Construction work has begun on the convention centre to be built in Addu City ahead of this year’s SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) summit, reports Haveeru.
According to Ameen Construction, work on the site will continue night and day as the company hopes to complete the centre by August this year.
The Foreign Ministry is meanwhile preparing to select candidates from Addu and Fuvahmulah for training ahead of the regional summit.
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(0)Police spokesperson Sub-Inspector Ahmed Ali confirmed that police were called around 4:00am this morning and are investigating the incident.
“A group of people went to the island and had a confrontation with staff. Staff at the resort held the suspects,” he said, confirming that they were Maldivian nationals. “When police arrived there was a body in front of the jetty.”
Sub-Inspector Ali declined to provide further details until the conclusion of the investigation.
General Manager of Baros, Jonathan Blitz, said the resort could not comment on the matter as it was under police investigation.
Minivan News understands that the deceased is 20 year-old Ali ‘Immortal’ Shafiu.
According to sources familiar with the incident, Shafiu was among a group of four masked men who arrived on the island at 3:30am.
He allegedly drowned while attempting to escape in one of the resort’s vessels, after security staff spotted the intruders.
One of the suspects was apprehended by resort staff, while the remaining two were arrested by police when they were found hiding in a resort boat in the lagoon.
It is not known if the men were armed, however no staff member or guest on the island was harmed during the incident, Minivan News was told.
Friends of the victim in Male’ who were present when the body was brought to hospital claimed Shafiu was dead when he was pulled from the water. The body appeared to have three head wounds, one of them “one and a half inches deep”, the source claimed.
The three remaining men are now under police custody.
Baros is the second Maldivian resort this year to suffer an attempted robbery by people from outside the island.
In Janurary, staff at Kihaadhuffaru in Baa Atoll were threatened by a group of masked men brandishing machetes and swords, who escaped in a dingy with the resort’s safe.
A receptionist was reportedly gagged with tape and restrained with a cable tie during the incident.
Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said at the time that he did not believe resorts would need to review existing security measures in light of the Kihaadhuffaru theft.
(0)Dislikes(0)Syrian authorities are reported to have opened fire on protesters gathered outside a mosque in the city of Deraa killing at least five people under a government crackdown on protests, as political struggles continue to rock a number of Middle Eastern and African nations.
News of the deaths reflects continued uncertainty in Syria, Yemen and Libya, where reports of dissatisfaction and uprisings by swathes of their respective populations has led to violent confrontations, which in certain cases have led to bombing interventions by foreign military.
The BBC today said that five people were believed to have died as Syrian security forces opened fire on protesters in the streets outside Deraa’s Omari mosque as anti-government protests that begun in the country on Friday have continued to rage, leading to at least 10 fatalities.
The British news service also reported that Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi used his first public address in a week to speak within a compound that appeared to have been destroyed during air strikes from a coalition of western nations, where he stated his continued defiance to rebels and foreign armed forces working to oppose him.
Following the UN Security Council’s resolution authorising military intervention in Libya, France, the UK and the US have attacked targets across the country in an effort to dismantle Gaddafi’s ability to contest a no fly zone, and prevent a retaliatory attack on targets like the rebel–occupied city of Benghazi.
According to the BBC, the Libyan leader called on “all Islamic armies” to join his opposition of rebels and foreign forces that have claimed to be attacking strategic points of Gaddafi’s governance and military power.
“Long live Islam everywhere. All Islamic armies must take part in the battle, all free [people] must take part in the battle… We will be victorious in the end,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Meanwhile, the New York Times has claimed that the rescue by US troops of an American pilot and a weapons officer who crashed in Libya has led to some difficult questions for the foreign coalition in the country. The paper reported that American forces stood accused of dropping two 500-pound bombs during the rescue operation raising the possibility of civilian casualties.
The rescued soldiers remain aboard a US vessel in the waters surrounding the African nation, but the paper reported that the Pentagon did not know whether any civilians were killed by the bombs dropped in Yemen. An unnamed Marine Corps officer in the Mediterranean denied that any shots had been fired at civilians during the incident, according to the paper.
Al Jazeera meanwhile reported that air strikes instigated by foreign powers from across Europe and America – provisionally under the basis to try and enforce a no-fly zone over Libya – have not appeared to halt Gaddafi’s attacks on rebel forces made up of fellow countrymen that oppose him.
“Undaunted by air strikes launched by coalition warplanes aimed at enforcing a no-fly zone, pro-Gaddafi forces have pressed ahead with their assaults on the towns of Misurata, Ajdabiya and Zintan in the past 24 hours,” the news agency has said.
In trying to oppose the Libyan leader’s military muscle, Al Jazeera claimed that rebel forces were outgunned and had “little command structure” to oppose state attacks.
Meanwhile, amidst the conflict in Libya, Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who also faces criticisms and calls to step down from his own people, has claimed that the country could potentially face civil war if he was forced from office.
Saleh, who also stands accused of using security forces to violently suppress protests among his people, is reported to have offered to stand down from his post at the end of the year under what he has said would be a “constitutional” transfer of power.
Al Jazeera reported though that the offer coincided with the president imposing a national state of emergency following violent “crackdowns” on anti-government protests with unconfirmed reports of 41 people having died in the capital of Sanaa alone due to the unrest.
According to the news agency, skepticism remains over Saleh’s reported offer after similar vows to stand down from the presidency back in 2005 did not come to pass. Saleh has been president since 1978.
The 22-member Arab League, which has previously called for a no-fly zone across Libya on the grounds that Gaddafi has been bombing his own people, has also moved to condemn Yemen’s leader for “crimes against civilians”, calling for a peaceful resolution to the country’s unrest.
The political unrest has continued following the fall in February of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Tunsian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, spreading to potential uprisings in other nations including Jordan and Algeria to Syria, Libya and Bahrain.
Mubarak, who was in power for 30 years, finally gave in after weeks of protests and stepped down from the presidency, handing power to an interim military government last month.
Swiss authorities announced following his resignation that they were freezing assets belonging to Mubarak and his family, pressuring the UK to do the same. Mubarak is thought to have a personal fortune of US$70 billion stashed across various bank accounts and property holdings all over the world.
That the people of one of the Middle East’s largest, oldest and most populated countries could not only overthrow but seek justice against a 30 year autocracy has sparked a wave of political dissent in the region.
The UK’s Guardian newspaper reported one senior western official of claiming at the time that “there has been an awakening of political awareness among the young who have been waiting for solutions that have never come and are not really in the menu now. They are saying: ‘Why should we carry on like this?’”
(0)Dislikes(0)The UK will contribute £6 million to maritime surveillance in the Indian Ocean in a bid to contain the spread of pirates in the Indian Ocean, as part of a £5.3 million counter piracy programme conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The money will also be used to increase prison capacity in Somalia and across the Indian ocean. £600,000 will also be provided to fund enhanced optical imagery equipment for the Seychelles Coastguard to allow surveillance aircraft to take high image quality video and photographs.
“This will aid the capture of the pirates and provide valuable evidence in court cases. The fuel tanks of the aircraft will also be upgraded to enable them to fly longer distances,” the UK High Commission to Sri Lanka and the Maldives said in a statement.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, said that there are currently around 820 Somali pirates “either serving sentences or awaiting trial around the world. I am pleased that the UK’s new support to counter piracy efforts in the Indian Ocean will aid the location, capture and detention of pirates across the region.”
Increased counter-piracy activity in the Gulf of Aden has led to pirates spreading outwards into the Indian Ocean. Several boatloads of lost and malnourished pirates were rescued by islanders in the Maldives last year, presenting the government with a major international legal headache.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Maldives will issue soverign guarantees to infrastructure development projects funded by private sector, after a Cabinet meeting yesterday finalising the mechanisms to be used.
The Ministry of Finance and Treasury proposed a limit of Rf 125 million (US$9.7 million) annually to support the private sector to raise funds as part of the government’s policy to increase private sector participation in national development. This would not be issued to individuals.
Cabinet decided yesterday that when a project involves expenditure not included in the budget or approved by the People’s Majlis, the President would send the project for Majlis’ consent on issuing a sovereign guarantee.
Cabinet also decided yesterday to establish a National Food and Nutrition Council, that would oversee food and nutrition policy, and approved the Maldives’ participation in the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Cabinet has
The Cabinet finalized mechanisms to issue sovereign guarantees yesterday, in accordance with the Public Finance Act, to infrastructure development projects funded by the private sector.
The paper presented at yesterday’s cabinet meeting, by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, on the matter proposed to issue Guarantees to a limit of Rf125 million annually, to help the private sector to raise funds as part of the government’s policy to increase private sector participation in national development.
However, this Guarantee will not be issued to individuals operating in the private sector.
The Cabinet agreed that, if a project involves an item included in the budget or an expense approved by the Parliament, the President would decide on issuing a Guarantee after the Minister of Finance and Treasury presents the project with recommendations.
However, the Cabinet decided that, when a project involves expenditure not included in the budget or approved by the parliament, the President would send the project for Parliamentary approval over issuance of a sovereign guarantee.
At yesterday’s meeting, the Cabinet also decided to establish a National Food and Nutrition Council.
The proposed National Food and Nutrition Council will oversee food and nutrition policy making and implementation of programmes, to ensure inclusion of all stakeholders in these processes to realize national targets for food security and nutrition.
The council, to be headed by Vice President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, will include policy makers from the relevant authorities.
In addition, the Cabinet approved the Maldives’ participation in the International Organization for Migration (IOM), today.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to complete necessary arrangements for the Maldives’ participation in the organization.
(0)Dislikes(0)Management at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort have confirmed that a “number” of it staff have resorted to strike action at the site over alleged disputes with management.
Minivan News understands that Maldives tourism authorities have sent a team to the site to try and resolve the dispute.
In a statement the resort, which is part of the multi-national hospitality group Hilton Worldwide, said that it was working to try and resolve the strikes as quickly as possible, while prioritising the safety and security of employees and guests.
Head of the Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM), Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Easa, alleged that some staff at the resort had resorted to the action over concerns about possible discrimination between the earnings of local and expatriate staff.
The resort statement did not confirm any key grievances of staff involved in the strike action. The company did claim though that all its employees, or “team members” as they are known, received equal service charge payments, along with being offered the fourth highest service charge allocations of resorts operating in the country and various staff amenities including a gym and recreation areas.
Easa said that he believed that the Conrad resort was widely considered a “beautiful” property with a very good management that took care of its staff. However, he claimed that some staff at the resort were contending that there was an issue of discrimination relating to staff earnings based on nationality. He conceded he did not yet have full details of the strike action.
“From what I understand, the issue has been created by the resort’s general manager not communicating with staff over concerns about discrimination between European and Maldivian staff,” he said.
TEAM said it was therefore calling on the workers involved with the strikes to sit down and find an amicable resolution to potential concerns held by both parties and try to establish any truth in these grievances.
Easa said there had been claims from staff that Maldivian workers had been receiving different salary rates and accommodation standards when compared to their European counterparts. He added that there were also criticisms that local workers’ services charge payments were being split unevenly on similar grounds.
The TEAM president said that he would therefore look to clarify the current allegations concerning employers striking at the resort and what action could possibly be taken in regards to resolving the dispute.
“We hope that the company will meet with both sides and not just listen to senior management before deciding if the allegations are true or false,” he said. “However, if employees are wrong in their accusations, we will say they are wrong. Both the employer and the employee have rights under the Maldives constitution.”
In its statement, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island rejected claims that service charges were kept by the property itself or undistributed unevenly, adding that management were proud with the level of staff satisfaction in its annual team member survey.
“The resort has a sector-leading reputation for our team member training programmes. We offer opportunities for promotion and career advancement and wherever possible recruit from within,” the company stated. “We also have a highly developed employee representation structure to ensure all employees can express their points of view to the management team.”
The statement claimed additionally that management at the site constantly sought to review rates of pay in order to make adjustments based on “current market conditions” for its staff, which are made up of 70 percent Maldivian workers and 30 percent of expatriates from 25 different countries.
“In addition to the service charge allocation, team members receive a range of additional benefits including access to a team member soccer pitch, some of the best team member accommodation in the Maldives, a recreation area, gym, internet café and regular team sporting and social activities,” the statement said.
Back in November, a bill was passed to the Majlis’ National Security Committee concerning possible amendments to regulations for industrial action at the country’s resort properties
The bill was initially passed to pariliament in August by the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) in attempts to try and curb strikes such as those seen last year at Kurumba resort that reduced occupancy rates to zero for a period.
Parliamentary debate over the bill has seen both fierce opposition and support from figures across the tourism industry, who have argued that current unregulated strike action is detrimental to travel income.
Secretary General of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) Sim Mohamed Ibrahim, said at the time of the debates that that the organisation was not looking to prevent strikes.
However, Ibrahim added that the association was looking to prevent strikes from taking place directly on private resort property.
“No striking on the resort is a fundamental right of the owner,” he said. “You don’t strike on the shop floor.”
An resort employee told newspaper Haveeru that staff were protesting in the staff recreation area “in such a way that it would not cause any disturbance to the tourists.”
(0)Dislikes(0)A taxi driver has been reported to police for allegedly trying to sexually assault a girl inside the cab.
Police Lance Corporal Abdul Majeed Moosa told Minivan News that the incident occurred in Male’ inside a taxi yesterday.
”No person was so far arrested in connection with the case,” he said. ”We are now investigating the case.”
Local media has reported that the girl was 20 years-old and had called the taxi dispatch to send a taxi to take her home during her break at noon yesterday.
Instead the cab driver allegedly took her to a pickup parking lot near the Customs Office in Maafannu and attempted to take advantage of her, according to local medias, tearing her dress in an attempt to remove her clothes.
Media reported that the girl cried out and tried to knock on the car windows during the attempted rape, but the car had darkly tinted windows.
Then the driver took to Chandanee Magu, where she escaped and ran home.
The driver had tried to hold her inside the taxi by covering her mouth using his hands, however the girl attacked him with a pin, local media reported.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Supreme Court has said that refusing to follow a decision made by a superior court violates the constitution and violates the Judges Act.
The Supreme Court’s statement comes after Civil Court Judge Mohamed Naeem said he would not accept cases concerning the state because the parliament had not then decided whether to give consent to reappointed Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad.
Sawad has now been dismissed by the parliament for the second time, following his second reappointment by President Mohamed Nasheed.
The Supreme Court’s statement said that judges should at all times avoid any matters that could harm the reputation of the judiciary or cause people to lose confidence in the justice system.
The court also noted that it was against the code of conduct of the judges to disobey a decision made by a superior court.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has formed a sub-committee to investigate judge Naeem after he told the press that he had decided not to accept cases concerning the state, despite the High Court’s decision to accept cases.
Judge Naeem revealed that the Civil Court judges were split on the issue, however the majority of the judges said they wanted to accept and conduct trials of cases concerning the state despite the fact that Dr Sawad’s appointment procedure was then not completed.
President’s Member of the JSC, Aishath Velezinee, has stated on her Article 285 blog that “Judge Naeem has been under investigation since the interim Commission, [for] nearly two years. No updates on the investigation [have been] tabled despite the legal requirement that a report must be submitted in writing every 30 days.”
(0)Dislikes(0)The Criminal Court’s Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed has said that none of 47 persons arrested by police and brought to the court for extension of detention following the gang murder of 21 year-old Ahusan Basheer were connected with the case.
”Nobody arrested was brought in connection to the murder case,” said the Chief Judge, after the string of arrests.
Police began a special operation in Male’ after the murder case, and reported that more than 50 persons were arrested.
”Police said those persons who were brought before the judges were persons were planning assaults,” Abdulla said. ”Some of them were released but most of them are still kept in detention.”
Police will need some time to investigate and collect evidence, he added.
Local media quoted the Chief Judge as saying ”while persons were arrested to that amount there were nobody presented with adequate evidence, in fact there were persons who cannot even be arrested [according to laws].”
Police Spokesperson Lance-Corporal Abdul Majeed Moosa told Minivan News that those arrested during the special operation was to curb the rise in gang related crimes in Male’.
”They were arrested on different charges, but now there are only a few kept in detention,” Majeed said. ”Police are currently investigating the murder case and it’s very difficult to say anything at this time.”
Ahusan Basheer was murdered on Thursday last week on one of the main roads of Male’.
After the murder, police claimed that Ibrahim Shahum was a suspect in the case and called on the public to report sightings of Shahum, who has disappeared after the murder incident.
Shahum was charged with murder but was recently released from detention after serving six months.
He was then arrested in connection with the death f a 17 year old boy who bled to death after he was stabbed while on his way to home after watching a football match.
Before the attack on Basheer, another gang attacked occurred in Henveiru, with a ganging stabbed three persons in front of crowds before fleeing, reportedly on a police officer’s private motorbike.
The incident took place on broad day light in front of many children, men and women.
Witnesses of the incident said that when the first group of police officers attended the scene, the two gangs were attacking each other, but said that the police officers waited util the gang finished their fight.
Only this week Maldivian Democratic Party MP Ibrahim Rasheed presented and withdrew an amendment to the Clemency Act to execute murderers if ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court.
Presenting the amendment, he said it was the only way to curb the rise in gang violence and referred to the recent incidents. He said people had been “chopped and sliced like fish” in the streets of Male’ during broad day light, but withdrew his amendment moments before the vote stating that we would re-submit it after the evidence bill, criminal procedure bill and bill on penal code were all enacted.
Recently a person found guilty of murder and issued a death penalty according to the penal code of the Maldives has now appealed the ruling at the High Court.
The last time the Maldives executed a person was in 1953 when a person named Hakim Didi was executed by firing squad after he was found guilty of attempting to murder by performing black Magic.
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