Category: News in Brief

STELCO says new generators may be ready in two weeks

The Maldives’ State Electricity Company (STELCO) has announced that work on its two new generators will be completed in two weeks, Sun Online has reported.

It is anticipated that the installation of these two generators, said to be worth €28 (US$36million), will end the regular power cuts experienced in the capital Male’. The frequency of these cuts has led the company to provide an update service on its website, informing its customers when and where their districts will be without power.

STELCO media coordinator Ibrahim Raoof told Sun that these cuts had come as the current grid is capable of providing 36MW whilst the city requires 39MW. The two new generators will provide an additional 8MW each.

Work on the two generators began in 2009 and had been scheduled to take 18 months. The German and Danish companies responsible for the installation had given May 20 as the date for completion.

Raoof told Sun that if technical problems continue, this new deadline may also be pushed back.

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New parole board begins releasing inmates

The parole board formed by President Waheed has released four inmates from Maafushi prison.

State Minister for the Home Ministry Mohamed Fayaz said the four inmates underwent a rehabilitation programme for a year prior to their release on parole, according to Haveeru.

The new parole board was formed in April after the shutdown of the “Second Chance” programme started by the former government.

Rehabilitation programmes are being conducted for a large number of inmates serving long prison sentences, the Home Ministry said.

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Laugfs Holdings discusses Maldives resort ambitions

Sri Lanka-based Laugfs Holdings is reportedly looking to boost its presence in the hospitality industry by establishing a resort property in the Maldives.

Company Chairman W K H Wegapitiyahas told the TTG Asia travel news publication today that potential Maldivian locations were now being considered to establish a resort under the company’s Ananthaya brand.

The group is also said to be in talks to set up another resort property in Thailand, according to the report.

Laugfs Holdings, which was founded fifteen years ago to provide energy services, has in recent years moved to extend its operations into leisure and retail.

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ACC says prominent government figures accused of corruption

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has revealed that the government has appointed three individuals to prominent positions within its ranks despite being aware of corruption allegations made against them, reports Haveeru.

The names of the individuals were not revealed.

The ACC official who spoke with the paper said that the issue of taking greater care when considering government appointees had been discussed with the Attorney General (AG).

The official added, however, that they had received no word from the government regarding its response to this issue.

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DRP deputy criticises capability of certain government officials

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Deputy Leader Ibrahim Shareef has criticised certain elements within the present government to local media for not making “adequate efforts” to address the country’s recent economic and political upheavals.

Shareef claimed in local newspaper Haveeru that some top officials in the present coalition government – of which the DRP is one of several parties represented – had not shown themselves to be “capable” or “proficient”.

According to the report, Shareef expressed particular concern over the conduct of the Foreign Ministry, which he alleged had not sufficiently detailed the current situation in the Maldives since the government came to power.  The opposition Madivian Democratic Party (MDP) has claimed that it was replaced by the government of President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan in a “coup d’etat” on February 7.  The government has denied the accusations.

Shareef also reportedly raised concerns over previous Foreign Ministry accusations that the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) had sided with the now opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) – a claim he did not agree with.

Shareef told local media that despite the “major achievement” of the coalition remaining in power for its first 100 days, it had been difficult for the DRP to “execute it policies and beliefs” in line with other parties.

He claimed that he was confident that several ministries overseen by DRP representatives, which include areas such as finance and tourism, were functioning “efficiently”.

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President Waheed expands cabinet

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has expanded his cabinet for the second time this month.

Dr Waheed this morning changed the name of the Ministry of Housing and Environment to the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and created a new ministry, the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

Former Minister for Housing and Environment Dr Mohamed Muiz has been reappointed to head the new infrastructure ministry, while Dr Mariyam Shakeela has been appointed to lead the Ministry for Environment and Energy. Both ministers were sworn in by Supreme Court Judge Abdulla Areef.

The division of the old Housing Ministry into two separate departments follow the division of the Ministry of Health and Family into the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Gender, Family and Human Rights. Dr Ahmed Jamsheed was sworn in as Minister of Health while Dhiyana Saeed was brought into the cabinet as Minister of Gender, Family and Human Rights.

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Home Ministry ask police to take over Usfasgandu area

Minister of State for Home Affairs Mohamed Fayaz has told Sun Online that the Police have been asked to take over the Usfasgandu area following the non-compliance of Male’ City Council (MCC) in handing the area over to the Ministry of Housing and Environment.

He is reported as saying that the police have been requested to do this as soon as possible, although discussions are said to be ongoing.

The raised area behind the Dharubaaruge convention centre is currently being used as the base for the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) protests. Most recently, weekly marches around Male’ originate and terminate at Usfasgandu.

The jurisdiction of the area has been under question for weeks, with the Housing Ministry first making clear its intentions to claim the area April 9. The ministry informed the MCC by letter that it had three days to remove the MDP from the area.

The Ministry argues that leasing the area to a group for political purposes contravenes the deregulation act under which the land was granted to the MCC.

In a precursor to this issue, the previous area at Lonuziyaaraiy Kolhu used for the staging of the MDP’s operations, dubbed ‘Justice Square’, was dismantled by police and the MNDF on March 19. The subsequent court case was dismissed on a technicality and, after being re-submitted, has recently been delayed once again following for a similar reason.

The MCC has remained defiant, last week writing to the Police, the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) and the Housing Ministry, arguing that the area was fulfilling a pressing need for large numbers of people to conduct political activities without inconveniencing residents of Male’ City. It also dismissed the legal right of the government to claim the area.

Just last week Sun reported the police’s denial that they would take over the area, following rumours that their arrival was imminent.

The Housing Ministry has also recently removed Sultan Park and the artificial beach area from the council’s jurisdiction.

“Maldives Police Service believes that such SMS’s can create fear in the society; there is no truth in the stories being spread that the Police are planning to take over Usfasgandu. Police are not making any preparation in this regard,” Sub-inspector Hassan Haneef told Sun.

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‘Apocalyptic’ floating island of waste in the Maldives: BBC

The Maldives are known as an unspoilt, paradise island destination for upmarket tourists but the BBC’s Simon Reeve has paid a visit to a part of the Maldives that tourists do not see – a huge floating island waste dump.

He was accompanied by local conservationist Marie Celine who explained how the country struggles with waste management.

The Maldives’ government told the BBC they were looking at ways to tackle their waste problem.

View the report here

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Islamic Ministry discusses mosque project with Saudi authorities

The Maldives is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia for assistance in constructing a number of mosques in the country, Islamic Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has told local media.

Shaheem yesterday confirmed that an assistance agreement was expected to be reached during an ongoing visit to Sri Lanka to meet the ambassadors of nations with strongly Islamic societies. These nations included Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, local newspaper Haveeru has reported.

During these discussions, the Islamic minister was also reported to have discussed a number of issues such as extending the Maldives’ quota of Hajj pilgrims.

Shaheem has claimed that the MOU would be signed with the Saudi Arabian government in the near future.

According to local media, talks have also held with Egyptian authorities in order to strengthen ties between the two nations through initiatives like the provision of placements for Maldivian students at the Al Azhar University.

Enquiries were also made about bringing scholars from the same institution to the Maldives during Ramadan.

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