Tag: island councillor

DRP claims Lhohi arrests were politically motivated

The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has expressed concern that five arrests made in Lhohi island, Noonu Atoll last Friday were politically motivated.

Police Sub Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed five people were arrested in Lhohi last Friday night for starting a fight. He said they were taken to the island’s court and were being kept for seven days while investigations continue.

Two other people were injured in the fight and were taken to hospital, Shiyam said, but they were not seriously injured.

Shiyam noted the fight was most likely “unrelated to politics,” but added that as the investigation is ongoing, there was a possibility it this might prove otherwise.

Spokesperson for the DRP Ibrahim Shareef said “the island councillor planned all of this.”

He said “the boys who were arrested weren’t even on the island” but were attending a DRP rally in Miladhu. “When they returned, police were waiting for them, and accused them of a mugging.”

Shareef said the five men arrested were DRP activists on Lhohi and the island councillor arrested them for political reasons. “The island councillor burned the DRP flag,” he added.

He said “very strange things are happening,” on the islands, most of which “the leadership in Malé doesn’t know about.”

A source at the Lhohi island office told Minivan News the fight was “nothing political,” but was rather an act of revenge.

The source said a man was attacked by five people “because he had tried to push another man’s wife earlier.”

After sunset, the woman’s husband and brother, along with some of their friends, attacked the man and beat him, the source claimed. “He was injured and taken to hospital,” he said, adding that the man was now recovering.

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Thirty coconut palms vandalised on Nadella

A group of people have cut down 30 coconut palm trees on the island of Nadella in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, the same area where President Mohamed Nasheed had promised to develop a football stadium.

Councilor of Nadella Abbas Ali told Minivan News that given that the price of one grown palm tree was Rf500 a sapling Rf100, the incident on Monday night represented a total loss Rf3500 to the community.

“Some of the people earn money by selling coconuts and items made from palm trees,” he said.

”In that area there are 430 palm trees belonging to 25 people. It is a very big loss for some people.”

”Apparently they had used electric or petrol saws.”

Abbas said the Island office informed about it to the police yesterday morning.

He said the islanders had disputed the development of a football stadium in the area because recently land was reclaimed to develop the stadium in another area.

He said the palm trees were growing 300 feet away from where people lived.

Mohamed Rasheed, a man who lost two palm trees in the incident, said the trees had belonged to his grandfather and he had been waiting for them to get old so he could use the logs.

”I also use the palm trees to get coconuts,” he said.

Head of Gaafu Dhaalu police station Ahmed Naseeh said the police yet to begin investigating the case.

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