Tag: maldives

Foreign ministry recalls high commissioner to Malaysia

The ministry of foreign affairs has recalled today the Maldivian high commissioner to Malaysia, who is reported to be a close associate of the jailed ex-defence minister Mohamed Nazim.

The ministry in a press statement said the High Commissioner Mohamed ‘FA’ Fayaz had failed to “adequately promote Maldives’ foreign policy interests in Malaysia.”

Hours later, Fayaz announced his resignation from the foreign service on Twitter.

Speaking to CNM, Fayaz said he was unable to continue living in Malaysia any longer for personal reasons.

When asked if he would accept a different position with the government, Fayaz said: “I do not think I will be offered another job.”

Fayaz was the deputy minister of transport and communication during the controversial transfer of power in February 2012.

He then served as minister of state for home affairs and was appointed as the high commissioner to Malaysia in May 2014.

Nazim was sentenced to 11 years in jail on weapons smuggling charges. The police had found a pistol and three bullets during a midnight raid on January 18.

President Abdulla Yameen dismissed Nazim from the cabinet two days later, and he was arrested on February 10 on charges of treason.

Citing documents allegedly found in a pen drive with the weapons, police said Nazim had planned to attack the president, tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb and police chief Hussein Waheed.

In court, Nazim said the weapons were planted in his bedroom by rogue police officers on the tourism minister’s orders.

The ex-defence minister said Adeeb bore a grudge against him after he lodged a complaint with the president on masked men, reported to be police officers, cutting down all of Malé City’s Areca palms on Adeeb’s orders last year.

The media was barred from the hearing where state prosecutors revealed the documents from the pen drive.

But pro-government newspaper Vaguthu later publicised the documents claiming Nazim’s legal team “took pictures of the documents and sent to close friends.”

The leaked documents purportedly showed Nazim was planning to secure weapons from the state armoury to assassinate president Yameen.

Fayaz was to get support from the Thailand army “if necessary” to help Nazim assume the presidency.

Nazim’s lawyers, however, slammed Vaguthu for “blatantly false information” and categorically denied taking photos of the documents. They noted that court officers confiscated phones and searched lawyers with a hand-held metal detector before they entered the courtroom.

The documents also contained a chart showing the Yameen administration divided into factions led respectively by the president and Nazim.

Nazim’s “team” included Fayaz, the Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), Home Minister Umar Naseer, former Police Commissioner and current JP MP Abdulla Riyaz, former State Trading Organisation (STO) Managing Director Adam Azim (Nazim’s brother), PPM MP Hussain Manik Dhon Manik, PPM MP Ahmed Nazim, Youth Minister Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, and President’s Office Minister Abdulla Ameen.

The president last week dismissed Maleeh without any explanation.

Following Nazim’s dismissal, the military dismissed Major Ahmed Faisal and Captain Ibrahim Naeem from the posts of head of the Special Protection Group (SPG) and Head of Armoury, respectively.

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Tourism minister dismisses rumors of new VP appointment

The tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb has dismissed rumours he may be appointed as the new vice president. “All rumours, I have no interest at this stage,” he told Minivan News.

Local daily Haveeru reported yesterday that a constitutional amendment, proposing an age limit of 30-65 years for the president and vice president, was aimed at making Adeeb eligible for the position.

Adeeb is now 33. The Constitution says the president and vice president must be over 35 years of age.

The amendment was proposed by MP Mohamed Ismail of the ruling coalition partner Maldives Development Alliance (MDA).

Haveeru suggested ruling coalition MPs might also amend the Constitution to authorise the president to appoint or dismiss his deputy.

The relationship between president Abdulla Yameen and vice president Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed is reportedly under strain. Dr Jameel was very active during the presidential campaign, but is rarely seen in public now.

His cousin, Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, was dismissed from the cabinet on Thursday. The government did not provide a reason for the dismissal.

Ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives’ (PPM) parliamentary group leader Ahmed Nihan told Minivan News that MPs will hold discussions before backing MP Ismail’s constitutional amendment.

A two-third majority or 63 votes of the 85 member house is required to amend the constitution.

The PPM and MDA control some 48 seats and will need the backing of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) or Jumhooree Party (JP) to approve the amendment.

In December, MP Ismail had proposed capping the age limit for the presidency at 65 years of age, but withdrew the bill in March.

At the time, local media said the proposal was aimed at barring JP leader Gasim Ibrahim from contesting the 2018 presidential elections. Gasim would be 66 in 2018.

Ismail said he had withdrawn the amendment on the request on the ruling party’s leaders.

The move came after Gasim met with the tourism tycoon Mohamed ‘Uchchu’ Moosa and the tourism minister during the trial of ex-president Mohamed Nasheed.

Gasim’s JP in January split from the ruling coalition and allied with Nasheed’s MDP and launched daily protests against what it called government authoritarianism.

Nasheed was jailed for 13 years on terrorism charges on March 13.

The government in April froze the accounts of several subsidiary companies of Gasim’s Villa Group over a US$90.4 million fine, which the company insists is illegal.

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Chamber of commerce vice president slams ‘old-fashioned’ officials

The “old-fashioned” or “outdated” mentality of senior officials at state institutions poses difficulties in introducing new sports for Maldivian youth, chamber of commerce vice president Mohamed Asif has said.

At a ceremony to open a biannual street market, Asif said that previous efforts to reintroduce new sports were thwarted, reported CNM. 

Yesterday’s ceremony featured a display of paramotor or powered paraglider flights for the first time in the Maldives.

Asif said the chamber plans to bring foreign pilots to introduce paramotoring as a sport to Maldivian youth.

The paramotor consists of a small motor driving a propeller, which is worn like a backpack.

Asif came under fire recently over a video filmed at the national art gallery depicting Austrian models with body paint. The video was filmed in March by Austrian company WB Productions as part of an installation art project on violence against women, who were invited by Asif on behalf Maldivian National Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MNCCI).

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MDP denounces ‘arbitrary arrest’ of senior party official

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has raised concern over what they called the “arbitrary arrest” of its deputy secretary general yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Anas Abdul Sattar said police officers approached him at the waiting room in the ADK hospital in Malé at 3pm while he was waiting with his wife for a doctor’s consultation.

He was told to come with the officers to the police headquarters to clarify information.

Police officers did not have a court warrant, he said.

When Anas’ wife’s consultation with the doctor was completed, police officers did not allow Anas to take her home, but “forced” him to go to the headquarters in a police vehicle, he said.

At the headquarters, police officers told him he was accused of an offence and said they required a statement, but did not provide details on the offence.

Anas then requested for legal counsel.

Police officers later said they had only wanted to meet with some senior officials of the MDP to seek information about the opposition’s ongoing protests over the imprisonment of ex-president Mohamed Nasheed, he said.

The MDP is organising a third mass protest on June 12.

Police have placed several restrictions on opposition protests, including a ban on the use of four-wheeled vehicles without prior permission, since a crackdown on a historic demonstration on May 1.

Anas was released at 5:30pm.

“It is very disappointing when the police are able to take anyone at any time without any attention to the state or circumstances they are in,” he said.

He also raised concern over how the police had found out he was at the ADK hospital

“The police’s actions are very concerning. If they want to question an individual, it should be done through the official channels.”

The police denied today they had taken Anas to the police headquarters against his will. A spokesperson said Anas had come willingly on the police’s request.

However, the MDP vice chairperson Ali Shiyam today called the police’s actions arbitrary.

MDP vice president Mohamed Shifaz said the party has now asked the police to communicate with the party in writing, claiming the police only lecture party officials on democracy at meetings.

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Saudi company studying feasibility of Sharia-compliant resort

Saudia Arabia’s Al Khozoma Management Company is conducting a feasibility study to develop a Sharia-compliant resort in the Maldives.

“It is an Islamic country and fits our philosophy. Also, it’s a preferred destination for Arab and GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] markets, so it makes sense,” the group’s hospitality division vice president Hussein Ali Hatata told Hotelier Middle East.

According to the March 2015 quarterly report by the tourism ministry, tourist arrivals from the Middle East increased by 46.7 percent in the first three months of 2015 compared to the same period last year.

Some 4,120 holidaymakers from the Middle East visited the Maldives this year, representing a market share of 3.7 percent.

In January 2014, the ADK company in association with Turkish hotel giant Caprice Gold announced plans to build the first Islamic resort in the Maldives.

The five-star, 673-room resort was to be built on Shaviyani Atoll Gaakoshibee. However, the two companies reportedly cancelled the agreement late last year.

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High Court overturns MDP chairperson’s remand extension

The high court has overturned today the criminal court’s ruling to hold the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s chairperson in police custody.

Ali Waheed was arrested under a court warrant on May 2 for encouraging violence at a historic anti-government protest on May 1.

The criminal court granted a 15-day remand on May 3 and extended the remand for seven additional days on May 17. The court supported the police’s claim that Waheed posed a danger to society.

But the high court judges noted Waheed had no criminal record, and said the police had not been able to provide sufficient reasons to keep him in custody for longer.

Judges also said the criminal court must consider the individual’s rights when extending remand detention and said long periods of pre-trial detention are prohibited by international law.

Waheed was released on Sunday when the remand period expired.

Adhaalath Party President Sheikh Imran Abdulla and Jumhooree Party council member Sobah Rasheed, arrested on the same charges, remain in police custody.

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Man arrested for selling crosses

The police have arrested a vendor for selling Christian crosses at a street market in Malé.

In a statement on Monday night, the police said the 32-year-old man had been arrested under the 1994 Religious Unity Act for selling symbols of a religion other than Islam.

The police confiscated 25 small crosses from the stall. The crosses were pendants on necklaces.

The police said officers searched other stalls at the market for crosses.

The street market, known as the night market, is held twice a year in the capital Malé.

Islam is the state religion in the Maldives. The Religious Unity Act prohibits the import or distribution of idols for worship and symbols of religions other than Islam.

The commissioner general of customs can prevent the import of items that are related to worship in other religions even if they are not explicitly mentioned in the law.

 

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Government rejects ex-president as MDP representative in talks

The government has rejected ex-president Mohamed Nasheed as a representative for talks with the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

In a tweet today, president’s office spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali said the government had rejected Nasheed’s name because he is serving a jail sentence.

Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in jail in March on terrorism charges relating to the detention of a judge during his tenure.

Foreign governments and international bodies including the UN have criticised the trial for apparent lack of due process, while the European Union parliament has called for the ex-president’s immediate release.

Nasheed’s arrest and jailing triggered daily protests and a historic anti-government protest on May 1. Nearly 20,000 people took to the streets and some 193 people were arrested.

The government subsequently called for separate talks with the three allied opposition parties – the MDP, the Jumhooree Party and the Adhaalath Party.

The MDP’s national council yesterday proposed Nasheed, chairperson Ali Waheed and parliamentary group leader MP Ibrahim ‘Ibu’ Mohamed Solih to represent the party in talks with the government.

MDP vice-president Mohamed Shifaz said the party will hold a meeting to decide on a response to the president’s office’s statement.

“But I personally believed that we should be able to determine who should represent us. Not the government,” Shifaz said.

“When they say he is serving a jail term, we need to look at the circumstances in which he was sentenced. The Maldivian public and the world do not accept the trial and its verdict. Nasheed is a former president, and a man loved by a large majority of the public. Maldivians do not see him as a convict.”

In late April, the pro-government majority voted through amendments to the Prison and Parole Act that prohibited inmates from holding high-level posts in political parties. The revised law effectively stripped Nasheed of the MDP presidency.

Some ruling party MPs have also threatened to cut financial payouts to Nasheed by amending the law on privileges and immunities of former presidents to exclude individuals serving a jail sentence.

Speaking to Minivan News, Muaz said the government will proceed with the talks as soon as representatives are decided.

“If there is no legal, medical, physical or administrative obstructions regarding the representatives proposed by the three parties, we will proceed with the talks,” he said in a tweet today.

President Abdulla Yameen’s proposed agenda for talks focuses on three aspects: political reconciliation, strengthening the judiciary and legal system and political party participation in economic and social development

The government has ruled out negotiations over the release Nasheed and former defence minister Mohamed Nazim, insisting the president does not have the constitutional authority to release convicts before the appeal process is exhausted.

The opposition has previously questioned the government’s sincerity, pointing out that several opposition leaders had been arrested from the May 1 protest.

While the Jumhooree Party (JP) has accepted the invitation for talks, the religious conservative Adhaalath Party proposed its detained president, Sheikh Imran Abdulla, among the party’s representatives.

Imran was arrested on May 1 and remains in police custody.

The JP’s representative for talks, deputy leader Ameen Ibrahim was also arrested, but released by the High Court. The police are appealing the court’s ruling at the Supreme Court, a move the opposition says is aimed at barring Ameen from representing the JP.

During the national council debate yesterday, MP Eva Abdulla stressed the importance of talks involving all political parties, including the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

“MDP is the first party that called to solve the political crisis. So we are happy the government took the initiative to hold talks and we accept it. But we want to hold the discussions together, not separately as the government has suggested,” she said.

“We are not going to discussions to talk only about what the government wants. The discussions will include what the government wants, but also what we want. The agenda of the talks also should be set at the discussions.”

The opposition coalition has called for a third mass protest on June 12.

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Fenaka blames arsonists for fire at Addu City office

The state utility Fenaka Corporation has blamed arsonists for a fire at its offices in Addu City on Saturday.

A group of people poured kerosene and set fire to an area adjacent to the Fenaka sub station, which houses a transformer in Addu City. The fire was an attempt to disrupt electricity services in the area, the company said in a statement yesterday.

The station’s doors were damaged in the fire.

“We believe this was an attempt to damage the transformer at the station. If the transformer had been damaged there would have been difficulties in providing electricity to residents in the area as well as Muhyiddeen School,” the company said in a statement.

“We appeal [to the public] not to commit acts that may damage important service infrastructure for the sake of obtaining certain benefits.”

The police said no arrests have been made yet.

The fire comes two weeks after a group of people threw rocks and shattered windows at the home of Fenaka’s regional director Abdulla Zuhair.

A retail shop owner in Addu City Inaz Mohamed said the fire at the Fenaka sub station and the attack on Zubair’s house may be a result of “desperation” due to an unresolved dispute over electricity prices between the power company and local businesses.

Addu City businesses have been protesting since April over what they called a sudden hike in electricity prices.

In March, Fenaka increased prices in Addu and cut electricity subsides in other atolls in a bid to save MVR11 million (US$713,359) per month from the state budget.

Power bills have increased by 30 percent, shop owner Inaz Mohamed Didi said.

Inaz said businessmen in Addu had lodged separate petitions with government offices, the parliament and the courts. “But no one in this government is listening to us.”

He said he does not know who was responsible for the attacks and said businessmen in Addu do not encourage violence and have always prioritised dialogue.

Businessmen across the country closed their shops in protest in April. But the company said its hands were tied as it was only implementing government policies.

Fenaka is the main electricity provider in the atolls and operates in 151 of the 188 inhabited islands of the Maldives.

Addu City deputy mayor Abdulla Thoyyib meanwhile expressed concern over differences in electricity prices, noting that charges in Addu City and Fuvahmulah are up to 37 per cent higher than in capital Malé.

Higher electricity prices reduce investment in the southernmost city, he said.

In early May, Fenaka cut off electricity to several businesses, including a private hospital, when owners refused to pay bills.

Four businesses lodged a complaint with a magistrate court over power cuts. The court initially issued a stay order, but a new judge appointed to oversee the case overturned the ruling and said Fenaka was authorised to cut electricity if businesses fail to pay bills.

Presenting the 2015 budget in parliament, the government said it would target electricity subsidies to the poor.

But businesses and the opposition say the government failed to inform the public of the change in prices.

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