Tag: minivan

Youth ministry moves Youth Day to November 17

Minister of Youth and Sports Mohamed Maleeh Jamaal has announced that Youth Day will now be marked on November 17 each year, instead of March 13.

Maleeh said the reasons for the change would be revealed during the Youth Awards ceremony next month, saying only that “November 17 is a very special day”.

November 17 coincides with the day incumbent President Abdulla Yameen took oath of office and assumed responsibilities of the head of state.

Since assuming office, Yameen has spoken often of the importance of youth development, pledging to turn the Malé suburb of Hulhumalé into ayouth city of 50,000 with modern sports facilities and light industries.

The Youth Awards Ceremony will take place on the newly assigned Youth Day during an event held at the Dharubaaruge convention centre.

“This time, we have included a special category that was previously not included. That is the field of voluntary work,” Maleeh told the press yesterday (October 14).

“We have seen such voluntary work being done in the recent Eid celebrations, in various government organised events and in the work of various clubs and organisations. Therefore, we have included this in this year’s awards’ marking criteria.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Home minister and pro-government MPs discuss legislative steps to curb gang activity

Home Minister Umar Naseer has begun meetings with pro-government MPs about necessary amendments to the laws in the initiative to inhibit gang-related criminal activity.

Naseer met with parliamentarians from ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) in Muleeaage yesterday (October 14), as well as meeting with Jumhooree Party parliamentarians at their main campaign offices.

The proposed changes include amendments to the act on stopping gang-related crimes and to laws prohibiting the carrying of sharp weapons as well as a temporary act on stopping gang activity, Naseer told local media.

“The delay in tackling gang related crimes is a deep concern even of parliamentarians. We have now had the chance to confer with them and see what their thoughts on the matter are,” Naseer said.

“Reactions from parliamentarians of both Jumhooree Party and Progressive Party of Maldives were positive to my recommendations. At the moment, I cannot share further details of the suggested changes,” Umar Naseer told Minivan News today.

Earlier in the week, however, Naseer explained to local media some of the changes he proposed to bring to these acts.

Changes include the introduction of “soft curfews” on identified gang members, changes in the process of completing an investigation, in taking the matter to court, and in the completion of criminal cases in court.

“The problem is the period between these two regimes. After police concludes an investigation and the case is sent to court, it sometimes takes from 2 to 3 to even 10 years before the court presides over the case,” he is quoted as saying.

Naseer has previously spoken of concerns about the lack of cooperation between police and the Criminal Court.

On August 4, Naseer stated in parliament that a “special police operation” was ongoing to curb gang violence in the capital following a spate of violent assaults in recent days.

He went on to suggest that the problem was exacerbated by insufficient police resources, revisions being required for certain laws, and drug trafficking.

Special efforts from police resulted in the dismantling of ‘gang huts’ around the capital, before President Abdulla Yameen called a halt to the process, announcing that the government would instead seek more comprehensive solutions to the issue.

Following his unsuccessful campaign in the 2013 PPM presidential primary, Umar Naseer accused fellow candidate Yameen of having links to criminal gangs and the drug trade. Since being appointed home minister, however, Naseer has retracted these accusations.

The home minister announced in September that the police had identified about 30 gangs, with 50 gang leaders and 500 gang members operating in the country, especially on the streets of Malé.

He added that 13 of these 30 gangs can be considered as “highly dangerous”.

He said at the time that the government is planning an ‘attack’ to address the increase in gang related crimes – including assault, murder, and drug offences.

The issue of gang violence has become increasingly prominent in recent years, with stabbings and intimidation of journalists covering these crimes becoming commonplace.

A series of attacks on the offices and homes of journalists and MPs last month prompted concern from the EU at the level of gang activity in the country, while a private investigation into the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan suggested radicalised gangs may have been involved.

A 2012 study of the Maldives’ gang culture by the Asia Foundation revealed that “political and business elites” exploit gangs to carry out a range of illegal activities including the suppression of opponents and carrying out tasks to help maintain popularity or divert media attention from political issues.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

HRCM repeats calls for clean water at special needs centre

The Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) has asked the government to address problems in the water and sewerage system Guraidhoo’s Centre for People with Special Needs.

The directive calls upon the ministry to immediately introduce temporary facilities which will provide clean water for basic needs, and requests detailed plans for dealing with the facility’s water and sewerage problems by October 19.

The centre, in Kaafu atoll, is the only facility for Maldivians suffering from mental disabilities and currently falls under the remit of the Ministry of Law and Gender.

The commission states that the government has failed to take action despite repeated appeals from the HRCM over the past 5 years.

Today’s directive was released based on observations made by a team from the commission which visited the centre on September 16.

The HRCM revealed in a statement that tests conducted on the water used for sanitation purposes in the centre showed a high presence of e-coli bacteria, in contravention of World Health Organisation (WHO) approved standards.

Doctors who joined the observation team suggested that using the water could lead to diarrhoea, skin diseases, and urine infections among other ailments.

The statement further noted that medical records from the centre showed a large number of patients were already suffering from skin diseases.

The HRCM stated that it had been repeatedly calling on the government to solve the issues regarding the water supply of since 2009. A report released that year stated that approximately MVR9,000 (US$583) was spent each week on purchasing bottled water for drinking purposes alone.

While Tuesday’s statement calls on the government to provide clean drinking water, it does not specify whether the centre was continuing to supply mineral water to residents.

The commission also conducted tests on the water in 2011, after complaints it had a foul smell. Three of four samples taken from the centre proved to be below WHO approval standards.

Minister of State for Law and Gender Dr Hala Hameed was not responding to calls at the time of press, while an official of the Ministry of Law and Gender who requested to be unnamed declined from commenting on the matter.

The Ministry of Law and Gender has the mandate to oversee all government functions related to families, children, women, people with special needs, and human rights.

The Malé Water and Sewerage Company last year signed an agreement with Kandooma resort to provide a 30 tonne water plant to nearby Guraidhoo as part of a MVR1.5 million (US$97,600) investment.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Missing girl found at Hulhuamalé ferry terminal after 49 days

Police have announced that they have found 16-year-old Fathimath Malha 49 days after she was reported missing.

She was found at around 5.20pm at the Hulhumalé Ferry Terminal on Monday afternoon (October 13). Police have reported her to be in good health.

They stated that the Family and Child Protection Department of the police had, in alliance with the Malé City Police, searched multiple locations in Malé, Hulhumalé, and Villimalé with court orders.

Police also reported that they conducted searches in various islands in the atolls for Malha, who was first reported missing on August 25.

Local media reported the case as being a ‘runaway’, though police declined from explaining on what basis the case was investigated. No additional information regarding Malha has been shared with the public.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

IGMH website hacked

The official website of the Male’ City’s state run hospital, Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), has been hacked.

According to IGMH Media Officer Zeenath Ali, the website was hacked on Sunday, October 12.She has told local media that the hospital’s IT department is currenlty working on retrieving the website.

Zeenath stated that the hospital’s management does not have any knowledge of who might have been behind the hacking.

Earlier in October, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) official site was also hacked, while multiple government websites were taken down in May after an online hacker defaced pages with messages raising awareness of atrocities in the Syrian civil war.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

16-year-old girl now missing for 49 days

Police have yet to reveal any information on the missing 16-year-old girl, Fathimath Malha, who was reported missing on August 25.

Local media has reported the case as being a ‘runaway’, though police media have declined from explaining on what basis the case is being investigated.

“I can only confirm that the matter is being presently investigated. We will not be revealing any further details to media,” an official told Minivan News.

A description of the missing girl on the police website states that she is dark eyed, curly haired, slim, and tall.

Police have sought public assistance on the case, appealing to citizens to contact them on 3322111 or their Family and Child Protection Department on 9790163 if anyone possesses any information regarding the case.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Addu Council to prioritise dealing with waste management issue in 2015

Addu City Council has announced that they will be prioritising a waste management programme when drafting the budget for 2015.

The council stated that there is an even higher need for this at present due to the development of guest house tourism in the city.

Addu City Mayor Abdulla Sodiq also reflected on the importance of increasing public awareness on waste management, local media reports.

The council stated that the waste management system they intend to introduce will facilitate the conversion of recycling and the production of fertilisers through the burning of waste.

The council had previously discussed conducting a waste management program in Addu with the assistance of the Ministry of Environment.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Civil Court orders DRP to pay over MVR1.1 million to MTCC

The Civil Court has on Sunday ordered the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) to pay MVR1,111,438.96 (USD72,406.45) to Maldives Transport and Contract Company Plc (MTCC).

The party was taken to court by the MTCC after its failure to pay this amount for services rendered to the party during the 2008 presidential elections, in which the party’s then-leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom lost to the Maldivian Democratic Party’s Mohamed Nasheed.

The Civil Court verdict in the case orders the party to split the payment and complete payments within a period of six months.

Earlier in April, the Civil Court ordered the party to pay back a debt of over MVR700,000 (USD45,602.61) to HUB Company. The DRP was later fined by the court for ts  failure to complete payment as per court orders.

Island Aviation Services are also currently suing the party seeking repayment of debts. After backing unsuccessful candidates during the 2013 presidential election, the DRP failed to win any seats in the 2014 Majlis elections.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Broadcasters Lobby Group calls on president to investigate ‘riding fees’

The Broadcasters Lobby Group has appealed to President Abdulla Yameen to look into the matter of cable TV provider Medianet charging a ‘riding fee’ to broadcast local channels while it charges no such fees to show international channels.

The Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) on Thursday approved a provision whereby Medianet can charge MVR4 for each household as a ‘riding fee’ when local channels are viewed in Seenu and Kaafu atoll if channels are hosted through their network.

In the appeal to the president, the lobby group alleged that MBC is discriminating against local broadcasters and that it was an attempt to eradicate local channels, local media reports.

“As things have reached this point, we believe that it is obligatory for the head of state to look into this matter,” a press release by the lobby group read.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)