President Nasheed acknowledges Addu people’s contribution to tourism industry

The people of Addu Atoll contributed tremendously to the development of the Maldives tourism industry, President Mohamed Nasheed has said while speaking at a function held Tuesday evening at Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa.

The President said that the opening of the resort would provide economic activities and employment opportunities to the people of Addu atoll. He also said that the people of Addu atoll are renowned for their hospitality.

At the function, a commemorative plaque was presented to President Nasheed on behalf of Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa. The plaque was presented to the President by the General Manager of Villingili resort Jens Moesker.

During his visit to the resort, the President also met with the media. Addressing the media, the President said he is confident that with a resolution to the Herethere issue, more flights will begin its operations in Addu atoll.

President Nasheed is on a tour of Addu atoll and is expected to visit the islands of Addu atoll to discuss the developmental plans with senior officials of the islands. -HNS

Police raids Malé house without warrant, seizes five PCs

Police on Sunday raided the house of well-known comedian and movie producer/director Yoosuf Rafeeu (Yoosay), M. Big Fish, and confiscated five computers and two hard discs.

According to Yoosay, the Police raided his house around 4:30pm. They had searched through the office space of Bukhaare Company, located on the first floor of the house, and another room on the ground floor, he said.

A Police Media Official said that the house they had searched was not Yoosay’s house M. Big Fish, but a house called M. Roza. They further said that the search was in no way connected to Yoosuf Rafeeu. The Official did not give a reason why Police had raided the house.

“Police did not enter the premises of Big Fish or Bukhaaree Company,” the Media Official said. “They entered a house called M. Roza to investigate some information they had received. They did not enter any other locations.”

Yoosay said that Roza was his father’s house, which was adjacent to M. Big Fish. He further alleged that the Police did not show a warrant authorizing them to search the house.

“In fact it wasn’t even Roza that they entered,” Yoosay said. “Around 20 Police officers surrounded the house and asked where the occupants were. Only the womenfolk were inside the house at the time and they told them that only me, Issey and Ali (Yoosay’s brothers) were in Malé. The Police then told them to call and bring Ali and Issey to the house too. They did not show a Court order, but said that they were doing everything under the authority granted by the Police act. They then entered the house, searched it and seized five computers and some hard discs.”

Denying the allegations made by Yoosay that Police had entered M. Big Fish, the Media Official said that he was not at liberty to reveal whether they did or did not have a Court order to search the premises of M. Roza.

The Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed said that a copy of the Court order should be given to a resident of the house, and the Police should keep the original.

“Only then can a search be carried out,” he said. “There’s no record that a search warrant was issued for M. Roza or M. Big Fish.”

According to Yoosay, his younger brother Ismail Naseer was also taken to the Police Station for questioning, after they confiscated the PCs and hard discs. He said that when he had asked the Police about it they said the equipment had been confiscated because they had received reports that instruction on creating powerful explosives capable of killing many people and causing extensive damage was located on the PCs and hard discs.

“They said that Issey had been taken into custody for questioning because they had received information that Issey was in possession of information that could be used to create powerful weapons that could endanger hundreds of people,” Yoosay said. “Apparently, they also asked him why he was making so many trips abroad. We are businessmen; of course, we have to go make many trips abroad.”

Yoosay said that when Issey was finally released after around 2 hours of questioning, the Police had confiscated his mobile phone. He further said that the five PCs had been returned, minus the hard discs, later that day. He said that the hard discs contained very important and confidential information about his business.

“If anyone saw the information they would literally have a blueprint of the entire business,” he said. “Who we export fish to, prices, contacts, everything is compromised now.” -HNS

Immigration Department asks employers to make new deposits for expatriate workers

Citing difficulties obtaining over Rf200 million in deposits made to the Human Resource Ministry previously by the public to hire expatriate workers, the Immigration Department has called on the employers to make fresh deposits with the Department.

The Controller of Immigration, Ilyas Hussain Ibrahim, said on Tuesday that they had discussed handing over the deposit money previously collected by the Human Resource Ministry over to the Immigration Department but that the funds had so far not been remitted.

“They asked us to begin collecting deposits beginning from 1st of July onwards,” he said. “They said that we should collect the deposit money when the Employment Approval was renewed. When we didn’t get the deposit money from them, we asked the employers to make new deposits.”

Ilyas said that 19 illegal expatriates who were to be sent back to their country were still stuck in Maldives because of the difficulty in getting their deposit money back.

“There must be some reason why the Ministry is having trouble releasing the funds,” Ilyas said.

He further said that the Immigration Ministry had so far been unable to get a list of all the people who had made deposits at the Human Resources Ministry. Due to this, the Immigration Department was now issuing work permit visas only after a deposit (equal to cost of one-way ticket back to their native country) had been made.

“We will only issue the visa when the deposit has been made with us,” Ilyas said. “It is the task of the employer to get their previous deposit back from the Human Resource Ministry and deposit it with us. We are discussing the issue with the Human Resources Ministry and trying to get a list of those who had made deposits with them. However, so far we have not been successful.” -HNS

President calls for international support to consolidate democracy in Maldives

President Mohamed Nasheed called for the support of the international community to consolidate democracy in the Maldives. The President made the statement while speaking at the informal dinner hosted by the President and the First Lady for foreign dignitaries who visited the Maldives to participate in the Independence Day celebrations

President Nasheed said that this year’s Independence Day was being celebrated at a time when the country faced a number of challenges. He said the Maldives needed international support to overcome the challenges and consolidate democracy.

President Nasheed thanked the international community for their support to the Maldives, especially for their support in the democratisation process.

Furthermore, the President said that the Maldives still needed to continue with the democratisation process and establish institutions fit for a democratic society. He also said that despite the challenges, he was confident that the Maldives can successfully complete the work ahead.

In his remarks, President Nasheed reiterated his view that climate change posed an existential threat to the Maldives, and that if the international community could not save the Maldives today, it would not be possible to save the rest of the world in the future.

Last night’s dinner was also attended by Cabinet Ministers, State Ministers, heads of statutory bodies, members of the People’s Majlis and the leaders of the political parties. -HNS

Eight children, two teachers in critical condition after Laamu Gan truck accident

Eight children and two teachers who were critically injured in a truck accident in Laamu atoll Gan were brought to Malé on Sunday night and Monday morning for further treatment. They were injured when the driver of the truck they had been on had swerved the speeding truck to avoid a pothole, causing the vehicle to flip over on its side.

Three children in critical condition were brought to Malé via air transport on Sunday night just hours after the accident. The two teachers and five other children were brought to Malé via Coast Guard vessel “Shaheed Ali” on Monday morning.

Those in the truck at the time of the accident were teachers and cadets from the Hamad bin Khaleefa Alsani School who were going to take part in a parade at the Independence Day celebrations held in the island. The truck was travelling north from the Thundee ward to the Ulhigamu ward of the island.

A Police official said on Monday that the accident had occurred around 5:30pm on Sinaaee Magu and a total of 22 children and three teachers were injured. The official further said that only those in critical condition were brought to Malé for further treatment. They had suffered various injuries when they had fallen of the truck, including broken bones and head injuries.

One of the people who had accompanied the injured children to the Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Ahmed Wajeeh, said that according to the truck driver the truck had been travelling around 70kmph when he had swerved to avoid a pothole in the road.

“Other than a bruise on his arm, the driver survived the accident relatively unharmed,” Wajeeh said.

He further said that the children were in the truck were all junior cadets between the ages of 12 and 15.

“When they were taken to the Regional Hospital in Gan, they were immediately admitted for treatment,” he said. “But since some of them were in very serious condition the doctors decided it was best to send them to Malé for treatment. But some were in such bad condition that it wasn’t possible to send them in an Island Aviation airplane, so they were brought to Malé in a Coast Guard speedboat. There was a doctor and two nurses onboard the speedboat with the patients. The children required treatment during the journey too. We left around 4:30am and arrived in Malé around 10:30am.”

Another man who had come to Malé with the children, Ahmed Zaki, said that the accident was the fault of the driver.

“When the truck began speeding up, the children had apparently called for the driver to slow down,” he said. “But the driver had not heard them. The driver said that he had been travelling at such a fast speed in order to catch up to the other buses that had left earlier. All the cadets on the truck were boys. All the girls had gone to earlier in a bus.”

A Police Official said that after the truck driver had received medical treatment at the hospital, he had been taken into Police custody.

“His driving license had expired in 2007,” the official said. “The Police are investigating the accident.”

Zaki said that some of the parents of the injured children had been overcome with shock at the news, and had to be admitted at the hospital.

Government will close contract for transport network on 7 August, says President Nasheed

The Government is hopeful of closing the contract for the transport network on 7 August, President Mohamed Nasheed has said. President Nasheed made the statement while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of a Children’s Park in Hoarafushi of North Thiladhunmathi atoll. Hoarafushi Children’s Park was inaugurated by Madam Laila Ali.

In his speech, the President spoke on the developmental programmes undertaken for the atolls and how the government planned to implement those programmes.

President Nasheed said the Government was spending Rf170 million for 18 thousand households across the country, which included 300 households of Hoarafushi. He added that the Rf170 million was the Rf2,000 allowance which the Government was giving to people over 65 years.

Speaking on the importance of reducing wastage and identifying priority areas, the President stressed the need for systematic and planned development.

President Nasheed further said the tender deadline for Hoarafushi sewerage system would be on August and that the next step was for the Government to evaluate the tender offers.

Health Ministry: More than 10 people being given swine flu medication

Ten people who had come into contact with the Indonesian woman in Coco Palm Resort, the first confirmed case of swine flu in Maldives, are being given medication for the disease, the Health Ministry has said. The Ministry said that the healthcare officials who had treated the woman were also given medication.

The infected woman, who works at the Spa in the resort, had first gone to see a doctor at the Baa atoll Health Centre when she had become sick. The Health Ministry said that they had medicated the medical staff and ten others who had come into contact with her in an effort to stop the spread of the disease as swine flu is highly contagious. One of those who had come into contact with her had been promptly tested for the disease when the person began exhibiting symptoms of the disease. The tests had however been negative, a press release issued by the Ministry said.

The woman had gone to Indonesia on vacation and had returned to Maldives on 18 July. She had stayed at a guesthouse in Malé for three days before heading back to the resort, the Ministry said, adding that they were looking into the possibility that she might have had contact with other people while she was staying at the guesthouse.

The swine flu victim is currently under quarantine in Hulhule and the Health Ministry said that her condition was stable and that she was recovering from the disease.

The Ministry further said that tests for the influenza-A virus was being carried out in some of the northern areas of the country and that medicines had been dispatched to other islands also.

Health Ministry confirms first swine flu case in Maldives

A person in Maldives has been confirmed as the first positive case of swine flu in the country, the Health Ministry has announced on Saturday.

A press release issued by the Ministry said that the Indonesian woman they had quarantined earlier after she was suspected to have contacted the disease had tested positive for the Influenza-A H1N1 virus. The tests had been done by sending blood samples to Sri Lanka.

The Director General of Health Services, Dr Ibrahim Yasir, had said on Thursday night that an Indonesian woman working at Baa atoll Coco Palm Resort had tested positive for swine flu. However, a Health Ministry official said in an interview with TVM on Friday night that the woman had tested positive for Influenza-A virus and blood samples had been sent to Sri Lanka to confirm whether she was infected with the Swine Flu virus. The official further said that they couldn’t say for sure if she was infected with swine flu virus until they received the results of the tests.

Dr Yasir said that suspicion that the 39-year-old woman might be infected with swine flu had been raised when she had gone to see a doctor at the Baa Thulhaadhoo Health Centre one week ago. She was promptly brought to Hulhulé and quarantined, Yasir said.

Maldives nominated for final round of “New 7 Wonders of Nature” campaign

The Maldives archipelago has been nominated for the final (third) round of the “New 7 Wonders of Nature” campaign. Maldives will be competing against 27 other nominees for the honour of becoming one of the new seven wonders of nature.

The campaign is a process in which seven natural wonders of the world are chosen by people through a global poll which will be declared in the year 2011.

The campaign is organized by the Swiss based New7Wonders Foundation after their success in organizing the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. 261 qualified national and multinational nominees competed to make it to the top 77. Voting to determine the top 77 in each of the seven competing categories commenced on January 7th and ended on July 7th 2009. The New7Wonders Panel of Experts then selected 21 finalists from the top 77 nominees.

Those who wish to vote in the contest can visit the New7Wonders website at http://www.new7wonders.com/ to cast their vote for their favourites.

President Nasheed: Honour and integrity must be earned through deeds and words

Honour and integrity must be earned through one’s own deeds and words, President Mohamed Nasheed has said. He made the statement in his radio address to the nation which was broadcast on the Voice of Maldives at 7.15 on Friday morning.

“The Government will not lose its authority,” he said. “Its integrity and honour will not diminish. Integrity, honour, authority and majesty cannot be bought, and nor can we gain them through mere legislation.”

In his radio address, the President also focused on the history of the Maldives’ efforts for independence and sovereignty.

He said after a shifting political history, the Maldives gained independence from the British on 26 July 1965. President Nasheed paid tribute to the role of former President Ibrahim Nasir, who was the then Prime Minster of the Maldives, in securing independence for the Maldives. He said President Nasir was the main architect behind the Maldives’ efforts for independence.

President Nasheed also expressed gratitude for all those who had worked with President Nasir in those efforts.

Recalling that Thursday was Martyrs Day, the President paid tribute to Sultan Kalaafaanu who was martyred some 400 years ago.

Highlighting that 25th July will be the 20th anniversary of Kalaafaanu School, the President said that a copy of a historical manuscript – dating back to the same period – to build and maintain a mausoleum for Sultan Kalaafaanu in Hangn’aameedhoo would be on display at Kalaafaanu School. The manuscript was found among documents at the President’s Office.