Police have said that this morning the dead body of a 32 year-old man was discovered inside an apartment in Hulhumale’.
The police identified the individual as Ibrahim Abubakuru from Makudhoo Island in Haa Dhaalu Atoll.
Police said that they received information about the case this morning at about 6 30 am, and declined to reveal further details on the case as it is currently under investigation.
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(0)Police have raided two safari boats docked at Hulhumale’ and seized alcohol bottles that were stored in the safari boats in violation of the regulations.
According to police, last night (24 December 2013) at about 7:55 pm police raided two safari boats named ‘Handhu’ and Handhu falhi’ after receiving information that these boats have been trading alcohol illegally.
Police said that a total of 106 bottles of alcohol and 784 cans were seized in the operation.
The bottles and cans seized by the police were stored in violation to the regulation on usage of alcohol and poke.
No arrests were made during the operation, however, police said the Drug Enforcement Department was investigating the case.
(0)Dislikes(0)Police have launched a joint special program with the Hulhumale’ Development Corporation (HDC) to make Hulhumale’ a peaceful place for visitors and residents of Hulhumale’.
The program which was launched today will continue until 14 January.
According to the police, there will be special programs conducted to ensure that the streets of Hulhumale’ are peaceful for pedestrians and vehicles.
The police is to increase patrolling around the areas of ferry terminal and different areas of Hulhumale’ and also said they will try to stop crimes before they occur.
Police will try not to give opportunity to park motorbikes in violation to the regulations.
Furthermore, the police said that they will work together with the Hulhumale’ Development Corporation to install street lights on streets that are dark.
On December 10, the police established a 100 day road-map and started implementing it in order to strengthen the work of police and to gain the trust of the people.
The road-map was based on four main strategies which seek to increase and enhance operational activities, conduct activities to curb crime, enhance and hasten investigations, and improve the police institution.
(0)Dislikes(0)The government has announced a plan to open an international standard multi-speciality hosipital in Hulhumale’, and asked for submission of proposals to develop and manage it for a minimum period of 35 years.
The Hulhumale’ multi-speciality hospital will be the first of its kind in the country, offering specialist treatment for a variety of ailments. The government intends to run it as a public private partnership project, where the developer must design and finance the project themselves.
President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration has held separate weekly press conferences on its economic, education and social policies. The government has announced a raft of ambitious plans, including the building of a bridge between Malé and Hulhumalé and developing regional airports.
The hospital will have 337 beds, and will be of a standard which can cater to both local and foreign patients, Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed said in a press conference held today.
Minister of Gender and Health Mariyam Shakeela provided details; 309 of these beds will be reserved for in-patients, with the remaining 28 beds being used in the Intensive Care Unit. She stated that it is a key objective of the government to ensure that citizens are able to obtain quality healthcare at inexpensive rates.
She further stated that one reason a multi-speciality hospital is located in Hulhumale’ is to avoid probable over-crowding in capital Male’ City’s state-owned hospital IGMH upon introduction of new and better services. She said that this would lead to a decrease in the number of citizens seeking medical services abroad.
While the government has not yet decided on a particular site to build the hospital, Shakeela said that all efforts will be put in to attempt to find a location agreeable to both the state and the party developing the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Maldives National Defense Forces (MNDF) has said it will upgrade the military hospital Senahiya and open it up for the public.
Plans for a similar hospital in Hulhumale’ were first discussed in 2004 during former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s administration.
In 2009, then President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration also held discussions on the matter in the National Planning Council.
The previous government headed by former President Mohamed Waheed also announced for proposals twice in 2012, with just one applicant the first time, and none during the second. The government will provide them with a plot of land as state equity.
Economic Minister Saeed expressed confidence that although previous governments could not find interested companies to develop the hospital, he believed that “the current government will successfully achieve this as investor trust is rapidly increasing in recent days”.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Economic Ministry has announced the opening of a bidding process for a bridge to be built between Male and Hulhumale at a press briefing held at the President’s Office today.
“We are looking for a party to design, operate and maintain [the bridge]. This means commercial components will have to come with this,” said Tourism Minister Ahmed Adheeb this afternoon.
“That is how this will become sustainable. As you know, a bridge will not be sustainable in the Maldives if it relies solely on the traffic. So, this will come with commercial components. It will become a very big investment.”
An announcement calling for expressions of interest has been placed in the government gazette today, with offers requested for the building, maintenance and operation of the bridge linking the two largest urban areas in the Greater Male’ area.
Bids from domestic and international parties will be accepted until December 29.
Minister of Economic Development Mohamed Saeed described the building of the bridge as a “challenge”, but said the task is one of the key pledges of the coalition government.
He wants bridge work to start as soon as possible, promising that when the concession is awarded, investors will not suffer damages, and that the project will receive “protection” from the Maldives constitution.
Investor confidence in the Maldives had been negatively impacted under the Presidency of Dr Mohamed Waheed.
The country’s largest ever foreign direct investment deal – the US$500million lease to re-develop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport – was unilaterally terminated by the government late last year.
Arbitration proceedings are continuing in Singapore, with Indian infrastructure giant GMR claiming US$1.4billion for “wrongful termination”.
Similarly, Malaysian firm Nexbis was given just two weeks to leave the country after the government terminated its deal to install and operate a border control system after the government suggested the MDP-brokered deal was causing “major losses” to the state.
The idea of a bridge linking connecting the islands of Male’ and Hulhumale’ – an artificially reclaimed island built to combat the rising population of Male – was proposed during the presidency of Mohamed Nasheed in 2011.
The building of a bridge was to accompany the Veshi Fahi Male’ de-congestion programme – a flagship project of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) government under its manifesto pledge to provide affordable housing.
The project was launched on November 10, 2010 to ease congestion in the capital and develop the Greater Male’ Region, consisting of Hulhumale’, Vili-Male’, Thilafushi industrial island and Gulhifalhu.
Following the ousting of Nasheed’s administration in February 2012, his successor President Mohamed Waheed announced it had been trying to get a US$150 million loan (MVR 2.31 billion) from Turkey’s Exim bank to fund the project.
(0)Dislikes(0)A man in Hulhumale’ has been arrested for allegedly attempting a string of robberies whilst wearing a Niqab – the full face veil worn by some Muslim women.
Local media reported that the 40 year-old man was arrested for robbery and possession of pornography.
No further details of this case have as yet emerged.
(0)Dislikes(0)Police have concluded the investigation into a case where a Maldivian man and a Sri Lankan woman are alleged to have had sex in Hulhumale’, and have sent the case to the Prosecutor General’s Office for prosecution.
In a statement issued the police identified the two as Mohamed Didi, 41, of Male and Dhamika Siriyala, 41, from Sri Lanka.
Police said on May 13, 2013, they were caught inside a room in Hulhumale’ rented on a daily basis.
The investigation into the case was concluded on August 25 and sent to PG the same day.
(0)Dislikes(0)Police have searched more than 1100 expatriate workers in an ongoing hunt for a foreign national accused of raping a 19 year-old Maldivian girl in Hulhumale last weekend.
The victim was snatched from the street and raped her in some bushes near Reethi Gas Magu Road. at around 9:30am on Saturday.
Police have not revealed the attacker’s nationality, but have described him as 5 feet 7 inches in height with shortly trimmed hair, last seen on the 10:00am Saturday ferry to Male nursing a badly-injured left forefinger.
According to a police statement, 334 workers were search in 23 locations on Hulhumale, 400 in Male, and 438 on the industrial island of Thilafushi.
Police said many people who travelled on the 10:00am ferry would have seen the suspect, and asked for anybody with more information to contact either the main police line (332 2111) or the serious and organised crime department on 991 1099.
The incident was the second of three rapes to be reported in less than a week.
On July 30 police arrested four men and one minor in connection with the gang rape of a 17 year-old girl on the island of Milandhoo in Shaviyani Atoll.
The victim was abducted, gang raped and filmed by a ‘large group’ of men, after she was abducted while walking home after attending a tuition class.
Two more suspects have since been arrested.
On July 27 an underage female was reportedly raped in a house in Male’, where she had gone to meet a friend.
Family and Child Protection Department Head, Chief Inspector Hassan Shifau said when the victim arrived at house there were three males in a room waiting for her, who threatened her, forced her to smoke cigarettes, and then forced her to have sex with them and filmed the incident.
Police have since arrested four males in connection with the incident, including two minors.
(0)Dislikes(0)President Dr Mohamed Waheed has expressed hope that more housing will be made exclusively available for police and military officers, while speaking at a ceremony to hand over 50 flats on Hulhumale’ to law enforcement officials yesterday (August 2).
Speaking at last night’s ceremony in Male’, the president said the whole nation should recognise the role that the police and Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) played towards maintaining law, order and national security. He also called on officers to “uphold the constitution” and help ensure a peaceful election next month.
The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) meanwhile has raised concerns whether the 50 flats – which it contends forms part of the “Veshi Fahi” Male’ (decongestion) project launched under the previous government in 2011 – were being given to the “needy” and most deserving.
Since President Waheed’s government came to power during the controversial transfer of power on February 7, 2012, which followed a mutiny by sections of the police and military, more than 1000 officers have been promoted, while 110 new police officers were hired.
A housing scheme was also introduced for police officers, with 300 flats to be constructed in Hulhumale’, arrangements were made for cheap accommodation in Sri Lanka for police officers and their families and a loan scheme was set up for police officers.
According to the President’s Office website, while handing over 50 flats to specially selected officers yesterday, Dr Waheed also praised the majority of police officers who had served the nations for a long period of time under “difficult living conditions”.
He also praised Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz, who took office following a mutiny by certain officers that led to former President Mohamed Nasheed’s resignation in February 2012, for the “developmental achievements” to the institution made during his tenure.
Police Spokesperson Chief Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News today that the 50 officers presented with housing were required to undergo an “internal” selection procedure, based on specific criteria outlined by the institution itself.
Haneef explained that all officers who applied for the housing were then judged on a points system using the aforementioned internal criteria, with the “top 50” officers being selected.
“Big concern”, MDP claims
MDP MP and Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said it was “very concerning” that police should be given flats exclusively, to the detriment of teachers, doctors and other civilians. He also questioned how officers themselves had been selected for the process.
“The intention for these flats was for the needy and people who deserved them. This is why these flats were built,” he added.
Ghafoor claimed that while some of the officers may have deserved the housing, which he said had been set aside from the “Veshi Fahi” Male’ program established under the former government, there was concern that some officers involved in last year’s mutiny had been rewarded with flats.
President Waheed awarded the housing days after Commissioner Riyaz declared that police will continue to refuse any orders the deemed “unconstitutional”. The comments were made as Riyaz expressed concern over leaked proposals for reforming the country’s security forces allegedly devised by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) should it win the upcoming presidential election.
“I don’t want to say anything specifically about something that has been prepared politically or for a political purpose, but we do have a constitution and the MPS is an institution formed by the constitution,” he said, speaking just over a month ahead of the 2013 presidential election.
Proposals in the paper – leaked on social media earlier this month – include transferring the police to the authority of city councils, similar to the system in the US, while providing salaries and allowances of officers through the Local Government Authority (LGA).
The commissioner also rejected the professional capacity of individuals behind the reforms, which he claimed sought to “dismantle” and undermine the large role security services play in the country.
“I’d like to tell the MDP that they should clarify whether it is their policy or not. If it is their policy, it is of great concern. This [police] institution will be very concerned,” he said.
“Politicians should not try to play with this institution. Help this institution develop. Work to make this institution more responsible. To make it operationally accountable. Don’t use political influence to carry out political objectives through this institution.”
Riyaz alleged that certain senior government figures over the last three years had attempted to limit or weaken police in the country through the use of political influence that led to officers “straying from their path”.
He insinuated that police would not allow a similar event to happen again.
The opposition MDP have continued to question the legitimacy of the leaked reform proposals, claiming the party had no knowledge of such a document, despite backing the idea of a ”transitional arrangement” to reform the country’s security forces after last year’s power transfer.
The opposition party continues to maintain that former President Mohamed Nasheed was deposed in a “coup d’etat” after being forced to resign from office following a mutiny by sections of the police and military.
The allegations were later rejected by a Commonwealth-backed Commission of National Inquiry (CoNI) that ruled that there had been “no coup, no duress and no mutiny”, while also calling for action taken against unlawful acts committed by the country’s security forces following the transfer.
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