Tag: maldives news

Arab League calls on UN Security Council to “shoulder responsibility” of Libyan no-fly zone

The 22-member Arab League has called for a no-fly zone across Libya, arguing that President Muammar Gaddafi has compromised the country’s soverignity by using the air force to bomb his own population.

Meeting in Cairo, the League called on the UN Security Council to “shoulder its responsibility” and implement the no-fly zone. The US – which as part of NATO would undoubtedly contribute most of the military resources for such an action – has so far been leery of intervention given its controversial history in the region. US military chiefs have earlier stated that a no-fly zone would effectively be a declaration of war, as military assets such as surface-to-air missile defence systems would have to be destroyed in order to police the zone.

Backed by air cover, Gaddafi’s forces have been steadily pushing untrained and disorganised rebel militia groups back west toward their stronghold in Benghazi. Three days ago, after near-unanimous global condemnation of Gaddafi, the rebels abandoned the oil town of Ras Lanuf and surrendered in Misrata and Breqa.

A witness to the fighting in Bin Jawwad told the UK’s Independent newspaper that the rebels had been pushed back by fighters from Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Algeria, some of whom appeared to be drugged. An Al-Jazeera cameraman, Ali Hassaon Al Jaber, was killed when his vehicle came under fire near Benghazi.

The Libyan government continues to insist that the insurgents are al-Qaeda militants.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Sunni elite are reportedly entertaining the prospect of inviting Saudi Arabian forces into the country to crush growing calls for reform from the majority Shia population. Saudi police meanwhile reportedly fired at protesters in the country’s eastern town of Qatif during protests on Friday.

Seven demonstrators were also killed in Yemen, a day after police fired teargas and live ammunition at protesters injuring over 100 people.
Last week senior Maldivan officials warned that the local economy would “collapse within hours” if the price of oil were to skyrocket on the back of regional instability – particularly in Saudi Arabia.
The Maldives currently spends 25 percent of its GDP importing fuel, mostly marine diesel, and is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to oil price fluctuations.
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LDC transition progress needs upgrading, says Maldives representative to UN

The Maldives Mission to the United Nations in New York has hosted a meeting to discuss the need to assist countries such as the Maldives in graduating from Least Developed Country (LDC) status.

The Maldives was graduated to middle income under the UN’s definitions at the beginning of this year, depriving it of a number of financial concessions and eligibility for some donor aid.

The existing process of transition was underdeveloped, claimed Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the UN Ghafoor Mohamed, particularly the repeal of all special financial and technical assistance.

The Maldives has a profitable tourism industry and a GDP of over US$1 billion, however a generous taxation system and the relative isolation of this industry from the country’s economy – particularly its banking sector – has limited the benefit for ordinary Maldivians. The government has been steadily reforming the taxation of the tourism sector and has recently introduced a tourism goods and services tax and business profit tax.

Sixty delegates from various UN missions attended the meeting.

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Mauritius awards Nasheed country’s highest honour

Mauritius has awarded Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed one of the country’s highest honours, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and the Key of the Indian Ocean (GCSK).

President of Mauritius Sir Anerood Jugnauth presented Nasheed with the award over the weekend.

Among the few foreign dignitaries who has been conferred the award are Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela, and Former President of Guyana Cheddi Jagan, the President’s Office noted.

Nasheed was in the country to attend Mauritus’s National Day celebrations. During his visit, Nasheed met with Prime Minister of Mauritius Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam and discussed the creation of a body representing Indian Ocean countries to collectively promote development cooperation and common interests at the world stage.

Nasheed also discussed security cooperation, including joint economic zone surveillance.

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Budget halted for Shaviyani Atoll council pending court order

The budget for the Shaviyani Atoll council has been frozen by the national office of the upper-north region until a court decides where the council secretariat should be established, reports Haveeru.

Assets belonging to the Atoll Office and Atoll House will be placed under the care of the police and national office until a court orders the transfer of the assets to another party, the Finance Ministry noted according to Haveeru.

In response, the council passed a resolution requesting the assets be transferred to the council, after passing a resolution to transfer the secretariat from Milandhoo to to Funadhoo.

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Maldivian bone-marrow transplant patient recovering in Italy

The first Maldivian Thalassaemia patient to be treated under and agreement between Italy and the Maldives is recovering following a bone-marrow transplant operation.

Haveeru reported that a second patient has now arrived in Italy and is awaiting treatment. The risky procedure is one of the only potential cures for Thalassaemia, a genetic blood disorder common in the Maldivan population.

Italy, which is a world leader in the procedure, has agreed to treat 10 Maldivian patients.

Under the agreement made between the governments of Maldives and Italy on January 23, bone marrow transplants of 10 patients are to be conducted in Italy.

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Two candidates remain for MDP presidency: report

Two candidates will contest the position of president for the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) after a third potential nominee was ruled ineligible for the post, Haveeru has reported.

According to the paper, Ali Shakeer of Mafannu Navacone was rejected from the race after reportedly failing to correctly submit certain required documents.

The decision, which has been taken by the party’s National Elections Committee, leaves Ibrahim Hussein Zaki, the Special Envoy to President Mohamed Nasheed, and Dr Ibrahim Didi in the running.

Four candidates are also running for the party’s deputy president post including Mohamed Aslam, Aslam Shakir, Alhan Fahmy and Hussein Adam of Galolhu Kakaage, Haveeru added.

Elections for the posts are set for 30 April 2011.

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Police officer imprisoned for one year on corruption charges

A Police constable at the Drug Enforcement Department (DED) who was investigating an individual called Mabaah Waheed has been sentenced to one year in prison after the Criminal Court found him guilty on charges of corruption.

The Criminal Court identified the police constable as Ahmed Ismail of Mahchangolhi Hinnavaru, Male’.

”Although Ahmed Ismail denies that he did not attempt to receive any benefit from Mabaah, according to the word of Mabaah and documents presented as well as texts sent by Ismail to Mabaah there are reasons to believe these words are true,” said the Judge in his verdict. “All the evidence presented is linked and based on [this] and Mabaah’s statements, Ahmed Ismail is found guilty of violating article 2(a) of the Corruption Act.”

In court, Ismail had denied all the charges, aside from confirming that he was the person investigating the case against Waheed.

According to the Criminal Court, Ismail was accused of asking Waheed to get two girls to have sex with him in exchange for releasing Waheed without taking any action.

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Government rejects NGO’s ecocriticism amidst Banyan tree protest

The government has rejected criticisms by local NGO Ecocare Maldives that it may be failing to meet its well publicised carbon neutral commitments by not maintaining and replanting trees and plant life across Male’ that is removed or cut back to make way for building developments.

Maldives Environment Minister Mohamed Aslam told Minivan News that criticisms claiming the government was removing entire trees from the capital without replacing them were completely “baseless” and that any significant plant life making way for construction would be “replanted” elsewhere in Male’.

The claims were made as a small protest was held today outside of Aminiya school on Chandhanee Magu regarding the removal of entire trees and plans to remove some branches from a prominent Banyan tree situated on a new construction site opposite the building.

Ahmed Shiham, a volunteer staff member for Ecocare representing the NGO at the protest, said the group had only been made aware in the morning by the President’s Office that a number of branches from the Banyan tree were set to be removed along with other plant life at the site.

According to Shiham, although the construction will mean that Banyan tree would remain in place after the removal of two or three of its branches, Ecocare was concerned that another green patch in the densely populated urban environs of Male’ was being removed.

Officials from the NGO claim that the removal and cutting of the trees through the construction, which was being undertaken by subcontractors said to be working for the country’s Ministry of Education, was a contradiction to the commitments of President Mohamed Nasheed in promoting carbon neutral development.

With the Banyan Tree in question under 50 years of age, it does not come under the protection of environmental development regulations – although the government has stressed that it is committed to keeping the tree where it stands.

However, Shiham claimed that Ecocare was concerned that the country’s Environment Ministry has cancelled planting programmes that would bring in additional plant life from other countries in the region to be housed in Male’.

“What we want is for these trees to be replaced; green for green as we would call it. This would be good for the president’s carbon neutral commitments after all,” he said. “But we believe the government is not giving a budget for this.”

Ecocare officials said that in other nations, carbon certification schemes such as offsetting were being used whereby trees were replanted in other locations to reduce the impact on the atmosphere that their removal would have on the environment and the air we breathe.

Along with environmental concerns, Shiham also raised questioned the impact that the removal of some of the Banyan tree’s branches may have on balancing and supporting the plant itself – leading to possible safety hazards for people and buildings in the vicinity.

“Tomorrow building work is expected to begin on the site and the tree could be imbalanced,” he added.

Ecocare’s claims were nonetheless derided by Environment Minister Aslam, who questioned the criticisms that he believed showed a “lack of knowledge” or understanding about maintaining trees and ensuring they remain stable.

“If we have to cut off branches, I’m sure that [cutting] will happen” the minister said. “But we will treat the tree and clean it. We will protect it. This is living in harmony with nature without forgetting human factors.”

Aslam claimed that the government would also be meeting its commitments to replant any trees moved to make way for the development, though he said this would not apply in the case of the Banyan tree, which was just going to have some branches removed to accommodate construction.

Although Ecocare and the ministry were unsure of just how old the Banyan tree outside of the school was, both believed it was under fifty years of age, an age that would require it to be protected under the country’s environmental laws.

“I know it was definitely not fifty years old as I remember the tree being 30 centimetres or so high when I was in kindergarten [in the area],” he said. “I am now 40, so it is of similar age.”

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Maldives to provide 86,400 cans of tuna to Japanese quake victims

The President’s Office has said that it will provide Japan with 1,800 cases of Maldivian tuna – amounting to 86,400 individual cans – as ”emergency disaster supplies” for victims of an earthquake and tsunami that has ravaged the country and its infrastructure.

Japan was devastated Friday by an earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale and an ensuing tsunami thought to have killed thousands in the Northeastern Miyagi Prefecture alone. However, in the aftermath of the disaster, local news reports have said that the country is also facing a potential meltdown at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima following an explosion at the site, which has since been linked to the earthquake.

The BBC today reported today that Japanese premier Naoto Kan has claimed that the combined natural and nuclear disasters were the “greatest hardships” faced by the country since World War 2, as an explosion was confirmed to have taken place at a reactor at the Fukushima plant.

Amidst the recent hardships that have befallen the country, the office of President Mohamed Nasheed has claimed it will hope to return some of the support it says has been previously received from Japan.

“The Maldives has offered Japan in-kind assistance of 1,800 cases of canned Maldivian tuna to help feed a town affected by the disaster,” the President’s Office said in a statement. “Japan is a stalwart ally of the Maldives and our largest bilateral donor. Our relationship goes back many years with Japan supporting us in many sectors such as education and infrastructure.”

Acting Foreign Minister Aslam Shakir said in a statement that it was right and proper for the Maldives to provide assistance to the people of Japan.

“Japan also helped us when the devastating 2004 tsunami hit the Maldives and so the [country] will stand by Japan during their time of need,” Shakir was quoted as saying.

According to the President’s Office, the tuna shipments are expected to be sent to Japan shortly, where official disaster response teams will receive the supplies.

“The President’s Office noted that the 1800 cases of tuna – worth 1.2 Million Maldivian Ruffiya (US$93,700) – was sent in an attempt to help citizens of the country displaced in the disaster.

”The Japanese earthquake and resulting tsunami has claimed hundreds of lives, while over 200,000 people have been forced to flee their homes,” it added in a statement.

As the disaster struck on 11 March, President Mohamed Nasheed was also confirmed to have sent a message to Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

”It was with deep shock and sadness that I learned about the powerful earthquake and tsunami that hit parts of Northern Japan causing loss of lives and injury to hundreds of people, as well as extensive destruction to property and infrastructure,” Nasheed said in his message. “The Government and people of the Maldives join me in conveying our deepest sympathy to you, the Government and the people of Japan, and in particular, to those who were directly affected by this tragedy.”

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