Category: News in Brief

India’s image tarnished in Maldives: Zee News

There is no doubt that Nasheed, the self-proclaimed great lover of India, not only helped New Delhi track down extremists but also keep an edge over China in the India Ocean, writes Kamna Arora for Zee News.

Nasheed, 44, even questioned after receiving cold shoulder from New Delhi: “My question to Indian establishment is that if they think we did not perform, do they think this is a better option?” referring to the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) of former dictator Abdul Gayoom. “Unlike PPM, we are a group of people who strongly believe in India, their role and functions in Indian Ocean and the relationship that we want with India,” he said.

The former Maldivian president went on to predict that India will lose to China under the new regime. India’s image also got tarnished in Maldives, which relies heavily on New Delhi for everything ranging from employment and education to health services and entertainment. A Maldivian friend, who declined to be named, told me that the swift recognition of the new regime has dented New Delhi’s image so much that ordinary Maldivians do not trust India anymore. What is India’s plan to regain that trust is yet to be found out.

Reports indicate that the new Maldivian regime is closer to inking a defence agreement with China. If that happens, what is India’s plan to gain an edge apropos China in the Indian Ocean region?

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New York Times reviews the Island President

The Island President is “unabashedly pro-Nasheed”, writes Vikas Bajaj for the New York Times.

“It depicts the short, slim 44-year-old with an infectious smile as a champion of democracy and human rights. In spite of the odds against him, he tries to browbeat, beg and shame world powers like the United States, China and India into committing to reductions in greenhouse gases so his people and hundreds of millions like them do not become “climate refugees.”

Much of the movie was shot between Mr Nasheed’s 2008 election and a global climate change summit meeting in Copenhagen in late 2009. The filmmakers had unusually free access to Mr Nasheed and his team, filming him in internal strategy meetings, with his family and in discussions with leaders from other countries and global organizations.

“When people see the film, hopefully the transparency of it will be so apparent,” Director Mr Jon Shenk said. “You can’t help but see Nasheed for what he is.”

Mr. Shenk said that in addition to raising awareness about climate change, he now wants his film to convince the world that Mr. Nasheed was deposed in a coup that was orchestrated by loyalists to the former dictator, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

“That might be the single most important thing that the movie can do,” Mr. Shenk, who co-directed the critically acclaimed documentary “Lost Boys of Sudan” (2003), said in a telephone interview from his office in San Francisco. “It’s now clear that this new government is not democratic, that the people who run the ministries are the same people who were there under the dictator.”

One scene, in which Mr. Nasheed is in his waiting room speaking to a citizen, appears to foreshadow the more recent turmoil in the country. It’s July 2009, three months before Mr. Nasheed would make an important speech in Copenhagen. A tired Mr. Nasheed confesses to the man that he is increasingly powerless to do what he wants because domestic opposition is hardening against him.

In a sense “Island President” is the biggest media event Mr. Nasheed could have hoped for, though the attention he now needs has more to do with his country’s domestic political turmoil then climate change.

The film comes as rival factions are presenting to the rest of the world vastly different narratives of what happened on Feb. 7, when Mr. Nasheed stepped down, and what should happen next.

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Pension Office reveals details of benefits

CEO of the Pension Office Mohamed Hussain Manik has told the media that the Retirement Pension Scheme holds more than Rf1 billion, with Rf50 million received each month from 7,100 contributors.

He discussed the nature of the funds investments, saying that the Pension Act’s stipulations allow only for investment in companies listed on the Capital Market Development Authority (CMDA).

“We can’t invest in anything risky; we have to make safe investments. So we can’t invest in just anything,” said Manik. The fund has invested Rf100 million in Dhiraagu shares.

Foreign nationals are now also eligible to take part in the pension scheme if they register before April 2014 and will be able to draw on their pension after reaching 65 years old, even if they reside abroad.

From January the amount received for those over 65 is Rf 2,300. 15,176 people currently receive this sum each month.

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Aircraft makes emergency landing at INIA

A Thomson Airways Boeing 767 aircraft made an emergency landing at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) on Wednesday morning, shortly after taking off at 10:41am.

INIA issued a statement that the
“The aircraft declared a Full Emergency after departure due to a technical fault with the aircraft avionics,” said INIA in a statement.

“Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) implemented its procedures for a Full Emergency in conjunction with Maldives National Defence Forces (MNDF), Malé Health Corporation and
other concerned agencies.”

The aircraft landed safely at 11:46am, with no harm to the 230 passengers and crew on board.

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MBC broadcast ethics talks set to conclude

Discussions between national media organisations designed to outline new ethical standards for broadcasters based in the country are set to conclude today, Sun Online has reported.

The two day talks, which are being overseen by the Maldives Broadcast Commission (MBC), commenced yesterday at the Islamic Centre in a bid to outline and inform local media and the public about how broadcasters should be acting.

Today’s session is reportedly set to establish revisions to the existing MBC Code of Ethics based upon suggestions from attendees.

“These regulations do not limit broadcasters from having their own editorial policies or other standards that they wish to follow. However they should not act against the basic guidelines,” MBC Director General Mohamed Nasih was quoted as saying by local media.

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Airline start-up bucks trend in Maldives: New York Times

At a time when many airlines are filing for bankruptcy or consolidating routes, George Weinmann is jumping into the industry with a start-up, writes Ron Gluckman for the New York Times.

Mr Weinmann, the chief executive of Mega Maldives Airlines, is going after a growing niche, linking increasingly affluent China with the Maldives, a tiny island nation. The American entrepreneur says he has the right ingredients to make it a success: lucrative landing rights in an expanding market, an international network of contacts and crucial government approvals.

“Over the next 10 years, the Maldives can become the playground in the backyard of India and China, similar to the way the Caribbean is to the U.S.A. and Canada,” Mr Weinmann said.

Still in its second year, the start-up recently added Chongqing to its network of flights between the Maldivian capital of Malé and Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Selling mainly to group tours organised by travel agents, Mega Maldives has grown to about 180 employees, twice the number when flights started in January 2011.

His start-up is all the more ambitious given that the airline industry is hammered by rising fuel prices and cutthroat competition.

“This is an industry where, even if you make $1 billion one year, you can lose $1 billion another year,” noted Martin Craigs, who spent most of his career in aviation, but now is chief executive of the Pacific Asia Travel Association.

Mega Maldives has faced its own challenges, particularly after street protests in February, when President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives stepped down — or was forced out in a coup, as he says. China reacted nervously; many carriers canceled flights.

“We’ll keep flying,” Mr. Weinmann said in February, soon after the unrest hit the islands. “But for how long, it’s hard to say. Right now the planes are still full, but people just aren’t booking” in advance.

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Obama nominates new ambassador to Maldives

Michelle J Sison has been nominated as the new Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. President Obama made the announcement as part of a series of administrative appointments that included the appointment of Brett McGurk as Ambassador to Iraq.

“Our nation will be greatly served by the talent and expertise these individuals bring to their new roles.  I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this Administration, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead,” said President Obama.

Sison, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, is currently the Assistant Chief of Mission for Law Enforcement and Rule of Law Assistance in Iraq. She also served as US Ambassador to Lebanon between 2008 and 2010.

Sison will replace Patricia Butenis who has served in the same position since 2009.

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MDP’s Lonuziyaaraiy Kolhu case continues

Further specifics of the government’s case against the Madivian Democratic Party (MDP) emerged duing the continuation of the Lonuziyaaraiy Kolhu case yesterday.

As the hearings neared their conclusion, the state was given the opportunity to defend itself against the charges levelled against it following the dismantling of the ‘Justice Square’ camp on Monday March 19.

Deputy Solicitor General of Attorney General’s (AG) Office Ahmed Usham, presented video and pictoral evidence to the court which, he argued, proves illegal activity was occurring on the site.

He also told the court that the MDP had breached the terms of the lease agreement with the council, utilising space beyond the boundaries of the agreed upon Tsunami Monument area. This claim was contested by the MDP.

Usham also suggested that the lease was made on the condition that the camp’s activities remained legal, did not disturb the local residents, and were respectful of prayer times; conditions that he argued were breached.

Finally, the government representative suggested that Male’ City Council’s (MCC) lease of the area for political purposes was in contravention of the decentralisation regulation which prohibits the use of public space for political purposes.

The MDP maintains that the seizure cannot be legal if it was not supported by a court order. They also pointed out that the alleged discovery of alcohol in the area had not yet been proven in court.

The case is scheduled to continue on Thursday.

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MBC to hold talks after TVM appears on list of threats to Indian national security

The Maldives Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) is to hold meetings with the Indian High Commission in response to reports that Television Maldives (TVM), the Maldivian state broadcaster, has been labelled a threat to Indian national security on the website indiantelevision.com, reports local media.

“We are more concerned over it especially as it is the state television being labeled as a threat. As this is just a report published in the media, we want to verify the truth behind it through the relevant authorities,” Haveeru have reported Deputy President of MBC Mohamed Shaheeb as having said.

According to the website in question, the issue has been filed with the Indian Parliament and relates to the content broadcast on TVM.

TVM Chief Executive Mohamed “Mondhu” Asif has denied that the channel broadcasts content that could harm Indian security. It has been alleged that 24 other TV stations were receiving similar treatment from the Indian government.

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