Tag: maldives news

Government assures even resort distribution following Haa Dhaalu petition

The Tourism Ministry has assured that the development of resorts will take place throughout the atolls following an online petition calling for tourism growth in Haa Dhaalu.

Placed on the Avaaz website last week, the petition calls upon the government of President Abdulla Yameen to alleviate the atoll’s economic and social problems by bringing resorts to the area.

“It has been over 40 years since the tourism industry flourished in Maldives. However, the atoll with approximately 20,000 people has not yet got the opportunity to enjoy the economic benefits of this sector,” read the petition.

Noting that Haa Dhaalu is the only atoll not to have any operational resorts, the petition argues that development of the region’s “pristine uninhabited islands” would halt the “mass migration” to the capital Malé, which was “tearing up the social fabric of our society”.

“We have waited long enough to enjoy the success and development that tourism industry has brought to other regions of the Maldives,” the petition argues.

“Hence, on behalf of all the people from Haa Dhaal Atoll, we humbly ask the government not to exclude us from this prosperous and growing industry.We urge the government to give the utmost importance to solve the issue of income disparity caused by uneven development of tourism industry in Maldivian atolls.”

The Maldivian economy is heavily dependent on tourism, accounting for an estimated 80 percent of GDP, generating 38 percent of government revenue in 2012. Tourists arrivals grew by 17 percent between 2012 and 2013.

In response to the petition, State Minister for Tourism Ahmed Musthafa Mohamed told Minivan News today that the government’s promises to develop ten resorts a year would include Haa Dhaalu.

“I can’t comment on previous governments but this government in their manifesto had mentioned that they are planning to develop ten new resorts each year – I’m sure sure that developments will be throughout the Maldives.”

Musthafa noted that a lot of issues affected the location of developments, with the issue of transportation in Haa Dhaalu – part of the country’s northernmost natural atoll, Thiladhunmathi – having been a longstanding one.

Thought the Maldives is now home to over one hundred island resorts spread across 26 natural atolls, the majority of resorts are clustered around the country’s capital Malé and the country’s main international airport.

Despite the opening of Hanimaadhoo International Airport in Haa Dhaalu atoll two years ago, the continued lack of economic activity has led to significant local support for a second regional airport in nearby Kulhudhuffushi.

While the new development threatens to destroy much of the island’s mangrove habitat, recently re-elected island MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa has previously argued that his constituents’ economic concerns outweighed the environmental.

“Over fifty percent in the north are below the poverty level,” Ghafoor told Minivan News in January. “Still they need economic activity. If they don’t get it, it’s very difficult to survive.”

Haa Dhaalu “unnoticed or perhaps unheard”

The Avaaz petition – which has received over 460 signatures – argues that, despite its relatively high population of 20,000 people, the atoll had gone “unnoticed or perhaps unheard” by consecutive governments.

“The state of our local economy is a great concern for the people of Haa Dhaal Atoll. More importantly, the absence of tourism industry within this atoll has become a major barrier for economic and social development.”

The petition goes on to suggest that the limited local opportunities in the civil service, fisheries, and agriculture had failed to provide enough employment opportunities.

“We do understand that three of our islands have been given for resort development but it has been over 12 years without any of them being opened for tourists. This has cost 2,000 jobs that was promised for us with these resorts.”

The 2013 Tourism Yearbook produced by the Tourism Ministry shows that three resorts are currently under development in the atoll, although only one had been given an estimated opening date – for December this year.

Reasons for the failure to develop secondary tourism hubs in the north and south of the were addressed in the ministry’s ‘Fourth Tourism Master Plan – 2013-2017’.

The document explained that historical growth patterns in the tourism industry had centred on the Malé area after private investors sought greater economies of scale. The introduction of sea planes – expanding the area serviceable from Ibrahim Nasir International Airport – had further delayed regional expansion.

“If, as the last two masterplans strongly suggested, the suitable islands around the Malé’s hub are now more or less fully developed, the time has come to give priority to the secondary hubs,” read the document.

Source: Fourth Tourism Master Plan - 2013-2017
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Government warns of dengue and scrub typhus risk on World Health Day

Minister of Health and Gender Dr Mariyam Shakeela has noted an increase in the incidence of mosquito-borne dengue and mite-borne scrub typhus in the Maldives.

In a televised address to mark World Health Day, Shakeela said increased travel, trade, migration and climate change is leading to an increase in insect-borne diseases worldwide.

Dengue fever has become endemic in the Maldives since 2004, she said.

“I am deeply saddened to note that individual level action to control diseases spread by small insects is not being taken. The result is the increase in dangerous diseases such as dengue and scrub typhus and deaths,” said the minister.

There were 680 reported cases of dengue in the Maldives in 2013, a decline from 2006 peak of 2,788 cases, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said.

The year 2011 also saw a relatively severe outbreak of dengue in the Maldives, with fatalities reaching a dozen – a record high in the country’s history. In 2012 there were a total of 1,083 dengue cases in the Maldives. Construction workers face an increased risk, the HPA has said.

Deaths have also been reported from scrub typhus due to failure to seek healthcare and improper diagnosis, epidemiologist at the HPA Dr Aishath Aroona told Minivan News.

The Health Ministry runs a yearly campaign called ‘Madhiri Rulhi Rulhi’ (‘Unfriendly to Mosquitoes’) to limit mosquito breeding during the rainy season.

Waste management and cleanliness are the most effective methods of controlling mosquito breeding grounds, Aroona said.

The Maldives eradicated malaria in 1984, making it the only country in the region to have done so. The last case of mosquito-borne filariasis was recorded in 2003, and the Health Ministry will complete a screening and surveillance project by October to determine the eradication of the filariasis vector, the ministry has said.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mosquito-borne dengue has spread from nine to over a hundred countries, making it the most rapidly spreading vector-borne disease. Over 40 percent of the global population is at risk from dengue, the organisation said.

The WHO’s World Health Day campaign this year – ‘Small Bite, Big Threat’ – focuses on the risks of diseases spread by mosquitoes, flies, ticks, and freshwater snails.

The International Federation of Red Crescent and Red Cross Societies (IFRC) has called on governments for a shift in approach, from responding to isolated dengue outbreaks to investing in long-term programmes for behavioral change.

“This can be done by empowering communities with essential knowledge concerning hygiene and environmental sanitation, training and engaging community health volunteers to identify and refer suspected dengue cases and improving community-based disease surveillance,” the IFRC said in a recent report

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Comment: The enigma of the Adhaalath Party and their radical politics

In the autumn of the first elected democratic government, the Adhaalath Party (AP) brought in major radical reforms and sidelined their original party leadership. The freedom they enjoyed after the 2008 elections became a chance for opportunists among them to seek personal vendettas in politics.

The radicalisation of the AP became most prominent when they gathered on the 23rd of December in 2011 to honour and glorify Allah by becoming the judges of Allah. This reminded me of the assassin who brutally murdered Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Tholib saying, “There is no judge other than Allah” portraying himself as the judge in killing the leader of Muslims.

In a similar fashion, the 23rd December alliance portrayed themselves as judges in becoming the triggermen for ousting their ‘un-Islamic’ president, proclaiming him an infidel. These repercussions were the result of a speech given by President Mohamed Nasheed in Denmark to a predominantly non-Muslim audience regarding the growing fundamentalism of Islam.

The gist of his speech suggested that the way the holy Quran and Prophets words or Hadhith was interpreted by some sheikhs created polarisation among Muslims – a theory widely agreed upon by several Muslim scholars around the world. The radical ideology created by the AP, however, was that they were the only learned Islamic scholars who could glorify Islam – in a country which has been practicing Islam for hundreds of years without any radicalisation or polarisation.

The opposition of Nasheed’s government at the time intelligently utilised the AP as bait in instigating continuous and consistent public strikes, by deceiving the minds of faithful Muslims. The AP was given the role of labelling the government un-Islamic and creating fear among the faithful Muslims that ‘God’s treasured nation’ with one hundred percent Muslims will become a Christian or an atheist nation.

The public became more engaged when small radical groups sponsored by envious politicians came out in public demanding religious freedom. The fall of democracy began with more and more hatred and with the charismatic sheikhs becoming highly pragmatic and vocal against Nasheed -calling him and his regime un-Islamic, accusing him of forming allegiances with Christians and Jews.

The more moderate sheikhs kept their mouths shut and hence did an injustice to naive Islam-loving citizens. One exception was an apolitical sheikh who, through media, spread a silent interpretation in which he claimed the ousting of the leader of a nation who is in Islamic faith is against prophet’s teaching. However, the media turned a blind eye to these words, being more interested in bad news – as bad news is always good news for them.

On the February 7th of 2012 the storm struck and the elected president was ousted. The AP completed their assignment with high distinction. Hence they became powerful and vocal, and got a fair share from the government labelled as a “coup regime” by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

To most people, the AP was Sheikh Imran, the ‘mighty mouth piece’ of AP who seemingly acts as God’s judge in giving verdicts to defame their opponents as infidels. The people became nostalgic and now could not decide what was right or wrong. The arrogance, pride, and prejudice the sheikh holds against his opponents in fact became so controversial that many in the public came to regard him as a disgrace to Islam. The irony was that no sheikh or learned scholar was able to criticise him. The reality was that most of the learned Islamic scholars were behind the AP, supporting them and looking for opportunities to promote their political careers.

When the time came for parties to prepare for 2013 presidential elections, the AP had a misconception that they were the playmakers in the game, as they believed their high distinction in toppling governments could always change things in their favour. However, the incumbent president was not well convinced and disagreed with them. The opportunists among them demanded large amounts of money according to pundits, which turned off Dr Mohamed Waheed.

This rejection led them to join with Ibrahim Gasim.  They went through the first round with Gasim and were unable to beat the MDP. The obvious second round dragged them to a dilemma and they could not keep their word. It was strange for such people acting on behalf of God and claiming to glorify Islam to show such hypocrisy in their decision-making.

The watchful public then started feeling disgust over the so called truthful, honest, Islam-glorifying sheikhs. The public in fact saw them as unable to make up their mind and lacking in any principles or political ideologies, but rather becoming hitch-hikers and opportunists.

To make matters worse, the AP became much weaker in the new government than they had been under the governance of their arch-rival Nasheed. To their dismay, the old loyal sheikh and classmate of Gayoom – who was cartooned and lampooned by AP sheikhs previously – became their superior in a ministry they had sole control of in the past.

The hitch-hikers finally realised their position when their coalition partners defied their request to allocate some constituents for them to compete for parliament. For them the AP was just a parasite and a pain in their rears. Overwhelmed with lack of support they contested against their partners with the hope of winning over them. However, the already intimidated public rejected their candidates, with the exception of a famous woman with a high reputation for being modest and open minded.

The AP have gradually understood their position in the coalition and have become so weak, they now have to bow down to politicians far more ‘un-Islamic’ than Nasheed. The dilemmas and the enigmas now made them see that ‘There is no judge other than Allah’ and no one can claim to be a judge on behalf of Allah.

The educated elite behind AP want a reform, but regaining public trust is an issue they must overcome. To make matters worse, all major political parties want them to be sidelined as radical fundamentalist Islam is not accepted anywhere in the world, and the supreme leader of the PPM has a powerful aversion to sheikhs. Most of the AP sheikhs also have gone into hiding from public, realising that they had abused a naive public into believing an ideology they created with no basis or principle.

Their arrogance has led several sheikhs allied with them to fall silent and perhaps even to repent for their mistakes in throwing the state in to chaos in the name of Islam. For AP to rise up they need to create a political ideology to play politics equally well with their competitors. The use of Islam, and claiming to be the sole authority of glorifying Islam is no longer a slogan they can sell to public as their competitors now all have equally learned sheikhs with them.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

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Police arrest another two suspect in a growing series of child abuse reports

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) yesterday arrested two people suspected of sexually abusing children as the number of cases reported in recent weeks continues to grow.

The latest addition to a series of child abuse arrests in the past weeks saw a 38-year-old man accused of sexually abusing his three-year-old stepdaughter in Hulhudhoo, Seenu atoll.

He was arrested last night from the tourist resort in which he works.

A 51-year-old Indian migrant worker accused of sexually abusing an eleven-year-old boy was also arrested last night from Feeali, in Faafu atoll. Both cases are currently under investigation by the MPS.

While it has been suggested that the rise represents a greater willingness to report existing abuses, the Human Rights Commission (HRCM) has suggested child abuse is rising, urging parents to be more alert.

In the past few weeks, similar incidents across the country have seen police making a number of arrests for alleged abuses including child sex trafficking by a 45-year-old man, and the arrest seven men of age 18 -30 years arrested from Thinadhoo for forcing a 16 year old girl into prostitution

While the cause of this increase has yet to be established, it has been suggested that the current trend may simply reflect an increase in the number of cases being reported – previously, the discussion and reporting of such cases had been considered taboo in the Maldivian community.

Commenting on the issue, Vice President of the HRCM Ahmed Tholal said that the increasing number of child abuses cases is an issue the state should be taken very seriously.

“I believe it is not merely an increase in reporting, I think it is becoming more common. During our trips to twenty two islands around the country for our ongoing National Inquiry on Access to Education for Children with Disabilities , almost in all islands there were cases of physical, mental and sexual abuse of children,” said Tholal.

Other arrests have  included a 44-year-old man arrested for exposing himself to a twelve-year-old to whom he had shown pornography, and the case of a 29-year-old man arrested  from Rasdhoo for sexually abusing a thirteen year old girl.

A 45 year old man was arrested from Villimalé late last month for sexually abusing his one-year-old daughter and raping two stepdaughters under 12-years of age, while March also saw a 55-year-old man arrested  for abusing an 11-yearold girl.

A number of people have also been sentenced for child abuse during this period including a 78 year old man who was sentenced for ten years imprisonment by the Kulhudhufushi Magistrate court for sexually abusing a seven-year-old on multiple occasions.

An alarming number of child abuse cases have been reported in the past few years, supporting suggestions of widespread child prostitution across the country.

Stating that a special focus needs to be given to the issue, the HRCM’s Tholal said it is important to take a holistic approach in prevention of child abuse.

“Definitely more work needs to be done in many areas including awareness, research and legal protection. One very important thing is for parents to be more responsible in taking care of children,” he said.

“We need to address it legally as well by holding parents accountable for their neglect.”

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MET office issues yellow alert as South-West Monsoon approach

The Maldives Meteorological Service has issued a yellow alert and warned of bad weather in the coming days.

According to office, heavy rain will be experienced through out the country in the next 24 hours. While the seas are expected to remain relatively calm for most areas, winds may reach up to 30 miles per hour during showers.

Isolated heavy thunderstorms are to be expected in central and northern atolls.

The office advised safe travel and being on alert when travelling in this weather. According to the office the weather in south is good compared to the northern areas.

According to the office the weather change is due to the changing of the monsoon winds. The South-West Monsoon, locally known as Hulhan’gu Moosun begins on 8 April according to traditional weather calendars, and will continue until 9 December.

Heavy winds are usually experienced during this period.

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Losing PPM Majlis candidate asks for police intelligence to prove bribery

The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate Ibrahim ‘Hiyaaly’ Rasheed – recent runner-up in the Mid-Hithadhoo constituency seat – has today asked the High Court for police intelligence regarding the bribery allegations he has made.

Rasheed’s lawyer – PPM MP-elect Ibrahim ‘Wadde’ Waheed – is reported to have told the High Court that was unsure whether police intelligence had information regarding bribery involved in this specific poll, though he knew there was evidence of bribery in some races.

Rasheed lost the constituency seat to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Didi, who won just over 43 percent of the popular vote.

Wadde alleged that the other two candidates in the Mid-Hithadhoo contest had distributed money and other things as bribes to influence the election, and also that they had withheld the ID cards of constituents.

Wadde had submitted the names of 10 witnesses to prove his client’s allegations that there was bribery involved in the parliamentary elections.

Local media also reported that Ibrahim Mohamed Didi was involved in to the case today, with Didi’s lawyer reportedly telling the court that there were procedures to follow when issues arose regarding elections, before filing a lawsuit at the court.

The judge inquired as to whether Rasheed had filed the complaints with any other institution and his lawyer told the court that he had not.

Ibrahim Mohamed Didi won the Mid-Hithadhoo constituency seat with 1,099 votes. Rasheed got 898 votes, while independent candidate Hussain Solih got 554 votes.

Ibrahim Didi is still facing charges for the controversial military detention of Chief Judge of Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed in January 2012, though the case has been stalled for over 12 months.

Didi was also the Malé area commander in a special operation conducted by the military ‘Operation Liberty Shield’ to control unrest in Male’ following the arrest of the judge.

On 3 April, the opposition MDP condemned alleged attempts by government-aligned parties to influence voting in the recently held parliamentary elections through coercion and threats.

“The MDP expresses concern and strongly condemns the actions of government-aligned political persons to buy votes, threaten people with losing their jobs, and instruct some voters to make a special marking on ballot papers – thereby compromising the confidentiality of votes cast,” the party said in a statement issued that day.

The MDP accused the ruling parties of threatening that individuals would lose their jobs, and requiring these people to specially mark their ballot paper in order for observers and party representatives to see how the vote was cast.

Following the conclusion of the election, Transparency Maldives stated that while it was well-administered and transparent, “wider issues of money politics threatens to hijack the democratic process”.

On March 27, The Adhaalath Party spokesperson Sheikh Ali Zahir told Minivan News that the party lost many seats it ought to have won in the Majlis elections due to bribery and undue influence from competing candidates on all sides.

“It was really sad that a lot of money transactions were involved in it, it was an obstacle to electing the most capable person to the parliament,’’ Zahir told Minivan News at the time.

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Four arrested in connection with the death of 79 year-old man in Thinadhoo

Police have arrested four persons in connection with the death of Ali Rasheed,79, who was found dead inside his house last Friday (April 4).

Police have told local media that three Maldivians, including a woman and a male expatriate, had been arrested in connection with the case.

Ali Rasheed was found dead lying on the floor of his room. He was living alone following the death of his wife some years earlier.

A source from the island told online newspaper Sun that Rasheed had a six-inch laceration on his head and a swollen left eye.

Police said the death was being investigated as they suspected foul play. An investigation team has been dispatched to the southern island.

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Tourist arrivals rose six percent in February

Tourist arrivals in February increased by five percent from the previous month and six percent in annual terms, according to the Maldives Monetary Authority’s (MMA) latest monthly economic review.

“The annual increase was due to the rise in the number of arrivals from Asia and Europe,” the central bank’s monthly report noted.

While total bed nights in February rose five percent compared to the same period last year, the occupancy rate rose three percent from February 2013 to 89 percent this year.

The average duration of stay however “declined marginally in annual terms during the review period,” the report stated.

The MMA had previously revealed that tourist arrivals rose 17 percent in 2013 compared to the previous year “mainly due to the large increase in tourist arrivals from China, coupled with a slight growth in arrivals from Europe.”

Statistics from the Tourism Ministry show that 331,719 Chinese tourists visited the Maldives last year, which was a 44.5 percent increase from the previous year.

Chinese tourists accounted for 29.5 percent of all tourist arrivals in 2013.

In November 2013, the Finance Ministry revealed that the tourism industry’s GDP growth in 2012 declined by 0.1 percent following 15.8 percent growth in 2010 and 9.2 percent in 2011.

Despite negative growth in 2012, the Finance Ministry estimated that the industry would have expanded 5.5 percent in 2013 and forecast a growth rate of 5.2 percent for this year.

The average duration of stay has however fallen from 8.6 days in 2009 to 6.7 days in 2012, and 6.3 days in 2013.

According to the annual tourism yearbook published by the Tourism Ministry, the average occupancy rate of all tourist establishments in 2012 was 2.5 percent below the previous year at 70.6 percent.

The Maldivian economy is largely dependent on tourism, which accounted for 28 percent of GDP on average in the past five years, and generated 38 percent of government revenue in 2012.

Meanwhile, in the second largest industry, the volume of fish exports increased by nine percent in February compared to the previous year “largely contributed by the increase in the volume of fresh, chilled or frozen tuna exports.”

“However, earnings from fish exports declined by 25 percent during the same period, due to the fall in both the volume and earnings from canned or pouched tuna exports,” the review revealed.

“Additionally, earnings from yellow fin tuna exports also declined during this period compared to 2013.”

The rate of inflation – measured by the annual percentage change in the consumer price index in Malé – rose to 3.4 percent in February from 2.6 percent in January.

“This was largely due to the increase in fish prices,” the report explained.

“Similarly, the rate of inflation increased in monthly terms during February 2014, which was also due to the rise in fish prices.”

Public finance

The economic review noted that government expenditure “more than doubled” in January to MVR1.9 billion compared to the same period last year.

Total revenue fell by 11 percent to MVR1 billion “largely due to the 27 percent decline in business profit tax (BPT) [receipts].”

“Additionally, non-tax revenue also fell, owing to the significant decline in resort lease rent. As for the increase in expenditure, it was mainly due to the increase in subsidy payments,” the report stated.

As a result of “increased investments in T-bills by commercial banks, other financial corporations and public non-financial corporations,” the review noted that the total outstanding stock of government securities – treasury bills and bonds – rose nine percent in annual terms and 10 percent in monthly terms during February.

The trade deficit meanwhile narrowed by 29 percent during February compared to the previous year.

“This was due to the significant decline of 26 percent in imports which off set the 16 percent decline in exports. The decline in imports was contributed by the fall in petroleum products,” the report explained.

“Gross international reserves increased in both monthly and annual terms by 2 percent and 13 percent respectively and reached US$391.1 million at the end of February 2014. Reserves in terms of months of imports also rose in both monthly and annual terms to 2.7 months at the end of the same period.”

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Week in review: March 30 – April 5

This week saw continued reverberations from the Majlis elections, with further switches to the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) swelling the Progressive Coalition’s number of seats to 57.

With the defection of Thimarafushi MP-elect Mohamed Musthafa, the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) numbers dropped to 25, whilst three of the five successful independent candidates have now moved to the PPM.

The MDP this week accused the coalition parties of bribery and corruption during the Majlis polls, urging further investigations by relevant stakeholders.

The changes promised by the opposition party in the wake of their disappointing performance began with the resignation of party Chair ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik.

At the conclusion of the party’s national council meeting – during which former President Mohamed Nasheed became acting party president – Reeko urged fellow party leaders to follow his lead.

After seeing the official confirmation of its electoral success, the government announced the details of its fisherman’s allowance – beginning last Tuesday (April 1) – with up to MVR10,000 pledged for lean months.

President Yameen’s largesse was also felt by 169 convicted prisoners granted clemency, as well as prospective foreign investors who were promised they would be made to feel at home.

“We are going to open up the Maldives in a huge way to foreign investors. Our thirst cannot be quenched. The opportunity to foreign investors is going to be enormous,” he told those present at the launch of a new housing project in the proposed “youth village” of Hulhumalé.

The government’s inherited plans for the mandatory enrollment of foreigners on the pension scheme were delayed this week, however, after an amendment was introduced in the Majlis to make involvement voluntary.

A shortage of government funds was cited this week as reason for the closure of the Maldives’ High Commission in Bangladesh, while plans to reduce state expenditure also resulted in proposals to disband local Women’s Development Committees.

The State Trading Organisation’s plans to tap into the tourism market in order to secure a steady stream of dollars look set to come to fruition early next year with the completion of their Hulhumalé hotel.

The outgoing members of parliament appeared intent on finishing the session productively, passing legislation on anti-money laundering as well as extending the General Regulations Act.

After having rejected a near-identical penal code draft in December, a more amenable quorum this week passed a replacement for the current 1960s version – more than four years after it was first introduced to the legislature.

In the committee room, approval was given for the new governor of the monetary authority and member of the police watchdog, though consent for the long-awaited new prosecutor general was withheld.

The PG’s Office meanwhile revealed that the Criminal Court – with whom it has quarreled over the Majlis failure to approve the new nominee – had used numerous excuses to turn away 30 percent of cases forwarded to it in the past three months.

The offices workload looks set to be added to by the Anti Corruption Commission’s recommendation that charges be filed against former Malé City councilors in relation to the contract for last year’s night market.

The Civil Court this week received a case from local businessmen seeking money owed by the State Bank of India, while the Juvenile Court received reluctant members of the Human Rights Commission as their dispute over an allegedly misleading report continued.

Eighteen months after the murder of PPM MP Dr Afrasheem Ali, the Criminal Court heard revealing testimony in the trial of Ali Shan – accused alongside the already-sentenced Hussain Humam.

The activities of police – under-resourced, according to the commissioner – in the confiscation of a record 24kg of heroin were revealed this week, while President Yameen took advantage of the force’s 81st anniversary to warn officers to use the current calm to prepare for future challenges.

Finally, Minivan News this week heard from local environmental NGOs about the plight of local turtle species as well as the difficulty in raising awareness of climate-change among the country’s young people.

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