Tag: maldives news

Week in review: April 6 – 12

In a varied week of news, protests, primates, and possessed plants all featured in the headlines.

The top story of the week, however, involved the tragic death of two port workers in Malé, killed by faulty equipment in an accident the union suggested could have been avoided.

Beloved public health figure Dr Ahmed Razee also passed away this week after more than three decades of public service.

Meanwhile, tests run following the death of a Malé resident the week before revealed high levels of opium and benzodiazepine in the blood of the youth – released from rehab just 24 hours earlier.

Statistics from the Drug Court this week revealed that 101 individuals have completed the mandatory rehab programmes that had been prescribed since the court’s introduction in August 2012.

The case of a Russian woman accused of smuggling drugs into the country was sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office, while the passport of the doctor who signed the form allowing a convicted drug dealer to leave the country was held by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The ACC were also occupied with investigating alleged wrongdoing in the Ramazan night market contract, with the commission telling the new city council that the deal had been terminated last year – to the bemusement of Go Media, the company currently organising this year’s event.

Police were also kept busy with the recent rush of child abuse cases, with commentators unsure as to whether the recent spate of incidents represented a rise in offending or a greater willingness to report such crimes.

One crime not reported to police this week was the apparent offence committed by a ‘Jinn tree’ upon the residents of Haa Alif Thakandhoo, who took matters into their own hands, breaking into the school compound to hack down the accused.

Campaigners in neighbouring Haa Dhaalu atoll continued to gain support for their calls to bring resort development to the atoll, with the government assuring that the tourism industry’s ever-growing spoils would be equally distributed.

Teachers campaigning against pay discrepancies wore black to work this week, while civil servants seeking equal pay discussed a potential strike later in the month.

The Bar Association suggested that the government had failed to adequately consult the legal profession regarding new regulations to practice, as well as calling for the suspension of Chief Justice Ali Hameed after his alleged involvement in a sex-tape scandal.

The government’s plans to raise revenue continued this week, with MIRA expecting to receive an additional MVR110 million per year through the taxation of telecoms – revenue that will be essential should the soon-to-be concluded GMR arbitration case go against the state.

The Home Ministry was chastised for its failure to adhere to the schedule of the recently-implemented Anti-Torture Act, while the Environment Ministry revealed that euthanasia may be the only option left for the slow loris confiscated by police earlier this year.

The alcohol possession trial of departing MPs Abdulla Jabir and Hamid Abdul Ghafoor was postponed when the former was unable to attend after suffering health problems while in jail.

Legal challenges to March’s elections results continued to rise, casting doubt on the identities of a number of future MPs, scheduled to be sworn in on May 28.

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Police commence special operation to confiscate dangerous animals

Police have today said they have started a special operation to seize all dangerous animals that are illegally imported to the country.

In a statement the police said they had commenced a joint special operation with the relevant government institutions after having noticed that sightings of such animals on streets and other places had become common in the Maldives.

Police said that aim of the special operation was to seize all these animals and take them under police charge before a regrettable incident occurs.

Furthermore, the police stated that the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Fisheries Ministry, customs and the Maldives National Defence Force were all involved in the operation.

Police have also appealed to the public to inform police if they have any information by contacting the police hotline – 332 2111, the police emergency hotline – 119, or police Criminal Investigation Department – 963 1696.

On 16 March Police Commissioner Hussain Waheed met with Commissioner General of Customs Ahmed Mohamed and a delegation of senior customs official to discuss the increase in illegal animals being discovered during recent drug operations.

A police statement at the time reported that Waheed had told officials that citizens were now in constant fear, noting that the police did not have any role in the airports and other ports.

He also said that police now needed to conduct as many operations to confiscate illegal and dangerous animals as to curb drug related crimes.

Earlier in March, police discovered a royal python – a nonvenomous snake commonly kept as a pet – following a drugs raid in Himmafushi, Kaafu atoll, on March 4.

In a separate raid on March 7 police also confiscated a Kingsnake and a Mexican red-kneed tarantula from a house in Malé.

A slow loris was also discovered by police in a drugs raid in Malé in Januray 21.  It has been revealed this week that the ministry is considering destroying the animal after attempts to find a suitable home had failed.

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101 offenders complete Drug Court’s rehabilitation programme

Some 101 drug offenders have completed the Drug Court’s rehabilitation programme as of last week, the court has revealed.

These include 36 cases submitted by the National Drug Agency (NDA) of individuals serving jail sentences for criminal convictions prior to the enactment of the new Drugs Act, and 48 cases transferred from the Criminal Court, the Drugs Court explained in a statement on Thursday (April 10).

In addition, 17 cases were submitted by the Prosecutor General’s Office.

While 101 offenders successfully completed the court-mandated rehabilitation programme, the court noted that 37 individuals were ejected from the programme for various reasons and transferred to the custody of the Maldives Correctional Services to serve their jail sentences.

Drug offenders brought before the court are handed jail sentences that are then suspended subject to completion of the rehabilitation programme.

Since it began hearing cases in August 2012, the Drug Court has ordered 524 individuals to undergo rehabilitation.

Speaking at a ceremony held earlier this month to commemorate the second anniversary of the court, Acting Chief Judge Mahaz Ali expressed concern with the rehabilitation facilities available in the Maldives.

The NDA informed the Drug Court in April last year that all rehabilitation centres in the country were at full capacity, Mahaz revealed.

The main community centre in Malé was at full capacity at the start of this month, he noted, and could not accept more patients.

On April 1, a 24-year-old man was found dead in a residence in the capital Malé less than 24 hours after his release from the Himmafushi rehabilitation centre.

Police have since confirmed to Minivan News that the recovering addict – Mohamed Rashad from Haa Dhaal Kulhudhufushi – died of a heroin overdose.

A “high concentration of opium and benzodiazepine” was found in the urine of the deceased, police said.

According to Rashad’s family, he was released from the rehabilitation centre the day before his death.

“Mohamed was released yesterday, and he was staying with a friend at Annaarumaage until the community centre could make arrangements,” Rashad’s uncle was quoted as saying by Sun Online.

“His friend was there when I went to the house, who told me that Mohamed was still sleeping when he woke up. When we went and checked, he was dead.”

NDA CEO Ahmed Muneer explained to the online news outlet that patients undergoing community treatment upon release from rehab were required to attend several classes.

Recovering addicts were required to stay in Malé until the process could be completed, Muneer said.

Policy shift

The Drug Court was formed under the new Drugs Act passed by parliament in December 2011 as part of a policy shift away from taking a punitive approach against small-scale drug offences.

Cases of drug users or pedlars caught with less than three grams of illicit narcotics were to be handled by the specialised court.

In May 2012, former State Minister for Health Lubna Zahir Hussain explained to Minivan News that the new court would address concerns over a “lack of awareness” amongst some Criminal Court Judges over the use of forensic evidence.

“Under previous legislation, the role of forensics was not taken into account during a trial. Even in cases where a [suspect’s] urine test was shown to be positive for illegal drugs, if they continued to deny they were a drug user, courts in the past have taken the decision not to prosecute,” she said.

“Criminal court judges have not been fully aware of forensic evidence. The Drug Court however will have five judges well trained to deal with these types of cases.”

A report released in late 2011 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) asserted that the Maldivian prison population could be reduced by up to two-thirds if the government would “de-criminalise the offence of drug usage and propose mandatory rehabilitation”.

According to author and UNDP Programme Specialist Naaz Aminath, small-time drug users in their early 20s “are not hard-core criminals, but they’re put away for almost their entire lives,” while drug traffickers serve an average sentence of 25 years.

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Chamber of commerce awaiting permit for night market

The Maldives National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI) has expressed concern with the Malé City Council’s refusal to grant permission to host the annual night market in the capital.

MNCCI Vice Chair Ismail Asif told newspaper Haveeru yesterday that the city council had not responded to the chamber of commerce’s request for permission to host the market.

“We are concerned because the council would not even respond to this issue. At this state, another party is announcing hosting Night Market. The same thing happened last year, same thing this year. It seems as if they are trying to hand the project over to someone in particular,” he was quoted as saying.

The Anti-Corruption Commission last week informed the city council that its agreement with Go Media Pvt Ltd to organise the night market had been terminated last year.

Deputy Mayor Shifa Mohamed told the local daily that the council would make a decision in the near future to resolve the issue.

“MNCCI not partaking in the Go Media bid too is a problem. We had found out that they had not participated. We can’t grant the permission to another party without getting out of the agreement made with Go Media. This is the problem that we face now. That, too is a cemented agreement,” she said.

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Home Ministry publishes list of detention centres four days after deadline

The Ministry of Home Affairs has published a list of detention centres four days after a legally-mandated deadline elapsed.

The home minister was required by the the recently passed Anti-torture Act to make public a list of prisons and detention centres where individuals are held in state custody.

The anti-torture law that came into effect on March 22 stipulated that the list must be publicised within 15 days (before April 6).

The document (Dhivehi) released last night (April 10) listed 29 detention centres, including the main prison on Maafushi island, the low-security facility on Himmafushi, the Malé jail, custodial centres in the capital and Dhoonidhoo as well as 18 police stations across the country.

An official from the home ministry told Minivan News yesterday that the delay in publishing the list was due to difficulties obtaining information from other state institutions.

Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) member Jeehan Mahmoud said it was “disheartening to know that the first violation under this act has been by the state.”

A reminder was sent to the ministry in writing before and after the deadline passed, Jeehan noted.

The HRCM would decide on a course of action following a meeting of the commission’s five members, she added.

Overall responsibility for implementing the new law was entrusted to the HRCM, which was legally empowered to take direct action against offences specified in the legislation.

The Home Ministry was also required to compile a report on the detention centres to be submitted to the HRCM within seven days of publishing the list.

Article 23(g)(3) of the act states that the penalty for failing to submit the report would be imprisonment of between one to three years.

Criminal offences specified in the law are to be investigated by the commission and forwarded to the Prosecutor General’s Office for prosecution.

Jeehan said the commission was monitoring the deadlines and would take action against violations, declining to comment on the possibility of pressing criminal charges against Home Minister Umar Naseer, who is currently overseas.

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party MP Eva Abdulla – who submitted the bill to parliament – said it was “not surprising that a government controlled by the Gayoom family would be hesitant, even reticent to implement anti-torture legislation.”

Eva stressed that the law should be implemented on schedule in order to address the resurgence of custodial abuse.

“We are very concerned about reports of ill-treatment and physical abuse in the prisons again. The legislation needs to be implemented on schedule to address this and to address the feelings of past victims. Implementation needs to be flawless,” she said.

The HRCM meanwhile noted last month that incidents of torture in detention were on the rise while the UN Human Rights Committee in July 2012 said incidents of torture in the Maldives “appear systematic and systemic” and expressed “grave concern” over the low number of cases that have been investigated.
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Center for Asia Pacific Aviation profile on Mega Maldives

The Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has said that Mega Maldives Airlines is planning a rapid fleet and network expansion by seeking potential joint venture partnerships in other markets.

In a company profile for the airline, CAPA said that the first phase of the expansion plan would involve the addition of four 757s and one 767 to the fleet, while the second phase would involve launching flights to Australia and Europe.

Mega Maldives has pursued modest expansion since launching in early 2011 and currently operates three scheduled routes from Malé with a fleet of two 767s and one 757.

“Tourist arrivals from China including Hong Kong have increased more than five-fold over the last four years from about 60,000 in 2009 to 332,000 in 2013, according to Maldives Ministry of Tourism data. China is now by far the largest and fastest growing source market for tourists to the Maldives, accounting for 30% of all arrivals in 2013,’’ said the CAPA profile.

In Southeast Asia Mega Maldives has been considering starting flights to Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

“Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta are not nearly large enough to support MEGA on a purely local basis. Malaysia accounted for about 11,000 visitor arrivals in the Maldives in 2013,’’ CAPA stated.

However, CAPA reported that the airline was confident that Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur to Malé would be viable routes with connections to Saudi Arabia because of strong demand for religious travel.

If Mega Maldives launches flights from Kuala Lampur or Jakarta to Jeddah it would become the first transit market and turn Male’ in to a potential transit hub from Asia to the Middle East, Africa, and other Indian Ocean islands, read the profile.

Read more

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Health advocate and public figure Dr Razee passes away

Famous medical doctor and public figure Dr Ahmed Razee passed away last night while being treated in Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital’ following a heart attack at 59 years.

Dr Razee was a popular figure throughout the Maldives, mainly due to his active engagement in health advocacy through television, radio, and later through social media.

In his final Facebook status – from the ICU at IGMH – Dr Razee said that years of of diabetes and smoking had caught up with him and requested everyone to pray for his recovery.

His funeral prayer was held today at the Islamic Center after Asr Prayers and was attended by a large number of people. Dr Razee is survived by nine children from three marriages.

In his more than three decades of medical service since 1984, Dr Razee served in Central Hospital as a health officer, then in IGMH as a senior consultant and later as head of operations.

Dr Razee also served in the government as a medical director at the Ministry of Health and as the director in the Department of Medical Service. He also served as a lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences.

He retired as a civil servant in 2010 but to serve the medical profession, consulting at private clinics and hospitals. Dr Razee described himself as a self-employed “physician with special interest in diabetes and metabolic syndrome”.

A diabetic himself, Dr Razee was most vocal on diabetes awareness, but also concentrated on tuberculosis, healthy lifestyles and sexual health – still a taboo subject in the country.

He also served as chair of the Maldives Diabetics Association and played an important role in establishing a diabetic clinic at IGMH.

Dr Razee was also a health reform advocate who was vocal in raising issues with the health system through conventional and social media.

He was a familiar face for most Maldivians and a social person who mingled with the public and enjoyed leisure activities like fishing and playing music.

His engagement with the public through social media was not limited to health advocacy and medical guidance, often discussing religion, politics, and personal experiences.

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Maldives and Chinese governments sign agricultural MoU

The governments of the Maldives and China have today signed an agreement on agricultural and research project cooperation.

“Under the terms of the Agreement the Government of China shall extend to the Government of Maldives, a grant aid of One Million Yuan [MVR2.5million]. The Grant aid will be utilized to Agriculture Sector of Maldives,” read a press release from the Maldives’ Foreign Ministry.

Present at the signing ceremony today was Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon alongside Chinese ambassador Wang Fukang, with senior officials from the fisheries and foreign ministries also present.

Earlier this week, the Chinese ambassador also took part in a ceremony inaugurating a bilateral training seminar involving Chinese and Maldivian police officers, scheduled to take place in Shanghai this month.

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Nestlé Sri Lanka and Education Ministry sign MoU

Nestlé Lanka and the education ministry have signed a MoU to empower young talent development in the Maldives.

According to online newspaper Lanka Business Times, the MoU was signed to host an annual award ceremony dubbed ‘Milo Schools Award Night’ which will recognise and award exceptional students.

Lanka Business Times quoted Dr Aishath Shiham as saying that

“Milo’s presence in the Maldives has had significant impact on the local community over the years, winning the hearts of the people via an intimate and consistent engagement,” State Minister of Education Dr Aishath Shiham was quoted as saying.

“We hope that this partnership with Nestlé will help us highlight young Maldivian talent whilst creating a platform for these skilled individuals to gain well deserved recognition both nationally and beyond.”

Managing Director of Nestlé Lanka Ganesan Ampalavanar said that their involvement and support ensures the promotion of attributes like leadership, discipline, and team spirit amongst youth and also plays a pivotal role in providing a platform for both identifying and developing talent to represent the island on a global scale.

He said he was pleased and honored to strengthen the ongoing relationship with the Maldives by partnering with the education ministry to host and conduct the annual awards from 2014 – 2018.

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