Tag: maldives

Maldives holds joint venture discussions with Sri Lankan dental hospital

The Maldives government has held discussions over establishing a dental surgery through a joint venture with a private Sri Lanka-based medical service provider, according to media reports.

Sakura Dental Hospital Chairman Gamini Rajapaksa told the Ceylon Daily News publication Sunday (December 30) that the Maldives government had agreed to provide land for a proposed dental surgery in the country.

The company claimed its ambitions to provide dental care were part of wider expansion plans including the establishment of its first dental nurse training institute in Sri Lanka during 2013.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Preparations for presidential elections underway: President Waheed

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has assured the public of a “free and fair” presidential election in 2013 as part of his New Year statement.

Waheed used his address to announce that preparations for the 2013 presidential elections were already underway and that the government intended to take “all necessary measures” to ensure a fair election.

Following political tension in the nation following the controversial transfer of power on February 7, 2012, President Waheed said it would be vital in the build up to this year’s election for society to put aside its differences.

“As we prepare for the upcoming elections, I urge the people to strengthen the harmony and unity that have existed in the Maldivian society over the years, and not to allow anyone to disrupt this social harmony,” he said.

“The year 2012 saw major challenges, especially in the political challenges, in the country. It was, however, a year in which steps were taken with patience to maintain the security, safety and harmony of the country and its people,” he said.

The President assured the public that the government intended to improve both the general welfare and security of the people within the capacity of the budget passed by the People’s Majlis on December 27.

“The government will continue to create a safe society with reduced crimes. I call upon the people of the Maldives to put national interest ahead of their political interests,” Waheed added.

President Waheed’s government was brought to power on February 7 last year following a controversial transfer of power later deemed legitimate by a Commonwealth-backed Commission of National Inquiry (CNI).

However, Dr Waheed’s predecessor, former President Mohamed Nasheed, has questioned the CNI’s findings, alleging that he was forced to resign from office under “duress”.

Concerns about the CNI’s conclusions were also raised last month by former Human Rights Minister Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed after she was dismissed by the present government back in November.

“Stolen democracy”

In his own New Year statement, former President Nasheed claimed that democracy had been “stolen” from the public by individuals looking to “further their narrow political ambitions”.

“We have seen a worrying return of police brutality and state-sanctioned violence and intimidation. With this we saw an increase in violent crimes including the tragic murder of Member of Parliament and Islamic scholar Dr Afrasheem Ali, fatal attacks on a journalist and members of public of whom some are children,” Nasheed alleged.

The former President claimed the country had been reported in the world’s newspapers for “all the wrong reasons” and that the Maldives is no longer the “successful Muslim democracy” it once was.

“Instead, the media has been full of stories about human rights abuses, coup d’etat and the government’s disastrous foreign policy decisions that forced out the largest foreign direct investor in the Maldives,” Nasheed added.

“I hope that this year, we will see a genuinely free and fair election, in which everyone is allowed to compete.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Police confiscate alcohol during New Year’s Eve safari boat raids

Police conducted raids on five safari boats docked in waters surrounding the island of Hulhumale’  last night (December 31) after receiving information that the vessels had failed to comply with local regulations on keeping and trading alcohol.

The Maldives Police Service has said in a statement that 245 bottles of alcohol found on the five boats were confiscated during last night’s operation over concerns they were not being kept in compliance with national regulations.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Police Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef said that the regulations and laws outlining the trade and possession of alcohol on tourist resorts and safari boats were not found to have been met in some of the cases on the boats inspected by officers.

”Regulations have been made to determine the procedures of how alcohol should be stored and traded for tourism purposes in order to control the distribution for locals,” Haneef said. ”These bottles were not stored in compliance with the regulations.”

The case of the alcohol found aboard the boats was now being investigated by the Police Drug Enforcement Department.

No arrests were made during the operation.

On August 31 last year, officers conducted a similar operation, seizing 106 bottles and 40 cans of beer from a safari boat docked at Hulhumale’.

Police at the time stated that the safari boat that was the focus of the operation had failed to correctly follow procedures allowing vessels to store and trade alcohol to foreign guests.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Suspect surrenders to police over alleged abuse of 13 year-old girl

A 55 year-old male accused of molesting a minor in Male’ this week has surrendered to authorities, police have confirmed.

Police spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef confirmed that the suspect, identified as Saeed Ahmed, was presently being held in custody after handing himself over to officers yesterday evening (December 31, 2012).

According to the Maldives Police Service (MPS), the suspect stands accused of entering a house in the capital where the 13 year-old girl was staying at around 9:30pm before sexually assaulting her on Sunday (December 30).

Haneef confirmed Saeed was presently the only suspect being sought in connection to the alleged sexual assault of a 13 year-old girl.

Police had yesterday published a picture of Saeed in local media to appeal for information from the public on his whereabouts.

The assault was the third suspected case of sexual abuse involving children or young women to have been reported over the last week.

On Saturday (December 29), police announced the arrest of a 33 year-old man on suspicion of raping of a girl below 16 years of age in Vili-Male’.

The man identified as Mohamed Abdushukoor, 33, of Galolhu Red Coral, was accused of forcing the under-aged victim into a house in Vili-Male’ at about 1:00pm while she was out walking with her 14 year-old brother.

Police accused the suspect of keeping the pair in separate rooms as he sexually abused the girl. The incident was reported to the Police Family and Child Protection Unit.

Authorities have also confirmed that a 13 year-old living on Gahdhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll was last week sexually assaulted in an abandoned home on the island after being drugged and abducted.

Sub-Inspector Haneef confirmed yesterday that two 16 year-old males and an 18 year-old man had been arrested on December 27 in connection with the alleged rape. However, he could not specify further details on the case as investigations were continuing.

The Maldives Police Service confirmed that the detention period of the three suspects had been extended from three to 15 days.

Assault concerns

According to an unpublished 2009 study on violence against minors, almost one in seven children of secondary school age in the Maldives have been sexually abused.

The same study claimed that sexual abuse rate of girls in the country was found to be almost twice as high than cases recorded against boys.

One in five Maldivian girls has been sexually abused – while the figure for boys was 11 percent.  Female minors were particularly at risk in the capital Male’, the report found.

A 2007 study on Women’s Health and Life Experiences has previously concluded that one in three Maldivian women aged 15 to 49 experience either physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives, including during childhood.

In recent years, local authorities and NGOs have released a number of findings highlighting the extent of child abuse and wider sexual assaults within society.

The state-run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital’s (IGMH’s) Family Protection Unit reported in 2010 that the centre was notified of 42 cases of rape between 2005-2010. Most of these cases were found to involve minors.

According to the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, 13 rape cases were reported last year alone, the majority of which most were gang rapes or assaults involving minors.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

President Waheed meets former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has met with former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed during a private visit to the country.

According to the President’s Office, discussions on the close bilateral relations between the Maldives and Malaysia took place during the meeting.

The President is currently away on an ongoing private visit to Malaysia.

President Waheed invited Dr Mahathir to make a visit to the Maldives at a mutually convenient time, the President’s Office added.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

ACC files ADC case with Prosecutor General’s Office

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case with the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office today over the decision to allow infrastructure group GMR to deduct a court-blocked Airport Development Charge (ADC) from concession fees owed to the state.

The deducted concession fees were to have been paid to the state-owned Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL).

As part of the filed case (Dhivehi), the ACC is seeking reimbursement of MVR 353.8 million (US$22.9 million) from former MACL Chair Ibrahim ‘Bandhu’ Saleem and former Finance Minister Mohamed Shihab over the alleged misuse of authority it claimed had led to significant financial loses for the state.

The ADC issue had been a key point of contention between GMR and the administration of President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik before his government opted last month to void a sovereign agreement with the India-based infrastructure group to develop and manage Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).

When contacted by Minivan News today, a PG’s Office spokesperson confirmed that the ACC case had been received, but could not provide any further details on the matter while its investigations were taking place.

The spokesperson claimed that under normal procedure, whether a case was submitted from an institution like the ACC or the Maldives Police Service, the PG’s Office would review all details before deciding whether to move ahead with a prosecution.

ACC case

According to the case filed by the ACC, former Finance Minister Shihab stands accused of misusing his ministerial authority to benefit a third party by allowing GMR to deduct the ADC and insurance charges from concession fees it owed MACL between October 2011 and September 2012.

Shihab was not responding to calls from Minivan News at time of press.

The ACC has also accused former MACL Head Saleem of allowing GMR to deduct the ADC through a consent letter signed in violation of the company’s rules. According to the ACC’s case, normal procedure for MACL would be to have the company’s Board of Directors pass a resolution allowing for consent to be given to deduct the ADC.

Airport Development Charge

In late 2011, the then-opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) filed a successful Civil Court case blocking GMR from charging an ADC – a US$25 charge for outgoing passengers stipulated in its concession agreement with the government – on the grounds that it was a tax not authorised by parliament.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration chose to honour the original contract, and instructed GMR to deduct the ADC revenues from the concession fees due to the government through state-owned MACL, while it sought to appeal the Civil Court ruling.

However, the Nasheed government fell a month later and the opposition inherited the result of its court victory, receiving a succession of bills from the airport developer throughout 2012, despite the government’s insistence that the January 5 letter from MACL outlining the arrangement was no longer valid.

In the first quarter of 2012, the government received US$525,355 of an expected US$8.7 million, after the deduction of the ADC. That was followed by a US$1.5 million bill for the second quarter, after the ADC payable eclipsed the revenue due to the government.

Combined with the third quarter payment, the government at the time of the GMR contract termination owed the airport developer US$3.7 million.

GMR attempted to compromise by offering to exempt Maldivian nationals from the ADC.

The offer was claimed to have had been personally mailed by GMR Chairman G M Rao to President Waheed. However, GMR later claimed to have received no response from the government on the matter.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Maldives to implement smoking ban from New Year’s Day

Individuals caught smoking in ‘tobacco-free zones’ such as cafes and public places risk a MVR 500 (US$32) fine under new regulations to be implemented from tomorrow (January 1, 2013).

The ‘Regulation of Determining Tobacco Free-Zones’ (Dhivehi) prohibits smoking inside cafes, tea shops, restaurants, public places where people usually gather in numbers, parks and all government buildings.

Public Health Programme Coordinator at the Centre for Community Health and Disease Control (CCHDC) Dr Fathmath Nazla Rafeeq told Minivan News today that notices were expected to be put up around Male’ to inform the public of tobacco-free zones in the city.

Dr Rafeeq added that designated “social areas” including the artificial beach area in Male’, are also set to become no-smoking areas.

“Male’ City Council (MCC) has made a list of these [public] areas where smoking is forbidden and we are expecting the council to announce these areas. It is expected that island councils are to do the same outside of Male’.  If a member of the public sees someone smoking in a tobacco-free zone, there will be a contact number on the no-smoking notices that they can notify the police with,” Rafeeq said.

The CCHDC estimates that roughly 44 percent of the total population of the Maldives uses tobacco – mainly through smoking.  Despite the high number of smokers in the country, Dr Rafeeq claimed that the majority of comments received by the CCHDC from the public were in favour of the regulation.

“We understand there will be people who do not like the new rules and there has been some concern raised over its implementation, but most of the people we have spoken to, which includes many cafe owners, have told us they are very positive about the regulation,” she added.  “Now might be a good time for people to make ‘quitting smoking’ a new year’s resolution.”

According to the 2009 Maldives Demography and Health Survey (MDHS), 42 percent of people in the between the ages of 20-24 are smokers in the country.  The same figures indicate that 20 percent of Maldivians aged 15-19 years also smoke.

In order to provide smokers with advice on how to quite smoking, Dr Rafeeq added that the CCHDC will be printing and distributing booklets on the subject in the new year.

“Smoking regulations have successfully been implemented in countries all over the world. If it can work in countries like India, where there is a large and diverse population, it can definitely work here,” she added.

Effect on business

Under the new regulation, cafes and restaurants will be able to provide designated smoking areas within their premises upon application of a licence from the Ministry of Health.

Businesses wishing to apply for the licence will have to pay MVR 1000 (US$64) for the privilege. The type of smoking area permitted will depend on the establishment, according to the CCHDC.

“The regulation states that establishments defined as an ‘open space’ can have have a designated open air area for smoking, whereas businesses defined as a ‘closed space’ will need to designate a separate smoking room,” Dr Rafeeq said.  “According to the regulation, a closed area is defined as a space connected by at least two walls and a roof. Unfortunately this might mean that some “closed space” businesses may require some modifications to their premises that they will have to pay for.”

The regulation further states that if the owner of a premises does not put up a sign board to inform customers that smoking is disallowed, the Ministry of Health has the authority to fine the venue MVR 500 for a first warning.  Additional fines of MVR 5000 (US$3200) would then be charged by the ministry in case of any subsequent failures to display the required signs.

Should the owner of an establishment allow smoking in such places without authority they can be fined MVR 1000 (US$64), according to the regulation.

When asked of the potential negative impact the new regulation could have on independent businesses, Dr Rafeeq said that research had suggested that cafes and restaurants could experience an “initial decline” in business following the implementation of the new rules.

“There has been some concern raised from local cafe and restaurant owners, but we have carried out thorough research on the matter by looking at how similar smoking restrictions have affected businesses in other countries,” she said.  “Our research shows that while businesses may suffer slightly to begin with, eventually businesses will see the benefits regulation brings.”

Maldives National Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MNCCI) Vice President Ishmael Asif was not responding to calls from Minivan News at the time of press.

Public opinion

Ahead of the implementation of the new regulation, smokers and non-smokers interviewed by Minivan News expressed mixed views on the restrictions.

“Smoking is dangerous not just to yourself, but to everyone around you. I’m glad the government is finally taking the lead to make a place this small safer health-wise,” a non-smoking 31-year-old civil servant explained.

Meanwhile, a 19-year-old male living in Male’, who did not wish to be named, said it was his individual freedom to smoke wherever he liked and that the new regulation will “force” smokers to break the law.

“[The regulation] is a very bad thing. It’s our freedom to smoke anywhere we like, and it’s others freedom to stay away from the smoke if they are getting disturbed,” he added.

“Regulations could be made allowing people to smoke in the public and non-smokers can move away from the smoke.”

While not objecting to allowing smoking at specific premises, a 38 year-old female accountant from Male’ told how she believed larger public areas should become ‘tobacco-free zones’.

“To be honest, I don’t mind people smoking on streets or cafes, but it’s difficult when people smoke in crowds such as at gatherings or music shows of sports events,” she said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Three arrested on suspicion of drugging, raping 13 year-old girl

A 13 year-old living on Gahdhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll was last week sexually assaulted in an abandoned home on the island after being drugged and abducted, police have said.

Minivan News understands that the 13 year-old is not originally from Gahdhoo, but had been living with relatives at the time of the attack.

The attack, which occurred on December 26, is the third suspected case of sexual abuse of a minor to have been reported over the last week.

Police Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef confirmed today that two 16 year-old males and an 18 year-old man had been arrested on December 27 in connection with the alleged rape. However, he could not specify further details on the case as investigations were continuing.

The Maldives Police Service confirmed that the detention period of the suspects had also been extended from three to 15 days.

Details of the suspected attack were released the same day that police also publicised a picture of a man accused of molesting another 13 year-old girl in a separate incident in Male’ yesterday (December 30).

Police said that the incident occurred last night in the capital, identifying the suspect as Saeed Ahmed, 55.  Authorities have requested the public share any information regarding Saeed’s whereabouts.

According to police, the suspect is accused of entering a house where the 13 year-old girl was staying at around 9:30pm before sexually assaulting her.

Vili-Male’ attack

On Saturday (December 29), police said they had arrested a 33 year-old man on suspicion of the rape of a girl below 16 years of age in Vili-Male’.

The man identified as Mohamed Abdushukoor, 33, of Galolhu Red Coral, was accused of forcing the under-aged victim into a house in Vili-Male’ at about 1:00pm while she was out walking with her 14 year-old brother.

Police accused the suspect of keeping the pair in separate rooms as he sexually abused the girl. The incident was reported to the Police Family and Child Protection Unit.

According to an unpublished 2009 study on violence against minors, almost one in seven children of secondary school age in the Maldives have been sexually abused.

The same study claimed that sexual abuse rate of girls in the country was found to be almost twice as high than cases recorded against boys.

One in five Maldivian girls has been sexually abused – while the figure for boys was 11 percent.  Female minors were particularly at risk in the capital Male’, the report found.

A 2007 study on Women’s Health and Life Experiences meanwhile found that one in three Maldivian women aged 15 to 49 experience either physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives, including childhood sexual abuse.

In recent years, local authorities and NGOs have released a number of findings highlighting the extent of child abuse and wider sexual assaults within society.

The state-run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital’s (IGMH’s) Family Protection Unit reported in 2010 that the centre was notified of 42 cases of rape between 2005-2010. Most of these cases were found to involve minors.

According to the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, 13 rape cases were reported last year alone, the majority of which most were gang rapes or assaults involving minors.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Swords, knives found inside residence of MP Ibrahim Riza

Police have said that two swords and a knife have been discovered in a house in Male’.

Local media has reported that the residence, identified as Crab Tree House, is the home of Guraidhoo Constituency MP, Ibrahim Riza.

Speaking to Minivan News today Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef said that the swords and the knife were suspected of having been kept at the house for a significant time, describing their appearance as being rusty and old.

” Two four foot long swords and a knife were found,’’ Haneef confirmed.

Local media today reported that police have strengthened security provided to Riza following the discovery of the sharp weapons.

However, Haneef has told Minivan News that police had always been providing security to MPs.

The discovery of the weapons was revealed at today’s sitting of parliament by MPs Ali Waheed and Ilham Ahmed. The latter said that he lived next door to MP Riza and expressed  concern over the security provided to MPs.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)