Category: News in Brief

Two thirds of MDP membership vote in party’s single candidate elections

Two-thirds of the MDP’s 48,181-strong membership base turned out to vote in the party’s single-candidate internal elections, held over the weekend to determine its presidential candidate.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed ran unopposed in the party’s election of its presidential candidate, however the party’s regulations require any candidate to receive at least 10 percent of the party’s vote to secure the nomination.

Following the final count of the 258 ballot boxes, Nasheed recorded 31,798 votes in favour to 269 against his being the party’s presidential candidate.

Chairperson candidate Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik had 29,044 votes in favour to 2160 against, while Deputy Chairperson candidate Ali Shiyam had 563 in favour to 7 against.

The MDP has maintained calls for early elections following its ousting from power on February 7, with Nasheed resigning during a police and military mutiny under what he subsequently claimed was duress. The party has held regular demonstrations since that time calling for early elections.

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Government, MDP Chairman, trade threats of jail time

Fresh from his election as Chairman of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik has said the those found guilty of being involved in what his party alleges was a coup would be jailed for a long time, reports Haveeru.

Moosa’s comments comes two days after the same newspaper quoted the Home Minister and Deputy Leader of the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) Mohamed Jameel Ahmed as saying that former President Mohamed Nasheed’s crimes would see him go to prison .

Nasheed’s alleged crimes, said Jameel last week, were due to reach the Prosecutor General’s desk within a week.

“[The charges] include the case known to all which is the unconstitutional arrest and subsequent detention of Criminal Court’s Chief Judge. I’m quite certain that Anni (Nasheed) would be found guilty in that case by a court of law,” Jameel claimed in Haveeru.

Moosa responded to these claims today that it is Jameel, amongst others, who will be jailed.

“We will not be afraid of Jameel, we will not be afraid of Habeeb, neither will we be afraid of Nazim,” Moosa is reported to have said.

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Gayoom calls for Muslim World League assistance to protect national peace, order and faith

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has called for assistance from Islamic Arab countries in developing education and other services in the Maldives, as well to protect the country’s faith by “groups” he alleged are trying to weaken it.

Speaking at the Constituent Council of the Muslim World League in Saudi Arabia, Gayoom said that cooperation from Islamic Arab countries would be vital to fight political and economic challenges currently facing the country, according to the Sun Online news service.

The former president reportedly claimed that the present economic downturn, a loss of peace and order in the country and efforts “by groups of people to weaken people’s Islamic faith”, were among the most pressing challenges presently facing the Maldives.

The Muslim World League is an Islamic NGO said to consist of sixty members representing 30 different nations.

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Political changes in Maldives would have gone unnoticed if not for SAARC: World Bank official

A senior official at the World Bank has told a journalism workshop that attention of the world on the recent political strife in the Maldives is a result of the nation’s membership in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperationn (SAARC), reports Sri Lanka’s Sunday Observer.

“Considering its size, the political changes in Maldives would have gone unnoticed to the rest of the world if not for its position within SAARC,” Diep Nguyen-Van Houtte told the event, organised by the World Bank.

“It received unprecedented attention from the world’s media due to its position within SAARC,” she continued.

Nguyen Van Houtte told the group of journalists from across the region that the smaller SAARC countries could strengthen their positions within the organisation by focussing on the provision of services such as tourism, medicine and IT, rather than trying to compete with the larger members in trade and production.

“Size is no reason for them to be sidelined within the grouping. Take the example of Singapore. Despite being such a tiny country, the South East Asian nation is at the top of World Bank’s development indices”, the Sunday Observer reported Nguyen Van Houtte as saying.

“This proves that small is beautiful and that size is no barrier when it comes to holding your own.”

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MDP holds anti-government protests in Colombo

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters took to the streets of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo yesterday to protest for early elections and the resignation of President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

Gathering outside the Maldivian High Commission in Colombo, “a few dozen” anti-government protesters were said to have taken part in the demonstrations, according to newspaper Haveeru.

The demonstration, which was attended by Former president Mohamed Nasheed’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair, also focused on the alleged use of excessive force by Maldivian security forces in order to disperse protesters on the streets of Male’.  The MDP contends February’s controversial transfer of power that brought President Waheed to power was a “coup d’etat” sponsored by mutinous sections of the police and military.

According to Haveeru, yesterday’s demonstration ended peacefully at about 5:30pm. However, the gathered crowd were said to have become briefly “unruly” after President Waheed’s brother, Assad Waheed, attempted to film coverage of the protest using his camera phone before returning into the High Commission building.

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Thilafushi Corporation owes US$1.7 million, claims Heavy Load

Heavy Load Maldives has claimed that the Thilafushi Corporation Ltd (TCL) owes the company Rf26 million (US$1.7 million) for completed land reclamation work, according to local daily Haveeru.

Heavy Load Director Bushainath Moosa told the newspaper that the company was unable to pay Rf6 million (US$389,105) owed to Fuel Supply Maldives (FSM) due to pending payments from TCL as the most of the fuel had been used for the land reclamation project.

FSM has meanwhile sued Heavy Load to recover the outstanding fuel payments.

“We obtained the fuel when TCL gave us a guarantee of Rf5 million (US$324,254),” Bushainath was quoted as saying. “But we have been hindered by the unpaid Rf26 million from TCL.”

Bushainath further claimed that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) informed Heavy Load Maldives in a letter declaring that the company was not at fault in the controversy surrounding the Thilafushi land reclamation project.

Heavy Load Maldives is a family business of the former ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson and Hulhu-Henveiru MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik.

“There have been attempts to discredit the image of this company for political gain,” Bushainath said, adding that rumours of corruption and undue gain were adversely affecting business.

In May, TCL Managing Director Mohamed Latheef told Minivan News that delays in the land reclamation project have resulted in only 20 percent of the work being completed.

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Police confiscate potentially ‘idolatrous’ stone statue from ibay

Police have confiscated an engraved stone statue put up for sale on local online auction website www.ibay.com.mv following complaints that the item could be an “idol of worship”.

A police media official confirmed to newspaper Haveeru that police seized the statue following reports from members of the public.

Police were determining whether the statue was “an object of worship,” the media official explained. If the statue was found not to be an “idol,” he said, it would be returned to its owner.

The owner, Hassan Jinah, meanwhile told the local daily that similar stone statues could be found in local shops.

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Police conclude investigation of father accused of molesting three under-aged daughters

Police have forwarded for prosecution the case of a 42 year-old man from Noonu Manadhoo arrested on suspicion of having sexual relations with his three under-aged daughters.

Following the arrest of the suspect on the island on April 12, the child sex abuse case was investigated by the Manadhoo police and the police family and child protection department.

The investigation was concluded last week and the case sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) on June 12.

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Three men arrested with over 600 grams of heroin

Police yesterday arrested three male suspects for possession of 600 grams of heroin during a raid on a residence in the capital Male’.

The three men – aged 23, 26 and 27 – were taken into custody from H. Mayflower in a special operation conducted by police intelligence and the drug enforcement department.

The seized drugs, weighing 621.2 grams in total, were found in a room with the three men during the raid on the property around 6.30pm yesterday (June 15).

The estimated street value of the confiscated drugs is Rf775,000 (US$50,259).

Local daily Haveeru reported that the suspects in custody are Ismail Inaz Saeed, 23, H. Fahala; Hassan Shifan, 26, H. Ranfaruge; and Mohamed Miuzan, 27, Seenu Feydhoo, Murin’gu.

According to the newspaper, Hassan Shifan is believed to be a resident of H. Mayflower, from where the suspected illegal narcotics were found.

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