Tag: maldives

Committee to probe 2003 Maafushi Jail shooting

A second investigation of the 2003 Maafushi Jail shooting has been launched by a special committee appointed by President Mohamed Nasheed and his cabinet.

The committee includes Housing Minister Mohamed Aslam, Attorney General (AG) Abdulla Muiz and Defence Minister Thalhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaan, and will investigate the incident that took place on September 20, 2003 – a watershed moment following the death in custody of Evan Naseem that led to street riots, the declaration of a state of emergency, and ultimately, the introduction of multi-party democracy and the eventual ousting of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

An investigation was previously conducted by a special commission under former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The censored results were published in January 2004, and 12 prison guards were sentenced to death. Captain Adam Mohamed, the commanding official charged with ordering the shootings, was granted clemency by Gayoom. Subsequently, the sentence of the prison guards was commuted to 25 years in jail.

In June 2011, the case was re-opened and three of the former prison guards, who were living at large, were sent back to jail.

State Home Minister Mohamed Naeem previously told Minivan News that he regretted sending the convicted men back to prison after a long period without clear legal action.

“If [the former administration] had not freed them from prison, by now they would have served most of their sentence and could have even possibly applied for clemency,” said Naeem.

However, he did say that the action of the former administration had not only violated the rights of the convicted, but also those of the victims.

“When the victims who survived that time see these convicted people roaming around the streets, how do they feel? It is unfair for them,” he said at the time.

An individual who was imprisoned at Maafushi jail at the time of Evan Naseem’s death and the prison shootings spoke to Minivan News about the renewed investigation.

“I think they need to find out who ordered the torture of Evan Naseem–was it the highest ranking officer, or a lower officer? This has been delayed too long now. We have to have proper justice to move ahead,” he said.

The source added that a lot of information surrounding the incident had been censored, and said he wasn’t sure that “the right people” had been sent back to prison.

“I think it is wrong for the one who complied with the order to take the punishment. It should be the one who gave the order,” he said.

Former President Gayoom at the time was also Minister of Defence and National Security.

The former Maafushi prison guards involved in the shootings were recently re-arrested for the 2003 event. The source said several senior prison officials had informed him at the time that the order to shoot on September 20 had come from the top.

The shooting occurred after inmates broke out of their cells “to learn the details of fellow Evan Naseem’s death”, the source said.

The source told Minivan News that he could hear people being tortured from his cell, and that he had also heard these sounds on the night that Naseem died. His own cell was secure at the time of the riot.

“This army man was controlling us, and he said it was nothing. But we knew some things were happening. I knew, because I saw people jumping off the wall from my cell.

“When they opened the door to the block to bring the breakfast things we kept asking the guards what was happening but they would tell us nothing. Finally, we asked the guards to please open the gate so we could see, and at that time we saw a lot of people lined up on the beach in handcuffs. By the evening the army came and took control of things. Then, an inmate said ‘let’s burn this place down!’, but I said, ‘No, let’s work to get free. We are not going to burn the prison.’ I told him not to do anything, but he said ‘Let’s use [force].’ I said, ‘Let’s negotiate.’  So we negotiated.”

Following the shooting, 19 inmates and one officer were reported injured, and three inmates were reported dead. 15 of the 20 persons wounded had been shot above the knee.

An English translation of the initial investigation, provided by the Dhivehi Observer on January 24 2004, described the prison break as “not an emergency situation,” and determined that the use of weapons against the inmates was “neither a proportionate response nor a reasonable means of control.”

The report, which was filed by the former administration’s special commission, further stated that inmates were partially excused for the alleged riot “on account of the fact that they were acting on deep grief and frustration and did not appear to intend further harm [other] than demanding an investigation into Naseem’s death.”

Naseem “died due to grievous hurt caused to him by some personnel of Maafushi Jail Security System,” stated the report. The report further notes that inmates at Maafushi Jail had requested to meet with a security officer from the Department of Corrections several times after learning of Naseem’s death. Captain Adam Mohamed was assigned to this meeting, but chose to ignore it; he was the captain that the inmates confronted with their questions during the outbreak. The investigation report states that the captain “did not offer any reasonable response to those questions.”

CCTV recordings of the prison’s Operations Room and the block in which the initial outbreak took place had not been preserved for the investigation, and no Event Log Book had been used by officials, the report claimed.

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Bridge needed between Male’ and Hulhumale’, says President

President Mohamed Nasheed has said it is necessary for the government to built a bridge connecting the islands of Male’ and Hulhumale’ to improve transportation and development on both islands. This statement was made after the President presented documents of guarantee to flat recipients in Hulhumale’, as provided by the Veshi Fahi Male’ de-congestion program.

The President said a ferry system was insufficient to accommodate the growing populations on both islands.

The Veshi Fahi Male’ housing project is expected to add 10,000 flats to Hulhumale’. 8,000 flats are currently being constructed.

2500 flats were said to be built under Phase 2 of the Gulhifalhu development project, which is set to begin next month, reported the President’s Office.

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National Security Committee to summon former President Gayoom

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik has proposed summoning former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to the parliamentary National Security Committee yesterday over his alleged involvement in US$800 million worth of blackmarket oil trade with Burma.

The Hulhu-Henveiru MP, a member of the MDP-dominated committee, proposed summoning Gayoom and other senior officials of the former government suspected of involvement in the secret trade conducted by the State Trading Organisation’s (STO) Singapore branch.

Moosa’s proposal was backed by other MDP MPs as well as minority opposition People’s Alliance (PA) MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla.

Moosa told Minivan News today that the committee will summon Gayoom after gathering necessary information.

“Because this is a very serious issue and it is a serious allegation, it requires the committee to question him and other persons believed to be involved in this black-market oil trade,” Moosa said.

On August 2, a resolution calling for an investigation into the allegations submitted by MDP MP Mohamed Musthafa was sent to the National Security Committee, which began deliberations at its meeting yesterday.

National Security Committee Chair MP Ali Waheed told press yesterday that the committee decided to send out letters to the relevant authorities in the Maldives as well as Singapore to gather information.

Opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party’s (DRP) Z-faction MP Ahmed Nihan meanwhile told Minivan News that the committee’s decision was a “psychological attack” on the party’s ‘Honorary Leader’ (Zaeem) Gayoom.

“The committee does not have any sincerity in their work, it is all about the personal grudge that Moosa has for Gayoom,” Nihan said. “The committee does have the authority to summon persons and inviting former president to the committee is nothing to be concerned about.”

Nihan suggested that the committee should also investigate allegations that the committee’s chair MP Ali Waheed – former Deputy Leader of the DRP – received US$2 million by defecting to the ruling party.

“The committee should also investigate the allegations that there was corruption in the US$21 million Thilafushi project that Moosa is conducting,” Nihan said.

He added that opposition MPs would soon submit a resolution calling for an investigation into President Mohamed Nasheed allegedly consuming alcohol in front of Indian journalists in December 2008.

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BML suspends Vilingili branch employee for alleged fraud

An employee at Bank of Maldives (BML) in the Gaaf Dhaal Atoll Vilingili branch has been suspended on allegations of fraud.

The bank did not identify the employee to the press.

A person from the island told Haveeru that the employee had allegedly sent a forged letter to the branch manager in the account owner’s name, requesting that Rf 2,000 (US$130) be transferred to another account.

It is believed that the money was transferred to the account of one of the employee’s friends.

The fraud came into light when the account owner’s mother went to the bank to withdraw Rf 2,000 only to find that the amount was not available.

“When the bank told her that the account did not have that much cash in it she objected, stressing that her child had deposited the amount. The employee was suspended after the bank tracked down the transaction,” the person said.

In a statement forwarded to Haveeru, the bank said employees found responsible for the fraud had been suspended and that the bank, like any other bank in the world, sometimes faced cases of staff fraud.

“But given the millions of transactions made at the bank annually, the numbers of fraud cases are considerably less compared to global rates of such incidences,” the statement read.

The statement further noted that the mechanism necessary for customer protection is fully established at the bank and that a system, which allows the tracking of transactions and all customer-employee exchanges, is accessible at all times.

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Kaadehdhoo airport given to Island Aviation Services for development

Kaadehdhoo airport in Gaaf Dhaal Atoll was today handed over to Island Aviation Services Limited (IAS) for development.

A special ceremony was held to mark the occasion after a cabinet meeting scheduled for this afternoon in Gaaf Dhaal atoll Thinadhoo, reported Haveeru News. The government is also considering a proposal to offer IAS an island for resort development.

Cabinet discussions at Thinadhoo today were said to address development programmes planned for Thinadhooo and Upper South Province.

President Mohamed Nasheed was said to inaugurate Thinadhooo Development Corporation this evening before leaving the island.

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Indian gynecologist attacked by masked men on Hoarafushi

An Indian gynecologist working at Hoarafushi Health Centre in Haa Alifu Atoll has said she will “never come back to the Maldives” after two masked islanders attacked and gagged her.

“They broke in to my room with their faces covered, holding knives, and they tried to attack me,” the doctor told Minivan News. “I could only see their eyes. It was like the worst nightmare I have ever seen.”

The doctor said at first she tried to escape by shouting, but then the men tried to cover her mouth and tie a rope to her neck.

“I dialed the last dialed number on my phone and it was the health centre. When the health centre answered the phone the attackers snatched it from my hands and switched it off, but luckily the person who answered heard me screaming.”

The doctor said she fought with the men and was able to escape.

“I held their knife and pushed them back, then jumped out of the window and screamed for help,” the doctor said. “Then they ran away.”

The doctor said it was the “worst experience I have ever had” and that she would “never ever come back to the Maldives.”

“I’ll even advise my friends and my students not to choose Maldives,” she said. “I mean why should they do this? I did my best to serve the people here, why should they do this to me?”

The doctor said she had no idea what had motivated the pair to attack her, and said she was emotionally, mentally and physically hurt in the incident.

Deputy chair of the island council Ali Riyaz, who told Minivan News he was the first to attend the scene, said the incident was “regrettable”.

Riyaz said he first heard of the incident when the doctor phoned a councilor during a council meeting last night at 9:50pm.

“I went to her room immediately and called the police,” Riyaz said. “Her room is very close to the Council Office and we rushed there very quickly. When we knocked on the door she did not open it because she was so frightened.”

Once the councilors had convinced the doctor who they were, “she came outside and started crying. She was injured,” Riyaz said. “She said two men with their faces covered entered her room and attacked her.”

Riyaz said the doctor had told them not to do this to her and that she was like a sister to them.

“She even told them to take any amount of money they wanted, and also to take any electronics including her laptop if they wanted, without attacking her.”

Police had arrested 11 people following the incident, Riyaz said.

“Two of them were the two men suspected by the police, and the other nine were those who went [to police] of their own accord because they have past crime records and they wanted to show that they had no hand in this incident,” Riyaz said.

The doctor was the only specialist working in the Hoarafushi Health Centre and the only gynecologist in the entire atoll. Riyaz said her departure would be “a great loss” for the atoll.

“She had decided to leave Maldives some time ago,” he said. “She was a great doctor and is loved by many islanders across the atoll.”

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that police had arrested two promising suspects, although he said their motives remained unclear.

The community had been very supportive of the police investigation and were taking care of the doctor, he said: “The heart of the whole island is with her.”

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Decentralisation Act puts Male’ mosques under council control

Male City Council plans to take responsibility for city mosques by next month, Haveeru reports.

The plan is said to be in accordance with the Decentralisation Act. Mosques and cemeteries in Hulhumale and Villimale will also be under the council’s remit.

A management plan for the Islamic Ministry is currently being drafted by the council, reports Haveeru . The plan would allow the council to manage the Imams and administrative workers.

The council is also discussing taking over the Islamic Centre, which it claims is one of its remits under the Decentralisation Act.

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‘Market Harbour’ project amended, bids re-open

The Economic Development Ministry has announced that the ‘Market Harbour’ project, designed to develop island harbours, has been reopened bidding, Haveeru News reports.

The project was first announced on March 24, 2011. The Ministry has since amended the proposal to suit amendments proposed by island councils.

The ‘Market Harbour’ projects intends harbours to be developed along regional, atoll and local standards. The projects will take effect in Dhaal atoll Kuda Huvadhoo, Gaaf Dhaal atoll Gahdhoo, Thinadhoo and Ihavandhoo, Haa Dhaal atoll Kulhudhufushi, Haa Alif atoll Hoarafushi, Meemu atoll Mulah and Raa Dhuvaafaru.

Haveeru News reports that project bidding is open to local and international companies. The report adds that facilities such as warehouses, banks, and guesthouses will be available.


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Maldives hails “new dawn” in Libya, increases international pressure on Syria

Maldives Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem has welcomed “a new dawn in Libya” following reports yesterday that the rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) had all but taken control of Libya’s capital, Tripoli.

President Muammar Gaddafi remains nowhere to be found, but early reports yesterday – confirmed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) – suggested that the rebels had detained his son, Saif al-Islam.

Saif however appeared in front of journalists later in the day declaring that the rebels had “fallen into a trap”, and “screw the criminal court.”

The Maldives was among the first countries to formally recognise the TNC rebels as the sovereign representatives of the Libyan people, and helped organise several UN Human Rights Council resolutions increasing pressure on Gaddafi and legitimising Western military intervention.

“The Maldives took these steps because of our conviction that men such as Muammar Ghadaffi should not be allowed to check, through violence, the recent march of democracy and human rights across the Muslim world – the Muslim Awakening,” Naseem said.

“For decades, the government of Muammar Ghadaffi has ruled through a system of patronage, repression and fear. The Muslim Awakening brought hope that this system could be dismantled peacefully, through dialogue, reform and free and fair elections. However, instead Muammar Ghadaffi chose to use his security forces to attack and kill civilians.

“With the imminent fall of Ghadaffi, the Muslim Awakening lives on, and the Maldives looks forward to welcoming a new, democratic Libyan State into the international family of nations,” Naseem said.

Syria

The Maldives is taking a similar line on Syria it took with Libya earlier this year, insisting on democratic reforms and yesterday spearheading an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council.

“The Maldives considers itself a friend of Syria and its people, and has watched with increasing alarm as the government there has responded to peaceful protests calling for democratic reform with violence and intimidation. Thousands have been arbitrarily detained and hundred of our Muslim brothers and sisters, including children, have been killed. Worse, these gross human rights violations have intensified during the Holy Month of Ramadan,” Naseem said, in another statement.

Syria, which has failed to respond to the Council or cooperate with the UN, is backed by Iran and has taken a hard line against civilian demonstrators calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

Protests began in January 26 as the ‘Arab Spring’ demonstrations began to sweep through the Middle East, escalating into an uprising in which over 2200 people have reportedly been killed.

Involvement of the Maldives

At a press conference held yesterday in Male’, the Maldives Ambassador to the UN Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed said that the small size and relative isolation of the Maldives was “no impediment” the country’s pursuit of an international human rights agenda.

“I think we have shown that size is not everything in international relations,” Ghafoor said. “Even if you are a small country your commitments, your principles, and how you work with others can help you achieve many of your goals.

“Our relations with other countries and our record of promoting human rights both at home and in concert with other countries, and our cooperation with the Human Rights High Commissioner has given us respect and legitimacy in the international community, and we have been at the forefront of a number of resolutions that has been initiated on matters of grave concern,” he said.

Asked about the Maldives’ commitment to human rights locally, and whether he concurred with the Maldives’ recent delegation to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination that the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives was the “most active national institution in Asia”, Ghafoor observed that “I don’t think there’s any country that has a perfect human rights record.”

“Without exception I think all countries have human rights issues and problems, but what is more important is how do we deal with it and how do we address these issues,” he said.

“I think Maldives has shown that it is willing to address the shortcomings it has in its human rights promotion and making every effort possible within the resources we have to improve our human rights record.

We are willing to work with other countries, with the international human rights organisations, even with NGOs to make the human rights issue a non-issue hopefully some time in the future. But that maybe a bit too much to hope for. So long as there are human beings interacting with each other there’s likely to be human rights issues.”

Speaking as to the Maldives’ position on the UN report detailing war crimes in the closing days of Sri Lanka’s civil war, Ghafoor said he did not think the matter would create friction with the Maldives’ neighbour.

“I do not see the government having any issues at this stage with the Sri Lankan government,” he said.

“[Naseem] has stated that we would like to see the UN take a more comprehensive review of what has happened in Sri Lanka, rather than concentrate on the last few days. This could skew the whole issue. So we do not see our memberships of the Human Rights Council making it difficult for us to have good relations with Sri Lanka or speak on issues of sensitivity. I think as good friends Maldives can speak very frankly with Sri Lanka and I’m sure they would happy to listen to our views.”

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