Tag: Nasheed

Protests to continue until date given for early elections: Nasheed

Yesterday’s large anti-government protests ended peacefully in the early hours of the morning, and look set to continue for a second day.

Demonstrators danced into the night as a bodu beru band played, and were joined by a number of elderly women. Police kept a low profile.

Amid the yellow banners, capes, badges and bandanas of former President Mohamed Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters, were a noticeably large number of the formerly politically un-engaged, most of them young. Many said they were joining or had already joined the MDP, and there were reports that the party had temporarily run out of application forms.

“We never used to discuss politics around the dinner table,” one yellow-shirted demonstrator, previously unaffiliated with any political party, told Minivan News. “But after I was beaten [by police] on Wednesday, my whole family – sisters, cousins – have joined the MDP.”

Former President Mohamed Nasheed took the podium shortly after midnight, stating that all-party talks were scheduled for Sunday to decide a date for an early presidential election. He said he was confident a date would be set before Parliament resumed on March 1.

Nasheed – who said he was forced to resign under duress in a bloodless police and military coup d’état February 7 – said people had stood up against the 30 year regime of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom because of the inhumane treatment people suffered at its hands and had witnessed, a day after the first democratically-elected government was overthrown, a brutal police crackdown on the people who protested against the coup.

“I was repeatedly asked to unlock the arsenal and if so the mutinous police officers would have been easily arrested. But I was not elected to hurt the people of this country,” Nasheed said.

Nasheed explained that for a while after the coup he was “unable to get out of Muleeage [the President’s residence]” and was not able to call anyone to explain what had happened.

“The international community had not received word of the coup as I was unable to leave Muleeage,” he said. “It took some time for them to realised that the information they had been receiving was not genuine, and by then some had urged us to join this illegal government. But I have now informed them of the real situation.

“The coup leaders did not conceive of or anticipate the people’s reaction to the change in government,” Nasheed added.

They believed, he said, that they could consolidate their hold on power “by arresting me after the coup and beating members of the MDP and the Maldivian people into submission.”

He added the public, who had been “nurturing the country on the path to freedom”, were not willing to recognise as legitimate a government they did not elect.

The “peaceful political activity” would continue until a date for early elections was announced, Nasheed said, urging people to return the following day.

“People can swim, play sports, music and give political speeches here. Our aim is to gather people from all over the nation,” he said.

Following talks with India’s Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai on Thursday, Nasheed said Dr Mohamed Waheed’s government was supposed to announce early elections on Friday night, after which other parties, MDP and Nasheed were to welcome it.

The announcement did not come, except for a vague press conference by new Attorney General Azima Shukoor. The all-party discussions have been set for Sunday.

MDP’s President, former Fisheries Minister Dr Ibrahim Didi, said that Maldivians had voted for the MDP’s manifesto for five years, “and hence the rule of this party should remain even now. That is why we are pressing for an election and by the grace of God it will be achieved.”

Dr Didi claimed that Ahmed Thasmeen Ali’s Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DRP), the second largest party in the Maldives and the subject of an acrimonious split with Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) last year, had “given the green light” for early elections.

A statement on the DRP website said the party “welcomes and supports this important initiative because we value the importance of strengthening the democratic foundations of the Maldives and the restoration of peace and calm amongst our people. We believe this initiative would help to further strengthen the role of independent institutions in the Maldives and prevent serious distruptions to economic development and prosperity.”

“In supporting this initiative the DRP is willing to participate in a dialogue among all relevant political parties regarding the holding of early elections as stipulated in the roadmap. The DRP would also extend its cooperation in carrying out any necessary amendments to the constitution in order to facilitate such an election.”

Dr Mustafa Lufty, Chancellor of the Maldives National University, former Education Minister and one of the founding members of President Waheed’s Gaumee Ittihad Party (GIP), also addressed the crowd.

“Pointing a gun at the head of our beloved president and forcing him to resign is the same as pointing a gun at all of us,” Luftee said. “If we give up now generations to come will have to live at gun point.”

“I came here today because I could no longer bear this travesty.”

“This has been carefully planned. One plan was to force Nasheed to resign and if he did not, then the arsenal would have been opened for the opposition. That would have meant major bloodshed and military rule – they would have kept the country under such rule for a long time. Nasheed was wise enough to step aside and save the country from a massive tragedy.

“The second plan was to arrest Nasheed when he resigned, which would prompt his supporters to take matters into their own hands giving an excuse to beat them down. They would have charged us under terrorism.

“Freedom is a god given right of every human being and must not be violated under any circumstances,” he said.

Mathai had endorsed a ‘road map’ backing early elections “as soon as feasible”, and said at a press conference that MDP had as a result been “reconsidering” Friday’s demonstrations.

In a statement yesterday from the President’s Office, Dr Waheed said he was “disappointed” with Nasheed’s decision “to go ahead with his demonstration in Male’ today despite assurances and promises that were given to the Indian Foreign Secretary Mathai yesterday that it would be cancelled and a smaller meeting will be held in its place.”

Dr Waheed said MDP’s claim that he had not respected agreements reached in the Indian-mediated negotiations was “a completely untrue and irresponsible suggestion”.

“I can understand whilst it is easy to march your forces to the top of the hill, it is much harder to march them down again. I also understand that at this critical juncture in our country’s history that showing strong leadership can be challenge. But I’m hopeful that Mr Nasheed can show the good judgement in the future that will be necessary to make the road map a reality. It’s the very least that the people of the Maldives deserve,” he said.

Meanwhile, a member of yesterday’s crowd told Minivan News that he was “proud of everyone who came today in spite of intimidation by the military and the PPM rumor mill warning of large-scale violence. Not to mention whatever lies the media axis of evil is spewing. A lot of people were apparently scared off.

“A friend I met there who had sat in the square with Anni in 2005 said he didn’t think we’d have to do it all over again. I always tell people that the post-2003 pro-democracy movement separated the conscience-challenged cowards from those who value justice and were willing to fight for it. People are clearly not scared anymore.

“It wasn’t that long ago that they got the courage to paint their houses yellow in defiance of Gayoom. Today they are willing to wave a yellow flag under a military government.”

Time lapse footage of the crowds:

Bodu beru in the evening:

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Dr Waheed announces independent inquiry into “developments in the Maldives from Jan 14 to Feb 8”

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has announced an “independent and impartial investigation” into developments in the Maldives from January 14 to February 8, according to a statement on the President’s Office website.

Dr Waheed did not reveal who would conduct the inquiry, but he acknowledged the need for it yesterday after Germany and the UK to establish the legitimacy of his government.

The dates given include the period of incarceration of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Abdulla Mohamed, and subsequent protests held by 200-400 opposition-led demonstrators, which culminated in a press conference on January 31 in which opposition parties called for Dr Waheed to take over the government with the assistance of police and military. The event itself took place on February 7.

In the statement, Dr Waheed said the investigation would create “factual and legal clarity” around events with a “direct bearing on the constitutional transfer of executive power that took place on February 7.”

“The investigation would also help establish accountability for any human rights violations which have taken place and thus set the groundwork for national reconciliation and dialogue,” Dr Waheed’s statement read.

“Reiterating his commitment to free and fair elections in 2013, the President urged all political parties to work together in creating a climate of trust and confidence in the build-up to next year’s elections. The President is also hopeful that the investigation, together with his offer to create a strong National Unity Government that would provide impetus for building trust and the establishment of the rule of law, would facilitate the resumption of normal democratic processes in the country,” the statement read.

Nasheed and his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) maintain that Dr Waheed’s government came to power after Nasheed was forced to resign under duress, and have refused to participate in a “national unity government” they claim is illegitimate.

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SAARC to dark: Violent social divide in Addu as uncertainty grips southern-most atoll

One of society’s biggest fear factors is uncertainty, and in Addu it appears to be fueling a violent social divide in the isolated MDP stronghold – the second most heavily populated area in the Maldives after Male’ and the scene of the SAARC Summit in November 2011.

On Saturday several members of the international press flew to the southern-most atoll to investigate claims of firey protests, beatings and unjustified arrests. While the torched remains of every police building and most courts between Gan and hithadhoo are proof that destruction of public property – and many legal records – has taken place, the back-and-forth ‘whodunnit’ accusations color fears of revolution with a strong shade of small-town politics.

“The police’s personal property, their computers, was burned inside the stations,” observed Alif Fahumy Ahmed. “This isn’t necessarily political.”

On Wednesday night police stations and court houses in six southern atolls were torched after police violently cracked down on a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) march in the capital Male, in which thousands marched in support of ousted president Mohamed Nasheed.

Nasheed’s decision to order the detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court on January 16, in an attempt to push forward judicial reform, prompted three weeks of opposition-led protests with a nightly attendance of 200-400 people, culminating on Tuesday in what many have called a military coup.

While the southern protests were said to be the work of MDP supporters, in Addu, which claims a majority MDP population, people have begun slicing and dicing the duty.

“Maldivians are a very innocent people, but this violence was brought by MDP,” said Ani Luthfy, who yesterday organised a ‘protest for safety’ in Addu, with the rapidly-formed and ‘non-political’ Addu Alliance.

The placards that greeted journalists included “Ex-President was not coerced into stepping down” and “Violence and conflicts won’t help resolve our ecomonic problems”.

“Addu MDP [Councillor] Hussein Shahid gave 30 young people alcohol and when they were drunk he led them out to do the burning,” he alleged, adding that MDP activists have acted like “hooligans”.

Police meanwhile yesterday reported the arrest of MP Moosa Rasheed, Addu City Hithadhoo Medhu Dhaairaa. His arrest reportedly followed an investigation into a spate of attacks in Addu City that occurred on February 8, following a brutal police crackdown on protesters in Male’. Police say that he was arrested lawfully, under a warrant issued by the court and in consideration of various evidence including video footage and eyewitness accounts that connected him to that night’s incidents.

According to police yesterday, tensions escalated in the islands after rumours of serious injury and the death of former President Mohamed Nasheed at the hands of security forces on Wednesday reached the islands.

Luthfy said, “we have a motto: live and let others live.” He said the alliance would continue to protest until Addu was “100 percent safe”, a point in time he defined as “When the police have taken all MDP who are in hiding.”

Meanwhile Muaz Saleem, a prominent MDP supporter on Hithadhoo, said the group “was just going in front of Gan police station to express our concerns” on Wednesday.

“Who knows if police may have started [the fire]? They left before people went in, where was the tear gas? We strongly believe the opposition encouraged people to start the violence, it was a plan. ”

A former member of Hithadhoo council, who requested anonymity and did not wish to discuss his resignation last year, suggested the opposite. “The funniest thing is that the mayor [MDP member abdullah sodig] hasn’t issued a statement about this,” he said, estimating the damage at Rf200-300 million (US$13-20 million).

Sodig has been in hiding since he was attacked Wednesday evening.

The former council member confirmed that many have followed Sodig’s lead. “Because of this protest most people are on a wanted list, ” he explained, suggesting that to some extent the list was justified: “There are CCTV camera tapes with evidence.”

Amid speculation, police have taken action. MDP supporters said they have been targeted by police and military forces, who were deployed to Addu after Wednesday. They claim the “hit list” has been drawn up by members of opposition parties Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Prty (DRP), and that those individuals are assisting security forces to beat and arrest MDP members – often without evidence.

One 22 yr old man, who claims not to have participated in any recent gathering, said he was handcuffed and pepper sprayed in his eyes and genital area along with 40 other people. ” because of the violence, they said, I was a terrorist. They said we had dstroyed everything.” he added that some members of the detained group were told to take off their shirts and were taken to a separate area of the burned Gan police station “to be beaten. I could hear the shouting, and cries.”

Minivan News received unconfirmed reports that the Elections Commission’s SMS service – which allows people to send their national ID number and find out what party they are registered to – was being abused by groups of police aided by opposition supporters, to ‘hunt down’ MDP members.

While sources claim the attacks are directed at MDP, their stories suggest that the security forces are not operating with a political-or evidence-based motive.

Two young men interviewed, one of whom sported a bruised right eye, denied being part of any political party. Another said he wasn’t even part of the protest. Yet none would give names “because it might not be good, they said if I talked about what I saw they would come back.”

Muaz Haleem’s wife said the violation of her right to privacy at home, and the lack of an explanation, are her biggest concerns.

She reports seeing several policemen run into her home with raised batons yelling an unfamiliar name. “I said it was the wrong house, wrong name. But they pushed me down and said, ‘now we want Muaz ‘ and began beating him and dragging him out of the house.”

“I asked about the court order, and they said, ‘What court order? You guys burned down the court house. What rights do you want?'”

She explained that her neighbors have been far from helpful – in fact, they were part of the problem.

“Most people on the other side of the road are PPM (Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives). Mr Hamid was out there directing the whole thing, pointing at the house and everything.”

The family of Mohamed Saeed, whose detention has been extended by 15 days, said they too had not been informed of Saeed’s arrest, and that their neighbors are only cautiously supportive.

“They ask for news, but they are afraid to help because they could also be taken,” his wife explained.

Saeed is one of approximately 80 men who are still being held in the remains of Gan police station, reportedly in terrible conditions.

“He has asked to go to the hospital but they say they have no vehicle,” his brother in law said.

Others, such as Haleem, appear to have been detained on an aggressive whim, in retaliation for the destruction of police property.

“They gave me a cup for tea and then struck it down. They just dumped people in the courtyard of the station amid the broken glass and burnt debris, and pushed me down to the ground for sleeping,” he said. Haleem currently has a swollen left wrist and cuts where he claims the handcuffs were squeezed closed.

While Haleem believes the security forces are targeting MDP members, he suggests that their motive is more personal than political.

“It looks like there is a massive financial factor,” he said. “We have had the trust of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) for ages in this country, but under Nasheed individual police have shown they are motivated by something. I don’t have proof, but that’s what I strongly believe.”

He further explained that “The opposition has fewer numbers, but now that they have the security forces with them, they can act.”

Meanwhile most who claim to support the current government are consistently saying “It’s not the opposition, and they’re not beating people. The police have just asked the public for assistance,” explained a former councillor.

No members of opposition parties have been reported beaten, arrested, or detained.

Meanwhile, the arrival of the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) has triggered some over-excitement. One MDP member yesterday informed the author that the police had lied to HRCM about the whereabouts of a detainee, and that HRCM was arguing with police over the matter.

HRCM’s delegation in Addu later stated that the detainee had been released from the hospital by the time HRCM had gone to look for him, and that he is now at home.

As high level delegations hold conference with President Dr Waheed and former president Nasheed, and HRCM surveys police operations in Addu along with the Police Integrity Commission (PIC), police and military appear only watchful. Still, the tense mood is palpable.

“We are not safe because we don’t know when again it will start,” said one man outside Feydhoo’s smoldering court house.

Ahmed said he had no confidence that the political issues in Male will be quickly resolved: “Things in Addu have calmed at the moment, but they may continue once HRCM and the reporters leave.”

It remain to be seen whether similar violence and revenge attacks will grip Male’, once the international community departs and visiting foreign journalists run out of stories.

The 'Addu Alliance' greeted foreign journalists, in support of Dr Waheed's government.
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“We call on the police and the army to pledge allegiance to the Vice President”: Umar Naseer, Jan 31

Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has circulated a video of an opposition press conference held early on January 31, following an early morning meeting between former Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan and opposition leaders.

The meeting with Dr Waheed included President of the Adhaalath Party Sheikh Imran, Vice President of former President Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Umar Naseer, and Vice President of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party, Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef.

Nasheed and the MDP contend that his resignation following an attack by opposition protesters on the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) headquarters on Tuesday February 7 – in which element of the police and a smaller number of MNDF officers participated – was made under duress.

Dr Waheed’s government has maintained that the events of the day, including the takeover and rebranding of the state broadcaster, were spontaneous, and has praised the “sacrifices” of the security forces who participated.

“What happened (on Tuesday) was the culmination of a long process of political conflict and undermining of the judiciary,” President Waheed told foreign media during a press conference the morning after the alleged coup, which followed three weeks of 200-400 people protesting over the detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Abdulla Mohamed.

“I think it is unfair for anyone to accuse me of joining the opposition. I will continue this government in the spirit of coalition,” Dr Waheed said.

In the video of the opposition press conference eight days earlier, Umar Naseer claimed that President Nasheed had pledged “not to hold elections in 2013”.

“Hence, the December 23rd Coalition, all the different stakeholders of the coalition and all the opposition political parties are calling out to the police and the army to come out and pledge allegiance to Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, and not to implement any order given by Mohmed Nasheed,” Naseer said.

The coalition of opposition parties was formed following a well-attended ‘Defend Islam’ rally on December 23. Opposition leaders at the protest had criticised Nasheed’s Islamic credentials, accusing him of “building churches”, defending the Addu City ‘idols’ (SAARC monuments) and failing to condemn United Nations Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay for her suggestion that flogging be abolished as a punishment for extra-marital sex.

“We the Coalition of 23rd December has decided that from right this moment onwards, to step up the work we have been doing until today, to move things into the second phase,” said Sheikh Imran Abdulla, President of the religiously conservative Adhaalath Party, at the meeting on January 31.

“All of us in the Coalition have decided to pledge allegiance to Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik,” Naseer said.

At the press conference, DRP Vice Presdient Shareef said President Nasheed was a “huge threat to Maldivians”, and had “to be stopped immediately.”

“We believe Mohamed Nasheed has no legal standing to be the President of the Maldives. He has undermined the power of the courts, and completely abolished law and order in Maldives.

“He has tarnished the sanctity of the Supreme Court of the Maldives, and by giving illegal orders to the security forces, started injuring citizens.

“So before we go to a scarier, more dangerous blood shed, we have asked the Vice President to save this nation. I would like to call upon the security forces [to accept that] since the Vice President is a person elected by Maldivians, and should the President be incapacitated to perform his legal duties, the Vice President must assume the duties of the President.”

Recording of the January 31 press conference:

Transcript

Sheikh Imran, President of the Adhaalath Party:

In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most beneficent.

We had to meet at this late hour because the Government is acting out
of the boundaries of the constitution to destroy the judiciary and disenfranchise the citizens of the country, and because President Nasheed has indicated to us, clearly, that the 2013 elections will not be held.

(And so) we the Coalition of 23rd December has decided that from right this moment onwards, to step up the work we have been doing until today, to move things into the second phase.

The steering committee of the 23rd December Coalition has met and decided, unanimously, that we have to take things to the second phase.

(And so) we went to meet the Vice President, and having met him, we wanted to convey our decisions to the beloved citizens of the Republic of Maldives.

Hence we are meeting at this late hour. Umar will convey what we desire and the decisions we have taken.

Umar Naseer Vice President, Progressive Party of the Maldives:

Thank you very much. As you would know President Nasheed has, beyond doubt, contradicted the Constitution, and he himself has said that, he has stepped out of the chart.

And that he will not hold presidential elections in 2013.

Hence, the December 23rd Coalition, all the different stakeholders of the coalition and all the opposition political parties are calling out to the police and the army to come out and pledge allegiance to Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik and not to implement any order given by Mohmed Nasheed.

And all of us in the Coalition have decided to pledge allegiance to Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.

So on behalf of this coalition we are calling on the security forces, to immediately pledge their allegiance to Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.

As you know Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik was elected by a direct vote of Maldivians, and has not acted contrary to the Constitution.

But Mohamed Nasheed has contradicted the constitution, gone outside the chart and has said he will not hold elections in 2013.

Hence we cannot say that Mohamed Nasheed is the legal ruler of Maldives.

This is the decision of the Coalition.

Mohamed ‘Mavota’ Shareef, Vice President, Dhivehi Rayithunge Party:

In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful.

We had met tonight with the Vice President on behalf of the Coalition to let him know what we think.

We have let the Vice President know what our parties had decided.

As you might know President Nasheed is a huge threat to Maldivians.

If what President Nasheed is doing is not stopped immediately, like what has happened in other countries, we fear that this country might plunge into a civil conflict.

So we requested the Vice President to take over the government, and we call upon the security forces to immediately start obeying the orders of the Vice President

That is because President Nasheed is not the President of the Maldives anymore.

He could have only stayed on as President, as long as he had not contradicted the constitution and does not contradict the law. He is trying to sideline the constitution.

He is contradicting the constitution knowingly, and on purpose.

Hence, as Umar and our Sheikh Imran has already stated, and as we have repeatedly stated, Nasheed who was holding the post of President, is not the President of this country anymore.

We believe Kenereege Mohamed Nasheed has no legal standing to be the president of the Maldives.

He has undermined the power of the courts, and completely abolished law and order in Maldives.

He has tarnished the sanctity of the supreme court of the Maldives, and by giving illegal orders to the security forces, started injuring citizens.

So before we go to a scarier, more dangerous blood shed, we have asked the Vice President to save this nation.

In conclusion, I would like to call upon the security forces, (to accept that) since the Vice President is a person elected by Maldivians, and should the president be incapacitated to perform his legal duties, the Vice President must assume the duties of the President. (And so) we have decided that he has to start performing these duties.

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Nasheed calls for Dr Waheed to step down, hold elections in two months

Political unrest continues in the Maldives following the issuing of a warrant for the arrest of former President Mohamed Nasheed by the Criminal Court on Thursday morning.

The unrest was sparked three weeks ago after the military took Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Abdulla Mohamed, into custody on the military training island of Girifushi – the same island used to hold Nasheed’s underwater cabinet meeting.

Nasheed’s government had accused the Chief Judge of political bias, among other allegations going back to 2005 under Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s administration. The judicial watchdog body – the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) – had concluded an investigation into allegations of political bias, however the judge sought an injunction from the Civil Court against his investigation. The JSC complied with the Civil Court order.

A warrant was also issued for the arrest of former Defence Minister Tholhath Ibrahim.

Minivan News is currently attempting to confirm the charges against the pair with the Criminal Court.

Nasheed resigned in dramatic circumstances on Tuesday, handing power to Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan, after elements of the police sided with opposition protesters. The group had attacked the main military base in Male’, and then took over the state broadcaster, rebranding it ‘Television Maldives’ (TVM), its name under Gayoom’s government.

President Dr Waheed then held a press conference on Wednesday morning in which he pledged to create a “national unity government”, and praised the police defectors for their “great sacrifices in upholding the constitution”. He denied there had been a coup when challenged by reporters: “Do I look like someone who is attempting a coup?” Dr Waheed replied.

That afternoon former President Nasheed rallied Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters in Male’, announcing to his party and foreign media that he had been forced to resign under duress, declaring Dr Waheed’s government illegitimate and calling for elections.

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) last night denied using force against Nasheed prior to his resignation.

Thousands of MDP supporters, including many women, took to the streets for what the party claimed was a “peaceful” protest walk around Male’. A brutal police crackdown, in which Nasheed was beaten and 50 people were hospitalised, including MDP Chairperson ‘Reeko’ Moosa, sparked a wave of violence and vandalism across the country’s islands directed at police buildings, courts and other public buildings. Dramatic footage of the protests and the injured was shared on social media networks.

Protests spread, police and courts damaged

At 11:00pm last night police released details of the damage caused to police property during public protests on the islands.

  • Protestors on Gaaf Dhaalu Atoll Thinadhoo set fire to the police station, magistrate court, atoll council office, and all police vehicles. Nine policeman were attacked and subsequently treated at the Thinadhoo Regional Hospital. Police officials have declared the area unsafe for local policemen as “MDP supporters have threatened to attack the residences of policemen.”
  • Similarly, on Faresmaathodaa island of the same atoll, protesters close down the police station and forced those officers on duty to return home.
  • In Addu City, which is synonymous with Addu Atoll and which hosted the 2011 SAARC Summit, protesters torched police stations in Hithadhoo and Gan islands, as well as the Addu Police Training School and all police vehicles. The buildings have been destroyed beyond repair, and criminals held in those police stations have been released by protesters.
  • In Raa Atoll Dhuveaafaru and Alifushi islands, MDP supporters marched into police stations, halted police operations and closed down the building with police officers inside.
  • In Shaviyani Atoll Milandhoo island, protesters forced themselves into the police station where they set two police motorbikes and a vehicle on fire. Following threats, all island police officers have been transferred to Funadhoo island in the same atoll.
  • On Gnaviyani Atoll Fuvahmulah island, protestors threw stones at police after they were prevented from closing down the station. Some police officers have been injured, and station windows have been smashed.
  • In Haa Alifu Atoll Dhidhoo island MDP supporters walked into the local police stations, halted operations and closed down the building, forcing the policemen off the island. Criminals held in the station were released.

Several governments have issued travel advisories urging tourists to avoid travel to the capital city of Male. Resorts and the airport island remain calm.

Controversial appointments

Meanwhile, President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has made appointed several members of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s government to key posts.

Last night Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed of minority opposition Dhivehi Quamee Party (DQP) was appointed Minister of Home Affairs.

Dr Jameel previously served as Minister of Justice under former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, and briefly as Minister of Civil Aviation and Communication former President Mohamed Nasheed. Dr Jameel was also involved in a controversial pamphlet published by his party, the DQP, accusing the Nasheed government of conspiring with Jewish and Christian figures to “spread vice” among the Maldivan public.

The President also appointed Mohamed Nazim as Minister of Defence and National Security. Nazim previously served in the National Security Service under Gayoom, and in the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) under Nasheed.

Ilyas Hussein Ibrahim has been appointed as Immigration Controller, a position he held under Gayoom. He served as Director of the Center for Disaster Management under Nasheed.

Today, the President appointed Masood Imad as President’s Office Media Secretary. Imad previously worked as Gayoom’s presidential campaign manager in 2008, and has served as director of Maldives Airports Company Ltd. (MACL).

Foreign media informed Minivan News that Gayoom’s spokesman Mohamed ‘Mundhu’ Shareef was serving as acting spokesman for Dr Waheed’s government.

LIVE FEED – Refresh for updates

12:15pm – MDP Chairperson and MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik is being examined by doctors. He remains in a serious condition, a party spokesperson has said.

12:30pm – The Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for former President Mohammed Nasheed, as well as former Defence Minister Tholhath Ibrahim. Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed was released from military detention after Nasheed resigned at 1:00pm on Tuesday, February 7, and following the swearing-in of then Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

12:35pm – Security forces were reported as on their way to Nasheed’s home at Keneryge to arrest him.

1:49pm – Nasheed is reportedly giving a press conference inside his home of Keneryge, to both local and foreign media. He has reportedly claimed that the current government is illegitimate.

2:10pm – Nasheed’s wife Laila and his two daughters are currently in Sri Lanka, Solih has said. At Nasheed’s Male home Keneryge, the party says it is still unaware of the charges against Nasheed.

2:11pm – Minivan News has been informed by the UN in Male’ that UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, will arrive in Male’ this evening.

2:26pm – President Nasheed addressed reporters in Keneryge, his family home in Male’:

“200 or so police and 80 military officers helped the opposition change the government. Police and military were very brutal; they beat me very badly. We all fear for our safety.

“The Maldives is in a very serious situation. The Judicial Services Commission (JSC) said the judge [Abdulla Mohamed] is not fit to sit on the bench. All we wanted to do by arresting the judge was to implement the JSC’s ruling that he was not fit to sit on the bench.

“I never fought and I don’t want a war. When police come with a warrant we will go with them.

“I cannot believe that the Vice President hasn’t participated in the whole thing. Military officers very clearly told me that if I did not resign in an hour they would use arms.

“We went to [Republic Square?] at 5:00am [on Tuesday]. Police officers sitting there defied my orders. MNDF (military) officer told me that they wanted to have me gone. MNDF officers on my side then begged me to open the weapons vault. I refused.

“I went to the President’s office and wrote the resignation letter as I was instructed by the MNDF. I tried to hand the letter to my secretary but the MNDF grabbed the letter and took it to parliament.

“My advice to MDP and to citizens is not to do anything unwise. And keep all actions within the laws. I regret that I have heard nothing from the Prosecutor General about all this.”

“I have a team of lawyers and I think they will consider filing a case in the Supreme Court.”

2:55pm – Nasheed has gone upstairs into the building with former Special Envoy Ibrahim Zaki.

3:02pm – Laamu Atoll Gan island was without Dhiraagu internet services as of 8:00 this morning, following a public demonstration last night. Sources report that several have been arrested in the atoll.

Dhiraagu has said the outage, which had affected islands in Laamu Atoll, Gaaf Dhaal Atoll, Gaaf Alif Atoll, Thaa Atoll and Naviyani Atoll, was due to a likely lightning strike on the northern side of Meemu Atoll on Kolhufushi Island. Company Manager of Marketing Communications and Public Relations Mohamed Mirshan Hassan said the outage was not related to the social unrest.

As of 11:00am today, services had been restored to islands including Fares in Gaaf Dhaal, Herethere, South Feydhoo, Kolamaafushi and parts of South Hithadhoo, Hassan said.

3:07pm – A petition calling for the security of Mohamed Nasheed, his staff and the Maldivian people organised by environmental NGO 350.org has received 30,000 signatures.

“President Nasheed has been one of the strongest, most outspoken leaders on climate change willing to both state the truth and lead with action commensurate with his words. We need more leaders like him around the world, and for now we are doing what we can to assist in ensuring his safety and the restoration of peace and democracy in the Maldives,” writes founding member William Bates. He adds that the organisation hopes to convey their message to US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake before his upcoming visit to the Maldives, as well as other diplomatic envoys.

3:15pm – Major General Ahmed Shiyam has been appointed as Chief of Defence Force, after Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel respectfully retired from the position today.

4:10pm – Local newspaper Haveeru has reported newly appointed Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz as saying that he does not consider the court order to detain former President Nasheed and former Defence Minister Tholhath Ibrahim as an arrest warrant, and that he will only implement the order after looking into the legal bounds for making such an arrest. “However I never said I will not make the arrest,” he told Haveeru.

Riyaz would not give a comment on his intentions to follow or dismiss the court order.

4:30pm – There are several hundred MDP supporters outside Mohamed Nasheed’s house. Police were earlier seen in the area, but left. The atmosphere is one of a stalemate. Storms and bad weather have kept many people indoors today.

7:00pm – Addu City Mayor Abdulla Sodig has confirmed reports that members of various opposition parties are leading the police to MDP members and supporters in Addu and beating them before the police arrest them. Approximately 100 individuals including minors have been beaten and arrested, and arrest warrants are said to have been issued for members of the city council.

Sodig sustained injuries during a targeted attack at the City Council yesterday, including a wrist fracture and head injuries; he said he is unsure if there has been damage to his brain as he is still in need of a CAT scan. He is currently “hiding in a safe place”. His family is also hiding in different places, he said.

8:11pm – UK Conservative Party MP and Chairman of the party’s Human Rights Commission expressed “deep concern” for the “severe setback for democracy and human rights in the past three days.”

“We understand that President Nasheed was forced to resign at gunpoint, was subsequently detained, and that when he addressed supporters of his party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), he was beaten and gassed by police, along with other MDP members.

“Today, we have learned that a warrant has been issued for his arrest. We condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms, and urge the Maldivian Government to return to the path of democracy and human rights, to guarantee the safety, security and freedom of Mohamed Nasheed and his supporters. We also urge the Government to ensure that the MDP and other political parties and activists can engage in the political process free from fear and repression, and to hold new free and fair elections as soon as possible, which Mohamed Nasheed and his party can contest.

“We encourage the British Government, the European Union, the Commonwealth and the international community to do everything possible to support the protection and promotion of democracy and human rights in the Maldives, and to seek guarantees for the freedom and security of Mohamed Nasheed.”

8:18pm – UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has “registered our concern about developments in particular the reports of attacks on members and supporters of the Maldivian Democratic Party.”

“It is for the new leadership to establish its legitimacy with its own people and with the international community with an independent review of the circumstances leading to what has happened earlier this week, and we hope that the new leadership will demonstrate its respect for the rule of law, including peaceful demonstrations.  I welcome the call for calm and order from the former President Nasheed to all his supporters,” Hague said.

9:30pm – MDP members and supporters have gathered at Dharubaruge for a meeting.

10:55pm – British MPs John Glen (Salisbury) and Karen Lumley (Redditch) have called for an end to the “coup d’etat” in the Maldives, saying “the international community needs to condemn the violence and recognise the truth behind what has happened.”

“It now seems very likely that the new ‘President’ – Nasheed’s former deputy Mohamed Waheed – was working quietly behind the scenes with the military and police to orchestrate an apparent legitimate handover of power for the world’s media, when the truth is that it is a coup d’etat by those who were beginning to have their interests threatened,” they jointly wrote on a political blog today.

11:01pm – A man has been brutally beaten in Addu Gan by police forces, who have reportedly been beating and arresting MDP supporters since this morning. An islander said the man’s son, a police officer, was in the police-occupied van at the time. “He was beaten over and over, he couldn’t stand up or sit down. He is a supporter of Nasheed,” said the islander, who requested anonymity.

11:05pm – Independent daily global news hour Democracy Now! has today aired a conversation with US-based environmental NGO 350.org founder Bill McKibben, “The Island President” director Jon Shenk, and former advisor to Nasheed Paul Roberts.

Calling Nasheed the ‘Mandela of the Indian Ocean,’ McKibben said Nasheed, “was a thorn in the side [of the U.S.] because he kept bringing up the topic of climate change, a topic they’re not that keen on. On the other hand, he — almost to a fault — was cooperative with U.S. efforts about climate change. The State Department owes him and I hope that they take this seriously.”

11:10pm – MDP meeting at Dharubaruge has concluded and people have left the area.

11:21pm – “MDP is a boat fit for every ocean. The boat won’t sink. The party will not fade away,” said Nasheed during tonight’s rally, which filled Dharubaruge as well as the road outside of the convention building. “I don’t believe that my strength has been weakened. We get strength from one another,” he told the crowd.

11:27pm – “We want to serve the people with kindness, and also a clean living. MDP has not come to power to enjoy the luxury and respect of a ruler. MDP has come to power to serve the Maldivians,” said Nasheed.

11:30pm – Citing MDP’s five key pledges (affordable living costs, housing and quality health care,  nationwide transport, and prevention of narcotics and drug trafficking) Nasheed said, “Maldivians would not believe that their countrymen were tortured or assaulted and left in pain. The Maldivian Democratic Party came with their activities after [the former regime] killed Evan Naseem, and the party’s main purpose is to bring proper justice to the Maldivians.”

11:40pm – “It wasn’t 24 hours since our government was toppled before [the new government] had put 500 people in prison without justice. There are almost 30 people now in the hospital for intensive care. Many Maldivian citizens have been disturbed and many are suffering pain and great loss,” said Nasheed. “I am out here again to bring back kind leadership to the Maldivians. I am not going home unless we achieve that for the Maldivians.”

11:45pm – “My main purpose is to bring democracy,” Nasheed told those gathered, reiterating that the party’s main target is a proper justice system.

11:46pm – He said the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has evidence against Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed, who was released from military detention following Nasheed’s resignation on Tuesday. Nasheed called on the body to take action against the judge.

11:48pm – “Abdulla Mohamed is a person against whom the JSC has filed several cases regarding his disciplinary actions. He is not capable as a chief judge. If he is the chief judge, then the whole Maldives’ justice system would be ruined, I have observed.”

11:50 – Nasheed maintained his request that the JSC take action against Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed and reform the courts to align with the Maldives’ constitution, adding that the methods used to appoint the judges to the lower courts were against the constitution. “I have requested to re-order the court’s again according to the constitution,” he said.

11:52pm – Judges in the Maldivian court system must be educated to modern standards, Nasheed explained. He added that the constitution was drafted to ensure “a proper, lawful leadership.”

11:54pm – “Without proper justice, it is not possible to have a lawful government. And as we have seen in the last few days, that is not an easy thing to achieve.”

11:56pm – “As a president of Maldives, I do not regret any step I have taken. Whatever step I have taken, I have taken to benefit Maldivians and according to the constitution,” Nasheed continued.”I repeat: I will take those steps necessary to reform the Maldives’ justice system.”

12:02am – Stating that the Maldives’ justice system was for 30 years designed for people to hide their behavior, Nasheed described the Maldives courts as an arena maintained by businessmen to serve their own needs. “For the past 3 years, we [MDP] have been ashamed that the Maldives businessmen have taken advantage of the courts for their own purposes. ‘My resort, my island, my building, my land, my factory’-they’ve been using the courts to follow their own needs.”

12:05am –“The 30 year-old regime has been changed. The pain they gave to the people, we have stood and protested against it. The pain the Maldivians have seen during those days by the police and the army- those forces are not independent. Many Maldivians are angry because of the way police mistreat people.

“The police station has been co-opted by the businessmen to bring a coup to fulfill their needs. If that happens, we cannot bring the changes and development we want,” Nasheed said, stating that the police had to be friendly with the Maldivians to enact positive change. He further stated that the police had to be loved by the people as well.

“The Police is not a department of which people have to be afraid,” he said.

12:20am – Nasheed has said those who orchestrated the coup must be investigated and punished, however MDP does not seek control per se. “From what I know, the coup that has taken place in the Maldives has to be properly investigated. And the people who have been ruling the government unlawfully will know it. The international community will only accept the government after the government investigates the coup,” he said, adding that it was important for Dr Waheed to step down from his post. “I repeat, we are not looking to be the rulers of the country. What we need is the development of Maldives.”

12:25am – Observing that the constitution only offers two means  of changing the presidency (short of death)- by completion of the term or parliamentary vote- Nasheed insisted that a vice president could not take office by any other means.

12:38am – President Dr Waheed’s press secretary Ibrahim Hood has announced his resignation. He has worked for Dr Waheed since he first became Vice President in 2008.

12:46am – Saying he is not sad to have been ousted from the presidency, Nasheed said “when I go home tonight and sit on my swing, I will still be very happy. Being president of Maldives is not the only reason I ran for the presidency.”

He added that it is important for Dr Waheed to step down, but before that, “please free those who have been arrested.”

“Until those prisoners are free, we will not come to any discussion table,” he stated.

12:57am – Nasheed noted that if Dr Waheed steps down from the presidency, the Speaker of the Parliament must hold elections within two months, during which time the Parliamentary leader serve as national leader. “We request to have that election within two months,” he declared, adding that the party had been discussing holding mid-term elections before he resigned on Tuesday due to the difficulty of completing a five year term.

However, he continued that mid-term elections would disturb the political and social stability of the country. “But now, we are looking for an election.”

1:01am – During the two months prior to an election, Nasheed said the Parliament Speaker would be tasked with investigating the police actions of the last few days and reforming the courts. “These two months would be the most important days of the  Maldivian history.”

Nasheed said the party would support and respect the Speaker’s leadership in the event that Dr Waheed stepped down from office.

2:00am – UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, met journalists at the airport earlier this evening after he arrived in the capital. His purpose, he said, was to meet everyone, “not to investigate”.

“The investigation or clarification of what took place is primarily the responsibility of the judiciary and the parliament,” he said.

“We are concerned about the safety of the former President [Nasheed],” he added, stating that it was important he be treated with due respect to human rights and due process “like all Maldivians”.
“I would personally urge all actors to end the resorting to violence,” Fernandez-Taranco said.

“It should be clear that any solution to this crisis must be generated by national actors. There can be no externally generated solution to something that can be solved by Maldivians themselves.”

2:05am – Minivan News has been informed that arrest warrants have been issued by Meedhoo Court for the arrest of all Addu City Councilors. Two councilors are already in police custody, a source claimed. As in Male’, 100 percent of Addu City councillors were elected during the most recent local council elections on MDP tickets.

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Salafists taking root in Maldives amid toxic politics: Reuters

Few of the million or so tourists who visit the Maldives each year would catch even a whiff of the troubled politics or growing militant threat roiling the islands of one of the world’s most renowned get-away-from-it-all destinations, writes Bryson Hull for Reuters.

“Taking a page from the book of Gayoom, Nasheed ordered [Chief Judge Abdulla] Mohamed’s arrest and defied a Supreme Court release order, sparking more than three weeks of sometimes-violent protests by opposition parties that scented a chance for their own Arab Spring in the Indian Ocean.

The reason, Nasheed says, is because the judge, like the other 200-odd criminal court judges, was illegally sworn in for a life term and has blocked every attempt to bring multi-million-dollar corruption, rights abuse and criminal cases against Gayoom’s allies and relatives.

“Gayoom is running the judiciary,” Nasheed said. “When he lost the presidency, he was clever enough to carve out a territory and hide there, or get protected there. And none of the cases are moving.”

So to make good on his electoral promise to enact a new constitution and establish an independent judiciary, Nasheed says he has acted outside of it.

“You have to push everyone to the brink and tell them ‘You do this or we all fall’,” Nasheed told Reuters in an interview at the presidential bungalow in Male, the capital island.

“I think it would be so wrong of me not to tackle this simply because I might fall or simply because people may raise eyebrows.”

And it has done just that, drawing private diplomatic rebukes from Western nations which backed his ascendancy to lead the archipelago of 1,200 islands out of 30 years of Gayoom’s rule, which was widely criticised as dictatorial.

“It’s just indefensible. It’s almost like Nelson Mandela coming out and locking up all the white people,” a businessman based in Male who works with a government-linked company told Reuters, asking not to be identified.

But while the political fray goes on with all eyes on the 2013 presidential election, Maldivian intelligence officers and Western officials say hardline Salafist and Wahabist groups are gaining political ground in the more distant atolls and making a beachhead in Male.

The capital island is home to almost 200,000 of the Maldives’ 330,000 people, all Sunni Muslims. It is also home to the majority of the estimated 30,000 people on the islands who are addicted to heroin, according to UN estimates.

“It’s potentially a tropical Afghanistan. The same forces that gave rise to the Taliban are there – the drugs, the corruption and the behavior of the political class,” a Colombo-based Western ambassador who is responsible for the Maldives told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

“The Salafists are taking over atoll after atoll. They work on the ground and it is insidious. Nero is definitely fiddling while Rome burns.”‘

Read full story

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President meets families and students at Hiriya following drowning deaths

President Mohamed Nasheed this morning met with the students and teachers at Hiriya School, following the drowning deaths last Friday of four of the school’s students and its principal.

The five drowned during a school fisheries science expedition to Huraa on the morning of Friday 9. None of the students could swim, and principal Ali Nazim drowned attempting to rescue them when they were caught in deep water.

Nasheed, who phoned each family personally following the incident – the country’s deadliest incident since the 2004 tsunami – met with the families individually today. Media was barred from the meetings.

Nasheed subsequently issued reassurances that cabinet had appointed a committee to determine emergency measures to prevent a repeat of the incident.

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Independent Bodies Committee reviews ACC, JSC, and others

Parliament’s Independent Bodies Committee is reviewing the activities of independent state groups, reports Haveeru. Among the groups reviewed are the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The committee, chaired by independent MP Mohamed Nasheed, is assessing the challenges to productivity among certain state groups. Nasheed said the committee will also review opportunities for growth.

The committee is said to have found some significant reasons for concern.

Nasheed said these issues would be addressed with budget reform measures and amendments to existing laws.

A report on the committee’s findings is due before parliament in October.

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Third of government’s Dhiraagu shares to be made public

The government has decided to release a third of its shares in local telcoms giant Dhiraagu to the public.

Dhiraagu a major player in the telecommunications, mobile and broadband internet markets of the Maldives, and is one of the country’s most profitable companies.

The government will make a third of its shares available to the public from October, to both local and foreign parties, reports Sun Online. Share prices have not yet been published.

The Maldivian government previously held 55 percent of Dhiraagu’s shares, while the British company Cable and Wireless held the remaining 45 percent. Upon winning the 2008 presidential election, President Nasheed’s government sold 7 percent of the shares to Cable and Wireless, reducing government shares to 48 percent and giving Cable and Wireless a controlling interest.

Minister of Economic Development and Foreign Trade, Mahmoud Razee, told Sun that studies would determine the prices and ratios of shares to be offered in local and international markets, and that the shares would be “affordable” to the average Maldivian.

Minister Razee also stated that as Dhiraagu was a strong company, people could benefit from buying its shares.

Opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Deputy Leader Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef told Minivan News that the shares were valuable, but said he was not in favor of selling them.

“As far as [the DRP] is concerned, we do not believe this is a wise decision. Dhiraggu is a very profitable and well-managed company, and it makes a lot of money for the government. This is a time when we are undergoing an economic crisis, and we cannot afford to have these shares dispersed.”

Shareef said he thought most Maldivians would be interested in the shares, but said he doubted whether the majority of people would be able to afford them.

“The people who have the capacity to buy these shares are either foreign companies, or very rich Maldivians,” he said.

The government estimates that the sale of the shares will generate Rf 1.46 billion (US$95 million).

Shareef said the outcome would be obvious as soon as the shares hit the market.

“In the Maldives, we know who has the money. We know a majority of people don’t have the money. There must be some political reason for this decision, it’s not just an economic strategy,” he suggested.

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