Tag: maldives

Changi signs consultancy deal as MACL aims for 9.6 million passengers

Singapore’s Changi Airport International has today signed a deal to provide consultancy services for the renewal and expansion of Malé international airport.

During a ceremony held this morning Maldives Airport Company Ltd (MACL) Managing Director Ibrahim ‘Bandu’ Saleem revealed that the new masterplan envisioned 9.6 million passengers using the airport by 2030.

Saleem questioned why “not much has been done for the development of Malé international airport”, saying that financial arrangements with China’s Exim Bank were in place, with work expected to start early next year.

A previous concession agreement with India’s GMR for the management and operation of the airport was terminated in late 2012, with the company winning its arbitration case against the Government of Maldives in June this year.

Political opposition to the GMR deal focused on nationalist sentiment, and President Abdulla Yameen has emphasised the importance of retaining government control over Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).

Both Changi CEO Lim Liang Song and Minister of Tourism Ahmed Adeeb spoke today of the strong emotional symbolism of the airport.

“As we know, our airport is very much emotionally attached – it’s not only an airport, but an airport that was built by Maldivian people and it is in their sentiments and it is President Yameen’s vision to develop the airport by the government of Maldives and to keep its operation under the government of Maldives,” said Adeeb.

Song compared this sentiment with Singaporean’s feelings towards Changi International Airport, noting that this would be kept in mind as the group.

“At the end of this, we are the consultants. We will give you best advice on practices on processes – the airport has to be moved by the emotions, the vision, of the government as well as MACL,” he explained.

During today’s signing ceremony, Adeeb discussed the government’s vision for the airport, noting that infrastructure would have to be complemented by enhanced human resources in order to provide an international class facility.

“We look forward to opening a brand new, luxurious, airport where the high end tourists would like to spend their time and have that luxurious feeling – a feeling that they are in an airport in the most beautiful destination in the world.”

Adeeb has previously explained that Changi, which manages Singapore’s multiple award-winning Changi airport, would be hired as consultants as they are better qualified to work with Chinese and Japanese contractors.

Following GMR’s renovations to the current international terminal in 2012 – part of the country’s largest foreign investment deal – the project became overwhelmed by political opposition, leaving the foundations of a new terminal to rust on newly reclaimed land.

After arbitration proceedings found the agreement to have been valid and binding, GMR have recently revealed they are seeking US$803 million for damages and loss of reputation – a figure equivalent to around two thirds of next year’s forecast state revenue.

With the court yet to conclude on the amount owed by the Government of Maldives, GMR were reported to have expressed surprise when a preliminary agreement was signed with Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) to upgrade INIA.

2013 saw over 1.3 million tourists land at INIA – around one third of which were Chinese.

MACL’s Bandu Saleem noted today that the government also had plans to expand regional airports – of which there are currently ten – with plans to develop an airport in Raa Atoll.

Correction: this article previously incorrectly stated MACL had signed an agreement with Changi Airport Group. MACL signed an agreement with Changi Airports International.


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National Conference on Domestic Violence Protection Act concludes

Hope for Women and the Gender Advocacy Working Group (GAWG) have today concluded the National Conference on Domestic Violence Protection Act.

Relevant stakeholders gathered to discuss the implementation of the law, with GAWG consultant Humaida Abdul Ghafoor concluding that, while there had been slow progress, there was still “a long way to go”.

The workshop was conducted as part of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign, which concludes on December 10.

Numerous regulations were yet to be put in place, with the soon-to-be updated Penal Code, one such example.

Representatives from the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office noted that 18 of 85 cases were successfully prosecuted in 2012-13, explained Humaida. Of these, however, 7 people received a MVR200 (US $13) fine, 8 received a MVR150 (US $10) fine, 2 were handed MVR75 (US $5) fines, while one person was sentenced to 6 months.

While the Maldives passed the landmark Domestic Violence Act in 2012, Hope for Women has previously expressed concern that poor implementation had meant the new law had little practical effect on the problem.

A 2007 study by the Ministry of Gender and Family – the first comprehensive nationwide survey of domestic violence in the Maldives – showed that one in three women between the ages of 15-49 had been a victim of domestic violence.

The study suggested there was general acceptance of domestic violence across the country and among both sexes, who perceived it as being ‘normal’ or ‘justified’.

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Majlis committee approves two more EC candidates

The Majlis independent institutions committee has approved the nomination of two new member to the Elections Commission (EC).

The names of Mohamed Shakeel and Ahmed Sulaiman will now be sent to the full floor to be approved as the third and fourth members of the EC.

Despite being presented with three nominees earlier this month, the Majlis only approved Amjad Musthafa, leaving the five-seat commission with just two members following the expiry of Mohamed Farooq and Ali Mohamed Manik’s terms.

The five-member commission that oversaw last year’s presidential election was reduced to four after Ibrahim ‘Ogaru’ Waheed resigned for health reasons during the poll.

The commission was further reduced in February this year, with the Supreme Court removing Chair Fuwad Thowfeek and Deputy Chair Ahmed Fayaz.

Source: Haveeru

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Rilwan’s family accessed social media accounts

The family of missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan have clarified that they have been accessing his social media accounts, following speculation in local media.

“We, Rilwan’s family, used his phone number to check for any clues in his accounts regarding his disappearance,” read a statement released by the family today.

“Despite more than 100 days passing since Rilwan disappeared, there has been no progress. When Ooredoo put his sim card number on the market after three months of inactivity, we took his number and attempted to check his accounts.”

Local media began publishing stories on Wednesday after Rilwan’s Facebook account became active, while speculation continued after his Viber account was also seen to have been accessed.

Rilwan’s family went on to express gratitude for the continuing public concern, while noting that the police have also been informed of their use of the accounts.

The Police Integrity Commission has been asked by the Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) to investigate the police’s failure to investigate dangerous criminal activity outlined in a report into the August 8 disappearance, while Rilwan’s family have had a case accepted regarding negligence in the investigation.

The September report, conducted by a UK-based private investigator firm, suggested Rilwan was likely to have been abducted by radicalised gangs. Police subsequently dismissed the report as politically motivated, though they have yet to reveal specifics regarding the nature of their investigation.

Police Commissioner Hussein Waheed and Home Minister Umar Naseer have blamed MDN, Rilwan’s family, and the media for the stalled investigation.

One suspect remains under house arrest in relation to what is believed to have a been an abduction at knife-point from outside Rilwan’s Hulhumalé apartment.

Known gang members were captured on CCTV following Rilwan in the moments prior to his disappearance and, while the home minister has acknowledged gang involvement, he has also compared case  to ‘unsolvable’ mysteries such as Malaysian flight MH370 and the JFK assassination.

Numerous international organisations, including Amnesty International, have expressed concern at the 28-year-old’s disappearance and the subsequent failure of the police investigation.

In a statement to mark the 100 days of disappearance earlier this month, Rilwan’s mother Aminath Easa said the state had failed to protect her son and bring perpetrators to justice.


Related to this story

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MDN alerts PIC over failure to investigate criminal activity in missing journalist report

MDN investigation implicates radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance

“Not all crimes in the world are solvable”: Home minister says on Rilwan’s disappearance

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High Courts overturns dismissal of Thinadhoo terrorism trial

The High Court has today reversed a Criminal Court decision to throw out the case against the 89 Thinadhoo arson suspects.

Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed had dismissed the charges, claiming the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office was refusing to cooperate with the trial after state prosecutors’ failed to turn up to a trial scheduled for 10am on Saturday, November 22.

A lawyer representing some of the defendants confirmed that High Court had said Judge Abdulla had not given reasonable notice of the hearing to the PG’s Office.

PG Muhthaz Mushin had requested the High Court to rule the dismissal of the case through a letter as unlawful and to order that the terrorism trials continue.

The 89 defendants faced terrorism charges for allegedly setting fire to the island’s police station, court building, and several police vehicles during nationwide unrest on February 8, 2012 in the wake of former President Mohamed Nasheed’s controversial resignation the previous day.

State prosecutors had claimed that the Criminal Court had attempted to handover summons to court outside work hours on Thursday, November 20.

State prosecutor Shaudha Shameem has argued that the Criminal Court could only throw out charges in a courtroom in the presence of the plaintiff and defendant, and claimed Judge Abdulla had failed to follow due procedures in dismissing the case.

The defence lawyer who spoke with Minivan News noted that representatives of the lower court had not been present at today’s hearing. The Criminal Court will now go on recess from December 1 – 15.

Other lawyers representing the defence had previously defended Judge Abdulla’s decision, saying that it was within his powers to dismiss charges if the plaintiff fails to abide by the judge’s orders.

Abdulla’s decision had prompted unexpected praise from former President Mohamed Nasheed – accused of illegally detaining the controversial judge in the final days of his presidency.

“Abdulla Mohamed has decided the case is invalid. When the prosecutor general submits the same cases to his desk again saying he has the power and authority of the state, that is an affront to the rule of law and courts,” Nasheed told reporters last week.

Previously, the judge ordered 55 of the 89 defendants be held in detention pending the outcome of the trials, claiming the accused were intimidating witnesses.

Around 80 people from Addu City are also currently facing terrorism charges in relation to unrest in the southernmost atoll on February 8.


Related to this story

PG to appeal Criminal Court’s dismissal of terrorism cases

High Court concludes hearings into Criminal Court’s rejection of Thinadhoo terrorism cases

Nasheed calls on PG to respect Judge Abdulla’s decision on Thinadhoo arson suspects, says military detention “wrong”

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President and foreign minister express support for Palestinian statehood

President Abdulla Yameen has reiterated the Maldives’ support for the establishment of a Palestinian State on yesterday’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

“Acknowledgment and recognition alone are powerful gestures which can facilitate an international norm,” said Yameen.

“The Maldives welcomes all efforts towards this goal, during the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. We hope to see a future where Palestine emerges as a State with full recognition from the United Nations.”

First observed in 1977, Palestinian solidarity day falls on November 29 as, on that day in 1947, the General Assembly adopted of the  ‘Partition Resolution’, which provided for the establishment in Palestine of a ‘Jewish State’ and an ‘Arab State’.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon also released a statement yesterday, condemning Israel’s “horrific violence” and describing the world’s inability to prevent it as the “greatest failure of modern times”.

“Seventy years ago, the world built institutional mechanisms to mitigate conflicts and to address the atrocities of our times. They constructed pillars that represented the very ideals of humanity and hope for a world free from violence and carnage,” said Dunya.

“They reflect a united effort of the international community to find a prosperous world for our future generations. Yet, the Palestinians continue to be victims of an unjust occupation that violates their very right to a life free from fear and violence.”

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon also marked the occasion with a call “to step back from the brink.  The mindless cycle of destruction must end.  The virtuous circle of peace must begin.”

“The scale of the destruction by the Israeli military has left deep questions about respect for the principles of distinction and proportionality, and generated wide calls for accountability,” he continued.

“The Israeli and Palestinian people face a shared fate on shared land. There is no erasing the other. Yet I fear deeply that with each passing day the people of the region are losing any sense of connection – any sense of empathy – any sense of mutual understanding of our common humanity and common future.”

Maldivian solidarity with the Palestinian people was aptly demonstrated during the Israeli aggression in Gaza this year, in which over 2000 people were killed in 7 weeks – the vast majority of them Palestinians.

An unprecedented 33-hour telethon was one of a number of fund-raising events in August which saw US$1.4 million donated to victims of the war in Gaza.

President Yameen noted yesterday that Palestinian rights remained a key part of the Maldives’ foreign policy.

“As a responsible member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Maldives will continue to vociferously advocate the cause of Palestine, and our people stand united as one in support of the brotherly people of Palestine”.

Re-elected to the Human Rights Council last year, the Maldives has pushed to retain agenda item seven – ‘the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories’ – on the council’s agenda.

“The Maldives is appalled by Israeli’s systemic aggression: horrific violence that continue to occur with no heed for international law, and actions that blatantly violate the fundamental principles of international humanitarian and human rights law,” said Dunya.

“We believe that the people of Palestine have experienced far too many losses. History has repeated far too many times.  A peaceful solution to the case of Palestine is an immediate necessity.”


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Kadhdhoo to become military airport

Kadhdhoo Airport in Laamu Atoll is to be turned into a military facility, reports Sun Online.

Minister of Defence Colonel (Retired) Mohamed Nazim told Sun that the airport had been handed over to his ministry and would begin operations as a military airport in January next year.

“This would not disturb the domestic flights. Our facilities would be installed there, and new jobs would be created”, Nazim told Sun.

The Maldives National Defence Force currently owns two helicopters – both gifts from India, though Nazim said he hoped new aircraft would be acquired.

Kadhdhoo Airport was opened in 1993, and currently operates flights between Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in Malé and Gan International Airport in Addu.

Nazim has previously announced plans to secure revenue for the MNDF’s welfare schemes, including the commercialisation of its new naval base, its military hospital, and the training island at Thamburudhoo.

Late last year, the defence minister announced a new strategic action plan for the force which involved the introduction of an MNDF TV station – Addana TV (Shield TV) – and the upgrading of Senahiya hospital.

Source: Sun Online

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Changi Airport Group to sign INIA consultancy deal

Singapore’s Changi Airport Group has agreed to oversee the development of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), reports Haveeru.

The company, which manages Singapore’s multiple award-winning Changi airport, will officially announce the deal at a ceremony on Monday morning.

The development of INIA will be financed through China’s Exim bank, reported cabinet members earlier this month. Beijing Urban Construction Group were reported to have been working with Maldives Airports Company Ltd on the plans.

Tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb has previously explained that Changi would be hired as consultants as they are better qualified to work with Chinese and Japanese contractors.

Preliminary contract agreements for the development of the airport – stalled after the termination of the previous deal with India’s GMR in 2012 – were signed during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinpeng in September.

Source: Haveeru

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MDP allege police obstruction of demonstrations

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has threatened direct action after accusing the government of attempting to obstruct the party’s demonstrations.

“MDP strongly condemns the incumbent government’s actions in using the police to obstruct this party’s demonstration, which had the participation of a large number of MDP members,” read a party press release.

The announcement followed the MDP’s return to the streets this week, launching its first protests since the controversial delays to the 2013 presidential election.

Numerous speakers at yesterday’s march in the capital called for President Abdulla Yameen’s resignation,

“You have turned this island, this country, into a dwelling of violence and fear. You cannot continue to do this. You must resign,” Haveeru reported former Majlis Speaker Abdulla Shahid as saying.

Meanwhile, MDP Vice President Mohamed ‘Shippe’ Shifaz pledged that the party would continue to demonstrate until peace is restored to the country, or the president steps down.

President Yameen has characterised his first year in office as having brought “peace and order” to the Maldives, a claim refuted by the opposition who point to frequent knife attacks, the intimidation of journalists and politicians, and repeated instances of Maldivians travelling abroad for Jihad.

Yameen has pledged to remove violent crime from the streets, committing his government to implementing the death penalty in order to do so.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed told supporters earlier this week that his party had been forced back to the streets by the government’s poor performance, notably its carelessness and arrogance” in response to the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

MDP Chairperson Ali Waheed claimed that the police had written to the party stating that rallies would be stopped if they became unruly. Waheed told supporters that the party would not be intimidated.

Police Spokesperson Supreintendent Ahmed Shifan today denied the demonstration had been obstructed, saying there were no significant incidents and no complaints had been made.

MDP Spokesman Imthiyaz Fahmy suggested that police obstructed demonstrators during yesterday’s planned march.

“The obstruction is against the freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and freedom to hold peaceful political activity guaranteed in the constitution,” said the MDP press release.


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MDP condemns insecurity as PPM celebrates peace and order

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