Tag: maldives news

84 foot fishing vessel breaks in two while at sea

An 84 foot fishing vessel from Gaafu Alif Atoll has broken in two while on a fishing trip, reports local media.

Haveeru reported that there no were no injuries to the twenty or so people on the vessel when the boat broke at around 6.30am this morning, The boat was identified as ‘Theyravaa’ from Gaadu Alif Dhehvadhoo.

“We do not know as of yet why the boat broke into two,” said the vessel’s owner Ali Muneer according to Haveeru.

Muneer said that the vessel broke soon after it took off from catching bait fish near one of the islands of the atoll, and that the two pieces of the hull were currently being towed to an island for repairs.

Raajje.mv reported that the vessel has been in operation for over 15 years, and that the National Coastguard is assisting the boat owner in towing the vessel.

Source: Haveeru

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Jamiyyathul Salaf calls on government to cancel “sinful” Sean Paul concert

Islamic NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf has called on the government to cancel a New Year’s eve concert featuring Jamaican artist Sean Paul in Malé, a day after an online group threatened to kill the singer should he visit the Maldives.

The NGO’s President Abdulla bin Muhammad Ibrahim said the ‘Tourist Arrival Countdown Show’ on December 31 would encourage youth to remain ignorant and sinful and said the state was “investing in destruction” by funding the show.

“Instead of ensuring the youth, who are the future of this Islamic country, are educated in the ways of Islam and reformed into being religious, the wealthy are encouraging the youth to remain in their ignorant state by getting intoxicated with music and other sinful activities,” said Ibrahim.

The Facebook statement went on to accuse government leader of “keeping the youth on the attractive footsteps of the devil” by arranging the celebration, calling for its cancellation.

“I further call on all brothers and sisters to refrain from participating in such misleading actions, and to do whatever you are capable of doing, in whichever field you can, to ensure that such activities cannot be carried out,” he continued.

The sponsors of the event will “regret their actions on the day of judgement,” added Ibrahim.

Salaf’s statement comes in the aftermath of a video posted on December 25 threatening Sean Paul with death.

“If you visit the Maldives, the world will see your burnt and blood drenched dead body,” read the message in the Youtube video.

The video bore the logo of  Bilad Al Sham (BASM), an online group that claims to represent Maldivian militants in Syria. However, the group has denied any involvement in the video’s production.

BASM did, however condemn the concert as “filthy” and “part of the ideological attack being waged by the kuffar and their allies on the Muslim youth to take them further from their Deen.”

Police have confirmed that they are investigating the video and said they will strengthen security at the Galolhu Football Stadium where the concert is to take place.

“We are investigating the video. We also urge the public to not be alarmed or intimidated at all by the video. We are further strengthening security measures in response to the video,” a police spokesperson told Minivan News today.

Police have also issued a press release assuring the public that appropriate security measures would be taken and that a security plan, which includes blocking traffic in areas adjacent to the stadium, has been formulated.

The police said it is confident it can assure the safety of all concert goers based on its experience of overseeing security at international football matches at the Galolhu Stadium.

In addition to Jamiyyathuh Salaf, Adhaalath Party Vice President Dr Mauroof Hussain has also expressed his disapproval with the concert.

“I don’t like the planned new year eve show but I abhor more the extremism of some people issuing death threats which is more unIslamic,” a tweet dated December 26 from Dr Mauroof’s official account read.

The Adhaalath Party’s only parliamentarian Anara Naeem has meanwhile tweeted, saying the youth need Islamic education and not ‘music 24 hours’.

In a second tweet, she criticised the imitation of “Western” culture and celebration of Western festivals.

Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has commented on the threat yesterday via twitter, saying: “Bringing foreigners to hold shows coinciding with the New Year is unacceptable. Issuing death threats is also unacceptable.”

Tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb has also condemned the video, saying that the government would not give in to threats.

The last major Western artist to perform in the capital was Irish singer Chris De Burgh in 2012. Prior to this, a concert featuring R&B singer Akon in 2010 was cancelled, with the event’s managers citing technical and security concerns.


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MDP calls on President Yameen to repent for “insulting” heaven remarks

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has called on President Abdulla Yameen to repent for insulting Islam by allegedly likening the Maldives to heaven in the afterlife.

The statement comes after Yameen on Thursday urged a visiting Saudi Arabian trade delegation to “get warmed up” for heaven in the afterlife by investing in paradise on earth, the Maldives.

“As Muslim brothers, we all strive to go to Jannathul Firdous [paradise]. While we have a paradise in the heavenly Maldives, I urge all Saudi business people, if you are seeking to go to Jannathul-paradise in your afterlife, why don’t you get warmed up for that? Paradise is here in the Maldives,” the president had said in a speech in English.

The MDP claimed Yameen had directly compared the Maldives to heaven in the afterlife and said that his remarks are demonstrative of the “concerning level” to which Islamic unity has deteriorated in the Maldives.

“This party advises and calls on President Yameen to repent with Allah and apologize for his statement that has insulted the holy religion of Islam,” a statement issued on Friday said.

However, the President’s Office in its own statement clarified that Yameen’s comment that “paradise is here in the Maldives” simply meant that the country’s beauty is unparalleled in the world.

Yameen’s comments were an invitation to the Saudis to invest and gain returns from the beauty of Maldives, the statement said.

The President’s Office also slammed newspaper Haveeru for its “unprofessional” coverage of the speech, alleging the report titled ‘President calls for investment in heaven-like Maldives to go to heaven’ had misled citizens.

The reporter either did not understand English or the report was a deliberate attempt to incite hatred, the statement said.

President Yameen is committed to freedom of press, the statement said, and will not persecute reporters or pursue charges at court. However, he “does not welcome attempts to incite fear, mislead public and create disorder,” it continued.

The President’s Office has called on media oversight bodies to ensure such incidents are not repeated.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed garnered similar controversy in April 2013 for comments he made in a speech in Denmark calling for an alternative Islamic narrative to counter radical views.

Yameen’s ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) at the time claimed Nasheed had in fact called for an alternative to the Quran and Hadith.

“A former president of a 100 percent Islamic nation speaking in such a fashion, abusing the religion of Islam and mocking Prophet Muhammed is a derogatory act that brings disgrace to the country in front of other Islamic nations,” read the statement.

The religious Adhaalath Party (AP) also held a demonstration in protest and called to “hang Nasheed to death”.

The PPM and Adhaalath’s opposition to Nasheed formed part of wider allegations that MDP would destroy Islam in the country.

They claimed Nasheed had “placed idols” in Maldivian lands – a reference to the SAARC monuments gifted to the country by South Asian nations during the 2011 SAARC Summit hosted in Addu Atoll – and had “given our assets to foreigners” – a reference to the concession agreement to manage and upgrade the international airport granted to Indian firm GMR.


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Online jihadists threaten Sean Paul with death ahead of New Year’s concert

A video has appeared online threatening dancehall singer Sean Paul with death should he visit the Maldives for a New Year’s Eve concert.

“‘Sean Paul’!!! If you visit the Maldives, the world will see your burnt and blood drenched dead body,” read cards held by a cloaked figure in the video posted on Youtube late last night (December 25).

Tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb, has responded to the threat this afternoon, stating in a tweet that the concert will go ahead as planned. Meanwhile Islamic minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has that that both bringing foreigners to perform new year’s concerts, and the issuing of death threats were both “unacceptable”.

Adeeb informed media late last month that the Jamaican artist would be appearing in a free concert in the capital Malé as part of the government’s tourism promotion efforts.

Last night’s video bears the logo of ‘Bilad Al Sham Media’ (BASM) group – an organisation which claims to consist of Maldivian jihadis based in Syria and the Maldives.

Through social media, the group has reported the deaths of five Maldivians in the Syrian civil war this year, as well as taunting the police’s efforts to locate its members.

BASM has, however, posted a statement on its official Facebook page distancing itself from the video.

“We suspect that the video was released by MDP supporters/secularists or other such anti Islamic elements who have been pushing hard to potray [sic] a threat to the Maldives which in reality does not exist, and their mouth piece Minivan News is also pushing the same lies and has been the first to report on this video.”

BASM did, however condemn the concert as “filthy” and “part of the ideological attack being waged by the kuffar and their allies on the Muslim youth to take them further from their Deen.”

Minivan News was the first outlet to report on the story in English, after a number of outlets had published news of the video in Dhivehi.

“It is for all Muslim to jihad in the name of Allah. Hence disbelievers like ‘Sean Paul’, who are like the worst of devil’s advocates, deserve nothing but death!” continued yesterday’s video threat.

“‘Sean Paul’ who is joining from abroad in the celebration of year-end 2014, end [sic] the beginning of 2015, is a major disbeliever,” came the message, printed on cards in Dhivehi, with English subtitles.

The figure, whose face and hands are covered sits in front of a black flag which has become synonymous with the Islamic State militant group, ISIS.

“We will not welcome or tolerate the destruction of such cunning men anymore.”

“Even the government will not be excused for bringing such cunning disbeliever to our soil, because our beloved nation is 100% Muslim!”

Tourism minister Adeeb has condemned the video, saying that the government would not give in to threats.


The last major western artist to perform in the capital was Irish singer Chris De Burgh in 2012. Prior to this, a concert featuring R&B singer Akon in 2010 was cancelled, with the event’s managers citing technical and security concerns.

In the run-up to the scheduled Akon concert, the Islamic minister Dr Shaheem reported receiving a number of complaints about the explicit content of the singer’s lyrics.

Today, Shaheem has commented on the threat via twitter, saying: “Bringing foreigners to hold shows coinciding with the New Year is unacceptable. Issuing death threats is also unacceptable.”

“Lessons have to be learnt from the past of those who committed acts challenging the Muslim culture,” read a second tweet.

Yesterday’s Youtube message suggested that Maldivian society was being led to destruction through “beautiful painted pictures, songs and entertainment”, decrying what it saw as the celebration of western festivals such as New Year and Valentine’s Day.

“Mixing such festivities into our culture will result in a destructive future for the Maldives and our beloved children.”

Earlier this week, the religious Adhaalath Party was reported as urging Maldivians to avoid celebrating Christmas.

November and December have traditionally represented the high season for the Maldives’ dominant tourism industry, with tourists celebrating Christmas and New Year in the archipelago’s 109 single island resorts, on which the country’s Shariah-based laws do not apply.

The online threat concluded by suggesting that those who saw the group’s actions as “extremism” are demonstrating the weakness of their faith.

Concern regarding religious extremism in the country has grown this year, with a number of Maldivians reported to have travelled to IS held territory – sometimes with family members.

Despite the government’s condemnation of the Islamic State’s atrocities, around 200 individuals marched through the capital in September, brandishing black IS-style flags and calling for the implementation of full Shariah law in the Indian Ocean nation.

Authorities arrested unauthorised Imam Hussain Thowfiq in October before sentencing him to two years in prison for leading extremist anti-government sermons in Malé’s Dharumavantha mosque.

Prior to this, former police officers and opposition politicians had questioned the capacity and desire or authorities to prosecute such activities.

Police spokesmen reported that they were investigating the video, but had found “nothing authentic”, urging calm.

*Article updated at 7:58pm to incorporate comments from police and statement from Bilad Al Sham Media.


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Six senior government officials abused power in drug kingpin’s temporary release, says ACC

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has recommended charges be filed against six senior government officials for the temporary release of convicted drug kingpin Ibrahim Shafaz Abdul Razzak in February.

Former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Mohamed Hanim personally paid a visit to a doctor at their home to obtain a signature claiming Shafaz required urgent medical care abroad.

However, the ACC found no evidence to suggest Shafaz required urgent treatment or care unavailable in the Maldives. Shafaz had not consulted a doctor at all in the week before his release.

Hanim, who is now the deputy minister of environment, also oversaw the illegal preparation of Shafaz’s travel documents and allowed him to leave the country without obtaining approval from the Maldives Correctional Service’s (MCS) medical board.

The investigations also revealed former Commissioner of Prisons Moosa Azim lobbied the medical board to approve Shafaz’s release despite knowing his paperwork was incomplete.

In addition to Hanim and Azim, the ACC has recommended corruption charges be filed against two members of the medical board, a technical officer at Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and a staff of the MCS.

Shafaz was caught in Sri Lanka in May in a joint operation by the Maldivian and Sri Lankan security forces when he failed to return to the Maldives in the three-month period he had been given.

The Criminal Court had in November 2013 sentenced the 30-year-old to 18 years in prison and had levied a fine of MVR75,000 (US$4,860) for drug trafficking.

Deputy Minister’s abuse of power

According to the MCS’s regulations, an inmate can only be allowed abroad for medical treatment if two doctors attest that the inmate requires urgent care that is not available in the Maldives.

The MCS’ medical board must then review the doctors’ referrals before endorsing the release.

According to the ACC, Chief Superintendent of Malé Prisons Mohamed Thaufeeg, on Hanim’s request, illegally entered the medical section and printed the forms required for Shafaz’s release.

Thaufeeq had entered the medical section’s premises in the absence of the officer in charge.

Hanim and Thaufeeq then paid a personal visit to a doctor at their home on February 2 to obtain signatures. Local media have identified the doctor to be Indian national Dr Ganga Raju.

The forms require signatures of two doctors, but a senior technical officer at IGMH, Abdulla Rafiu, filled in the second slot.

Hanim sent a letter to the Department of Immigration ordering Shafaz’s travel documents be prepared although such letters must in fact be sent by the individual who heads the Home Ministry’s Implementation Section.

The letter was prepared and dispatched before the medical board and the Commissioner of Prison’s approved Shafaz’s release.

When the head of the Implementation Section refused to allow Shafaz to leave Maafushi Jail on February 5, Hanim himself authorized the release.

According to the ACC, Hanim attempted to complete the paperwork only after Shafaz left the country.

Medical board’s role

The medical board met on February 4 to review Shafaz’s request for temporary release.

The board noticed only one doctor had signed his forms and that the forms did not provide details on Shafaz’s medical conditions or the type of treatment he was to receive abroad.

However, Azim assured the board that the proper paperwork would be submitted at the next meeting. Board members, Maldives Police Services Chief Inspector of Police Dr Mohamed Fazneen Latheef and Home Ministry’s Deputy Director General Ishaq Ahmed, supported the inmate’s release.

Fazneen admitted to the ACC that the medical board had not released any inmate without complete paperwork in the past, and said he believed he had failed to uphold the board’s stringent standards in supporting Shafaz’s leaving the country.

Azim only signed the medical board’s final approval after Shafaz had left.

Shafaz was arrested on June 24, 2011, with 896 grams of heroin from a rented apartment in a building owned by ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives MP Ahmed ‘Redwave’ Saleem.

Former head of the Drug Enforcement Department, Superintendent Mohamed Jinah, told the press at the time that police had raided Henveiru Fashan based on intelligence information gathered in the two-year long ‘Operation Challenge’.

Jinah labeled Shafaz a high-profile drug dealer suspected of smuggling and supplying drugs since 2006.

He claimed that the network had smuggled drugs worth MVR1.3 million (US$84,306) to the Maldives between February and April 2011.


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President Yameen urges Saudis to invest in Maldives and “get warmed up for” heaven

President Abdulla Yameen has urged a visiting Saudi Arabian trade delegation to invest in the Maldives “to get warmed up” for paradise in the afterlife.

“As Muslim brothers, we all strive to go to Jannathul Firdous [paradise]. While we have a paradise in the heavenly Maldives, I urge all Saudi business people, if you are seeking to go to Jannathul-paradise in your afterlife, why don’t you get warmed up for that? Paradise is here in the Maldives,” Yameen said at a briefing this morning at Traders Hotel.

The 16 member contingent is the first Saudi business delegation to visit the Maldives. It consists of seven Saudi government officials and representatives from the private sector .

Noting existing Middle-Eastern investments in the telecoms, transport and tourism sector, Yameen invited Saudi Arabia to further invest in the energy sector, including renewable energy, real estate sectors and in developing an Islamic Financial Center in the Maldives.

The government’s landmark Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Act provides a modern legal framework to engage with investors on strategic projects, the president said.

The SEZ Act ensures investment guarantees and protection in line with international best practices, he claimed.

Since the SEZ Act’s enactment, the government has attracted substantive investor interest in several mega projects including the development of the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, the development and relocation of Malé port and the youth city in Hulhumalé, he continued.

“With a positive outlook for economic growth, coupled with assured political stability and a liberal investment regime, there is no better time to invest here in the Maldives than now.”

Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed noted Saudi Arabia’s aid to the Maldives in the construction of an Islamic college and mosques, but said closer trade ties are essential to further strengthen relations.

“Maldives does not just want Islamic projects, but wants investment from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries,” he said.

The trade delegation arrived in the Maldives on Wednesday after a request made to the Saudi King by President Yameen.

Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Dr Abdullah A. Al-Obaid, yesterday said the visit signifies his country’s intention to enhance the bilateral relationship through trade, investment, and Islamic affairs.

“We are so proud to hear that Maldives is keeping with its Aqeeda [faith], its religion and trying to stick with it even though we have globalism effecting all countries,” he said.

In October, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud donated US$1.2 million to a mosque project, with further plans to build 10 new mosques in the islands.

He had visited the Maldives in February to discuss potential investments and partnerships in energy, tourism, transport, and Islamic affairs, as well the provision of a soft loan facility of US$300 million for the Indian Ocean nation.

During the recent Malé water crisis – caused by a fire at the capital’s only desalination plant, unnamed Saudi donor pledged to assist the Maldives by providing US$1 million to the government’s water crisis fund.


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First proposed amendment to constitution seeks to bar individuals aged 65 from the presidency

The Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) has proposed the first amendment to the constitution, seeking to bar individuals aged 65 years and above from standing for the presidency.

Hoarafushi MP Mohamed Ismail told Minivan News he had submitted the amendment to Article 109 of the Constitution because he believed an elected president must “suitably represent” the country’s predominantly young population.

“We do not want a President who cannot function due to old age and has to be brought to important meetings in a wheelchair. The President should not be over the age of sixty-five,” he said.

According to the Department of National Planning, half of the Maldivian population is under 25 years of age.

If passed, the amendments would bar Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom from contesting the 2018 presidential elections. Gasim would be 66 years and Maumoon would be 81 by 2018.

At present, the Constitution only requires a president to be “at least thirty-five years of age.”

The JP has today announced it will reject the amendment with JP’s deputy parliamentary group leader Abdulla Riyaz stating the JP would lobby all parties to vote against the proposal.

“We do not believe in using the youth as an excuse to do these kinds of acts for political gain. It is irresponsible,” Riyaz told local media.

The proposal would require a two-third majority of the full 85-member house or 57 votes to pass. The ruling coalition i.e. the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and MDA currently hold 48 seats at the parliament. JP holds 13 seats while opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) holds 22.

JP Spokesperson and former member of the Constitutional Assembly Ahmed Sameer said the amendment constituted a breach of Article 69 which states that “no provision of the constitution can be interpreted in a manner that would prevent any individual from obtaining rights and freedoms as per the constitution.”

He also pointed out that Article 26 (b) on fundamental rights and freedoms states that ‘every citizen of Maldives eighteen years of age or older has the right to run for public office’.

Sameer and former Attorney General Husnu Suood claim that a public referendum would be required before the President could ratify the amendment.

Sameer pointed to Article 262 (b) of the Constitution which states that any amendments made by the People’s Majlis to certain provisions – including Article 108 which governs presidential elections – can only be ratified by the President after a public referendum.

Opposition MDP spokesperson Imthiyaz Fahmy said the ruling coalition was seeking to ‘prevent certain targeted people from contending in presidential elections.’

“Amendments to the constitution are usually brought after the constitution has been tested by time and when such amendments become necessary to the people of the nation, not for the gain of the government at the time or certain individuals,” said the MP.

Amendments to the constitution “must not be taken lightly,” Fahmy said describing the amendment as “dangerous.”

Minivan news was unable to reach PPM at the time of press.


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Reeko Moosa condemns MDP expulsion as a move to bar his 2018 presidential candidacy

Deputy Speaker of the Majlis MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik has condemned his expulsion from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), describing the move as a plot by former President Mohamed Nasheed to bar him from contesting the party’s 2018 presidential primaries.

“I am certain the expulsion was to bar me from contesting the presidential primaries. President Nasheed must accept there are other political leaders within the party,” Moosa told Minivan News today.

Moosa, a founding member of the MDP and a vocal critic of the 30-year authoritarian ruler Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, announced his intent to contest MDP’s 2018 presidential primaries on October 25.

The MDP’s disciplinary committee expelled Moosa on Monday after he repeatedly breached the party’s three-line whips including the vote on the 2015 state budget, the amendments to the Judicature Act – which reduced the seven-member Supreme Court bench to five judges, and the removal of former Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz and former Justice Muthasim Adnan.

If Moosa wishes to rejoin the party, he is required to issue a public apology and obtain 50 new members for the party, but he will be barred from standing for any leadership position or contesting in party primaries for five years.

He described the disciplinary committee’s decision as “undemocratic” and “discriminatory” pointing out that five MDP MPs who were absent from the vote to dismiss the Supreme Court judges were given lesser penalties.

Moosa said he does not trust the party’s appeal process, and said he has now requested the Elections Commission to review the decision.

He also dismissed local media reports which had suggested he may join the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM): “I will not sign onto another party. I am not one who can be part of another party. Where will I go other than the MDP? There is no second ideology that can fight against the dictatorship.”

Dictatorial

Moosa, a prominent figure in the Maldives’ pro-democracy movement, said a faction within the MDP has continued to harass him on social media since he announced his intent to contest the presidential primaries.

“I did not think they would expel me. I did not think [the party] would treat me so badly. I’ve served MDP with sincerity. On February 8, I was severely brutalised while acting as a bodyguard to Nasheed,” he said.

Moosa had to be flown to Sri Lanka for medical treatment for injuries sustained during a brutal police crackdown on MDP supporters a day after Nasheed’s ouster on February 7, 2012.

He described Nasheed as dictatorial, claiming the former president had systematically sidelined rivals within the party including Dr Mohamed Munawar, Dr Ibrahim Didi, and former MP Alhan Fahmy.

“Nasheed is a green dictator, championing the environment to get attention on the international front, but look at what he has done to Dr Munawaar, Dr Didi and Alhan Fahmy. He wants to keep the MDP under his control,” he said.

On Monday, a group of ten Moosa supporters staged a protest outside Nasheed’s residence, Kenereege, calling the MP’s expulsion “unfair”.

Moosa suggested Nasheed was behind the rumour that he may join PPM the next day.

“There are a lot of members who support me within the MDP. The rumour that I would join the PPM on the next day at a ceremony at Nasandhura Palace Hotel at noon, at a time when I was out of country, was engineered to make my supporters believe I would leave the MDP and thereby dissipate their criticism of the party’s decision,” he said.

The news was first reported in pro-government newspaper Vaguthu and later on opposition-aligned Raajje TV.

Breach

Explaining his decision not to participate in the vote to dismiss Faiz and Muthasim, Moosa said the former chief justice had caused enormous harm to the MDP.

On Nasheed’s resignation on February 7, Faiz had sworn in then Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed “without raising a single question on whether Nasheed was coerced,” Moosa said.

During Faiz’s tenure, the Supreme Court bench had stripped three MDP MPs of their membership and annulled the first round of presidential elections held in September 2013, he continued.

The Supreme Court’s removal of former Elections Commission President Fuwad Thowfeek and Vice President Ahmed Fayaz in March was a deliberate attempt to “damage MDP’s chances in parliamentary polls,” Moosa said.

“But that day [December 14], MDP came out to defend Faiz. I did not participate in the vote because I do not support Faiz. I do support Muthasim, but their names were put up together for a single vote. I did not want to remove Muthasim,” he explained.

He also criticised the party’s three-line whip calling on MPs to be present at the sitting, claiming a whip can only be issued on the vote itself, not on MPs presence at the Majlis.

He contended the MDP had failed to take action against MPs Eva Abdulla, Abdulla Shahid, and Rozaina Adam for their absence from the vote on the Special Economic Zone bill. Eva and Shahid had been in Geneva for a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union at the time.

Moosa also condemned Minivan News’ inclusion of a Raajje TV report on his company Heavy Load Pvt Ltd receiving islands for resort development in compensation for a terminated reclamation deal in its previous report on his expulsion from MDP.

He did confirm that Heavy Load Pvt Ltd has received islands, but said the deal was a transaction between the company and the government after the company threatened to file charges at the court for the termination.

The MDP has said the sudden removal of the two Supreme Court Judges is an attempt to stack the judiciary in President Abdulla Yameen’s favour.

Commonwealth groups have described the judges’ removal as unconstitutional, saying it constituted a clear breach of the Commonwealth Principles to which the government of Maldives has subscribed.

“As a result the independence of the judiciary and the Rule of Law have been “severely jeopardised”.

The International Commission of Jurists said the Maldivian parliament and executive “have effectively decapitated the country’s judiciary and trampled on the fundamental principles of the rule of law and separation of powers in a democratic State.”


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Man wearing a belt representing a cannabis leaf arrested

At 19-year-old man has been arrested in Gaaf Dhaalu Rathafandhoo Island for wearing a belt with an insignia representing the cannabis leaf.

A Maldives Police Service (MPS) media statement read that the man was arrested for “encouraging the use of drugs’” by wearing the belt.

The statement also read that the man was arrested at around 10pm yesterday (December 23) after the police received a tip-off saying that a drug deal was happening. The offending belt was seen while searching the man’s body for drugs.

According to Article 128 of the Drugs Act, encouraging the use of drugs is illegal in the Maldives and is a crime punishable by 3 years of jail time.

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