maldives news – Page 961 – Minivan News

Rock Paper Scissors to play in Olympus backyard on July 27

Well known local rock band ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ (RPS) are planning a music show with a slight difference.

The show to be held on July 27 at the Olympus backyard compound will be different to most music shows held in Male’, said band member Akif Rafeeq.

“We chose this venue because of its relative smaller size, we want to create a more intimate experience for our fans, and have a bit more crowd interaction,” he said.

The bands aims to have around 300 to 350 fans turn up for the show.

Another famous band in Male’ hugely popular with youth, ‘1 Knight Stand’ will also be playing on the night.

Rock Paper Scissors were formed in 2009 and are probably most well known for winning the 2009 Maldives Breakout Festival. The band has since played internationally including the 2010 O2 Arena showcase in the UK as well as headlining the 2010 Malaysian Breakout Festival.

Tickets will be available at Music World, Time Zone and at Olympus.

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Cabinet appoints sub-committee to investigate 2003 shooting at Maafushi jail

Cabinet has decided to investigate who gave the order to shoot inmates in Maafushi jail in September 2003, an incident in which three inmates died.

Further details were not mentioned, and Press Secretary for the President’s Office, Mohamed Zuhair, did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

In June this year three of the 12 former prison guards sentenced to death – who were living at large – were arrested by police for the enforcement of their 25 year sentence.

During the trial, 13 guards were accused of murdering three inmates and all were found guilty of the crime and sentenced to death by the Criminal Court.

The 13th person, the head of the prison that time, was later pardoned by the High Court. Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom then used presidential privilege to commute the death sentences of the others to 25 year imprisonment.

State Home Minister Mohamed Naeem told Minivan News in June that the documents at the Home Ministry showed that the 12 officers were at first kept in Maafushi Prison until the new prison head sent a letter to the-then Home Minister Ahmed Thasmeen Ali – now the leader of the opposition – that it was unsafe for the 12 to be among the other inmates.

“They were then transferred to Dhoonidhoo prison, and after two months another letter was sent to Thasmeen from the then Deputy Police Commission saying that there were no lawful grounds for keeping convicts in Dhoonidhoo for the implementing of their verdicts,” he said. “And that was the end of the document trail. We do not know what Thasmeen said in reply, or how they managed to stay at large.”

Prison guards at Maafushi claimed to have shot the inmates to control a prison riot sparked by the custodial death of fellow inmate Evan Naseem, who allegedly died of injuries sustained during the brutal torture he was subjected to inside the prison. His death – and his family’s decision to display the body and his injuries – is considered a watershed moment in Maldivian politics that led to the ousting of the former President.

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Two men arrested for secretly filming a couple having sex

Police have arrested two islanders from Utheemu in Haa Alifu Atoll, after they allegedly filmed a husband and wife while they were inside their room having sex.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that the arrests was made.

“The two of them were arrested following a report received by police that they had secretly filmed and watched a husband and wife while they were inside their room having sex,” Shiyam said, adding that he could not reveal further information as the investigation was ongoing.

Councilor of Utheemu Asrar Adam told Minivan News that the men were “caught red-handed” at midnight on Monday.

“A person living in the house came out to have a cigarette and saw the two of them trying to watch the husband and wife,” Asrar said. “The next day police arrived on our island and arrested them.”

Asrar identified the men arrested as Mohamed Hassan, 26. and Ali Munaz, 21.

“Islanders of Utheemu have been suspicious that these men have been watching the toilets of houses in the island and have been secretly filming while girls are inside,” he said.

Asrar said police have not officially shared any information with the council regarding the incident, and the council was only aware of other allegations made by islanders.

“No one has officially reported it to the council,” he noted.

He added that one of the suspects, Mohamed Hassan, 26, was the vice president of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s Utheeemu Wing.

Asrar said that the detention period of the arrested pair had been extended by the court, according to information he had received.

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Nasheed meets President of Asian Chess Federation

President Mohamed Nasheed has met with the President of the Asian Chess Federation, Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al-Nehyan, reports the President’s office.

“Sheikh Sultan Al-Nehyan and President Nasheed shared ideas on ways to implement chess as a sport in schools, and to further encourage the younger generations to take part in chess tournaments,” the President’s office said in a statement.

Nasheed invited the Asian Chess Federation to hold an international chess tournament in the Maldives, upon Sheikh Sultan Al-Nehyan’s request.

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Four taxation bills sent to committee

Four bills of the government’s economic reform package were sent to a parliamentary sub-committee for further review yesterday.

The four pieces of legislation would together introduce a five percent general goods and service tax (GST), an income tax, a corporate profit tax and excise import duties for most items from January 1, 2012.

All four bills received on average higher than 50 votes from the 72 MPs present and voting. To expedite the legislative process, an 11-member sub-committee was chosen to review the bills with five MPs of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), three MPs of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Jumhooree Party (JP) Leader Gasim Ibrahim, one MP of the minority opposition People’s Alliance (PA) and Dhuvafaru MP Mohamed Zubair as an Independent MP.

Presenting the income tax bill on behalf of the government yesterday, MP Ilyas Labeeb said that the economic reform programme was now being implemented with the introduction of direct taxation in the Maldives for the first time.

“The bill I’m presenting today is the personal income tax,” he began. “Income tax will be taken from individuals whose total monthly income from their salary or other sources exceed Rf30,000 (US$1,900). The tax will be taken from income above that amount.”

All citizens and non-citizens who earn their income in the Maldives will be eligible for the tax. For naturalised citizens and residents, income earned abroad will be taxable as well.

Ilyas explained that the income tax would be progressive and divided into five tax brackets, whereby people with higher income would pay higher rates.

The tax rates are set at three percent for monthly incomes between Rf30,000 to Rf40,000; six percent for incomes between Rf60,000 and Rf100,000; nine percent for incomes between Rf100,000 and Rf150,000; and 15 percent for Rf150,000 and higher.

The legislation specifies 15 sources of income that would be considered taxable, Ilyas continued, while Zakat funds (alms for the poor), pension contributions, interest payments and capital allowance or investment would be exempt from taxation.

Individuals would meanwhile be required to submit an annual personal income tax statement.

If passed, the income tax law will come into effect on January 1, 2012.

Ilyas observed that the introduction of a 3.5 percent tourism goods and services tax (TGST) in January this year had revealed that the country’s GDP per capita was closer to US$4,060 than the previous estimate of US$2,840.

“We learned that the Maldivian economy is such that each citizen should get close to Rf5,000 (US$300) a month,” Ilyas said. “[But] the country’s wealth is shared by disproportionately few people. One in four people do not make even Rf1,000 (US$60) a month.”

Ilyas urged opposition MPs to set aside political differences “to save future generations from indebtedness.”

As a result of deficit financing by both the current and former governments through foreign loans, printing local currency and sale of T-bills, the state is in debt to the tune of Rf18 billion (US$1.4 million).

Meanwhile at a press briefing outside parliament today, DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali said that the party gave its MPs a free whip to vote on the taxation bills.

“We cannot make a final decision without listening to what the government has to say about reducing total state expenditure and without looking into the details of the bills, such as how the money taken from the people would be spent,” he said.

The main opposition party however decided yesterday not to impose a three-line whip on proceeding with the tax bills at the committee stage, Thasmeen said.

“Our final decision will be made after the bill is accepted based on how it is shaped in the final stages,” he explained. “We will question the government during [the committee review] process and they will not get our cooperation unless they are ready to shape the bill the way we want.”

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Marine biologists report outbreak of Portuguese Man-o-War

An outbreak of Portuguese Man-o-War jellyfish around the Maldives has sent guests at many of the country’s upmarket resorts out of the water and back to their villas.

The creatures, which can give a nasty sting, have been reported appearing in lagoons and housereefs around islands in atolls including North Male Atoll, Baa Atoll, North Ari Atoll and Gaaf Dhaal Atoll.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru reported a brief outbreak, while Huvafen Fushi in North Male Atoll has had the creatures washing up on the beach for eight days. Kuramathi in North Ari Atoll has also been affected.

Marine biologist Verena Wiesbauer Ali said seasonal outbreaks were not unusual. The creatures were not native to the Maldives reef ecosystem but swarms of them could become trapped by the reef and end up on the beach, she said.

“They can still sting for quite some time on the beach if the cells in the tentacles are still active, which can affect guests walking [barefoot],” noted Wiesbauer, who coauthored a first aid guide together with Dr Jens Lindner and Dr Reinhard Kilinger to the country’s toxic marine life after she was stung by a purple jellyfish while swimming, and was asked by an island doctor why she had eaten one.

Despite its appearance the Portuguese Man-o-War was not really a jellyfish, she explained, and that the usual treatment for jellyfish stings – vinegar, urine or alcohol – could discharge more of the toxic nematocysts in the sting.

Hot water was the recommended treatment for protein-based toxins, such as those from the Portugese Man-o-War or stonefish, she said.

“Clinics should have supplies of anti-histamine because the itching from a sting can be extreme. Applying ice for a few minutes can stop it from spoiling a holiday,” she added.

“Hotels have a duty to inform tourists when there is an outbreak, as someone stung may sue the hotel. It’s also important for snorkelers to understand the risk, and protect themselves with long sleeves – even thin cover is effective, although obviously this does not cover the face.”

Marine Biologist at Kuramathi Resort and Spa in Rasdhoo Atoll, Laura Riavitz, said the outbreak at the resort was worse than last year, “when there was a day when you wouldn’t even stick your toe in the water.”

“We are informing people on welcome and have put out notices at the main reception and the dive school, being careful not to panic people and asking them to wear rash vests,” she said.

Riavitz was herself stung by one last year: “It began very painfully, like a burning sensation on the skin. Sometimes you can’t see anything and don’t know what it is. The most important thing is not to scratch it, otherwise the sting can be carried to other parts of the body, such as the face,” she said.

The Portuguese Man-o-War did not move under its own power, and instead drifted with the currents using a gas bladder and with its tentacles stretching out behind it, she explained.

The creature was normally eaten by predators such as sea turtles, she noted, “although at the moment there are not enough predators to keep the numbers down.”

Any sightings of the Portuguese Man-o-War or reports on the success or failure of treatment can be reported to [email protected]

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World must prepare for the deterritorialised state: NYT

Rising sea levels could threaten the existence of small island states such as Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and the Maldives. If the international community cannot or will not slow global warming, the least it can do is help those states prepare for life after land by recognizing a new category of state — the deterritorialised state, writes Rosemary Rayfuse for the New York Times.

“If we do nothing and these nations become uninhabitable, their citizens will not only become displaced persons seeking refuge in other countries; they will also lose control of their vast maritime zones, including valuable fisheries and mineral deposits, which will likely become the property of neighboring states or the global commons.

“A few solutions have already been offered. Disappearing states could try to acquire territory from another state. However, no other government is likely to give up some of its land, no matter the price. The construction of artificial islands has also been proposed, but the financial, engineering, cultural and legal challenges may be insurmountable. The best scenario under current international law appears to be for disappearing states to enter into some form of federation with another state. However, a merger would threaten their cultural identities and likely oblige them to relinquish control over their resources.”

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HRCM sends report to UN Human Rights Committee

Endemic sexual violence against women and children, violent crime, abuse of migrant labourers and a persistent culture of torture in detention facilities are among a catalogue of serious issues facing the country, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has informed the UN Human Rights Committee.

The document summarises areas relevant to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which the Maldives acceded to in 2006. It heavily references the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) and several news sources, including Haveeru and Minivan News, with little reference to primary research conducted by HRCM itself.

Violence against women

“One in five women between the ages of 15 and 49 years reported physical or sexual violence by a partner, and one in nine reported experiencing severe violence,” HRCM noted, referencing a 2006 study by the then Ministry of Gender and Family.

“One in six women in the capital Male’ and one in eight countrywide reported experiencing childhood sexual abuse under the age of 15 years. Of those women between the ages of 15 and 49 years who had ever been pregnant, 6 percent reported having been physically or sexually abused during pregnancy,” it cited.

“The survey further reported that many respondents’ perceived women to be subordinate to men, and that men used Islam to justify restrictions and violence against women.”

Parallel to this, HRCM observed a particularly low conviction rate for rapists and sexual assault offenders.

Reasons for this, the report claimed, included “the absence of an Evidence Act, the lack of witness protections provisions and fear of reprisals by abusers, finding witnesses (two male or equivalent women), awareness on the side of the victim regarding the condition that she should be in while reporting, such as not showering before consulting medical personnel, lack of national guidelines on medico-legal documentation, failures of existing laws and procedures leading to re‐victimisation of the victim, and intimidation of being stigmatised by the community.”

Forced labour

Abuse of migrant workers in the Maldives is occurring on an industrial scale, with at least 30,000 foreign workers (8-10 percent of the total population of the country), completely undocumented. Most of these are Bangladeshi nationals, with 2200 of those 2700 migrant workers deported in 2009 by the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Bangladeshi origin, HRCM noted.

“The State needs to enforce existing regulations relating to work place standards and regularly monitor the same,” the report noted. “In addition, the state should develop a mechanism whereby the wages to the workers are duly paid and the travel documents of migrant workers are not held in hands of employers in order to eliminate the undue influence by employers on the migrant workers to work in unfavourable conditions, including forcing them to do labour against their will.”

Documents of migrant workers such as passports were routinely confiscated by employers, the report stated.

“In the Maldives, it is a practice to take hold of the passport of the migrant worker by his/her owner for the intention of safe keeping, and this applies to both government and private sector together with the individuals,” HRCM said.

HRCM observed that the maximum fine facing labour traffickers for fines under the Employment Act was Rf 5000 (US$324). It noted that the Maldives had conceded to ratify the International Convention on Protection of Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families (ICPRMWF).

Violent crime

HRCM noted six crime-related deaths in 2010 and eight in 2009, and stated that this was high relative to the population.

“It is to be noted that most of the people who are involved in cases of extreme violence, and murders are repeat offenders (sometimes juveniles) providing clear evidence into the failure of the criminal justice system in the country,” HRCM stated.

Factors involved, the report noted, included “inadequate legislation pertaining the criminal justice system, such as a Penal Code does not reflect the spirit of the present Constitution, inadequate legislation pertaining to evidence and witnesses, dismissal of forensic evidence by courts, absence of a witness protection program and inadequate correctional and rehabilitation system for convicted offenders.”

Detention concerns

Visits from the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) to Dhoonidhoo Police Custodial in March 2011 identified that five detainees had been kept in solitary confinement cells for periods ranging from several days to up to four months, without being let outside for exercise, HRCM stated,

HRCM also raised concerns about the standard of a “hastily built” jail in Addu Atoll in 2009, consisting of metal cages, to accommodate prisoners following a prison fire in Maafushi, and the confiscation of clothing as a disciplinary measure.

HRCM noted a general failure to keep arrested suspects separate from convicted criminals, and commented on the use of Maafushi prison as a police custodial.

The report also stated that “a high profile politician, Mr Abdulla Yameen, was held under protective police custody for a short period in 2010 in a place outside the formally established places for police custody” (Yameen, the leader of the opposition-aligned People’s Alliance and the former President’s half-brother, was detained in the Presidential Retreat at Aarah).

HRCM expressed concern that “in the case of Mr Yameen, he has not been compensated so far [for his detention on the Presidential Retreat].”

Read the full report

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Resort staff arrested in Addu for premarital sex

Police have arrested a 36 year-old Maldivian man and a 33 year-old Thai woman for premarital sex, both of them staff at Herethera Island Resort in Addu Atoll.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the pair were arrested last Thursday following a complaint received by police.

”Both of them have been arrested and are in police custody,” Shiyam said, noting that the pair were arrested on charges of sexual misconduct.

”They were not arrested while they were on Herethera Resort, but while they were on an island in Addu Atoll.”

He said police were currently investigating the matter.

Local media reported that an islander alerted police and when police officers attended the scene the couple were involved in sexual activity.

An islander told newspaper Haveeru that the individuals were involved in a relationship and used to visit the house they were arrested inside very frequently.

Staff at Herathera declined to comment in the absence of the general manager, who was overseas at time of press.

Under the 1968 Penal Code the penalty for premarital sex is 100 lashes. A updated Penal Code has been at committee stage in parliament for more than a year.

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