Tag: maldives news

Tourism minister Adeeb appointed acting Home Minister

Minister of Tourism Ahmed Adeeb has been appointed the acting minister of home affairs, while Umar Naseer is travelling abroad.

According to Sun Online Umar Naseer is leaving on an official trip coupled with a personal one, although no details on when he would be returning was revealed.

President Abdulla Yameen yesterday (January 21) brought changes to a number of ministries and state institutions in the aftermath of Colonel (ret) Mohamed Nazim’s dismissal as defence minister.

Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Dr Mohamed Shainee was appointed to the vacated acting health minister’s position, while Umar Naseer was appointed to the Local Government Association.

Additionally, the Department of Immigration and Emigration – under Nazim’s remit as part of the defence ministry since December 2012 – was reallocated to the Ministry of Economic Development.

Adeeb had previously acted as defence minister earlier this month, when Nazim was away on personal business.

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Maldives’ resorts among world’s best, but industry insiders express concern over Green Tax

Three Maldivian resorts have been named among the world’s top 25 hotels by TripAdvisor, but industry specialists have expressed concern over the new green tax and rising prices.

Gili Lankanfushi Maldives placed top in the recently announced Traveler’s Choice Awards, based upon the quantity and quality of reviews posted on the website, while two other Maldivian resorts – Cocoa Island and Constance Moofushi – ranked at number six and fifteen, respectively.

The survey by the world’s largest travel website acknowledged over 8,100 properties based on one year’s worth of reviews and opinions from its 315 million unique monthly visitors.

“We are very glad that three of our resorts got included as top hotels in the world,” said Maldives Association of Tourism Industry Secretary General Ahmed Nazeer.

Four other Maldivian locations were named as part of the top 25 hotels in the Asian region. Baros Maldives was awarded ninth place on the regional list, Soneva Fushi placed 13th, while LUX* Maldives and Komandhoo Maldives Resort earned 21st and 22nd, respectively.

Meanwhile, industry specialists have expressed concern that the Maldives might soon become an overpriced destination due to increasing taxes and service charges, with the latest levy taking the form of a US$6 green tax.

“The green tax will definitely have an impact,” said Shafraz Fazley, Managing Director of Viluxur Holidays to ttgasia.com. “It is (already) becoming too expensive to go to top resorts because of all the service charges and taxes.”

The US$6 green tax was announced in November last year with the tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb saying that the revenue generated from the tax will go into managing waste from local resorts and other islands.

Rising arrivals, rising costs

The tax is part of  new revenue raising measures outlined in the record MVR24.3 billion (US$1.5 billion) state budget for 2015, which also includes the addition of ten resorts to the current 109 registered facilities. These measures are anticipated to raise MVR3.4 billion (US$220 million) in revenue for the government.

The green tax will be introduced 11 months after the abolition of the US$8 per night bed tax, and one year after the hike in the Tourism Goods and Service Tax (T-GST) from 8 to 12 percent. Airport service tax was also raised from US$18 to US$25 in July 2014 for visitors leaving the country.

Maldives Association for Travel Agents and Tour Operators President Abdulla Ghiyas was reported as having told TTG that the resort contracts will be unaffected as the bed tax had been taken into account, though the opposition has previously called the levying of this and T-GST simultaneously as “double taxation” on the industry.

“Have a look at the TripAdvisor Forum,” Michelle Flake from Koamas Luxury Escapes told TTG. “I am sure people are moaning and saying it will be too expensive for them to come soon.”

After receiving more than one million tourists for the second consecutive year in 2014, the tourism ministry estimates that the Maldives will see 1.4 million tourist arrivals this year.

Speaking to Minivan News about the past year, however, Tourism Employee’s Association of Maldives Secretary General Mauroof Zakir said that, despite the increased arrivals, the tourism industry suffered as a whole in 2014.

“Total tourist arrivals have increased compared to the previous year. However, as arrivals from Europe and Russia decrease, less income is generated as the replacing Chinese visitors spend less and stay for lesser periods,” said Zakir.

Last year’s Maldives visitor survey in January 2014 appeared to confirm Zakir’s point, showing that Asian tourists stayed for shorter periods of 3 to 4 days while the average stay for European tourists was between 7 and 11 days.

According to the Tourism Yearbook 2014 – published by the tourism ministry – average duration of stay by tourists is declining, from 8.6 days in 2009 to 6.3 days in 2013.

The Chinese and Russian tourist markets are two of the fastest growing in the world, with arrivals increasing by an average of 54 and 10.7 percent, respectively, between 2009 and 2013.

Adeeb has acknowledged the negative impact of the falling Russian rouble on arrivals, saying that the Maldives must diversify its tourism markets as the international arena “heats up”.


Related to this story

1.4 million figure for 2014 tourist arrivals incorrect, says Tourism Minister

US$6 green tax to be introduced from November 2015, says tourism minister

President Yameen announces development of five resorts in Haa Dhaalu Atoll

Government decides to implement a ‘green tax’ on tourists

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PG considers blocking pornographic websites in the Maldives

Prosecutor General (PG) Muhthaz Muhsin has said that the office is considering demanding that internet service providers in the Maldives block pornographic websites.

Speaking to Avas, Muhsin said pornographic websites are blocked in most Islamic countries and that the Maldives should follow suit.

“This is how it is in the lot of Muslim countries. We are thinking of doing the same in the Maldives,” Muhsin told Avas.

According to current laws and regulations, possessing and distributing pictures or videos with pornographic content is illegal in the Maldives.

Last year, nine underage students were arrested in Feydhoo School in Addu City for the possession of pornographic pictures and videos while a man was sentenced to six years of imprisonment for possessing pornographic material.

Source: Avas

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High Court resumes Hulhumalé Magistrate Court appeal case

The High Court has scheduled a hearing for January 28 in former President Mohamed Nasheed’s appeal case into the legitimacy of the Hulhumalé Magistrate Court.

The case, which challenges the legality of the bench assembled to try Nasheed for the January 2012 detention of Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed, has been stalled since April 2013.

Hisaan Hussain from the opposition leader’s legal team said that the former president and his representatives have received the chits from the High Court regarding the hearing.

“The chits from the high court said it was a preliminary hearing,” said Hisaan.

“However these kind of meetings are usually where documents are exchanged and do not happen in the middle of an ongoing trail, therefore we are regarding this as a hearing.”

Meanwhile, in a press statement today the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said that Nasheed has been “receiving threats that he will be arrested as soon as he returns to the Maldives” from his visit to Abu Dhabi.

Nasheed – who has recently urged the government to expedite the trial – tweeted today that he will be cutting his trip short after hearing of the government’s intentions to arrest him and will arrive tomorrow afternoon.

The former president was arrested in October 2012 after the Hulhumale Magistrate Court issued a warrant following his failure to adhere to court summons.

Also charged with the detention of Judge Abdulla Mohamed were prominent figures from the Nasheed government, including Major General (retired) Moosa Ali Jaleel.

Jaleel was appointed as minister of defence yesterday following the dismissal of Mohamed Nazim, who is being investigated on suspicion of keeping illegal weapons in his home.

The Prosecutor General’s Office has subsequently said it will not be withdrawing with the charges against the new defence minister, while President’s Office Spokesman Ibrahim Muaz told Minivan News that the cases of Jaleel and Nazim are not comparable.

“There is a massive difference between security services finding dangerous weapons and an ongoing case intiated by a previous administration. The president has decided to trust Jaleel even with the pending case,” said Muaz.

Stalled case

In a statement today, the MDP noted that the threats to arrest Nasheed come at a time when “President Yameen’s government has been threatening various political figures while undermining the Constitution”.

Chief among the complaints levelled against the government are recent amendments to the Judicature Act which saw the removal of two of the Supreme Court’s seven judges.

Also included in the amendments was the division of the nine-member High Court into three regional branches, with only the Malé branch allowed to hear challenges to laws and regulations.

Speaking at a party rally last weekend, Nasheed suggested the president had been attempting to strike a deal regarding the charges related to Abdulla Mohamed’s detention. “I am the bad guy,” he reminded the president.

Last November, Nasheed also told the press that the judge’s detention had been wrong, blaming his former defense minister Tholhath Ibrahim for the decision.

Nasheed has appealed at the High Court against the legitimacy of the Hulhumalé Magistrates bench – assembled by the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) – saying that judges on the bench on cases must be appointed by the senior judge of the court, arguing that such decisions were beyond the remit of the judicial watchdog.

He has also questioned the establishment of a Magistrates Court in the Malé suburb, arguing that Hulhumalé is considered to be part of Malé City under the Decentralisation Act and therefore require a separate Magistrates Court.

Other critics of the court included then-JSC members Sheikh Shuaib Abdul Rahman and former Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid, who argued that the judicial watchdog had acted unconstitutionally in assigning magistrates to a particular case.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers Gabriela Knaul, noted at the time that the  “appointment of judges to the case, has been set up in an arbitrary manner outside the parameters laid out in the laws”.


Related to this story

High Court to rule in appeal on Hulhumale’ court legitimacy

Hulhumale’ Court rejects case against former President Nasheed

High Court invalidates Hulhumale’ court’s rejection of case against former president

Supreme Court declares Hulhumale Magistrate Court legitimate

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Adhaalath Party president meets with police

Adhaalath Party President Sheikh Imran Abdulla has met with police at the their headquarters in Malé today, says media reports.

Imran told press that he had not been accused of any crime, while police have said the meeting was not in relation to any ongoing investigations.

Imran took to twitter following the dismissal of defence minister Colonel (retired) Mohamed Nazim yesterday, warning that the country was “drifting towards a storm”,

“If the direction is not changed wisely the country will be shattered,” read one post, while another posted the day before said: “The people who try and blame innocent people after commit heinous crimes will face a bitter end”.

Source: Sun Online, Vnews, Haveeru

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US embassy donates library to Thinadhoo Primary School

The US embassy has donated a library of 750 English-language books to the Thinadoo Primary School in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll.

“The United States supports expanding educational opportunities around the world,” said Young Hwan Joo of the US embassy to the students at the school.

“We hope that one day all of you will take your first steps to not only become future exchange students in the United States, but also leaders of your community and your country.”

The books, with a total cost of cost of $10,000, range from early to more advanced stories to text books and teaching aids.  They will be used in classes, but also taken home for reading assignments and personal enjoyment, explained a US embassy press release today.

“Thank you very much for your support to our school,” said Principal Ajeeb Mohammed told embassy staff.  “Our students, teachers and staff are delighted with your visit and we all believe that it will be a great milestone for our school.”

This is the second in a series of twelve book drops planned for islands in the outer atolls. The first took place in March 2014 in Fuvamulah.

“These donations address critical educational needs in remote areas where the delivery of books has been difficult,” continued today’s press release.

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India-Maldives Film Festival launched

The India-Maldives Film Festival was launched last night at Malé’s Olympus theatre as part of the ‘Love for Bollywood Festival’ being held to celebrate the Golden Jubilee anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The award winning comedy-drama ‘3 Idiots’ was shown yesterday after a cultural segment from the Indian Cultural Centre, while additional Indian and Dhivehi films will be show over the next two evenings. Entry is free.

Minister of Youth and Sports Mohamed Maleeh Jamal attended yesterday’s event, thanking the Indian government for its continued support, while the Indian High Commission announced that a grant of US$1000 has been provided to the Maldives Film Association to support this year’s activities.

The ‘Love for Bollywood’ festival also includes a Bollywood quiz, a cultural evening at the Alimas Carnival area on January 24, and a South Asian art exhibition between January 26 and 31.

The events are sponsored by the State Trading Organization, telecom provider Ooredoo, the State Bank of India, and Indian infrastructure giant Tata Housing.

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Hulhumeedhoo Health Centre first to offer chemotherapy outside of Malé

Hulhumeedhoo Health Centre in Addu City has become the first place in the Maldives outside of Malé to offer chemotherapy.

Health centre officials told Sun Online that the service was launched on Sunday, and the first patient treated yesterday with medication brought with him from India.

The government has said that the introduction of chemotherapy facilities – unavailable in the country before last year – was crucial, with Maldivians with cancer having previously been forced to live abroad.

Source: Vnews, Sun Online

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Hajj corporation inaugurated, Shaheem pledges to reduce cost of pilgrimage

President Abdulla Yameen last night officially inaugurated the Maldives Hajj Corporation, with Islamic minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed pledging to reduce the cost of the pilgrimage.

Shaheem told those in attendance at the ceremony held at Hotel Jen yesterday evening that MVR110 million (US$7.1 million) had been deposited with the corporation so far, noting that government had become more involved in the Hajj trips after the activities of some unscrupulous companies.

The state-owned Hajj Corporation was established during the presidency of Dr Mohamed Waheed in 2013, after legal wrangling over whether the Islamic Ministry should be forced to reevaluate several unsuccessful bids by private Hajj groups.

Of the 1,000 pilgrim quota afforded to the Maldives by Saudi Arabia last year, 500 were reserved by the Hajj Corporation while the rest were divided amongst Hajj groups chosen after a bidding process.

Sun Online has reported that the corporation’s quota is now filled until 2017.

Source: Haveeru, Sun Online

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