Tag: MNDF

MNDF refuses to present Yameen on court order

The Maldives National Defece Force (MNDF) has today declined to obey a court warrant issued by the Criminal Court to summon People’s Alliance (PA) Leader and MP Abdulla Yameen, who was taken to Aarah island this morning at dawn by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) reportedly “for his own protection”.

Police were compelled to used force to restrain ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) activists outside Yameen’s house last night. Shortly afterwards, both police and protesters were showered with rocks an other projectiles by people from nearby buildings, injuring many. Police used tear gas while the MNDF deployed an armoured car to contain the incident.

Yameen was taken to the Presidential Retreat ‘Aarah’ to provide assistance and protection to him upon his request, according to the MNDF.

The MP and high-profile businessman was recently summoned for questioning by police concerning charges of bribery and treason. After a series of court hearings regarding the legality of his arrest and detention, along with Jumhoree Party (JP) MP Gasim Ibrahim, the Supreme Court ruled he be released from house arrest.

However the government yesterday indicated that it was unwilling to drop the matter, and was monitoring judges for signs of corruption.

Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said the MNDF had refused to the court warrant to summon Yamin “because the MNDF does not believe it was a lawful order issued by the court.’’

‘’He requested the MNDF provide security and protection for him,’’ said Zuhair. “He told the MNDF that he wished to leave Male’ and stay on another island.’’

Zuhair said Yameen had attempted to stay on an island in Alifu Atoll but the MNDF took him to Aarah island “because MNDF knows where they can provide him best protection.”

‘’It was the [opposition] who sparked the riot last night,” Zuhair claimed. “At first it was just a peaceful assembly, but some people tried to attack the president. A group of people ran towards him to attack him, but his bodyguards confronted them.’’

Zuhair said MDP supporters gathered outside Yameen’s house following the attack, alleging he was the person behind the attack.

‘’When MDP supported gathered near Yameen’s house, people in the nearby buildings threw pavement blocks down at them. It proves that they were ready for violence,’’ he said.

PA Secretary General Ibrahim Shareef said everyone should follow an order of the court.

‘’We will not accept this,’’ Shareef said. ‘’If everyone uses their power anyway they want, there is no use for laws and regulations.’’

Shareef claimed that the MNDF took Yameen against his will, and not by request.

‘’They took him after the riot was controlled and when everything was over,’’ Shareef claimed.

Major Abdul Raheem said he did not have detailed information regarding the case, and recommended Minivan News contact Attorney General Husnu Suood.

Suood did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

241 committee cancels confidential meeting with police and defense chiefs

Parliament’s ‘241’ security services oversight committee has canceled a confidential meeting that was to be held today, after summoning Police Commissioner Ahmed Faseeh and Chief of Defence Force Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel for questioning over their handling of the current political deadlock.

Commissioner Faseeh was to be summoned at 4:30pm and the Major Jaleel was to be summoned at 6:30pm, but the the committee concluded its meeting the moment it started.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Shifaz said that the committee meeting was cancelled on a request by MDP MPs.

“Because there are two MPs charged with criminal offences, we recommended the committee cancel the meetings,” said Shifaz. “It does not make much sense when two MPs accused of criminal offences summon the Police Commissioner and Chief of Defense in order to question them.”

Jumhooree Party (JP) MP Gasim Ibrahim and People’s Alliance (PA) MP Abdulla Yameen were charged last week for bribery and treason and are currently under house arrest while police investigate the matter.

Parliamentary regulations state that detained MPs must be released to attend parliamentary proceedings and committee hearings, and initial attempts by police to retain them in custody were overruled in the High Court last week.

As Gasim and Yameen are members of the opposition-led parliamentary committee, they can thus be temporarily freed to question their captors, who, according to article 98(a) of the Constitution, “must respond under oath truthfully to questions put to them and to produce documents, required by the People’s Majlis relating to the due performance of the obligations and responsibilities of such person.”

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Mahlouf said MDP MPs invaded the meeting and disrupted it.

“They first removed the board on the outside wall of the committee room,” said Mahloof. “Then they all went inside the room and disrupted the meeting.”

Mahlouf said that most of the MDP MPs who disrupted the meeting were not members of the committee.

A small gathering of MDP supporters gathered outside the parliament prior to the start of the the meeting.

Members of the committee include DRP MPs Ali Waheed and Yousuf Naeem, People’s Alliance (PA) MPs Abdulla Yameen and Moosa Zameer, Jumhooree Party MP Gasim Ibrahim, Independent MP Ibrahim Riza, and MDP MPs ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, Alhan Fahmy and Mohamed ‘Colonel’ Nasheed.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Coastguard rescues boat with engine failure

The MNDF Coastguard rescued the vessel ‘Rasreethi’ after it suffered an engine failure during a crossing from Male’ to Foakaidhoo in Shaviyani Atoll.

The boat left Male’ at 4:30pm yesterday and MNDF received reports of the emergency at 9:42pm that evening.

The vessel was located near Kagi in Kaafu Atoll with 94 passengers on board, 18 experiencing seasickness due to rough seas.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Mystery around Somalian survivors deepens as health improves

A nurse attending to the Somalian man who was first believed to be dead, and was left inside the anchor locker of a small boat after he was found adrift with five other men, has said he is ”progressing” despite his “serious condition”.

The nurse, on condition of anonymity, told Minivan News that the man was brought to Kulhudhufushi Regional Hospital along with the five men yesterday.

”The man’s condition is very serious,” she said. ”He is admitted in the Intensive Care Unit.”

‘The man has injuries to his back bone and shoulder and is very weak, she said.

The other five men’s condition is now stable, she added.

One of the five Somalian man was due to be buried on the assumption he was dead, after rescuers observed he did not move his body or show any sign of being alive.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said that the body was handled to police the next day morning, and claimed it was not the responsibility of the police to declare the death of the person.

Daily newspaper Haveeru reported that the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) confirmed the death of the man after he was checked by a doctor at  Haadhaalu Makunudhu Health Centre.

However, MNDF Major Abdul Raheem denied the claims in Haveeru, claiming they were “misleading”.

Abdul said that MNDF did not ask the doctor to check the body and did not declare the death of the body either.

”When Haveeru contacted us, we told that there was one dead body because when MNDF arrived to the island, the doctor at the health centre told us that five men were admitted to the hospital and one dead man was left in the boat in which they came,” said Abdul. ”We cannot ask the doctor, after he says a man is dead, how he knew that he was dead.”

Abdul said that later MNDF understood that the doctor also did not check the body.

Head of Makunudhu Health Centre Ibrahim Shareef confirmed the doctor did not check the body.

”Police and MNDF also did not,” said Shareef, ”and the doctor was busy attending the five admitted men,”

Shareef said the five men first treated at the health centre were now in a stable condition, leaving the only one man’s condition serious.

An official at Makunudhu said that “most” of the islanders believed the six men were pirates.

He said that there was one “very strong” man, who was really fit compared to other five men, ”and seems to be well trained for such incidents.”

”He was the only man that could stand up, while all others did not have any power,” he said. ”He seems to be the leader of them.”

He said that the alleged leader of the crowd answered even when other member of the crew were questioned.

”When we gave them food, he took it all and divided it among everyone, and he told everyone not to eat too much,” he said. ”Maybe because he understands that they have been starving for a long time and it is not good to eat too much.”

MNDF Major Abdul Raheem said that there was no sign that they were pirates.

”We checked their boat and the nearby uninhabited island also,” he said, ”they had nothing with them.”

He said that according to how the wind was blowing during this monsoon, anybody traveling from Somalia who lost control would potentially be carried towards Maldivian waters.

”But we cannot estimate how long it will take, because the wind blows at different speeds at different times,” he said.

”Somalians use those type of boats both for fishing and piracy,” he added.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Multiple lorry accidents when garbage truck collides with oil truck

A garbage truck yesterday collided with a parked oil truck near T-jetty on Boduthakurufaanu magu.

Police reported that the garbage truck, after hitting the oil truck, lost control and hit another small lorry before impacting with the wall of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) base ‘Kalhuthuhkalakoshi’.

The oil truck then rebounded and hit another parked lorry, which hit yet another vehicle.

Police reported that the accident caused damage to many vehicles but nobody was injured.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

MNDF rescues Iranian vessel suspected hijacked

Maldives Coastguard rescued an Iranian fishing vessel in Maldivian territorial waters yesterday, discovering the crew had been deprived of water and food for several days.

Following reports of an Iranian fishing vessel which had drifted into Maldivian waters, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and coastguard began a search for the ship.

MNDF Major Abdul Raheem said the ship was found at around 4.40pm yesterday on the outskirts of Havadhu Atoll.

“They were having engine problems and drifted to the Maldives,” Major Raheem said. “We wanted to give assistance; they had no food or water.”

The twenty crew members, all of Iranian nationality, were also provided with medical assistance.

Major Raheem noted the crew were still in the Maldives. “Our government and Iran’s government are having negotiations to decide when they will be sent back.”

Of the reports that seven of the men found on the vessel were pirates who had highjacked the ship earlier, he said “we cannot say whether they are pirates. They had no identification on them.”

“We conducted a search and found no weapons in the ship,” he added.

But, Major Raheem noted, the vessel’s captain did say his crew had been taken by pirates six months ago. The ship’s owner, who is in Iran, has not had contact with the ship for six months.

The Major said there was no current investigation by the MNDF regarding the case.

MNDF Lieutenant Abdulla Ali said civil aviation craft were used for the search. He said the men were “still in that boat,” but the MNDF is providing them with food and water.

He said the negotiations with Iran were underway to send them back.

Lieutenant Ali added “we can’t say” whether seven of the men took over the ship, but confirmed that the captain of the vessel had said they were highjacked six months ago and the pirates were currently on board the ship.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Coastguard rescues stranded Iranian vessel

Maldives Coastguard rescued an Iranian fishing vessel in Maldivian waters, reports Miadhu.

Coastguards had heard reports of an Iranian fishing vessel which drifted into Maldivian waters. Island Aviation air crafts were also used in the search.

The vessel was located 75 miles off the coast of Havadu Atoll and was found without food or water.

There were twenty crew-members on board, seven of them had previously high-jacked the boat.

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) confirmed there were no weapons found on board, and negotiations are underway to send the vessel back to Iran.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

MNDF celebrates 118th anniversary with first-ever Commander-in-Chief’s Force and Fleet Review

President Mohamed Nasheed congratulated the valuable services of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) at the first-ever Commander-in-Chief’s Force and Fleet Review yesterday, held at Jumhooree Maidhan in celebration of the 118th anniversary of the MNDF.

President Nasheed said the MNDF have provided their services at every instance of national importance, and particularly noted their support in bringing democratic change to the country.

He said a national force that would act in unity and unconditionally, without political influence, and with the nation’s interest in mind, “did not exist for no reason.”

President Nasheed said to expand and modernise the military services, it was necessary to decentralise the forces. The MNDF has already divided its forces into four regional commands; one in Malé, and three more in the South, North and Central regions.

He added the MNDF was undergoing infrastructural development, resource modernisation, training and capacity building to modernise and expand the military.

As Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, President Nasheed inspected the MNDF Marine Corps and the Coast Guard fleet. There were displays of Air Wing and Special Forces.

President Nasheed presented the colours of the new MNDF Support Service Corps to Brigadier General Ahmed Nilam.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

India donates helicopter to MNDF

The Indian government has donated a helicopter to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), reports Haveeru.

The helicopter will be officially handed to the MNDF at a ceremony on Wednesday.

Indian Defence Minister AK Anthony visited the Maldives in August, and after his visit the Indian High Commission said the Indian government would provide a helicopter and assistance to establish a 25-bed military hospital in Malé.

The helicopter has been re-painted with a Maldivian flag and a sign reading MNDF.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)