Two sea turtles have been discovered dead on the beach of Laabadhoo island in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, cut open for their eggs and left to rot on the sand.
Sixty-nine year old Abdulla Saeed from Fares-Maathodaa found the turtles on the beach. The first was found on 4 February. It had been cut open for its eggs. From the size of the maggots found on the corpse, Saeed estimated it had been killed 48 hours earlier.
He found the second turtle on 6 February. Its corpse was still fresh, suggesting it was killed overnight.
Saeed believes the turtles were killed by islanders of Maathoda on Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, and despite the illegality of killing turtles, it is still a relatively common practice in his region.
Aya Naseem, a marine biologist, says many islands kill turtles for their eggs.
“People have no idea of the harm they are causing,” she says. “They just see it as another way of getting food.”
Ali Rilwan from the NGO Bluepeace says the organisation has reports of turtles being killed, but “we normally hear of this happening for their meat, not eggs.”
Both turtle meat and eggs are considered delicacies in the Maldives, but killing turtles is prohibited by the law. Collecting the eggs from the beach is legal in all but 11 islands, according to Rilwan.
The turtles come up to the beach overnight to lay eggs during their egg-laying cycle. Saeed says the ”turtles would come to lay eggs once every 13 days,” and this can happen four to five times during each cycle. The turtles will not lay eggs again for another six to eight months.
Even though it is legal to harvest eggs from the beach, Saeed says the unlaid eggs are almost only yolk, unlike the eggs laid at the end of the cycle which can be hard and stony. He added that “islanders in the region love to eat short eats made from turtle eggs.”
“They do not even wait for it to lay eggs,” he said. “They do this just for the pleasure of killing.”
Even on the islands where it is illegal to harvest the eggs from the beach, “there are no warnings…and it’s not properly managed,” says Rilwan.
With sea turtles being on the endangered species list, and their eggs and meat considered delicacies, there is a looming struggle between tradition and the environment.
Maldivians are starting to see the benefits of opening up the economy for private investments, said President Mohamed Nasheed, speaking at the Regional Export Awards presentation ceremony of Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India, held at Kurumba Maldives yesterday evening.
President Nasheed said until recently the Maldivian economy has been very centralised and heavily regulated, and this had “prevented growth, repelled investment and thwarted people’s aspirations.”
The president mentioned the reforms in the Indian economy, which he said were strengthening the country’s economy and lifting millions out of poverty.
Highlighting the importance of foreign investment, he mentioned the benefits of the agreement with Apollo Hospitals of India, which are investing US$125 million to reform Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).
He said the government has successfully attracted foreign investors to invest in housing, electricity and energy programmes, and how private investors are at the forefront of the new transport system that will connect all inhabited islands with ferry services.
The Maldives Partnership Forum IV, a conference giving international investors the chance to visit the country and invest in its development, will be held in March.
A high court appeal by three men sentenced to jail for the violent protest at Himandhoo has failed.
Ahmed Ramzee, Ahmed Ali and Adam Mohamed, all from Himandhoo, were originally sentenced for up to 10 years each for their involvement in the protest in October 2007.
The 200 police and army personnel who travelled to the island in search for evidence related to the Sultan Park bombing the previous month were confronted by the islanders, who donned red motorcycle helmets and armed themselves with batons and knives and denied the authorities entry to the Dhar-al-khuir mosque.
In the ensuing skirmish, a policeman was taken captive and another’s hand was severed. Shortly afterwards a video discovered on an Al Qaeda forum was found to contain footage taken inside the Dhar-al-khuir mosque moments before it was raided by police.
Senior High Court Judge Ali Hameed today ruled that the actions of the three men during the protest qualified as ‘terrorism’ under the law of Maldives, and said that the case was not open to appeal. Reading the verdict, Judge Hameed said their actions were “against the public order of the country and weakened the religious unity of the people.”
“The [verdict] of the criminal court cannot be overturned,” he said.
In the appeal, the men claimed their actions against the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) were in “self defence”. Adam Mohamed and Ahmed Ramzy also told the court in previous hearings that their confessions had been extracted under duress.
At the time, Minivan News reported that Mohamed’s account tallied with other reports of abuse to have emerged from the police-run Dhoonidhoo detention centre. On 19 March 2008, he told the court he had been taken out of his cell at night during the investigation, handcuffed with his hands behind his back, and beaten in the football ground area.
Clemency
On 9 February senior members of the Maldivian government met with the 16 people arrested and sentenced for the Himandhoo protest, to inform them that President Mohamed Nasheed had made the decision to lessen their sentences under the forthcoming clemency bill.
“One criteria of the clemency laws is that [the defendant] must have exhausted all other avenues of appeal,” said the President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair. “They are more eligible [for clemency] as a result of going through the [appeals] process.”
Zuhair said the accusation that the government was ‘releasing terrorists’ was unfair.
“I believe people cannot comment on the actions of the government without knowing the details of the matter,” Zuhair said. “There are complex issues being considered, such as the trial that was conducted under the previous constitution. The president has made it known he will alleviate their sentences.”
“This government came into power saying democracy would extend to religious matters,” Zuhair added.
The President’s Office has reported that 67,478 tourists arrived in the Maldives during January 2010, making it country’s strongest January in five years.
Moosa Zameer, head of planning and statistics at the ministry of tourism, observed it was “the best [January] we have ever had.”
But Sim Mohamed from the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) was less optimistic about the numbers, saying they are “a bit misleading” and “must be studied carefully”.
Although the number of arrivals under tourists visas may have risen, Sim said many of these tourists are only ‘surface arrivals’ – such as passengers on a cruise ship who arrive for a day or two, and then leave.
Several such regular services have started bringing tourists from India and Sri Lanka, he noted.
According to Sim, the final arrival figures for tourists could be reduced by 30-40 per cent before they can accurately show the number of tourists who are staying for significant amounts of time – and spending money in the country.
Under normal circumstances, most tourists coming to the Maldives are at “the high end of the market – those who have the disposable income to go wherever they want to go,” he says.
But with the recent economic crisis, many resorts and airlines have reduced their rates significantly, he explained, with some resorts cutting their rates up to 30-50 percent. More airlines opening their routes to the Maldives also means more competitive air fares.
Because resorts are operating at lower rates, “there isn’t a significant rise in financial activity in Malé or even in other islands,” Sim said, but “it’s still a win for the government since they get bed rent.”
Zameer believes that the rise in tourist arrivals is not only accredited to cheaper rates at resorts, but to all the “work in promotions carried out after the [economic] crisis at the end of 2008.” He believes both the private sector and the ministry have put a lot of work into promoting the Maldives as a tourist destination, even for those who are more budget conscious.
Traditionally, the key markets for tourism in Maldives have been the UK, Italy, Germany, France, Russia, China and Switzerland, according to MATI. But this trend has already seen a change this year.
Zameer says there has been a “shift in the market,” as European seasonal tourist numbers are dropping and the Chinese and Indian markets are emerging. Kuwaitis have also helped the market “enormously,” he says.
Zameer believes people are starting to realise this is the right time to travel, and they can “go to the destination they have been waiting to go to.”
Sim agrees “there has been a big rise in tourists coming from India. There is also a very sharp rise in Chinese arrivals after Chinese New Year, and there will be another one towards Easter, mostly Italians.”
He added that MATI is “feeling good vibes” from the market, especially from Germany and the UK.
“We might not see a significant recovery in 2010, but down the line, in 2012, we might see a further rise in the tourism industry.”
The Juvenile Court has sentenced a 17 year old to eight months in prison for attacking his mother at a court hearing, reports Haveeru.
At the court hearing regarding a robbery, the minor punched his mother in the face for denying that he was at home during the robbery, the court official said.
The mother fainted and was taken to hospital immediately.
The minor was sentenced under Article 88(b) of the Penal Code, but the sentence is only partial due to the offender’s age.
Vice President Mohamed Waheed is on an official visit to India. He arrived in the neighbouring country on 18 February.
This follows close visits by Indian Chief of Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor, and MP Rahul Gandhi to the Maldives, and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently signed by the Maldives and India.
On 19 February at a meeting held at the official residence of the Indian Vice President Hamid Mohamed Ansari, Dr Waheed thanked India “for its support in introducing democracy in the Maldives.”
Vice President Ansari assured Vice President Waheed of the continued support from India to the Maldives in the areas of social and economic development.
Dr Waheed then met with President of India Pratibha Patil on 20 February. At a meeting at the official residency, the vice president said providing education and job opportunities for Maldivian youth was “important to prevent them from the scourge of drugs,” and asked that Indian institutions assist in providing more higher education opportunities for Maldivian youth.
The vice president then met with Indian External Affairs Minister Shri S. M. Krishna. Dr Waheed asked for assistance in preventing drugs being trafficked from India into the Maldives and providing rehabilitation treatment for addicts.
Dr Waheed also met with Indian Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Prithviraj Chavan. They spoke of the issue of climate change.
President Mohamed Nasheed has claimed that dealing with past human rights violations is one of the most difficult issues currently confronted by the government.
In a letter to the new Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, the president said the Maldives has recently emerged from a long period in which human rights “were routinely violated and in which many people, including members of the new Government, were tortured.”
“Thankfully, the country has been able to turn its back on such times and is now busy establishing itself as a modern liberal democracy with a full separation of powers and strong human rights safeguards,” the president wrote.
“One of the challenges facing the new Government as we look to consolidate democracy, rule of law and human rights is how to come to terms with the difficult episodes in our past without jeopardising our future.
“Dealing with the issue of torture, and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment is without doubt one of the more difficult issues we are confronted with, especially in our small closely-knit community. Our favoured approach is to avoid retribution and instead to recognise, come to terms with, and learn from such tragic episodes as a means of ensuring that the memory of the victims is honoured and that we avoid repeating the same mistakes.”
Bokova she is the first woman to hold the post since the foundation of UNESCO in 1945.
An average of 10 tons of potential revenue sinks into the ocean near Malé’s fish market every day, according to NGO Bluepeace.
Fish waste from the nearby market is dumped into the ocean at the end of each day. Bluepeace reports that it can reach up to 8-12 tons in Malé alone.
Fish waste is not really waste at all; it has a number of uses that are not only environmentally friendly, but profitable, the NGO claims.
There aren’t major concerns about environmental impacts or hygiene problems stemming from the disposal of the fish waste, says Bluepeace director Ali Rilwan.
“The waste is dumped into the deep sea, where there is no coral. It gets caught in currents and becomes food for fish. It’s not an environmental hazard.”
He is more concerned with the bacteria and diseases that importing cow dung and chemical-based fertilisers bring in to the country.
Alternative uses for fish by-products
Through a process called anaerobic digestion, organic materials such as fish waste are broken down naturally by bacteria in the absence of oxygen, producing bio-gas as waste products.
This bio-gas is rich in methane and carbon dioxide, and can used for energy production and help in replacing fossil fuels.
The nutrient-rich solids which are left after anaerobic digestion can also be used as fertiliser, although State Minister of Trade, Adhil Saleem, explains that “fish waste alone is not good fertiliser. It must be mixed with other ingredients first.”
Probably the most profitable product, and the easiest to produce from fish waste, is fish feed. This can be used as animal feed and is also in certain foods like masala. The Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) uses fish by-products for these, especially from yellow-fin tuna.
One of three of MIFCO’s fish processing units, on the island of Lhaviyani Felivaru, processes fish products for export. Dried fish and fish feed are mainly exported to companies in Sri Lanka, but are also sold to the local market.
Fish by-product industry: Problems and solutions
Abdulla Maumoon from MIFCO says although their fish processing unit “was costly [to acquire], it is profitable.”
However the last three years have brought a steady decline in the fishing industry. The company is now downsizing their production of fish from an average of 45 metric tonnes a day to about 15.
“We have brought down production according to the raw material we are getting,” he says.
Fishermen at Male's fish market
“We have collectors in the north, south and central regions of the country,” says Maumoon, “and fishermen can go to these collectors in their dhonis and sell it.”
In the Malé fish market not many people seem to know about the possibilities of selling their fish by-products. When asked, most fishermen responded with: “If we could sell it, we would sell it.”
The fact that fish by-products need to first be mixed with other ingredients before being turned into fertiliser introduces another factor of difficulty: transport costs. Saleem explained that the costs of obtaining these other ingredients would be too high since they would need to be imported.
But Ali Rilwan from Bluepeace says the other products needed to make fertiliser can all be found in the Maldives.
“Organic compost can be made with fish waste, seaweed, coconut fibre and even the leaves of some local trees.”
Rilwan estimates the Maldives imports hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fertilisers every year. The chemical-based fertilisers are harmful to the soil and affect the agricultural products they are used on. The amount of money spent on importing things such as cow dung and other fertilisers from countries like India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, is also very high.
The issue of whether fertilisers should be made from fish by-products, and not imported, comes down to a comparison between the cost of importing fertilisers with the costs of producing it locally and mixing it with local ingredients.
It must also be studied which of the two products is more harmful for the environment, and which is more viable in the long term.
Fish being gutted at the market
Government Response
The government so far has marginalised the fish by-product industry. So far, there have been “a couple of attempts” by the government to process fish waste, according to Minister of Agriculture Mohamed Ali.
State Minister of Fisheries Hussein Rasheed said the government “undertook this project, but it proved not to be profitable.” The machinery is at Kilafushi, and it is not being used.
Dr Rasheed says there is currently “no project at hand” to use fish waste, but “we would be quite happy if somebody undertakes the project. We will provide them with the help we can.”
Saleem says there is a new fish market to be built in Malé and the Ministry hopes to incorporate a fish processing unit, mainly to produce fish feed, in the new facility.
The Himandhoo School board of North Ari Atoll Himandhoo has decided the school song will no longer be sung during the school assembly as ”it would be more useful to give a speech by school heads and recite the meaning of Quran rather than singing the school song,” according to chairperson Abdulla Jameel.
Jameel said the decision was made after a meeting with Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and the school’s teachers.
He said the decision was not made on religious grounds, and claimed a news report by television station DhiTV was misleading the public by claiming otherwise.
”In our school we sing a song written especially for Himandhoo Madharusa, but there is doubt over whether our school’s name is Himandhoo Madharusa or Himandhoo school,” he explained.
”We asked the education ministry to clarify it, and then we came to know that it was called Himandhoo School.”
Councilor of Himandhoo Ali Naseer said the school song was no longer sung during the assembly because it contained verses saying the school name was Himandhoo Madharusa and the school colors was red, green and white.
”We discovered to know the school’s name was Himandhoo School and the logo was red,” Naseer said, “but we only have the audio recording of the school song we use to sing. We cannot cut out the verses which say Himandhoo Madharusa and says the colours are green, red and white.”
Jameel said the school might sing the song ‘Lhafathuga Ungenema’ (a song sung in every school of Maldives during assembly) instead, but for the time being had decided to give speeches on the meaning of Quran during the assembly.
Deputy Minister for Education Abdulla Nazeer said the ministry’s policy insisted schools must sing the school song during the assembly.
”As per our policy all schools must sing the school song,” Naseer said, warning that ”if any school goes against our policy we will take action against them.”
Jameel said that the school board had sent a letter to the education ministry and ”would decide what to do when they respond.”
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