Tag: maldives

Letter on Hulhumale’s rubbish

Dear Editor,

I spoke to the Municipal Section In-charge of the Hulhumale Development Corporation (HDC) regarding the waste dumped at various wastelands (unused goathi) of Hulhumale’, and also the waste dumped at the bottom of the beautiful bushes beside brand-new pavements.

I understand that the authority tried to solve this problem by keeping waste bins at various locations but failed to solve the problem because people started dumping household waste and waste from the shops, so that they stopped keeping the bins.

Similarly, I have seen very old sick people, with the family members’ support, boarding on MTCC Ferries and looking for a seat when there are seats reserved for them. Neither the captain nor the crew is able to help our beloved senior citizens or the sick, by letting them have their reserved seats on the ferry.

Since the authority for the Municipal Section of HDC is also the chairperson for Hulhumale’ Crime Prevention Committee working together with Hulhumale’ Police, I feel sorry that they had no solution other than to stop keeping the bins in public areas. I also feel sorry that the captains keep quiet, watching such inhuman scenarios, while he has the authority to question passengers who disobey rules like not purchasing a ticket before boarding the ferry and so on.

I think what’s actually happening is that the hospital has no concern over the issue because at the moment this waste has not caused an epidemic. Police have no concern over the issue because they feel people would not like them for interfering in their freedom to do whatever they want.

HDC has no worries over the issue because they get monthly rent from these wastelands, and they get no complaints from the public who believe they can do anything they want and it’s their freedom to do so.

I think all the government and non-governmental agencies must work together to strengthen the monitoring mechanism and action taking so that those who are responsible do their job in order to keep Hulhumale’ clean and attractive. A country can never afford to watch such scenario and wait until the issue becomes a difficult and expensive problem like drugs, murder and so on. As we all know, drugs and murder was not an issue here before but can we say it’s not an issue today?

So, why can’t we all join together to stop such crimes in our society before it’s too late?

Regards
Saeed

All letters are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write a letter piece, please submit it to [email protected]

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Tear gas used in second night of protests

Police used teargas to disperse a crowd of opposition supporters outside the President’s Residence of Muleaage last night, following a second night of protests.

The protests have been sparked by a parliamentary deadlock after the Supreme Court granted the government a temporary injunction on Monday, blocking the endorsing of cabinet ministers until a ruling on the process can be issued.

The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) wants to endorse ministers individually, while the government claims the procedure is “ceremonial” and that this would be tantamount to a series of no-confidence motions.

Shortly before midnight, police took 15-20 DRP members into custody including Ali Arif and MPs Ahmed Mahloof and Ahmed Nihan, after the gathering left behind the main group of protesters near Sultans Park and approached Muleaage. demanding to see President Mohamed Nasheed.

“We are seeing a rising dollar crisis, housing crisis and many other things – look at the long line of people outside the Bank of Maldives every morning,” said Nihan.

“We called out to Nasheed to come out and meet us to solve these problems. We told police it was a peaceful gathering.”

The Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) arrived five minutes later, Nihan said.

“MP Mahlouf was severely injured because of pepper spray. Mahlouf and Arif were handcuffed and we were taken to police headquarters and detained for an hour without reason. It was very peaceful, and we sat on cushioned chairs,” Nihan stated.

Police apprehended the group at 11:35pm, he said. “Very few of us made it though to Muleaage. The rest of the demonstrators were near Sultans Park.”

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the MPs and demonstrators “were not really arrested. They tried to cross the MNDF line and police tried to send them back, but they were eventually taken to police headquarters,” he said.

No injuries were reported to protesters or police, he said.

Miadhu reported minority opposition Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim as saying that the handcuffing of MPs was “unjust and illegal”.

“The police should be the furtherest of people away from being unjust and oppressive. They should not be biased to any party or any colour,” Gasim told Miadhu.

Nihan emphasised that the DRP was not disputing the Supreme Court’s injunction on the cabinet re-endorsement.

“We will always take into consideration the rule of law to ensure it prevails – in any court, not just the Supreme Court,” Nihan said.

“The government needs to accommodate the opposition, and accept that we are not out to topple them but rather to make them accountable,” he said.

The Supreme Court has meanwhile released a statement condemning “uncivilised” vandalism of the building last night, after crude oil was thrown on the walls, vegetation and name board around midnight.

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Lone survivor found on Sri Lankan fishing vessel adrift in Maldives

A Sri Lankan fishing vessel was found adrift in Maldivian waters on Wednesday with one survivor, reports Haveeru.

The survivor, Ramzee, 25, told the Maldivian fishermen who discovered him and his vessel that there had been four other crew members on board.

They had died of starvation and their bodies had to be thrown overboard.

The boat had set sail from Sri Lanka eight months ago, and had drifted into Maldivian waters after its engines malfunctioned, according to Ramzee.

A Maldivian fishing vessel discovered Ramzee’s boat near Gaaf Dhaal Atoll Thinadhoo.

Ramzee is now at the Thinadhoo Regional Hospital while authorities are investigating the cause of the incident.


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Parliament cancelled after MPs display tooth and bloodied T-Shirt

The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has said it will launch successive protests after the Supreme Court issued an injunction of parliament’s endorsing of the reappointed cabinet ministers.

Last night around midnight police used tear gas to subdue a crowd gathering in Republic Square.

“They started at the artificial beach but moved to Republic Square where the police and Maldives National Defense Force headquarters are located,” said police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam.

“Police used tear gas to force them to leave the area.”

Shiyam noted that there were reports of “minor injuries” in the crowd. Some police were also injured, but none seriously, he said. Reports circulating today suggested one member of the crowd lost teeth during the incident.

“We took several people into police custody until the situation had calmed down. We also stopped a vehicle with sound equipment that was driving down the wrong way down a one-way street, and checked the license of the driver,” Shiyam said.

Parliament was cancelled today after successive points of order. In a dramatic gesture, DRP MPs displayed a tooth and T-shirt stained with blood reportedly belonging to Moosa Fathy, Deputy President of the party’s fishermen’s wing.

DRP MP Ahmed Mahlouf told Minivan News that it was “really saddening to hear the MDP treat it as a joke”.

“Two people were seriously injured – not just this guy, there was a woman who was hit by a tear gas canister,” he said.

Disputes over the endorsing of the reappointed cabinet ministers by parliament, a function the government argues should be “ceremonial”, has led to deadlock in the opposition-majority parliament this week.

The opposition argues that ministers should be approved individually, and is reported to have a list of six ministers it intends to disapprove.

The government claims that parliament must approve cabinet as a whole, as the procedure for no-confidence motions against ministers already exists, and has sought a ruling from the Supreme Court on the matter.

“It has been three months [since the reappointments] and we do not believe these ministers are acting legally,” Mahlouf said. “We want to hasten the process of approving the ministers and are pressuring the government to be faster.”

The DRP would “always respect” the ruling of the Supreme Court “or any court” if it ruled the matter in the government’s favour, he said.

The DRP were planning another protest this evening, Mahlouf added.

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Maldives makes “solid gains” in press freedom: Reporters Without Borders

  • The Maldives has made “solid gains” towards press freedom according to the Reporters Without Borders 2010 Press Freedom Index, although its ranking has slipped from 51 to 52.

    “As a rule, the authorities have been respectful of press freedoms, exemplified by their decriminalisation of press offences in the Maldives,” the report stated.

    The ranking places the Maldives at the top of the South Asian countries for press freedom, and among the most free in Asia behind Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong.

    The Maldives was ranked 129 in 2007, jumping to 104 in 2008 and 51 in 2009 following the election of President Mohamed Nasheed.

    France, the home of RWB (Reporters Sans Frontières) ranked 44, while regionally, India (122), Bangladesh (126) and Sri Lanka (158) were ranked far below the Maldives.

    “Less violence was noted [in Sri Lanka], yet the media’s ability to challenge the authorities has tended to weaken with the exile of dozens of journalists,” the RWB report stated.

    Scandinavian countries including Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden were ranked first, while Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea were ranked last.

    The RWB report was damning of Asia-Pacific’s overall performance, particularly across communist and military regimes, while democratic countries such as Japan (11) and Australia (18) fared far better. However “Malaysia (141), Singapore (136) and East Timor (93) are down this year.”

    “In Afghanistan (147th) and in Pakistan (151st), Islamist groups bear much of the responsibility
    for their country’s pitifully low ranking. Suicide bombings and abductions make working as a journalist an increasingly dangerous occupation in this area of South Asia,” the report noted.

    “In short, repression has not diminished in ASEAN countries, despite the recent adoption of a human rights charter.”

    The RWB report focuses on state repression of the media and threat to the safety of journalists, and not the condition of a country’s media industry itself.

    Visiting journalism trainer Tiare Rath, Iraq Editorial Manager for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) recently identified that political partisanship among senior editorial leadership in the Maldives was obstructing the development of a free and independent media – often despite the good intentions of rank-and-file journalists.

    • “I have been really impressed with news judgement here, and the understanding of the basic principles of journalism,” Rath said of her experience training young reporters in the Maldives.

    “But on the other hand, one of the major issues all my students talked about is resistance among newsroom leadership – editors and publishers. Even if the journalists support and understand the principles being taught, they consistently tell me they cannot apply them,” she said.

    “This is a very, very serious problem that needs to be addressed.”

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    Comment: Hay and the importance of festivals and celebrations

    The Hay Festival at Aarah last weekend left in me a kind of excitement – a life force that gives one the ‘WOW!’ experience.

    It is not the first time I have been to festivals such as these, but the fact that it happened here in my country made the difference. It was happy, colourful and full of emotional intensity.

    My experience

    The Hay Festival at Aarah had every element of a growing modern and civilised society. People respected each other, people mingled, free discussion took place, and barriers were broken down. Remarkably people respected the garbage bins too.

    It was an intelligent way of helping expose people to new ideas. Just doing the right thing leaves room for differences of opinion without being offended.

    The purpose of such a festival is more than presentations and discussions. It is about nurturing culture, networking and creating new friendships and strengthening old ones. It is about feeling connected, and much more.

    People went to the Festival for different reasons. Some went simply out of curiosity and others went for the programs. Maybe some went simply to be part of a social event. Whatever the reason, I am sure many experienced more than the reason they went for.

    The Maldives is a place where foreigners and locals do not socialise, although they do interact with each other on work issues. In fact many foreigners are given the feeling that they should be careful about mingling with Maldivians. Very few Maldivians actually mingle with foreigners, and vice versa. I saw that the festival helped bring them closer.

    It is great that Aarah is open to these kind of events. I felt that this helped to lessen the gap between the country’s political leadership and the people, making them more accessible. It opened up new possibilities. Hopefully there will be more events taking place. There are so many themes that can be worked on.

    What impressed me were also the youth and the strong voices that rang out. I like to see them stand up and express who they are. At the end of it all, it is up to the people to fully use these kind of events to integrate into society.

    My disappointments

    There were a couple of things that did not work out for me personally. An expatriate speaker on the stage did use unacceptable discriminatory language, that was insensitive and harmful and generalised a whole country.

    Speakers must be careful not to address a country and its people in such a forum, whatever his personal opinion may be.

    The transport in the evening caused some inconveniences, forcing people to stay on until late and for those who had no option other than the late ferry, miss out on some important presentations at 7:00pm on the Saturday.

    The last comment in this direction were the last minute changes in the program. There was one presentation on the Kalaafaanu manuspcripts I had planned to attend, only to find out it had taken place on Friday. This disappointed me.

    Festivals are important for people

    All festivities have many things in common. It had colour, gaiety, participation, prayers and rituals. Festivals arise from the need to congregate and are based on traditions and practices handed down by ancestors.

    The ultimate benefit of a festival is the shared experience of those who participate. This reinforces the social bonds between the groups who celebrate the festival and shows strength and solidarity to those outside this social group.

    Most festivals were connected to sacred events or celebrated independence. Most modern festivals are created to meet a social need or to show and share creativity and messages through various forms of arts.

    In countries with different religions and different ethnic groups, festivals are celebrated by everyone irrespective of whatever religion is involved, because of common elements in the culture and the need to be one nation.

    For example, India is a society of many religions and there are a lot of festivals. For the Hindus there is Diwali, for the Muslims there is Eid, for the Christians there is Christmas and for the Parsis it’s the New Year. Apart from all these days there are two other days that are celebrated by all Indians irrespective of cast, creed or sex: yes, the  January 26 and August 15, Republic day and Independence Day.

    The endangered Maldivian festivals

    The Maldivian festivals which used to be celebrated with a lot of joy and colour have been disappearing over the years.

    The most notable of these festivities were Kuda Eid and Eid-ul Al’haa and the month long Ramazan which combined Maldivian culture (food, dance and music) and religious rituals.

    All these celebrations in their pure non-commercialised forms were spiritual exercises and a strengthening tool of cultural identification. The Prophet Mohamed’s birthday was celebrated with people visiting each other’s houses and eating Maldivian food and visit to the mosques for the special prayers.

    History shows that Maldivian island communities came together to celebrate child births, naming ceremonies, the coming of age, and marriages. The other festivals celebrated the Maldivian independence and autonomy. They are national celebrations.

    The scales have changed. The festivals mentioned above have handed down the traditions and values that were part of the Maldivian cultural identity. These norms are disappearing due to different opinions and rationalisation of different interest groups in the country, coupled with intentions of religious, political and business organisations.

    This trend in the Maldives is leading people to lose their connection with each other. The younger generations are being robbed of their Maldivian heritage, as are the less financially able who are losing the opportunity to participate in social life, and last but not least, a whole country is losing their cultural identity.

    Back to the Hay Festival

    The Hay Festival falls into the modern form of festivals that are thematically based. It gave people the opportunity to participate and fill in the gaps in knowledge of the Maldivian heritage and culture. It gave people the opportunity to contribute to important issues and understand the Maldivian contexts in Maldivian literature and play a participatory role in the evolving Maldivian story.

    It took ‘Maldivian’ beyond food, music and dance and rituals. It helped people enter and explore the depths of the Maldivian heritage blending common global issues that affects Maldivians and will impact the Maldivian lives and help reflect on where we came from and where we are going. The broader participation will enrich our culture and help the nation to grow.

    In conclusion, as Shobhaa De’ put it so well at the Hay Festival, if you disconnect from the society, the society will disconnect you. So I really hope to see more Maldivians taking these opportunities, and more families and more young people.

    All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

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    Court refuses whistleblower’s evidence in JSC professional negligence case

    The Civil Court has refused to hear additional evidence offered by a member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) who alleges that the JSC is withholding information in the ongoing professional negligence case against it.

    The Civil Court decision was based on the grounds that any information obtained by a member of the JSC in their official capacity cannot be used for any other purpose than that of executing their official duties.

    JSC member Aishath Velezinee applied for leave to enter the proceedings as a third party, saying that the JSC had not made full disclosure in its submissions to the court on the professional negligence case brought against it by Treasure Island Limited earlier this month.

    “Aishath Velezinee applied to enter the proceedings in her capacity as a member of the JSC and the additional information she has offered was also obtained as a member of the JSC”, Judge Nihayath said.

    Referring to the JSC Code of Conduct, Judge Nihayath said, this meant Velezinee could not share the additional information with the court.

    To do so would be to breach the JSC code of conduct, Judge Nihayath said, as it would mean that Velezinee was revealing the information for a purpose other than the execution of her official duties.

    In reply, Velezinee said that by sharing the information with the court she would be executing her responsibilities to the nation and to the State. The duty of the JSC, she said, is to serve the people.

    Judge Nihayath granted Velezinee the right to appeal, were she dissatisfied with the ruling.

    Treasure Island Limited is suing the JSC for failing to execute its responsibilities by neglecting to investigate three complaints it made to the JSC in 2009, alleging professional misconduct by two judges – Judge Ali Naseer and former Interim Supreme Court Justice Mujthaz Fahmy.

    At the time Treasure Island made the complaints to the JSC, Justice Fahmy was the Commission’s deputy chair. He later went on to become its Commissioner before being replaced by Judge Adam Mohamed Abdulla in early September this year.

    The cases in which Treasure Island alleges misconduct by the judges involve some prominent figures of the tourism industry, including the Ministry of Tourism, and a sum of money amounting to over a million US dollars.

    The JSC denied the allegations of professional negligence at the first hearing on 7 October 2010, saying that the complaints made by Treasure Island Limited against the two judges were outside of its constitutional mandate.

    The JSC is an independent institution with the Constitutional mandate to oversee the judiciary, investigate complaints against it, and taking disciplinary action if required.

    The JSC also told Judge Nihayath at the hearing that it had the power, granted by the Constitution, to ignore any complaints that it deemed were neither valid nor genuine. The complaints made by Treasure Island Limited fell into this category, it said.

    The JSC has not investigated any of the 118 complaints submitted to it this year, and the commission’s complaints committee has not met for five months.

    Treasure Island refused the offer of an out of court settlement by the JSC at the hearing, saying it would prefer the court itself to make a decision on the matter.

    The hearing is now scheduled for 26 October next.

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    Deadlock deepens as Supreme Court grants government injunction over ministerial reappointments

    Parliament has deadlocked after the Supreme Court granted the government a temporary injunction last night, blocking the endorsing of cabinet ministers until a ruling on the process can be issued.

    The injunction derailed parliament on Tuesday morning, after opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MPs raised points of order claiming that the sittings could not continue until the cabinet appointments were resolved.

    The sitting was called off this morning by Speaker Abdulla Shahid.

    In June this year, the entire cabinet of the Maldives resigned in protest against “scorched earth politics” of the opposition-majority parliament, leaving only President Mohamed Nasheed and Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan in charge of the country.

    The cabinet ministers complained that parliament was blocking them from performing their constitutional duties, leading to protests and deadlock.

    Nasheed reappointed the ministers several weeks later, however parliament has yet to formally endorse their appointments due to a disagreement between the government and the opposition and over whether ministers will be endorsed individually or collectively.

    Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said that endorsing ministers individually would amount to a series of no-confidence motions.

    Last week there were unconfirmed reports that the DRP has a list of six members of the 14 member cabinet that it does not intend to approve.

    “There is already a process in place for a no-confidence motion when a minister is deemed untrustworthy,” Zuhair said, arguing that individual appointments would bypass this procedure and allow the opposition to use its “brute-force parliamentary majority” to pick off ministers who had displeased it.

    Parliament’s endorsement of cabinet was intended “to be ceremonial”, he stated.

    “There is precedent. When the laws were being enacted by the Special Majlis drafting the current constitution, if you look at the debate, [former] Attorney General Husnu Suood proposes two ways of approving ministers, both of which are defeated in favour of asking for approval collectively.”

    Writing in his personal blog, Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed, former legal reform minister, characterised the government’s appeal to the Supreme Court as “very harsh” and “pointless”.

    The Attorney General’s (AG’s) office has contested the constitutionality of article 171(i) of the parliamentary rules of procedure, which states that presidential nominees must be questioned by a parliamentary committee to determine qualification, educational background and competence.

    However, as ministers refused to appear before committee and the issue has now been proposed to the parliament floor, MP Nasheed argues that the Supreme Court ruling would not have any bearing on the matter.

    “At most, wouldn’t the Supreme Court rule that article 171(i) is null and void?” he writes. “The Supreme Court would not instruct Majlis how to proceed with the approval issue. Wouldn’t that be determined by the Majlis?”

    Article 98(a) of the constitution requires cabinet ministers to attend proceedings of parliament when requested, answer any questions put to them by parliament, and produce relevant documentation.

    However the government has been reluctant to allow ministers to attend committee meetings ever since the head of the national security committee, leader of DRP coalition partner the People’s Alliance MP Abdulla Yameen, was released from detention pending an investigation into charges of treason and bribery.

    Upon release, the committee promptly summoned the Police Commissioner Ahmed Faseeh and Chief of Defence Force Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel for questioning in committee hearing, outraging many MDP MPs.

    In August, the cabinet approved new regulations limiting ministers’ interactions with parliament to the chamber itself, and then only with 14 days prior notice.

    DRP Deputy Leader and MP Ali Waheed claimed the approved procedures were “against the spirit of the constitution” and would be void.

    ‘’Actually, parliament has yet to approve a cabinet. When a cabinet is established we will summon them to committee meetings as well – ministers must appear before committees in the interest of the people – the constitution is very clear. Without doubt these new procedures are void – nobody can narrow the summoning of cabinet ministers to parliament.’’

    Writing on his website, leader of the opposition DRP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali said that the failure of ministers to attend committee meetings meant that “parliament is unable to effectively provide the checks and balances necessary for the system to work democratically and ensure that the executive branch is accountable for the exercise of its powers.”

    On many occasions, “repeated calls from the parliament to these officials have gone unanswered,” Thasmeen said.

    “In a democracy, it is through effective oversight that the parliament can ensure a balance of power and assert its role as the defender of the people’s interests. The government’s action is disrupting the functioning of the parliament.”

    Zuhair today claimed that the government’s interpretation of the law was that ministers could only be summoned and questioned on the floor of parliament “before all members.”

    “Nowhere does it say ministers must attend committee meetings, unless the whole house is a committee,” Zuhair said. “[The opposition] points to another clause that requires any Maldivian citizen to attend summons to respond to questions in committee hearings, but cabinet ministers do not attend in their capacity as private individuals.”

    Meanwhile at yesterday’s sitting, DRP MP Mohamed Mujthaz proposed a resolution to seek the Supreme Court’s legal counsel on the refusal of the Chief of Defence Forces and the Commissioner of Police to appear before the national security committee.

    Mujthaz proposed the resolution during a debate on a report by the committee, which was presented to the Majlis floor by the committee chair, DRP Deputy Leader Ali Waheed.

    The report states that the committee has been unable to conduct any inquiries due to the refusal of the security chiefs to appear before the committee.

    Both officials have argued that the committee should summon either the Defence Minister or Home Minister, as the army and police answer to the cabinet.

    Hulhu-Henveiru MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, MDP parliamentary group leader, accused opposition MPs of attempting to summon the police and army chiefs for politically-motivated reasons.

    He added that the report did not specify which issue of national importance had been left unattended by the committee due to the refusal of the chiefs to appear.

    Referring to the practice in the United States, Yameen said that senior pentagon officials were routinely summoned before senate committees.

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    BML to block foreign account holders from using debit cards overseas

    Expatriates holding local accounts with the Bank of Maldives (BML) will be prevented from spending money overseas using their debit cards, as the dollar shortage worsens.

    A statement from the BML, written in Dhivehi, stated that from November 1 foreigners with debit cards will be unable to conduct transactions of any amount from either the ATMs of other banks or point-of-sale machines in shops.

    At the same time, the overseas spending limit for Maldivians has risen from US$200 a day to US$600.

    The move, blamed by BML on the worsening dollar crisis, will particularly impact the many foreign teachers and other professionals such as doctors working in the country who bank locally, particularly those based outside Male’ who need to send money home.

    One such doctor explains on his personal blog that it is common practice for foreign doctors to transfer money home by opening a BML account at a branch in the atoll capital, and then give an international visa debit card to relatives in his/her home country.

    “Now no one has any idea about how to send money to their country without visiting Male’,” he writes. “If you keep the money with you, there is no guarantee that you will not be robbed of it.”

    “The gynecologist of our hospital was robbed after he got his salary three months back. The next day, someone opened the house with a [spare] key and cut open the suitcase where he kept his money.”

    In August an Indian pediatrician working at Kudahuvadhoo Hospital in Dhaal Atoll was stabbed in his home by a group of masked men.

    The attack occurred on 10 minutes after the doctor arrived home from the hospital, when the group forced in his door. The doctor was stabbed in the arm and leg when he was unable to give the men any money.

    Moreover, after October 15, BML will only allow foreigners to transact overseas from a US dollar account.

    “Debit card for rufiya accounts can only be issued to foreigners for ‘local’ use at the the Bank of Maldives ATMs and POS terminals,” the announcement reads.

    Several foreign commodity importers based in the Maldives also warned that their businesses were under threat after local banks began refusing to trade freely in rufiya.

    “Our overseas suppliers have to be paid in dollars, and local buyers pay us in rufiya. Our bank has now stopped allowing us to transfer this into our US dollar account,” the manager of one enterprise told Minivan News recently. “How are you meant to run a business in this place? Surely they can’t go on like this?”

    Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair told Minivan News that the end of the off-peak tourist season had combined with “a concurrence of other factors” to exacerbate the foreign currency crisis.

    “There are currently two groups of people who need dollars – the first is the group of pilgrims about to go on the Hajj – the whole exercise usually costs US$30 million. Unfortunately it’s also the school holidays, and many teachers going on holiday will also need the money. That’s why there’s going to be shortages,” he said.

    He acknowledged that the dollar situation was affecting investor confidence and making the Maldives a less appealing destination in which to conduct business.

    “Foreigners can bank with foreign banks such as the State Bank of India,” he noted. “We also have a commitment from [Indian infrastructure giant] GMR that they will pay their first down payment on Male’ International Airport by the end of November – it was initially the end of December. Income from the donor conference should also reach US$90 million by the end of the year,” he said.

    “It’s just unfortunate that the Hajj is slightly ahead of these debts. [Investor] confidence is a big problem, and the government is talking to the Maldives Monetary Authority. But there are no quick fixes.”

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