Category: News in Brief

Chinese tourist dead in snorkelling accident

A Chinese tourist died in a suspected snorkelling accident yesterday at Alif Dhaal Atoll Vakafaru resort.

According to police media, the 26 year-old male was taken to the hospital at the nearby Dhagethi island, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police said the accident occurred around 11:40am and cause of death is believed to have been drowning.

Local daily Haveeru however reported the resort’s Front Office Manager Abdulla Saeed as saying that the deceased was 25 years-old and was believed to have sustained a head injury after hitting his head on a rock underwater.

Saeed said the tourist was snorkelling in a shallow lagoon and exhibited no external injuries. The injured tourist was first treated at the resort’s clinic before being taken to Dhagethi after his condition deteriorated, the front office manager said.

In January, two Chinese nationals in different resorts were found dead within 48 hours in suspected snorkelling accidents.

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MVR 500,000 paid to Gayoom’s parliament appointees

The state has paid approximately MVR 500,000 (US$32,425) each as compensation to eight MPs appointed to parliament by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, following a Supreme Court ruling in March that their removal was unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court ruled on March 13 that the removal of the eight presidential appointees in late 2008 by incoming President Mohamed Nasheed – who replaced the eight with his own appointees – was unconstitutional and ordered the state to compensate the MPs for salaries and allowances due for the remainder of the last parliamentary session of the 16th parliament.

The Supreme Court ruling had overruled judgments by the Civil Court and High Court.

Local daily Haveeru reported yesterday that one MP had been paid MVR 407,000 (US$26,394) so far. The former MP, who wished to remain anonymous, was quoted as saying that the “Finance [Ministry] told some of the MPs that the amounts cannot be paid now due to the financial constraints of the state.”

“As far as I know, the state will pay them over a period,” the anonymous MP added.

The case was filed by former President Gayoom’s appointees Rozaina Adam and Ahmed Mahloof. While both were elected to the 17th parliament on a Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) ticket, MP Mahloof left the DRP to join former President Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

The case reached the Supreme Court one and a half years ago after the Civil Court and High Court ruled that the Nasheed administration had the legal authority to dismiss Gayoom appointees.

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China gifts RMB 500,000 worth of office equipment to parliament

The Chinese government has donated RMB 500,000 (US$79,945) worth of office equipment to parliament during an official visit by a high-level delegation headed by Li Changchun, China’s fifth highest-ranking leader and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

According to the People’s Majlis secretariat, the delegation arrived on a two-day visit on Friday afternoon on an invitation from the Maldivian government.

The delegation visited parliament on Saturday for a meeting with Speaker Abdulla Shahid. At the meeting, the dignitaries discussed the close diplomatic ties between the nations forged 40 years ago, noting that Sino-Maldives diplomatic relations have been a model for fostering mutual respect and friendship between big and small nations.

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VP presents Civil Service Innovation awards

Vice President Mohamed Waheed Deen presented awards to winners of the newly introduced Civil Service Innovation Award at a ceremony on Sunday morning.

Among the recipients was the National Centre for Information Technology (NCIT) for introducing a “transport online system” and a “government e-letter management system” as well as the Islamic Ministry for its online Zakat fund system.

Awards in the Information Technology category were also given to the Ihandhoo School in Laamu Atoll Gan for its “performance appraisal online system” and the education unit for Haa Alif, Haa Dhaal and Shaviyani Atolls for its “office automation initiative.”

The award for cutting costs and economising went to the Centre for Continued Education for its “school-based professional development programme.”

According to the Civil Service Commission (CSC), over 9,000 driving licenses have been issued through the online transport system while the e-letter management system saved an estimated MVR 8.7 million from the 2011 budget.

As the award was the first of its kind, the CSC said it recognised programmes and projects carried out from 2008 to 2011.

Speaking at the function held at the Islamic Centre’s hall, Vice President Deen said that the wage system for civil servants must be revised, calling on all sectors to acknowledge the hard work of civil servants.

Deen commended the CSC for introducing the award in a bid to improve the quality of service provided to the public.

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Male’ to be traffic free between 4-10PM on Eid ul-Adha

The Transport Authority has decided that Male’ will be a traffic free zone between 4:00pm and 10:00pm on Eid ul-Adha this coming Friday, reports Sun Online.

A similar plan was made for Eid ul-Fitr earlier this year, but was called off after the authority complained that it had not been consulted before Male’ City Council (MCC) made the announcement.

MCC Councillor Mohamed Abdul Kareem told Sun that the intention was to make the day more enjoyable for families.

The only vehicles in operation during these hours will be police and emergency vehicles as well as those used by the disabled.

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Maldives’ Ambassador to the UAE resigns

The Maldives’ first Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Ahmed Rasheed, has resigned for what the President’s Office has said are “personal reasons”.

President’s Office Spokesman Abbas Adil Riza explained that Rasheed had been appointed to the mission at the start of the year under the Nasheed government, after having previously been Chief of Protocol for the Foreign Ministry.

Abbas said that Rasheed’s family were strong supporters of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), adding that Rasheed was related by marriage to former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Dr Farahanaz Faisal.

Dr Faisal resigned from her post shortly after the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed in February, as did the Maldives’ Ambassador to the United Nations Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed – then the country’s most senior diplomat.

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Police retrieve MVR 100,000 stolen by office assistant

Police on Wednesday arrested an employee of Global Link Pvt Ltd with over MVR 100,000 (US$6,485) stolen from the company.

According to police media, MVR99,895 was recovered during the arrest of Mohamed Muad, 36, of Seenu Meedhoo Seasunwaadhee.

The money was entrusted to Muad, an office assistant at Global Link, to be deposited at the Mauritius Commercial Bank. Police were alerted to the theft by the company.

The suspect’s detention has since been extended to 15 days by the Criminal Court.

At a press briefing on Thursday, Inspector Ahmed Shaheeth revealed that the stolen cash was found in a bag stashed inside a lift compartment at a house under construction in the Henveiru district of Male’.

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MDP MP Eva departs for IPU human rights committee meeting

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP for Galolhu North Eva Abdulla last week departed for Quebec, Canada to participate in a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) human rights committee.

According to the MDP, the committee is being convened to consider cases filed by the party with regard to acts of police brutality against the former ruling party’s MPs on February 7 and 8.

The IPU’s human rights committee will meet on October 21 and 26.

Three classified reports by the IPU concerning police brutality against MDP MPs have been shared with parliament and the executive since the transfer of presidential power on February 7, the party has revealed.

In April this year, MP Eva was unanimously elected as a member of the Committee of Women Parliamentarians of the IPU during the committee meeting held in conjunction with the 126th Assembly of IPU at Kampala, Uganda.

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