Tag: Usgandu

Housing Ministry asks Male City Council to hand over MDP protest site in seven days, despite High Court order

The Housing Ministry has asked the Male’ City Council to evacuate and hand over the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s protest site at Usfasgandu in Male within seven days.

The repeated demand comes a day after the High Court overturned a Civil Court order backing the government’s previous order that the land be handed over.

Speaking at a press conference held today, Housing Minister Dr Mohamed Muiz said the council was not using the Usfasgandu site according to the government’s land use plan.

Muiz said the council has been sent a notice asking them to evacuate the land plot and if not the ministry will, in accordance to the law, evacuate the land plot and will not be responsible for any loss of property in the area.

Muiz also said that the government will not hesitate to take actions against any one in order to protect the interest of the citizens.

‘’Because of the way the Male’ City Council is using the land, it is not benefitting the people,’’ he said. ‘’So a notice have been sent in reference to the High Court order and Attorney General’s advice.’’

Muiz also said the ministry had received reports that Male’ City Council was ordering businessmen running food outlets and other businesses in the ‘Alimas Carnival’ area to vacate the area. He said the businessmen did not have to listen to what the council said because the Alimas Carnival area was no longer under the jurisdiction of the council.

‘’They can run their businesses unless the government ask them to leave the area,’’ he added.

Land dispute

The area was cordoned off by police late last month after the High Court issued a warrant requesting the area be kept under police custody until it reached a verdict on the case.

Male’ City Council leased the Usfasgandu area to the ousted ruling party in March 2012, prompting repeated attempts by the government to reclaim the area on the grounds it was being used for criminal activity, including the practice of black magic.

The MDP had moved to the area after a previous protest camp at the tsunami monument was dismantled and completely repainted by police and military on March 19, 2012.

On May 29, police raided the Usfasgandu site after obtaining a search warrant from the Criminal Court, ordering the MDP to vacate the area. The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) then began dismantling the protest camp.

The Housing Ministry filed a case with the Civil Court after MCC refused to hand the land plot to the ministry.

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Housing Ministry orders police to clear MDP protest site at Usfasgandu

The Housing Ministry has sent a letter to police instructing them to clear the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s protest site at Usfasgandu, the plot of land in the south of the city behind the State Electric Company (STELCO) building.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef today confirmed to Minivan News that police had received the letter.

‘’We are currently reviewing the case. We haven’t decided [to act] on it yet,’’ Haneef said, refusing to comment further on the matter.

On January 20, 2013, Male’ City Council was ordered by the Civil Court to “hand over” the land used by the MDP for its political rallies to the Ministry of Housing within a period of seven days.

The Civil Court’s ruling also states that the city council’s current use of the area contradicts the agreement made between the council,  the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Finance and Treasury.

However, Male’ City Council has appealed the ruling in the High Court, which has yet to reach a verdict in the appeal case.

Male’ City Council Mayor ‘Maizan’ Ali Manik today said that he had not officially heard about the issue and would not like to comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, MDP Spokesperson MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said he had not been informed about the letter sent by the Housing Ministry to police.

Male’ City Council (MCC) leased the Usfasgandu area to the ousted ruling party for three months, prompting repeated attempts by the government to reclaim the area on the grounds it was being used for criminal activity, including the practice of black magic.

The MDP moved a few dozen metres down the road to the site after its protest camp at the tsunami monument was dismantled and completely repainted on March 19 2012 by the police and military.

On May 29, police raided the Usfasgandu site after obtaining a search warrant from the Criminal Court, ordering the MDP to vacate the area before 10:00pm. The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) then began dismantling the protest camp.

The Civil Court however issued an injunction ordering security forces to halt the operation after the MDP challenged its legality. The injunction was to stand until the court reached a verdict and was later upheld by the High Court.

In August 2012, the Civil Court ruled that the police did not have the legal authority to order the opposition MDP to vacate the area. The government has since tried to transfer the land from the council – dominated by MDP councillors – to the government-controlled Ministry of Housing and Environment.

Male’ City Council refused to hand over the land and insisted that the area was “temporarily leased” to the former ruling party in accordance with the Decentralisation Act, and contended that the ministry does not have the legal authority to reclaim council property.

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Police forward MDP MP Inthi’s case to Prosecutor General

Police have concluded investigation and forwarded for criminal prosecution a case against Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Imthiyaz Fahmy ‘Inthi’.

According to a police statement, the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has been requested to charge Inthi with disobeying orders, obstructing police duty and physically assaulting a female police officer during an MDP demonstration on May 29 that followed the dismantling of the former ruling party’s protest camp at Usfasgandu.

However in a statement condemning “excessive use of force” against demonstrators, Amnesty International reported that according to MP Imthiyaz, “police in Dhoonidhoo told him he was arrested for ‘disrupting peace’. The next day, in court, police stated that he had been detained for ‘physically attacking a woman police officer.”

Police arrested Inthi along with 56 other MDP activists on May 29 after police raided the MDP protest camp with a search warrant from the Criminal Court.

“I was arrested at the MDP protest camp and the court released me, after the police told the judge that I had assaulted a female officer at Usfasgandu,” Inthi told local media.

Police have also forwarded a case against MDP activist Shiyan ‘Shiyalhey’ Shafeeq of H. Hedheythundi to the PGO.

Shiyalhey faces charges of arson, disruption of public order and attacking officers of the armed forces.

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Police request court warrant to dismantle MDP protest site at Usgandu

Police have sought a warrant from the Criminal Court to dismantle the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) protest site at ‘Usgandu’, following a request made by the Home Ministry.

In a statement, police said the request was made to the court yesterday afternoon at 1:00pm.

Police said the Home Ministry had requested police implement a decision made by cabinet to reclaim the land from the MDP-dominated Male’ City Council, and give it to the Housing Ministry.

On May 9, the Housing Ministry wrote to Male’ City Council requesting it hand over ‘Usgandu’ to the ministry, however the Council declined to do so, police noted.

The statement said the land was given to Male’ City Council according to laws that placed state land under the jurisdiction of local councils.

MDP Chairperson and MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik yesterday claimed that if police dismantled the MDP protest camp at Usgandu, protests would erupt all across Male’.

Moosa said that if their camp was dismantled, MDP supporters would gather near the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) – the same area the then-opposition aligned parties held a series of protests against former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Moosa added that the Uagandu was given by Male’ City Council to MDP according to the law, and that security forces had no right to restrict citizens from claiming a fundamental right such as freedom of assembly.

Following the controversial transfer of power on February 7, Male’ City Council allocated the empty area near the tsunami monument to the MDP, which set up a protest camp.

However on March 19, hours after President Dr Waheed Hassan Manik delivered his inaugural speech to the parliament, security forces raided the area, dismantled the camp and painted over anti-government graffiti, removing all trace of MDP from the area.

Male’ City Council subsequently granted Usgandu to MDP to conduct their political activities until the end of June. The MDP meanwhile filed a case against the dismantling of the tsunami monument site in the Civil Court, which is ongoing.

Police Spokesperson Hassan Haneef today told Minivan News that there were no updates on the story as of yet, adding that he had not been informed whether the court had issued the warrant.

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