Tag: maldives

India denies having discussed New Silk Road initiative with China

The Indian government has moved to correct suggestions made in the Maldives’ parliament last week that it had discussed joining China’s New Silk Road initiative.

When asked about the potential impact of the scheme on India-Maldives relations, foreign minister Dunya Maumoon had told MPs that India had also discussed participating during the recent state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinpeng.

In order to clarify the issue, Indian diplomats in Malé have released a statement in which India’s External Affairs Ministry denies such talks having taken place.

“[T]his matter was neither raised, nor discussed, nor is it reflected in any of the outcomes of the visit of President Xi Jinping to India,” the ministry official told Indian media on Thursday (November 6).

“I hope that clarifies that this was neither raised, nor discussed, nor is it reflected in any of the outcome documents available publicly on the visit of President Xi Jinping to India.”

President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jingpeng has received positive responses from President Abdulla Yameen to his calls for the Maldives “to get actively involved” in the creation of a maritime trade route linking China to the east coast of Africa and the Mediterranean.

China’s rising economic presence in the Indian Ocean region has stoked concerns in New Delhi that China is creating a “string of pearls” to encircle India, including Chinese investments in ports and other key projects in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

In response to opposition fears over the impact on neighbouring countries, Dunya told the Majlis that the government always remained mindful of regional security.

“His Excellency Xi Jinping visited India. India very much welcomed his visit and they discussed participating in various initiatives of China and participating in the Silk Route,” said Dunya.

However, the minister made clear that the Maldives, as a sovereign nation, was not compelled to consult with others on foreign policy decisions.

The government decided to participate in the Silk Route initiative as it would promote national interest and benefit the Maldivian people through trade and commerce, she said.

The rise in Sino-Maldivian links over the past three years appears to have coincided with a relative cooling of relations between the Maldives’ and its traditional ally, India.

While Chinese tourists make up around one-third of the one million-plus tourists visiting the Maldives each year, developmental aid is increasingly becoming a key feature of the relationship.

As Chinese companies pledge assistance with major infrastructure projects, Indian companies continue to fall foul of the Maldives’ changing political currents.

President Xi Jinpeng became the first Chinese head of state to visit the Maldives in September, as part of a regional tour which also took in Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, and India. A number of agreements, including a preliminary deal to redevelop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), were signed during the stop in Malé.

The new INIA agreement comes as the previous developers, India’s GMR, wait to hear how much they are to receive in damages after a Singapore arbitration court ruled their prematurely terminated contract with the Government of Maldives to have been “valid and binding”.

Likes(1)Dislikes(0)

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

Comparing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan’s disappearance with the killing of American President John F. Kennedy, Home Minister Umar Naseer today said, “not all crimes in the world are solvable.”

“Americans still have not solved the case of who shot and killed President John F. Kennedy,” speaking at a press conference this evening.

“I’m talking about the shooting and killing of an American president. It has been more than 50 years since American citizens have been asking, who killed Kennedy?”

According to five different investigations, former Marine Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated Kennedy on November 22, 1963.

“Not every crime is solvable. And when a crime remains unsolved, it does not mean police were negligent. We are doing all we can in Rilwan’s case. We will not leave any stone unturned.”

Today marks the 90th day since Rilwan disappeared. Eyewitness accounts suggest Rilwan was abducted at knifepoint outside his apartment at 2am on August 8. He has not been seen or heard from since.

Despite acknowledging involvement of criminal gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance, Naseer today said it is unclear if Rilwan’s disappearance constitutes a crime. The government can only know if he had voluntarily left, disappeared or been abducted once he is found, he said.

“America is a much bigger country than ours. Statistics show over 600 people went missing this year. They have better resources, a bigger budget, but they are unable to find [the missing people]. It is not so easy to find a missing person. Not every crime can be solved,” he continued.

“We can only know if it’s a crime when it is solved. God willing, Rilwan will be found. When he is found, we will know if he went missing, or whether it’s a voluntary disappearance, an enforced disappearance or an abduction,” Naseer added.

Naseer claimed the Maldives Police Service is continuing investigations, and is analysing 22,000 phone records and 4,000 hours of CCTV footage.

The opposition has wrongfully termed Rilwan’s case a “disappearance,” Naseer continued claiming “it is too early to call it a [disappearance].”

Rilwan’s family last week accused the police of negligence and filed a complaint with the Police Integrity Commission (PIC).

“If the abduction had been investigated immediately at the right time, the police would have been able to find the victim and clarify if it is our brother or not,” Rilwan’s sister Mariyam Fazna told the press last week.

Despite eyewitnesses having reported the abduction at knifepoint at 2am on August 8, police only took eyewitnesss statements on August 14, the family said. The police had also failed to track down and search the car used in the abduction.

The police only searched Rilwan’s apartment 29 hours after the abduction was reported and searched his office 11 days afterwards. The police also failed to make a public announcement on Rilwan’s disappearance – despite a request by the family – and did not inform the public on how to act if they had any information related to the case, the family explained further.

Four men have been arrested over Rilwan’s disappearance, but only one man remains in custody at present. The police have revealed few details on the case.

The People’s Majlis last week threw out a 5055 signature petition urging MPs to pressure police for a through and speedy investigation. The parliament secretariat later admitted the rejection was “a mistake,” according to MP Imthiyaz Fahmy who sponsored the petition.

Human rights NGO Maldivian Democracy Network released a report in September implicating radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance.

Discounting theories of voluntary disappearance and suicide, the investigation – conducted by Glasgow-based Athena Intelligence and Security – concludes the disappearance is likely to have been an abduction.

The report confirmed evidence of possible “hostile surveillance” at the terminal conducted by two known affiliates of Malé based Kuda Henveiru gang.

The NGO on October 23 accused the police of negligence in investigating the disappearance for their failure to inform the public on progress and failure to confirm if the abduction reported on the night Rilwan went missing was related to his disappearance.

Likes(1)Dislikes(0)

MMPRC believes Thumburi project will bring an additional 150,000 tourists per year

Managing Director of the Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC) Abdulla Ziyath believes the government’s Thumburi integrated resort project will increase visitors to the Maldives by 150,000.

“The market had become quite stagnant, as there were not many new hotels on the way and we were becoming perceived as a place just for five-star tourists,” Ziyath told TTG while at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London.

“This addresses those issues and for the first time enables small businesses to invest; in fact we are actively discouraging the main existing resort owners from being a part of Thumburi”.

The government’s integrated resort project – or ‘vertical tourism’ – is designed to “responsibly diversify the tourism product of the Maldives”, says the MMPRC, after the rapid expansion of guest houses on inhabited islands under the presidency of Mohamed Nasheed between 2008 and 2012.

Some within the industry have expressed fears over the guest house’s impact on the Maldives image as a luxury travel destination, although critics of the new scheme say the multi-ownership guest house island concept will not bring the same benefit to local communities.

Ziyath spoke during the WTM, at which it unveiled the Thumburi project. The event features 146 representatives from 54 countries and is to conclude tomorrow.

Likes(1)Dislikes(0)

China gifts 200 waste bins to environment ministry

The Chinese government today gifted 200 waste bins worth MVR500,000 (US$32,425) to the Maldivian government, during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

Deputy Head of Commission at the Chinese Embassy in Maldives, Mr Liu Ching signed the contract on behalf of the Chinese government, while Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Ali Amir signed for the Maldives.

Mr Liu highlighted the importance of keeping the environment clean and safe for the many tourists visiting the Maldives – of which around a third now come from China.

Malé City Council introduced litter bins to the capital for the first time this year, placing 200 around the city as part of new waste management regulations which impose a MVR100 (US$6.5) fine for littering.

Liu today said that he was keen to sustain the relationship between the two nations, whose bilateral ties have been expanding rapidly over the past two years.

As well as a steady stream of grant aid, the Chinese and Maldivian governments have penned deals regarding military aid and the development of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport.

As well as urging the Maldives to become part of its New Silk Road initiative, the Chinese government has promised to “favorably consider” financing the ambitious Malé-Hulhulé bridge project.

Likes(3)Dislikes(0)

Police detain Maldivian jihadis caught in Sri Lanka

Police have confirmed that three Maldivians have been arrested in Sri Lanka after being discovered attempting to travel to fight in the Syrian civil war.

Two men, aged 25 and 23-years-old, and a woman aged 18-years-old, have been returned to the Maldives after being detained by Sri Lankan police on November 4.

The three – all from the same, unnamed, island – travelled to Sri Lanka on one-way tickets and were arrested as a result of a tip off from Maldivian police. They told Sri Lankan authorities that they were travelling to Turkey for medical purposes.

Today’s news is the latest in a series of reports of Maldivians journeying to ISIS-held territories for the purpose of Jihad. Reports of Maldivians being killed while fighting in Syria first emerged in March this year, with the latest reports involving married couples and even a family of four all heading to the Islamic state.

A UN report obtained by the UK’s Guardian newspaper last week, noted that foreign jihadists were now travelling to Syria and Iraq on “an unprecedented scale”.

15,000 people were reported to have travelled to the region from more than 80 countries. Although the report did not name the countries, the Guardian mentioned the Maldives as one of the “unlikely” places from which ISIS supporters have emerged.

The UK government last month said it was aware of ISIS supporters in the Maldives. The leaked UN report noted that more than 500 British citizens had travelled to the region since 2011.

A protest march took place in the Maldives capital, Malé, in September, with around 200 participants bearing the ISIS flag and calling for the implementation of Islamic Shariah in the Maldives.

The surge in support for the ISIS –  the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – has led nations around the world to seek measures to prevent their citizens being recruited to the organisation which is accused of mass atrocities and war crimes by the UN.

Maldivian police told Minivan News today that they were unable to say if, and on what charges, the individuals were to be prosecuted. The President’s Office explained that, while the issue should not be seen as purely Maldivian problem, all Maldivian citizens are bound by the country’s laws, regardless of where they are.

Police today appealed to the public to report any incidences of people going to jihad, assuring that reports will be made confidential and informers protected.

Today’s police statement reported that the woman arrested on Tuesday had married one of her fellow detainees out of court in March this year, when she was aged just 17-years-old.

The Family Court announced in April that it will not register marriages performed by individuals without the court’s involvement, noting that this contravened the Family Act.

Religious extremists in the Maldives have both endorsed and performed such marriages, claiming that even private, out-of-court marriages should be treated as legal as long as the minimum Shariah requirements for marriage are met.

Government ministers have advised Maldivians against travelling abroad for jihad, with Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed saying that those seeking to take part in the conflict must not be punished, but offered rehabilitation and guidance.

Although President Abdulla Yameen has yet to speak publicly on the issue, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon has condemned ISIS for violating the principles of Islam.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party has meanwhile criticised the authorities’ response to the issue, with former President Mohamed Nasheed suggesting that President Yameen could do more to counter the growing threat of extremism.

“President Yameen feels he can deal with the Islamist threat later but first he wants to consolidate power,” Nasheed told the UK’s Independent newspaper in September.

“He has the Islamists with him and he can’t do away with them. He would deny that but I don’t see the government taking any measures against the Isis flag being displayed on the street and all the indoctrination going on.”

Likes(2)Dislikes(0)

Government ordered to pay MVR349 million in damages for terminated transport contract

The Civil Court has ordered the Maldives government to pay MVR348,995,154.60 (US$22.5million) to Dheebaja Investment Pvt Ltd for the abrupt and unlawful termination of a contract to establish ferry services in four northern atolls.

The verdict, dated October 23, said President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s administration had terminated a contract with Dheebaja on 30 May 2013 claiming the company had failed to fulfill terms by suspending ferry services to Baa Atoll Fulhadhoo and Fehendhoo Islands.

The transport services contract had been signed under former President Mohamed Nasheed in February 2010. Dheebaja was to provide ferry services in Noonu, Raa, Baa and Lhaviyani Atolls in exchange for 47 plots of land to build ferry terminals and tourism development.

The Civil Court found that the Waheed administration’s termination of the contract was unlawful, stating the government had violated the contract first by failing to hand over promised plots of land to Dheebaja.

The court ordered the Maldives government to pay nearly MVR349 million in damages to Dheebaja for it’s unilateral decision to terminate contract with only five days of notice. The amount is to be paid back within six months.

The Maldives is also currently facing a potentially crippling payout to India’s GMR infrastructure for the abrupt and unlawful termination of a contract to develop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport.

President Waheed had declared the US$511 million contract “void ab initio” (invalid from the outset) in November 2012 and gave GMR a seven-day ultimatum to leave the country.

However, a Singaporean arbitration court in June declared the agreement to be “valid and binding” and said the government and Maldives Airports Company Pvt Ltd (MACL) are liable to GMR for damages.

The arbitration tribunal is in the process of determining a compensation figure. Although GMR had initially sought US$1.4 billion – a figure that exceeds the Maldives’ annual budget – government sources say the figure will be between US$300million and US$600million.

The World Bank in 2013 said the payout would place severe pressure on the country’s already critically low foreign reserves.

Since President Nasheed’s controversial ouster in 2012, President Waheed and incumbent President Abdulla Yameen’s administration have terminated or renegotiated several contracts signed under Nasheed.

The government, on October 22, terminated an agreement made with India based Tatva Global Renewable Energy to provide waste management services in Malé and renegotiated a housing contract with India’s TATA group.

The US$190 million housing project had been delayed for more than two years.

Indian companies blamed the government of creating “undue challenges” for political gain to derail their substantial investments in the Maldives in a 2012 report in India’s Business Standard.

Nasheed’s government had been ousted after months of a vitriolic nationalist and anti–India campaign.

Several of Yameen’s ministers also served in Waheed’s cabinet. They include Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb, Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim, Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Dr Mohamed Muizzu, and Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed.

Incumbent Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon served as Waheed’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs while Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed held the position of Home Minister.

Since assuming power, Yameen has strengthened trade and political ties with China and the Maldives is now a partner in China’s flagship Silk Route.

Likes(2)Dislikes(0)

ARC exhibition opened by first lady

A photo exhibition for children’s rights NGO Advocating the Rights of Children (ARC) has opened in Malé’s National Art Gallery, with First Lady Madam Fathimath Ibrahim cutting the ribbon yesterday morning.

The first lady commended ARC for its efforts to promote and protect the rights of the child, and acknowledged the greater need to raise awareness on issues concerning children’s welfare.

The exhibition – which runs until Friday (November 7) between 10am and 11pm – features photographs depicting areas from the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Twelve photographs were chosen to be included in ARC’s official 2015 calendar, with the winners being revealed and certificates awarded by the first lady at yesterday’s opening ceremony.

All proceeds from the calendar sales will be used to fund ARC’s HOPE Campaign against Child Abuse.

Likes(1)Dislikes(0)

Newly planted areca palms uprooted on housing ministry orders

Reporting by Ismail Humaam Hamid

The Maldives Road Development Corporation (MRDC) has uprooted three newly planted areca palms in Malé today on the Housing Ministry’s orders.

The opposition dominated Malé City Council (MCC) replanted three trees this morning after masked men – believed to be police officers – chopped down 30 palm trees in the early hours of October 24.

“Today we planted three trees near the Malé City Council. However, workers from MRDC uprooted the trees moments later. They said they were acting on orders from the Housing Ministry,” Malé City Mayor Mohamed Shihab told the press today.

The police refused to help despite repeated requests, but watched the trees being removed, the mayor said.

“We requested assistance from the police as per rights afforded to local councils in the Decentralisation Act. But the police on the scene refused to help us. We have decided to lodge a complaint at the Police Integrity Commission (PIC).”

The MCC will also file a court case against MRDC for its illegal actions, the council said, arguing that the MRDC must defer to the MCC and obtain permission from the council in matters concerning Malé City.

According to newspaper Haveeru, senior members of the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) believe the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) use the areca palm trees for black magic to curse President Abdulla Yameen with ill health.

“[They] believe that [President Yameen’s] health worsens with every palm frond that falls off the areca palm trees. And that his health would worsen further with every tree that blossoms,” an anonymous government official was quoted as saying.

The MDP-dominated city council had planted the palm trees – donated by the Indian High Commission – in October 2011 as part of efforts to make the capital greener.

Meanwhile, former President Mohamed Nasheed alleged that masked Special Operations (SO) police officers in plain clothes chopped down the palm trees with machetes.

Patrolling police officers from the Maafanu police station arrested two of the perpetrators, Nasheed told the press last week, claiming that the suspects were handed over to the SO on the orders of a senior official from the SO command.

The pair were taken to the police Iskandhar Koshi barracks in an SO vehicle, he claimed.

Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed held a press conference last week during which he denied police involvement in the incident, dismissing the opposition leader’s allegations as “baseless”.

Speaking to the press today, Deputy Mayor Shifa Mohamed accused the government of chopping down the areca palms.

“The government is involved in the chopping down of the trees. There were a lot of SO police officers in Malé that night. However, it is unclear whether they were trying to stop the vandalism or assisting in the crime,” she said.

The council said it will lodge a complaint over MRDC’s actions with the Local Government Authority, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, and international organisations.

Several areca palm trees were also uprooted during protests against the MDP government in January 2012.

Likes(1)Dislikes(0)

Rilwan suspect’s detention extended for the fifth time

The Criminal Court has again extended the detention of the sole suspect remaining in custody in relation to the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

Police  have today confirmed that the suspect, whose identity has not been revealed to the public, had his extension extended for the fifth time yesterday (November 4) – giving police another ten days to conduct investigations.

No further details of the case’s progress have been made public.

After the Majlis rejected a 5000 signature petition calling for greater efforts in the search, the family last month lodged an official complaint with the Police Integrity Commission (PIC), accusing the Maldives Police Service of negligence.

PIC Director General Fathimath Sareera Ali Shareef told Minivan News today that the commission has decided to investigate the case, and has begun compiling relevant information.

“We have never had a case like this before,” explained Fathimath, who was unable to give a time frame for the investigation due to its “sensitive” nature.

Police Commissioner Hussein Waheed has rejected the accusations, telling local media last week that the police service had not forgotten about Rilwan’s case. Police said earlier this week that investigations were progressing “speedily”.

Four suspects were arrested in connection with the disappearance of the 28-year-old shortly after the release of a private investigative report into the suspected abduction. Three, however, were released shortly after.

Authorities – including the police commissioner and home minister – have condemned the report, suggesting that the publication of suspects’ names had jeopardised their own investigations, leading to the loss of valuable leads.

The report – conducted by a UK-based security company – noted “hostile surveillance” of Rilwan in the moments prior to his disappearance, concluding that the most likely groups to have been involved in his abduction were radicalised gangs – a theory supported by comments from Home Minister Umar Naseer.

Rilwan’s family lodged the official complaint with the PIC on October 29 , accusing the Maldives Police Service of not taking the case seriously, and of showing disrespect to the family since the disappearance 89 days ago.

“Our family is in deep mourning. We have no way forward. We believe police negligence is behind the lack of progress in finding Rilwan,” said Rilwan’s sister Fazna.

The police have failed to take the case seriously, despite an abduction outside Rilwan’s apartment building on the night of his disappearance and reports that he had received numerous death threats and had been followed, she said.

Eyewitnesses had reported the abduction at knifepoint at around 2am on August 8, but police only took their statements on August 14, the family said, adding that the police had also failed to track down and search the car used in the abduction.

Likes(2)Dislikes(0)