Category: News in Brief

Government aims to connect island councils via national computer network

Work has commenced on a computer network project envisaged to link up all the country’s island councils at an anticipated cost of about Rf7,000 per island, Transport and Communication Minister Dr Ahmed Shamheed has said.

Local media has reported that the project, which forms part of an agreement between the Local Government Authority (LGA) and the National Centre for information (NCIT), represents a Rf16 million development over the next few years to eventually provide connectivity between some 209 councils.

However, Shamheed disputed the reported costs, telling Minivan News that work to connect all island councils though a network was “not a huge project” and had been devised to improve communications with other islands and government authorities.

“We are being offered up to 50 percent discounts by groups like Wataniya and Dhiraagu,” he said, anticipating that the project “would cost about Rf7,000 per island.”

According to the Sun Online news service, the government has committed to connect 209 councils to the network over the lifetime of the project.

According to Shamheed, local telecoms providers Dhiraagu and Wataniya are expected to provide technical at discounted rates in order to assist the project.

In a contract signed this week, Dhiraagu committed to assist the NCIT in linking 100 islands to the network. Wataniya is also expected to sign a similar contract in the next week as well, Sun has reported.

An estimated 50 islands are reportedly scheduled to be linked to the network by the end of 2012.

Shamheed added that communication from many local councils around the country was presently being carried out by fax or mail. He claimed that aside from the provisional hardware to help improve connectivity on islands, special software would also be provided to aid councillors in undertaking their work.

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Air India reduces Maldives-Bangalore services until end of August

Air India has announced it is cutting the number of weekly services it runs between Bangalore and the Maldives to four return journeys until the end of August, according to media reports.

The Business Line publication yesterday reported that the company will be running the four services on Mondays, Wednesdays Fridays and Sunday until August 31. Air India had been operating daily flights between the two destinations.

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American Centre to host lecture on ‘democracy and fair elections’

A lecture on democracy and role of free and fair elections by Professor David Lublin will be held at the American Center on Tuesday 10:00am.

The lecture organised by Maldives NGO Federation and Transparency Maldives.

Dr Lublin is a professor at the American University, and has authored two books, including The Paradox of Representation: Racial Gerrymandering and Minority Interests in Congress and The Republican South: Democratization and Partisan Change.

According to his university profile, Dr Dublin has published articles in a variety of journals, and his work on redistricting was cited by the Supreme Court in Georgia v. Ashcroft. Lublin has received two grants from the National Science Foundation, most recently for the Federal Elections Project which compiled election results at the precinct level from around the United States.

The German Marshall Fund recently awarded him a fellowship to pursue work on minority representation in democratic countries. He is on the faculty of the Women and Politics Institute and a fellow of the Centre for Congressional and Presidential Studies.

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Former state minister released from custody

Former State Minister for Home Affairs Mohamed Mahir Easa was released from police custody shortly after midnight last night, hours before a High Court hearing on an appeal against the Criminal Court ruling extending his detention.

Mahir was arrested on July 24 on charges of allegedly inciting violence against police during a speech at a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) rally.

Mahir had said he would not hesitate to cross police barricades to restore the MDP government.

The MDP last week called for Mahir’s immediate release arguing that since police possessed both Mahir’s statement and a recording of his speech, there was no reason to keep the former state minister detained.

Following his arrest, the Criminal Court extended Mahir’s detention period by 10 days twice, the last of which was appealed at the High Court.

The High Court hearing scheduled for 10.30am today was reportedly cancelled following Mahir’s release.

A police media official told newspaper Haveeru that Mahir was released after police concluded the investigation into his alleged incitement to violence, explaining that police routinely released suspects before the detention period expired.

On February 7, Mahir was beaten outside the police headquarters while mutinying police officers and opposition protesters called for him to be killed.

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Aasandha authorised service price list publicised

The authorised service price list for the government’s health insurance scheme ‘Aasandha’ has been publicised by the Aasandha Company as private hospitals and clinics begin charging a co-payment from patients.

Aasandha Company Managing Director Mohamed Shafaz told local daily Haveeru today that prices could vary depending on private clinics while a charge of MVR50 for general consultation and MVR100 for specialist consultation would be uniform.

While healthcare would still be free of charge in government hospitals, the Aasandha Company revealed that agreements had been reached between private hospital ADK and eight clinics to provide the service with a co-payment.

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Nexbis appeals High Court injunction halting border control project

Malaysia-based security solutions firm Nexbis has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against a High Court injunction ordering a halt to the border control system, reports newspaper Haveeru.

The High Court issued an injunction after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) appealed a Civil Court judgment that ruled that the commission did not have the legal authority to order the Department of Immigration and Emigration to halt the border control project.

The High Court ordered a halt to the project pending a verdict on the appeal by the ACC.

Nexbis lawyer Ismail Visham told the local daily today that the company decided to appeal the injunction as the High Court case remained stalled, causing delays to the project.

The Supreme Court has meanwhile scheduled a hearing for next Wednesday. The Supreme Court had earlier issued a writ of mandamus overturning the first High Court injunction on the grounds that the High Court bench that heard the case was unlawful.

A reconvened High Court bench subsequently issued the injunction for a second time on July 16.

Following the Supreme Court intervention, Controller of Immigration and Emigration Dr Mohamed Ali has told Minivan News on July 11 that there was “no legal barrier” preventing the implementation of the border control system.

The High Court meanwhile ordered police to investigate claims made to the ACC that Chief Judge of the High Court Ahmed Shareef met officials from the company in Bangkok.

The dispute concerns the deployment of a border control system, specifically the installation of an electronic border gate system in Male’s Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), bringing technological upgrades such as facial recognition, fingerprint identification and e-gates to the Maldives.

The MVR500 million (US$39 million) deal had stalled after the ACC alleged corruption in the bidding process, leading to a ongoing series of high-profile court battles and delays that led the Malaysian firm to threaten legal action against the Maldivian government should it incur losses for the work already done on the project.

In May 2012, the project was brought to a standstill by the first High Court injunction and a raid on immigration offices by ACC staff. At the time the MVR10 million (US$650,000) first phase of the border control project had been completed, according to local media reports.

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Turkish Airlines to fly to Maldives

Turkish Airlines has announced the launch of a scheduled service to Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) from November 24, 2012.

The Airbus A330 will serve Male’ five times weekly, connecting the Maldives to the airline’s hub at Istanbul Ataturk airport.

CEO of GMR Male International Airport, Andrew Harrison, said service was the first ever between the two countries.

“Turkish Airlines gives our tourists, business travelers and cargo options for connectivity to Male’ from all over the world via Turkish Airlines extremely well connected hub at Istanbul. This is very good news for tourism in both countries and we are pleased that passengers travelling with Turkish Airlines to the Maldives will be able to experience the true essence of Maldivian hospitality and the natural beauty of this amazing country,” Harrison said.

“The launch of scheduled services also means that Maldivians can take advantage of direct flights to Turkey and beyond on Turkish Airlines and other Star Alliance partners.”

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President Waheed to attend OIC extraordinary session in Saudi Arabia

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has today embarked on a visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of King Abdulla Bin Abdul Azeez to attend the fourth extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Conference.

According to the President’s Office, President Waheed has said a key part of the visit would be discussing the ongoing situation in Syria, while also establishing “close relations” with the Islamic community and discussing potential financial assistance from fellow delegates.

President’s Office spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza told Minivan News that while addressing Syria at the OIC emergency summit was the key focus of the visit, the president would also be talking with participants regarding different types of possible financial assistance for the country.

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MDP to mark ‘Black Friday’ anniversary

The former ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has announced that it will mark the eighth anniversary of ‘Black Friday’ August 13, 2004 with a special rally and photo exhibition on Monday night.

The spontaneous gathering of the public at the Republic Square on August 12 and 13, 2004 against the regime of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was a watershed event in Maldivian history.

The unprecedented 22-hour pro-democracy demonstration was quashed in a brutal crackdown on the afternoon of August 13 by the former National Security Service (NSS).

Shortly after the crackdown and arrest of scores of demonstrators, President Gayoom declared a state of emergency, which lasted two months.

In August 2005, then-Chairperson of MDP, former President Mohamed Nasheed, was arrested on the first anniversary of Black Friday during a vigil at the Republic Square.

According to the party website, the rally planned for Monday night to mark the anniversary will feature a video presentation about torture.

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