Tag: hulhumale

Police arrest man after group threatens to throw President’s Office adviser off ferry

President’s Office adviser Ahmed ‘Topy’ Thaufeeq has alleged to local media that he was verbally and physically harassed by supporters of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) as he tried to travel to Hulhumale’ on a public ferry yesterday (July 19).

A reporter for Sun Online claimed to have personally witnessed Thaufeeq being forced to leave the ferry at about 12:30am on Friday before it embarked on its journey. Local media reported that a group, apparently supporters of the MDP, began pushing Thaufeeq as he tried to sit down, before using abusive language and threatening to “throw him off the boat”.

Police confirmed that a 28 year-old male had been arrested on charges of indecent assault over an incident involving Thaufeeq. Police said nobody was injured in the incident, while the individual arrested at the time was not believed to be linked to any particular party.

Thaufeeq was not responding when contacted today.

President’s Office “appalled”

President Office Media secretary Masood Imad, travelling outside of Male’ at time of press, said he had not been personally made aware of the alleged harassment of Thufeeq. Masood did however call on members of the public to exercise restraint no matter their political affiliation in the build up to this year’s presidential election.

“I am surprised and am appalled, this is just not acceptable,” he said of the reported harassment of a President’s Office official. “All parties must exercise restraint before the election and be conscious of the impression we give to the international community. Irrespective of political party, we all want a transparent election.”

Masood told Minivan News that he had not himself been personally confronted by individuals while out on the streets of the Maldives, though he accepted there had been occasions where he was verbally abused by groups, who allegedly called him a ‘baaghee’ (traitor).

“It is the people calling others ‘baaghee’ who are the baaghees,” he said.

Masood claimed that he was personally careful to “mind my own business” when he was out in Male’, limiting the possibility of confrontation.  However, he said that Thaufeeq would have had very little option but to use the public ferry to travel to Hulhumale’.

“From our view, in the remaining days up to the election – presently scheduled for September 7, 2013 – people must exercise restraint with emotions and feelings running so high,” he said.

Opposition concern

The MDP today distanced itself from the alleged harassment, while questioning whether those involved truly did belong to the party.

MDP MP and Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor instead accused of the government of wishing to create conditions where the upcoming election would not be held, adding therefore that the opposition party was wary of giving any reasons to create such a situation through violence.

“We do not believe that this is really involving our supporters or those belong to the party’s colours necessarily,” he claimed. “We believe that there are attempts to smear us as a party.”

However, Ghafoor claimed that considering the controversial nature of the transfer of power that brought the present government into office on February 7, 2012, there was significant public anger towards individuals affiliated with the state.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed – presently the MDP’s presidential candidate for this year’s election – resigned from office on February 7, 2012 after sections of the police and military mutinied against him. Both Nasheed and the MDP later alleged he was ousted in a “coup d’etat”, accusations later dismissed by a Commonwealth-backed Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) that concluded there had been no coup, no duress and no mutiny.

With the MDP continuing to accuse police of violent conduct and politically-motivated arrests, Ghafoor said he had not been surprised that some government figures may face public anger in the current political climate.

“From my party’s view, they have brought this on themselves when they sided with mutineers,” he added.

Despite the claim, Ghafoor said he believed the MDP had been the most responsible party since the transfer of power by advocating for political rather than violent solutions, instead accusing government-aligned parties of turning to “thugs” to destabilise the election process.

“Things are simmering right no, so it is a major concern of the party that we do our campaigning peacefully,” he said.

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Government to proceed with second phase of Hulhumale’ reclamation, despite budget crisis

The Maldives government has signed an agreement to move ahead with the second phase of reclamation work on the island of Hulhumale’, despite claiming last week that the project could face continued delays due to limited financing.

The development of Hulhumale’ near Male as a residential area was originally intended to reduce congestion in Male – one of the most crowded cities in the world, with an estimated 55,000-60,000 people per square kilometre.

The state’s renewed commitment to the Hulhumale’ reclamation work came as the government last week revealed it was in discussion with Saudi Arabia over security a US$300 million credit facility.

Despite the state’s financial concerns, President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad said the agreement would see work commence on a second phase of land reclamation in Hulhumale’ “as soon as possible”.

On Tuesday (July 16), President Waheed told local media the reclamation work that had already been delayed in order to “clear the financial aspects of the project” would soon commence without much further delay.

“By the will of God, the project can commence in the near future after everything gets finalised,” Waheed was quoted as saying by newspaper Haveeru.

Local media reported that the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) project to reclaim 230 hectares of land suitable for residential use was estimated to cost US$60 million.

In January this year, six foreign parties reportedly expressed interest in the second phase of developing Hulhumale’, which is anticipated to be the largest project of its kind in the Maldives.

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President seeking US$300 million credit facility from Saudi Arabia for “budget support”

The government has confirmed it is in discussion with Saudi Arabia, seeking a long-term, low interest credit facility of US$300 million to help overcome “fiscal problems”.

President’s Office Spokesperson Masood Imad confirmed President Waheed had held discussions with senior Saudi Arabian dignitaries including Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud over the proposed credit facility, during his recent visit to the country.

“The president has initiated the talks so it is just a matter of working out the details now,” Masood said, explaining that the funds would be used for “budget support” and development projects.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has meanwhile said the government would still be required to secure parliamentary approval for the funding.

MDP MP and Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said that the heavily partisan parliament now effectively controlled state finances as a result of former opposition politicians – now part of President Waheed’s government – imposing tighter spending restrictions on former President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration.

Ghafoor argued that with the MDP failing to recognise the legitimacy of the present government due to the controversial transfer of power last February, he did not believe there would be support for approving the credit agreement with Saudi Arabia due to the government’s existing extravagant borrowing levels.

The party accused the current government of reckless financial management, pointing to a potential US$1.4 billion compensation bill facing the state for deciding last year to abruptly terminate a US$511 million airport development contract agreed with infrastructure group GMR.

The compensation claim amounts to four times that of the Maldives’ current state reserves should it be awarded by a Singapore court overhearing arbitration hearings between GMR and the government.

“Since we do net see this government as legitimate, we do not see why we should support them,” he said. “They have put us into debt with their handling of the airport development and another bill for a border control system.”

Earlier this month, Malaysian security firm Nexbis invoiced the Department of Immigration and Emigration for US$2.8 million (MVR 43 million) for the installation and operation of its border control system technology in the country, in line with a concession agreement signed in 2010.

Immigration Controller Dr Mohamed Ali confirmed at the time that Nexbis had submitted a bill seeking charges for the period its system has been in use, as work continues on replacing the Malaysian company’s border controls with new technology provided by the US government.

Development delays

In April this year, Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad sought authorisation from parliament to divert MVR 650 million (US$42 million) allocated for infrastructure projects in the budget to cover recurrent expenditure.

Jihad warned that government offices and independent institutions might be unable to pay salaries or electricity and phone bills if funds were not transferred from the MVR 1.8 billion (US$117 million) Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP).

Earlier the same month, Jihad also announced that the government had decided to delay all new development projects that were to be financed out of the state budget due to shortfalls in revenue.

The decision to suspend new projects was revealed after Housing Minister Dr Mohamed Muiz told local media at the time that he had been instructed not to commence any further infrastructure projects included in the 2013 budget, such as harbour construction or land reclamation.

Both Finance Minister Jihad and Economic Development Minister Ahmed Mohamed were not responding to calls from Minivan News at time of press.

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Hulhumale’ terminal port inaugurated by President Waheed

President Dr Mohamed Waheed inaugurated a new port terminal on Hulhumale’ Thursday (June 27), praising the development for the potential impact it will have on the island’s economy.

During a speech given at the inauguration, the president said that the new port formed part of his government’s commitment to providing basic facilities to Hulhumale’, as well as making it easier for the public and businesses to transport goods to and from the island.

According to the President’s Office website, Dr Waheed also underlined the importance of having a port that was joined by land to Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) – the country’s main airstrip.

He therefore expressed hope that the port would not only lead to a rise in the number of imported goods via both sea and land, but also help further development on Hulhumale’ itself.

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Lottery draw held for winners of flats under Veshi Fahi Male’ housing programme

A lottery draw among winners of flats in Male’ and Hulhumale’ under categories A and B of the Veshi Fahi Male’ housing programme took place on Sunday (June 23) to award and designate flats.

Deputy Minister of Housing Abdulla Muttalib told newspaper Haveeru yesterday (June 24) that the lottery draw took place for 100 flats in the A category and 540 flats in the B category.

He added that 100 flats in the ground floor of apartment complexes are designated for families who have dependents or children with special needs.

Muttalib also revealed that the ministry has reached an agreement with the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to lower the advance payment from MVR 28,000 (US$1,816) to MVR 19,000 (US$1,232).

He added that agreements for the flats would be signed within the next three weeks.

While winners of flats in Male’ would be awarded the flats once construction in two areas of the capital was complete, Muttalib conceded that the work undertaken by India’s TATA company was completely stalled at present.

The Veshi Fahi Male’ de-congestion programme was a flagship project of the ousted 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.

Approximately 125,000 people are believed to reside in about 16,000 households in Male’ while the total number of households in the Maldives is estimated to be 46,000.

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Police arrest five people during protest over 75 laari increase in Hulhumale’ bus fares

Police have confirmed that a total of five people were arrested during a protest on Hulhumale’ yesterday (June 14), held to raise concerns over an increase in the price of bus fares on the island.

Three males, one female and a minor remain in custody today after they were charged with offences including failing to obey instructions and breaking past police lines during the demonstration. Demonstrators reportedly highlighted a number of concerns, including a decision to raise the cost of tickets on the Hulhumale’ bus service from MVR 2.25 (US$0.15) to MVR 3 (US$0.19).

The protest, which began at 3:00pm yesterday afternoon and ended roughly three hours later, coincided with efforts by the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) to introduce new larger buses on the island, Sun Online reported.

Ismail Fariq, an executive for MTCC’s Transport Department said today that the new buses represented an MVR 8.6 million (US$558,000) investment by the company in an effort to provide a “total improvement” in service for passengers by offering air conditioning and more seating.

“The existing buses that we have been using are almost broken down, but these new buses we hope will offer a new benchmark in public transportation services,” he said.

With the new buses coming into service yesterday, Fariq said that passengers would be able to use the buses for free until tomorrow, when the new MVR 3 fare would be implemented.

He said the increased fare was essential to cover the company’s investment in the new vehicles.

“This increase in quality comes with the change in price,” Fariq argued. “As a business we need a reasonable return on investment and I do not believe that 75 laari is a big change for these improvements.

Demonstrators opposed to the increase nonetheless yesterday gathered in the area of Hulhumale’ where the new bus service was scheduled to be introduced to voice their concerns. They also demanded improvements to the ferry boat service presently operating between Hulhumale’ and the capital, according to local media.

Improvements to the ferry service were a much more pressing consumer issue than the provision of air conditioned buses in Hulhumale’, the protesters said according to Sun Online.  The criticisms were first made after the state-owned MTCC purchased four new vehicles last month.

The company was quoted in local media at the time as claiming the news vehicles would allow it to increase the capacity of daily bus passengers on Hulhumale’ from 8,000 to 10,000 people, as well as expanding the number of services it offered on the island.

In January this year the MTCC announced it would begin charging a six percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on all ferry and bus services that it operates as required by the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA).

The cost of a ticket for a single journey on the Hulhumale’ bus was as a result increased to MVR 2.12 at the time.

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Government-owned company ceases Club Faru resort operations

The Maldives Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) decided to cease operating the Club Faru resort as of May 15 this year, according to local media.

In January, the Tourism Ministry took control of the resort from the site’s previous owners following the expiry of their lease agreement.  The ministry handed control of the resort to the government-owned MTDC until phase two of the Hulhumale’ reclamation project was completed.

MTDC Managing Director Mohamed Matheen told local media that the Tourism Ministry had been notified to take over resort’s operations.

“There are no tourists on the island right now. We stopped the operation of the island, and have been temporarily taking care of the island until a decision is made,” Matheen said.

The MTDC previously requested an extension from the Tourism Ministry to the time period during which the company could operate the resort.

“We wanted to operate the island until the reclamation of Hulhumale’ begins. Even though we let tourists come to the resort, our plan was to empty and hand over the island by giving one month’s notice,” said Matheen.

“But we still don’t know when the reclamation will begin. But we have to keep some staff there to monitor the island until the government takes over,” he added.

Currently, the number of staff on Club Faru has been reduced to “about twenty”, according to Matheen.

Discussions with two foreign companies regarding phase two of the Hulhumale’ reclamation project – which includes Club Faru resort – are ongoing, according to the Housing Development Corporation (HDC).  The HDC is in charge of the Hulhumale’ development.

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31 companies express interest in Hulhumale’ residential development

The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has said 31 parties have expressed interest in developing residential complexes and row house units on the island of Hulhumale’, according to local media.

The HDC said the interested parties have been invited to submit their bids during a special meeting scheduled for next week – with the best seven proposals then being chosen, Sun Online has reported.

Under the bidding process, three of the seven overall plots of land are set aside to be developed as mixed-use residential complexes, with the remainder of plots being used for row housing.

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300 flats being built on Hulhumale’ for police officers

Three hundred flats set aside for police officers will be built on the island of Hulhumale’, Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz has announced.

The building work was announced at a function celebrating the 80th anniversary of police services in the Maldives, with the flats being built as part of efforts to “improve the welfare of servicemen and servicewomen”, the commissioner was quoted as saying by Channel News Maldives (CNM).

Additionally, a “mechanism” for police officers and their families to receive medical treatment in Sri Lankan institutions at “minimal prices” will also be introduced in April.

The Police Family Association is also being “revived to strengthen the social relations of police officers and their family ties,” Riyaz said added.

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