A young man was stabbed in the Maafanu ward of the capital Malé city last night (October 1), reports Sun Online.
An eyewitness told the online news outlet that the victim was bleeding heavily after being stabbed in the back. He was rushed to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) for treatment.
In August, a spate of violent assaults in the capital – which police said was a series of gang reprisals – saw two young men stabbed to death.
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Police have arrested a 30-year-old Indian national after discovering 17 bottles of alcohol in his residence in the capital Malé.
Police said Galolhu Naseemge was searched with a court warrant around 11:15am today after receiving intelligence information suggesting the male suspect was selling alcohol.
The suspect had been renting a room in the house, police noted, and the liquor was found in 500ml bottles.
(0)Dislikes(0)The slow loris illegally trafficked into the Maldives has been spared euthanasia after Monkey World – a center for abused and neglected primates – offered to re-home the animal at their sanctuary in Dorset, England.
“This has never been done before, to move endangered species overseas from the Maldives. This has been an amazing, unprecedented international effort,” Dr Alison Cronin, Director of Monkey World told the press in Malé today (August 13).
The small primate, which is an Appendix I listed species of CITES – giving it the highest level of protection in international trade of wildlife – was discovered during a police raid in the capital in January.
Shazra Shihab from the Ministry of Environment and Energy explained that the government had been trying to rehome the animal ever since, but had struggled due to issues relating to costs, transportation, and the loris’s unknown country of origin.
“However, with tireless dedication from one party, and cooperation from all relevant government organisations of both countries, as well as dedication from other involved parties on both sides, we have now found a home for the slow loris,” she added.
“I first heard that the Bengal Loris had been confiscated in the Maldives by colleagues who work in Asia rescuing wildlife,” Dr Cronin told Minivan News.
The animal will now be taken back to the UK and paired with another of its species, she explained.
“We believe this to be a male Loris, and we have a home for it in England with a female Loris, so he will have a wife,” Dr Cronin added.
“We’ve been doing this work around the world for more than 25 years and I was impressed, heart-warmed and felt that everybody here deserved support and encouragement for what they’ve done.”
Echoing Dr Cronin’s sentiments, Gabriella Tamási from the International Airline Group IAG Cargo remarked, “this is totally unprecedented, what we have done to transport the slow loris, as currently our travel operations in the Maldives are not approved for live animal transport.”
Illegal slow loris trade
The illegal Loris pet trade boomed after video clips which depict the animals as a cute and docile pets went viral. However, the video craze has obscured the trauma and suffering that the animals endure at the hands of illegal traffickers.
Far from its cuddly depiction, the Loris secretes toxins on its wrists which – when combined with their saliva – deliver a toxic and very harmful bite, Dr Cronin explained.
“Most commonly what happens is they get grabbed and somebody forces their mouth open, and they take large fingernail clippers and simply cut the animals teeth off at the gum line.”
“It’s a very bloody, painful and horrible process, leaving the animal crippled,” revealed Dr Cronin.
According to Dr Cronin, the Bengal slow loris in the Maldives has not been checked over yet, as she prefers to minimise the stress for the animal during the transportation process.
“The last thing it needs is more stress,” she stated, “we’ll wait until we get it back to Monkey World.”
Dr Cronin also revealed plans to check the slow loris’ DNA once back in the UK, to find out the animal’s country of origin, which may then present the possibility to a return to the wild.
“Everybody in the Maldives can feel pleased and proud of both the law enforcement and the government ministry for bothering to stick with this for so long,“ Dr Cronin concluded.
(0)Dislikes(0)Police have arrested four suspects in connection with the fatal stabbing of an 18-year-old man in the capital Malé.
Police said the four suspects – one aged 22 and three aged 19-years-old – were taken into custody with arrest warrants during an operation conducted over the course of several days.
On Friday (August 9), the Criminal Court extended the remand detention of the four suspects to 10 days, police said.
Mohamed Mazin, 18, from Dhiggaamaage in Noonu Miladhoo, was stabbed around 9:50am near the Henveiru Park area on Saturday, August 2, and died while undergoing treatment at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).
Police said at the time that Mazin had three stab wounds in his back. He was assaulted along with Ali Arif, 18, from Henveiru Shaiban – where Mazin was also residing – who was stabbed in the ribcage.
“Maldivian police have undertaken additional efforts to ensure security and ease the anxiety and fear among citizens caused by six violent assaults in Malé committed with sharp objects in recent days,” police said in a statement yesterday.
As part of “special efforts” to combat gang violence, police have been confiscating weapons from public spaces in the capital and decided last week to dismantle huts used exclusively by gangs.
Police intelligence suggests that the spate of violent assaults in Malé since the beginning of Eid Holidays on July 28 were gang reprisals “caused by a disturbance between two groups,” Chief Inspector Abdulla Satheeh told the press last week.
However, Mazin’s family told newspaper Haveeru last week that the deceased had no connection to gangs and did not have a criminal record.
After working with a construction group in Haa Alif Dhonakulhi resort, Mazin came to Malé during Eid holidays in order to travel back to Miladhoo, family members explained.
He was unable to return, however, as there was no boat traveling to the island, Mazin’s cousin told the newspaper, adding that he had been in the capital for about five days before the assault.
The few days Mazin spent in Malé was the longest period he had spent in the capital, he added.
Another family member explained that Mazin had gone to Henveiru park with his cousin while some eyewitnesses said he was stabbed while attempting to defend Arif.
According to the family, Mazin had seven deep stab wounds, including one to the head, and had died without regaining consciousness.
Meanwhile, police arrested three young men in Malé on Friday night (August 8 ) during a gang fight in the Maafanu ward.
The three suspects – aged 19, 20, and 22 – were “arrested from the crime scene,” police said.
One of the suspects was reportedly treated at IGMH for injuries and taken into police custody. All three were arrested with weapons in their possession.
Police also confiscated two motorbikes used by the youth.
A report by the Asia Foundation in late 2012 found that political and corporate elites financed gangs “to carry out a range of illegal activities that serve their political or business interests”.
Police statistics meanwhile reveal 95 incidents of assault reported in July alone, bringing the total number of assault cases to 697 this year. Approximately 1,500 cases of assault are reported annually in the Maldives, of which a majority occurs in Malé.
(0)Dislikes(0)The British High Commission in Colombo is today accepting online bookings for the second Visa Application Centre to be held in Malé on August 27.
The optional one-day service which, for an additional fee, allows applicants who are resident in the Maldives to submit their UK visa application and biometric data using a mobile facility in the Maldives’ capital.
“This initiative will make it easier for Maldivians to submit their visa applications and biometric data for all visa categories, including students at this busy time of year,” said British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Maldives John Rankin.
“I hope that many Maldivians will make good use of this opportunity and apply online to meet the deadline.”
Applicants for all visa categories can book an appointment between now and midday on August 25. The application centre is unable to process cash payments and visa fees must be paid online prior to the appointment.
(0)Dislikes(0)Malé City Council has conducted a bus service survey to identify potential improvements to the capital’s public transport.
“From this survey, we found that many people are using the bus service, and many want to improve the service. Necessary improvements must be brought about as a top priority,” said Male’ Mayor Mohamed Shihab.
The survey was conducted after the council received a number of complaints regarding buses. It consisted of thirty questions posed to a randomly selected sample of 180 people.
The results showed that women make up the majority of passengers (52 percent) using the service which was introduced in 2011.
The percentage of people travelling by bus is low during weekends, particularly on Fridays, the survey revealed. It also indicated that most people (40 percent) use the bus in the morning compared to the afternoons (20 percent) and evenings (16 percent).
While only 31 percent reported being unhappy with the overall bus service in Malé, respondents reported several concerns.
Approximately half of respondents said they were unhappy with the bus fare – currently MVR5 per journey, while 58 percent said were unhappy with the hours of service. The bus currently runs from 6am until 1am.
Over a third of respondents did not approve of the current seating arrangements on the bus while another 32 percent complained about the condition of the vehicles. Twenty one percent said they were unhappy with behavior of bus conductors, while a similar number of people said they were bothered by the behavior of other passengers.
Respondents complained over punctuality of buses, with only 24 percent stating that buses arrived on time.
Even though buses are supposed to arrive at each stop every 15 minutes, 30 percent of respondents said they had to wait for over 20 minutes. Those who expressed discontentment with the bus stops (35 percent) said their main concerns was the lack of a shelter or a place to sit down.
A majority of respondents (61 percent) wanted more bus routes to be introduced.
Shihab said that, while the results of the survey indicated the sentiments of those who utilise the service, there would be many who were not taking the bus due to certain other issues.
He said that providing a bus service in Malé is very challenging due to the conditions of the city, including heavy traffic and construction work, but also due to failures of the service provider.
The service is provided by MVK Maldives Pvt Ltd, who are also facing criticism over failures in providing public ferry services.
The mayor noted that any reforms would be made in accordance with the agreement between MVK and the council.
(0)Dislikes(0)The number of crimes reported in the capital Malé during the holy fasting month of Ramadan in 2014 declined 40 percent compared to the same period last year, police statistics have shown.
While a total of 1,476 crimes were reported in the capital during Ramadan 2013, police revealed that the figure declined to 884 this year.
Cases of theft decreased from 544 last year to 226 in Ramadan 2014.
Followed by theft, the second highest number of cases involved traffic accidents with 176 during the fasting month, which saw a slight increase from 163 last year.
While 131 drug cases were registered this year, the figure was 212 in 2013.
(0)Dislikes(0)Three more stabbings have occurred in the capital Malé within the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of attacks in the past week to nine.
Two men – both aged 18-years-old – were attacked in broad daylight in the area near Henveiru Park this morning, while a 19-year-old was attacked in the same area yesterday (August 1).
Those attacked this morning were treated at the nearby Senahiya military hospital before being transferred to ADK, while yesterday’s victim has been taken to IGMH.
Local media has identified the 18-year-olds as Ali Arif, from Henveiru Shaiban, and Mohamed Mazin, from Dhiggaamaage in Meemu Miladhoo. Mazin’s condition has been reported as serious.
The spate of attacks – which has included a fatal stabbing in Kaafu Thulusdhoo – has prompted the Jumhooree Party to call on authorities to end the spike in violence that has accompanied the end of Ramadan.
There have been no reports of arrests being made in connection with any of this week’s incidents, barring the murder in Thulusdhoo, for which a local man has handed himself in – having his detention period extended yesterday.
Earlier this week four men and a woman were attacked in separate incidents on Monday and Tuesday. One man was mugged in Maafannu ward, two men were stabbed in Hulhumalé, a woman was stabbed in Galolhu ward, and another man was stabbed – again, in the Henveiru area of Malé.
The weeks prior to Ramadan saw a number of abductions and assaults in the capital which victims claimed to have been related to their alleged association with online secularist movements.
While an online group associating itself with these earlier incidents had promised a post-Ramadan resumption of campaigning against those perceived to be mocking Islam, police have not said whether they believe this week’s attacks are linked to one another.
Police have today said that the serious and organised crime department is investigating this week’s attacks. Malé’s gang culture has been well-documented in recent years, with leading politicians and businessmen often closely associated with organised criminals.
Police statistics reveal 95 incidents of assault reported in July alone. The number brings up the total number of assault cases to 697 this year. Approximately 1500 cases of assault are reported annually in the Maldives, of which a majority occur in Malé.
(0)Dislikes(0)Some 10,114 people have registered as poor and eligible for Zakat in the capital Malé at the end of a registration deadline yesterday, local media reports.
According to the Islamic Ministry, more than 53,000 people will be eligible for Zakat in 2014 – an obligatory alms tax collected from the accumulated wealth of all able Muslims.
The number of registered poor rose to 53,200 last year from 50,619 in 2012 – a 4.9 percent increase.
The ministry has said that MVR47 million (US$3 million) was collected last year as Zakat and out of this approximately MVR21.3 million (US$1.3 million) will be distributed to the poor – each person is expected to receive MVR400 (US$26).
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