Category: News in Brief

Police forward case of Muleaage liquor bottles to Prosecutor General

The police concluded its investigations into the alcohol bottles allegedly confiscated from the home of former President Mohamed Nasheed and has forwarded the case to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PG).

In a press conference, Deputy Head of the Drug Enforcement Department, Sub-Inspector Ismail Fareed, noted that all  people questioned regrading the case had fully cooperated.

According to Police Media Official Ahmed Shiyam at the time, the DED investigation of the historical President’s Residence was prompted just hours after he had resigned, when a lorry emerged from the residence with “bags of trash”.

“Security stopped the vehicle and found a number of alcohol bottles in the bags. The police were notified of the situation and an investigation is underway,” Sub-Inspector Shiyam said at the time.

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Mega Maldives aims to double number of passengers in 2012

Mega Maldives airlines has today announced plans to more than double the number of passengers it carries this year. The airline flew 31,000 people in its maiden year and plans to hit 70,000 in 2012.

The airline now links the Gan and Ibrahim Nasir airports in the Maldives to four destinations in China. Last year China overtook the United Kingdom to became the biggest tourism market for the Maldives, comprising 15 percent of all arrivals according to Tourism Ministry statistics.

There were fears that the Chinese market had been worried by the political unrest in the country after passenger numbers dropped in February. Some Mega Maldives charter flights were cancelled but a full schedule was resumed earlier this month.

The company held a ceremony welcoming its new cabin crew. Haveeru reports that this brings the total number of staff to 200, of which 60 percent are local. Chief Executive George Weinmann last month told the New York Times that he expected the company’s number of flights between China and the Maldives will have reached 34 by June of this year.

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The introduction of unrestricted, universal free healthcare with no agreed regulation or management was an act of folly: Dr Hassan Saeed

The Aasandha health scheme introduced on January 1 this year, “is and will always be completely financially unsustainable in a country such as the Maldives. And in fact would be in any country – however rich- anywhere in the world,” President Waheed’s Special Advisor, Dr Hassan Saeed writes for Haveeru.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could have a sensible and mature debate about the future of social health insurance in the Maldives? And what’s the chance of that? Pretty slim if you read former President Nasheed’s usual mixture of tedious invective and fabrication.

The introduction of unrestricted, universal free healthcare with no agreed regulation or management was an act of folly, recklessness and irresponsible political immaturity that rivals any of the actions of Mr.Nasheed’s administration.

And what’s more he knew this but still went ahead with it. And the consequence is that we now have the IMF breathing down our necks and a budget deficit that threatens to derail all government social programmes.

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Independent Commissions Committee decides against summoning police commissioner

Parliament’s Independent Commissions Committee has reportedly revoked an earlier decision to summon Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz for questioning over allegations of police brutality against anti-government protesters on February 8 this year.

Committee chair Mohamed Nasheed, an independent MP, today told local media that the decision to summon Commissioner Riyaz was deemed no longer necessary after the police chief said he had asked the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) to investigate reports of police violence.  MP Nasheed claimed that representatives of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had requested the commissioner be summoned before Parliament for questioning over the reasons why  police were not investigating the allegations of violence.

“They [the MDP members] wanted to know why the Police decided against investigating the matter,” Nasheed told the Haveeru news agency. “But then the commissioner revealed that the Police had requested the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) to investigate the allegations so it was decided there was no need to summon the commissioner to clear out the reason behind the decision. So the committee did not summon him.”

Earlier this week, the Independent Commissions Committee announced it would be summoning Commissioner Riyaz for questioning over alleged police brutality.

The issue was submitted to the committee last Wednesday by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Hamza.

Hamza told Minivan News on Monday that he had submitted the issue to the committee because the Police Commissioner had said the police would not investigate the alleged brutality committed by its officers against anti-government protesters on February 7 and 8.

Hamza said Riyaz had told him that he had requested the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) investigate the case.

I am interested to know why he has refused to investigate the case,’’ he said. ‘’HRCM and Police Integrity Commission (PIC) are also being summoned to ask about their investigations into police brutality that day.’’

Hamza said the committee furthermore decided to summon Prosecutor General Ahmed Muiz because some MPs were keen to ask him questions about the arrest of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

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Six Senses bought by Pegasus Capital Advisors

Luxury resort company Six Senses has been acquired by US-based private equity fund manager, Pegasus Capital Advisors, for an undisclosed sum.

Six Senses manages 10 resorts and 28 spas in 20 countries around the world, including Oman, Vietnam and Thailand, with another 15 under construction or development. Its brands include Soneva, Six Senses and Evason.

In the Maldives the group has operated the upmarket Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili properties, and a new resort in Laamu that opened last year. Under the terms of the deal the Soneva-branded properties will be carved from the Six Senses portfolio and will continue to be held by Six Senses founder Sonu Shivdasani, who will remain as CEO, chairman and principle shareholder of the Soneva Group.

Pegasus Capital specialises on investing in middle-market companies facing financial distress, and has tended to focus on consumer products, technology, business services, energy, financial services, industrial manufacturing and the communications sectors.

“Going forward, the new Six Senses will be a debt-free company with committed capital for expansion into new and within existing international markets,” said Craig Cogut of Pegasus Capital Advisors, in a statement. “We are confident that our president Bernhard Bohnenberger and our strong management team will continue to build on its legacy as a recognised leader in luxury hospitality.”

Shivdasani said: “For myself and Eva, my wife, this means we can devote all our energies to our first love – the development of the Sonevas. Soneva will continue to operate its philanthropic arm, The Slow Life Trust, and remain dedicated to achieving environmental goals and a corporate commitment to sustainability.”

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President Waheed inaugurates National Awards Committee

President Mohamed Waheed Hassan today held the inaugural meeting of the newly reconstituted National Awards Committee.

The committee, which decides on public figures to honour for their work in societal development through fields such as health, agriculture and the arts, was reformed on Monday (April 9), after the previous body completed their allotted three year term.

According to the President’s Office website, the awards committee is to function independently from the government, which will respect any decision made.

The national awards were last held in November 2011 and conferred by former President Mohamed Nasheed.

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Domestic violence bill “good example” of cross-party cooperation: UN

The United Nations has congratulated the passing of the bill to address domestic violence in the country, describing it a “good example” of how dialogue among different groups and cross-party cooperation can yield beneficial results to the country.

According to a statement released by the UN office based in capital Male’, “The successful vote on the Domestic Violence Bill is a testament to the passion, optimism and dedication of the political parties, ministries, non-government organisations and grassroots activists who actively worked to reach this goal.”

UN Resident Coordinator Andrew Cox meanwhile said in the statement: “The enactment of the Domestic Violence Bill into law is urgently needed in the Maldives which has a high rate of gender-related violence, particularly affecting women and girls.”

“The passage of the bill is a good example of how dialogue among different groups and cross-party cooperation can yield beneficial results to the country,” Cox noted.

A national survey on “Women’s Health and Life Experiences” conducted with the support of UNFPA, UNICEF, and WHO showed that one in every three Maldivian women aged 15-49 reported experiencing some form of physical or sexual violence at least once during their lifetime.

Meanwhile, information from Family Protection Units indicates a high prevalence of gender based violence including child abuse, and that 87% of the perpetrators are known to the survivors.

“The passage of the DV bill is in line with Maldives’ international obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The last CEDAW Report on the Maldives underscored the urgent need to address gender-based violence in the country, to put in place the appropriate legislative frameworks for prevention and protection, and the building of stronger protective services for women and children. ” the statement reads.

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Palestinian President to visit Maldives

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit the Maldives on April 17, the foreign Ministry has said.

Abbas’ one day visit will be the first visit to the Maldives by a Palestinian president.

The Maldives had previously co-sponsored a resolution to grant Palestine full membership to UNESCO, but the delegation returned before voting.

The resolution was adopted with 107 countries voting in favour, 14 voting against and 52 abstaining, signaling a significant symbolic victory for Palestine’s bid for statehood ahead of a similar vote at the UN General Assembly in New York.

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Sri Lankan vessel apprehended within EEZ

A Sri Lankan vessel was apprehended yesterday within the Maldives’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has confirmed.

The ship was first spotted by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) 26 nautical miles from Addu Atoll yesterday, before being reported to police.

The coastguard eventually apprehended the vessel around 35 nautical miles from Addu Atoll, where it is today being brought.

This is the third time that foreign ships have entered Maldivian territorial waters in recent weeks. Just over two weeks ago, a Bolivian vessel on route to Iran was hijacked  by Somali pirates, the first such attack to take place within Maldivian waters.

One week later, the coast guard was again dispatched after an unidentified vessel was spotted 77 miles from Alif Alif Atoll.

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