reef where the boat had been stuck.

Should any damage be found on the reef, a fine of MVR 85,000 (US$ 5508) per square metre of damaged reef will be imposed, an official from the Transport Authority told the Sun Online news agency.

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Four Maldives nationals arrested in Malaysia

Four Maldivians have been arrested in Malaysia over drug related charges, local media has reported.

The Maldives Foreign Ministry had confirmed that four nationals were arrested, but did not confirm the nature of charges against them, according to local newspaper Haveeru.

Another two Maldivians are currently being held in Malaysia custody over passport issues, the newspaper added.

State Foreign Minister Hassan Saeed was quoted in local media as saying that Maldivian nationals needed to be more careful of the laws and cultures of foreign countries when travelling abroad.

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Container ship “stuck” in Male’ waters, MNDF confirms

A Liberian container ship called the ‘Auguste Schulte’ has this evening become stuck within waters surrounding Male’, Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Spokesperson Colonel Abdul Raheem has confirmed.

According to Colonel Raheem, the carrier ship, situated directly off the coast of the Raalhugandu area in Male’, was being assisted by MNDF coastguard vessels in order to get the boat moving.

Raheem stated that he is yet to receive any information on how the ship became stuck.

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MNDF military hospital to provide medical services to immigration department

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) military hospital is to begin to provide medical services to employees of the Department of Immigration and Emigration.

Defence Minister Colonel Mohamed Nazim was quoted in local media as saying that all services of the military hospital are now available under Aasandha to the employees of the immigration department.

“Employees of Immigration Department and their families can obtain medical treatment under Aasandha from the military hospital. This includes their husbands and wives. We are trying to provide the best medical services to our employees,” he told Sun Online.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration was recently transferred from the under the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Ministry of Defence.

According to the President’s Office, the decision to transfer the department was taken to make administration of the country’s immigration system more efficient.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) last week questioned the legality of the decision to transfer control of the Department of Immigration and Emigration to the Defence Ministry.

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Parliament Speaker Abdulla Shahid on official visit to Angola

Parliamentary Speaker Abdulla Shahid has commenced a three day visit Angola today in order to reinforce inter-parliamentary cooperative ties between the two countries, an African news service has said.

During his stay in the country, Shahid will meet with his Angolan counterpart, Fernando Da Piedade Dias dos Santos as well as heads of parliamentary groups of the national assembly.

According to a press note from the Angolan national assembly, the agenda includes official talks between the parliamentary delegations of Angola and Maldives, and an official dinner offered by the Angolan speaker of the national assembly.

The press note reads that Shahid will also visit the new city of Kilamba in Luanda, in order to learn about the national housing boosting programme.

Shahid is to return on January 9, according to the African news source.

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80 years to save country should Adhaalath Party be dissolved: Sheikh Imran

Adhaalath Party Leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla has warned it could take “80 years” to save the country should the religious conservative party be dissolved under new regulations passed by the Majlis.

If signed into law, the Political Parties Bill passed last month would require a party in the Maldives to have a minimum of 10,000 registered members.

Speaking at a rally held at Ghiyasuddin School Thursday (January 3), local media quoted Sheikh Imran as saying it was compulsory for all citizens to ensure Adhaalath Party was not dissolved.

“It would not be wrong to say that it will take 80 years to save the country and for it to revert to the present situation if Adhaalath Party is dissolved in the current political circumstances.

“Thus it is compulsory upon you to ensure that Adhaalath Party isn’t dissolved. It is compulsory upon all citizens,” he said.

Sheikh Imran claimed that efforts to limit the number of political parties in the Maldives indicated attempts to return the country to an autocratic regime.

“Social values have been torn apart. Conflicts, assault and arguments within parties have become commonplace. Things have gone so far that and mothers and children don’t speak to each other, and mothers ask children to leave their homes. So what I have to say is that a solution has to be sought to the problem of political parties,” Imran was quoted as saying in Sun Online.

Imran encouraged educated people from all over the country to join the party, adding that he would lead the campaign to dissolve political parties if people fail to establish a system by which they can coexist.

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Maldives Customs Service installs system to monitor Exclusive Economic Zone

The Maldives Customs Service (MCS) has today installed an Automated Identification System (AIS) it claims will help better determine the movement and location of vessels entering the country.

In a statement issued today, customs officials said that the AIS would assist the department in monitoring the Maldives’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) zone more effectively.

According to the statement, the new device is able to determine the speed, location and the movement of vessels in Maldivian waters.

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President returns from private visit to Malaysia

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has returned to Male’ following a private visit to Malaysia.

President Waheed, along with First Lady Ilham Hussain, returned to Male’ on Saturday (January 5), the President’s Office website has reported.

On Thursday (January 3), President Waheed met with the Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato’ Sri Anifah Aman at the Maldives High Commission in the country as part of his trip.

According to the President’s Office website, discussions at the meeting were focused on improving bilateral relations between the two countries.

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Certain parties leasing city hall failed to pay rent: LGA

The Local Government Authority (LGA) has revealed that certain parties who have leased Male’ City Hall from the local municipal council had failed to pay the required amounts of rent.

A report compiled by the LGA, which was commissioned to probe difficulties faced by Male’ Cty Council (MCC) in fulfilling its mandate, showed that the decision to rent out city hall in order to generate revenue for the council had not been regulated.

Under the agreement to rent out the city hall, MCC members had decided to charge MVR 1,500 per day as rent.

LGA also alleged that the city hall’s availability for leasing had not been made public, which according to the authority violates the equality clause in Article 17 of the constitution.

Local media reported that MCC had been advised to recover the funds and establish a system to document the transactions of the council.

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