News in Brief Kutti
gets a new portfolio Ministry of Legal
Reform, 'Dhebakurtuvaa', Information and Extreme
Arts with Sweeping Road Maps; Azima Shukoor is
the new Attorney General
Male’ – It’s another day of showdown in Golhaa’s
so called ‘sweeping’ reform agenda. Azima
Shukoor is appointed Attorney General and Kutti
Nasheed gets an additional portfolio, Legal
Reform, in addition to previous ones,
Information and Arts. Cotton Jangiyaa Sobir has
also been posted as Ambassador to Singapore. It
is not known why he was removed from the UK/EU
post. One thing very clear is that Golhaabo has
had to shuffle and juggle with his cabinet more
times during this term than he has done in his
entire time in office, a very clear sign of a
failing regime.
Kutti
Nasheed to be declared Holy Roman Emperor
29 August 2007 - After the departure of Dr Saeed, Dr Shaheed, and Mr Jameel, ministers are
falling all over each other for the spoils. All three ministers ran
important parts of the reform agenda. The core of the reform programme was
run by Attorney General's Office with sweeping legal reforms. The New Penal
Code is an example of the reforms drafted by the AG. Dr Shaheed's Foreign
Ministry galloped towards subscribing to international human rights
standards. Mr Jameel introduced landmark reforms in the judiciary including
appointing women judges and inviting UN Special Reporter on Judges. The
three of them formed Open Society which invited Reporters without Borders to
celebrate the World Press Freedom Day for the first time in the country's
history in May 2006. These three ministers had also travelled to London, New
York, Geneva and New Delhi to promote and explain the reform agenda.
Meanwhile Nasheed was busy inviting Chinese TV to take a foothold in the
Maldives. more
Local News Munavvaru,
Anni, Zaki and Reeko Moosa to contest for the
'TOP' job
Male' -
According to reliable sources within the
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the top three
of the party are likely to contest very soon to
be selected as the candidate for the next
presidential election. Party President Dr.
Munavvaru, Vice President Zaki as well as
National Chairman of the party Nasheed (Anni)
are going to contest in the primary, a reliable
source in MDP confirmed. In addition to them,
other contenders will also participate in the
primary such as the popular MP for Laamu Atoll
Reeko Moosa Manik. Unlike the Dictator's own
party, MDP's candidate will be chosen by a
popular vote amongst its members. Senior figures
in the party have been demanding to name a
candidate to challenge the Dictator next year.
Minivan News Hassan
Saeed Quits DRP
Hassan Saeed has quit the Government’s
Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) paving the way
for the presidential hopeful to launch his own
party or join the opposition Maldivian
Democratic Party. The DRP had criticised the
former minister for launching his presidential
bid while still a member, but he has now
resigned from the DRP vice presidency and party.
more
Maldives Sports Blog FIFA to
facilitate Maldives FA to comply with Statutes
FIFA have
claimed the Football Association of Maldives is
out of line with its Statutes. The national FA
is one of some fourteen national sport
associations including the national Olympic
Committee, controlled by the government through
unelected appointees of President Maumoon Abdul
Gayoom.
more
Tourism E-turbo News All is
not lost for Iraq tourism
Bombings,
conflicts and deaths are not the only ones
making headlines out of war-torn Iraq. It turns
out that efforts are being made to revive the
country’s once flourishing tourism industry.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (eTN) – European and Arabs
companies have submitted proposals to build an
airport on the road between Najaf and Karbala,
which are the holy cities located south of the
Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Recent reports
indicate that nine Arab and foreign companies
made offers to compete for the building of an
airport worth of US$3 billion between the two
most important holy cities of Najaf and Karbala,
100 kilometers south of Baghdad.
more
Majeedhee Magu Blog Cut
'Izzaththeri' and maybe we can complete the
constitution on time
These days
everyone is questioning whether the constitution
can be completed on time. With so many
cancellations and so much time spent on
'nizaamee nukutha', and allegations of
deliberate delay tactics, the public is
skeptical. I thought I would be a good citizen
and give our special majlis some help to
complete the constitution on time.
more
Minivan News Election
Commissioner Must Go: IDC Poll Coordinator
The man appointed to oversee Saturday’s
Island Development Committee (IDC) Elections has called on the Election
Commissioner to, “learn lessons,” from the, “historic day.” Thousands of
Maldivians went to the polls to elect more than 1,500 members to 203 IDCs.
Mohamed Shihab, the Government's choice to oversee the vote, says it was,
“generally free and fair.” And he has now called for the Government-appointed
Election Commissioner to be replaced by, “a completely independent body,” in
time for next year’s presidential poll.
more
TheAge.com A nod and a wink
Did he really mean that? Probably, but you
won't catch him admitting it. Australian politicians have invented a new way to
twist words and win votes, Geoff Strong reports. THE term "mainstream values"
might seem innocuous when uttered by John Howard in his quest for votes this
election. Likewise when Kevin Rudd describes his opponent as a "clever
politician". How many in the target audience realise prime minister and
opposition leader are talking in carefully crafted code?
more
Feeding
Dr. Afrasheem to the lions
Dr. Afrasheem's PhD guides at Malaysia's
prestigious Islamic International University
forgot to tell him something very important:
There are only two ways of telling the complete
truth –anonymously and posthumously. This
oversight might have already cost the young man
his career, having fallen latest victim to
Gayoom's long term master plan to retain his
religious supremacy by hook or crook.
more
Minivan News Time
To Come Clean On The Economy
Following sustained criticism from
international donor partners about a ballooning budget deficit, the Government
took a $30 million commercial loan from HSBC last month. But far from admitting
he was borrowing to plug holes in the public finances, Finance Minister Gasim
Ibrahim told AFP the money was needed for post-tsunami reconstruction. A look at
the Government’s own economic figures exposes the tsunami justification as an
excuse. Millions of dollars of tsunami aid remain unspent, negating the need to
borrow more. more
Minivan Interview Constitution
Complete By January: Ibra
When the Special Majlis was formed to agree
an amended constitution for the Maldives, no-one thought it would be a walk in
the park. But fast-forward three years; endless procedural debates, sniping
among members and poor attendance have threatened to derail the process
altogether. Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra), Chair of the constitution Drafting Committee,
tells Minivan News why the constitution will be complete by the end of the year,
hits out at game playing, and talks up his own Presidential hopes. End of The
Year? more
News
In Brief Aqua
Restaurant in airport shut down by authority for failing food and hygiene
standards
The Aqua Restaurant in Male' International Airport has been shut down by the
Maldives food and drugs authority, sources reported earlier this evening. The
sources also say that despite being given time to get things sorted out, the
management failed to comply to foot and hygiene standards as requested by the
authority. There are reports that in addition to the restaurant managed, the
airport authority itself tried to sort out the matter secretly fearing the
negative publicity. Aqua is owned and managed by a Golhaa associate Najaah, who
runs and Art showroom in Male' called 'Najah Art Palace', who charges customers
depending on their skin colour. Rumour has that the business is in fact owned by
the Maldives 'First Bitch' Nasreena Golhaa.
2008
Elections: It's now or never for MDP
The 2008 Presidential election is likely to boil
down to a straight contest between President
Gayoom on one side and MDP on the other side
supported by strategic allies. It’s going to be
‘advantage MDP’ if the party succeeds in forging
the right alliances. This assessment is based on
MDP’s proven support base of nearly 37% of the
electorate as demonstrated in the August
referendum. Given this figure, MDP needs only
another 13% to see them through. Other
individuals and opposition parties in the fray
are unlikely to come even close to emulating
MDP’s support base. They could only have
nuisance value by dividing anti-Gayoom votes and
curtailing MDP’s chances of dislodging Gayoom.
more
Minivan News Hassan
Saeed Needs Maldivian Votes Not Diplomatic Support
London, Thursday 27 October. Former
Maldives Attorney-General Dr Hassan Saeed has announced his intention to run for
President in 2008, with interviews to the BBC and The Independent newspaper. The
committed reformist and darling of the international community used a trip to
London to win maximum exposure for his candidacy. Or did he? Come November 2008,
it will be Maldivians not Londoners who will elect a President in the Maldives’
first democratic elections. So why launch a campaign in the UK?
more
Maldives Visual Journal Hussain
Ali Manik to Exhibit in China
Maldivian artist Hussain Ali Manik will be
participating in the 2007 China Xiuzhouy International Folk Painting Exhibition
organized by the China International Exhibition Agency as part of the 3rd China
Peasant Painting Art Festival. Hussain will be in China from the 24th to 29th
October 2007 to finalize the display of the works and to attend the opening of
the exhibition and festival. more
Metro - UK Paradise
without the gloss
Don’t be shy: A boat trip will take you to Meedhoo, an island off Gan, where
you’ll get a chance to meet real Maldivians. Some people have strange ideas
about what they want from a holiday. Not many would say they'd like a hotel that
is just a five-minute walk from an airport terminal. They probably wouldn't like
that walk to pass a decrepit and closed cinema, a random squash court and a
couple of dodgy souvenir shops. They might not even like the war memorial that
could do with a lick of paint. Which is all just as well – because it means that
those who manage to discover the Maldivian island of Gan tend to get it all to
themselves. You see, Gan is quite unlike the picture postcard images you see of
the Indian Ocean isles. For the time being, there's no stilted villa
accommodation, no infinity pools and hardly any honeymooning couples. But what
there is more than makes up for that. For Gan is the real Maldives – and it
doesn't cost an arm and a leg to get here. Equator Village, the island's only
hotel, is actually a former RAF base and there are still reminders of when it
was in use from 1957 to 1976.
more
Newser.com Brutal
Maldives Leader Clings to Long-Time Grip
(newser) – Luxury resorts coexist in the Maldives with claims of a darker
reality: Censorship, political repression, torture, and recent terrorist
bombings. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the longest-serving leader in Asia, is reneging
on a promise to step down and instead will run for a seventh term. But now his
own supporters are turning on him and three key ministers have quit, the
Independent reports. more
Daily Mirror Lanka CIMA
expands operations to the Maldives
CIMA announced yesterday the accreditation of the first CIMA Learning Partner in
the Maldives. This is a landmark achievement for CIMA in the region and a
turning point in their expansion outside the primary market of Colombo. The
naming of Villa College as a CIMA Learning Listed College is a significant
achievement for the institute and brings with it opportunities for CIMA to
contribute to the growing skills requirement in the Maldives.
more
Minivan News Hassan
Saeed Will Run For President
Hassan Saeed has announced he will stand
against President Gayoom in next year's election. And he has contacted
opposition parties to try and establish a united front against the Government,
according to The Independent newspaper in London. The announcement ends
speculation over the plans of the former Attorney General and his two 'New
Maldives' colleagues, ex-Foreign Minister Ahmed Shaheed and ex-Justice Minister
Mohamed Jameel. more
Times - South Africa Maldives
tourism under threat
MALE - A rise in Islamic militancy poses an
unprecedented threat to the Maldives’ status as South Asia’s most upmarket
holiday destination, but the government is determined to beat the extremists.
The first concrete sign of trouble in the archipelago traditionally seen as the
holiday-maker’s paradise came last month, when 12 foreign tourists including a
honeymooning British couple were wounded in a bomb attack. President Maumoon
Abdul Gayoom, an Islamic scholar, responded quickly, ordering a major crackdown
in the moderate Sunni Muslim nation of 330,000.
more
Minivan News MDP
Must Chose Presidential Candidate Now: Suood
A senior member of the Maldivian Democratic
Party has said the main opposition party must select its candidate for next
year's presidential election soon to prevent in fighting. Party chairman Mohamed
Nasheed (Anni) has faced criticism from MDP members this week for meeting a
representative of President Gayoom. Husnu al Suood, part of the party's National
Executive Committee, blamed the "fiasco," on "tension between supporters of [MDP
president and Suood's brother] Munavvar, and Anni," over who will be the party's
nominee for next year’s poll.
more
Minivan News Why
I'm Backing My Brother For President: Abdullah Yameen
Yameen will back President Gayoom's
candidacy in 2008, he has revealed to Minivan News in an exclusive interview.
Abdullah Yameen, Gayoom's half-brother, quit the Government in April to form the
People's Association (PA). Initially a non-governmental organisation Yameen
announced this month PA will be registered as a political party. The
self-proclaimed “normal citizen" tells Susannah Peter why he is supporting his
brother, lifts the lid on his own presidential ambitions, and talks more about
his democratic credentials.
more
Dictator
Gayyoom : Father of Extremism in the Maldives
In early 1979, a group of school children from
Majeediya and Aminiya School, in their crispy white uniforms, sat nervously in a
Television Maldives studio. They have just been told that the religious text
that they used in school, written by the revered scholar Mohamed Jameel Didi,
did not explain the true Islam that they should follow. Thus, each of them was
given a piece of paper with a question on it, which they were told to memorize.
Among the students included the Foreign Minister of today, Hon. Abdulla Shahid.
During the programme they were supposed to ask the question as if it was their
own. The man in front of them will give the answer. He will explain what true
Islam was. He was Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, their new President.
more
Independent UK The longest-serving leader in Asia
fights for a seventh term
The President of the Maldives is facing a mutiny, with the resignation of three
key cabinet ministers in protest at his "autocratic" behaviour. One of them is
preparing to stand against him in forthcoming elections. The beautiful Indian
Ocean islands, a luxury holiday destination for Britons and many other wealthy
Westerners, has a less-publicised dark side with claims of repression, torture,
censorship and, recently, terrorist bombings.
more
News Review
The
Holy Roman Emperor Kutti Nasheed has no confidence in his
own people
Is there no Maldivian good enough to deal with the
foreign press? Apparently the Holy Roman Emperor Kutti Nasheed aka the Maldivian
Information Minister thinks so. And, DO can reveal that he is going to offer the
job to a foreigner (perhaps in return for a small commission). He believes that
we Maldivians are a useless bunch with no one in the entire nation qualified and
good enough to brief the foreign media.
more
Minivan News Court
Rules Government Must Reinstate Sacked Employee
State broadcaster Television Maldives must
reinstate a sacked employee and compensate him for lost earnings, the Civil
Court ordered today. Judge Mohamed Naeem found assistant producer Muaz Ali was
unfairly dismissed after a TVM internal investigation into leaked documents last
December. more
Minivan News I
Have Not Broken Party Regulations: Anni On
Aneesa Meeting
"Members should
trust me not to do anything against the
interests of the party," MDP Chairman Mohamed
Nasheed (Anni) has told Minivan News, in
response to criticism over his meeting with
President Gayoom's representative Aneesa Ahmed.
Anni and Aneesa met last week to discuss how the
opposition Maldivian Democratic Party and the
Government's Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party can speed
the passage of the long-awaited constitution.
more
Channel News Asia
President
Nathan makes four-day state visit to Maldives
SINGAPORE :
President S R Nathan is making a four-day state
visit to Maldives from October 23-26. The visit
is at the invitation of Maldives President
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and will be the first state
visit by a Singaporean Head of State to
Maldives. The visit also comes nine months after
President Gayoom's visit to Singapore.
more
Minivan News Government
Admits Mistakes Over Biyadhoo Resort Award
"Lessons
have been learned," the Tourism Minister said
today, after an independent committee ruled that
the Government wrongly disqualified Yacht Tours
from a resort bidding process. The Biyadhoo
resort was controversially awarded to Sunland, a
company part owned by Fisheries Minister Hussain
Hilmy, in 2004. But the civil court and high
court have since ruled that two different bids,
including one from Abdullah Jabir's Yacht Tours,
were rejected unfairly.
more
Corruption at its best
Feuding
sultan's secret billions exposed
The Sultan of Brunei, who is embroiled in the most expensive family feud in
legal history, secretly transferred $US8 billion ($A9 billion) of state money
into his personal bank account. The money, which exceeds Brunei's entire annual
gross domestic product, was paid in over four years. It funded an
extraordinarily lavish lifestyle, which included spending $100,000 on guards for
the exotic bird cages at his palace.
more
Gayyoom's
last resort?
On Wednesday night's Special Majlis sitting a
lot of time was wasted following Gayoom's
brother-in-law Abbas Ibrahim's insistence that
the phrase "Islamic Sharia" should be inserted
to clause 4 chapter II of the draft constitution
titled "The Maldivian Charter of Rights and
Freedom" The draft text of clause 4 "Freedom
from Restraint" compiled by the Special Majlis
Drafting Committee chaired by Ibra says: A
citizen is free to engage in any conduct or
activity that is not expressly prohibited by
law. No control or restraint may be exercised
against any person unless it is expressly
authorised by law.
more
AFP News
Maldives
fears foreign terror cells as religious tensions
rise
MALE (AFP)
— The Maldives has begun a crackdown on Islamic
militant groups in an effort to prevent
international terror networks from setting up
cells here, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom told
AFP. The president said a small minority of the
Indian Ocean archipelago's 330,000 Sunni Muslims
had begun preaching an extremist form of Islam
that could affect the peaceful image of the
popular tourist destination.
more
ReliefWeb
Maldives:
building a community in the middle of the ocean
In the
middle of the Indian Ocean, far away from
highways that could transport building and
construction materials for 600 houses and all
the infrastructure that goes with it… the Red
Cross is taking on the challenge of redeveloping
a community from scratch. Janine Gray from
Australian Red Cross takes a look at the
progress 14 months after construction began.
more
BBC World Mozambique
ex-leader wins prize
Former
Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano has won
the first Mo Ibrahim prize rewarding a retired
African head of state for excellence in
leadership. Mr Chissano, who is credited with
bringing peace to Mozambique, had been seen as a
frontrunner for the prize. The prize, announced
by former UN head Kofi Annan, is worth $5m
(£2.5m) over 10 years, and then $200,000 a year.
more
BBC World India's
missing girls
This World
investigates how every week in India thousands
of girls are killed, aborted or abandoned simply
because of their gender. With the introduction
of ultrasound technology, the problem is getting
worse, with many women opting to abort once they
know they are carrying girls. It is part of
India's centuries-old preference for boys, who
will carry the family's name and traditionally
provide for parents in their old age.
more
BBC Health Optimism
'no bearing on cancer'
The power
of the mind has been overestimated when it comes
to fighting cancer, US scientists say. They said
they found that a patient's positive or negative
emotional state had no direct bearing on cancer
survival or disease progression. The University
of Pennsylvania team followed more than 1,000
patients with head and neck cancer.
more
President
Gayoom must bear responsibility for emerging
extremism in Maldives - Dr. Munavvar
In a formal statement issued on 16 October 2007,
MDP President Dr. Mohamed Munavvar has
underlined that President Gayoom must bear
responsibility for emerging extremism in the
Maldives. Speaking to reporters on 16 October
2007, Dr. Munavvar said that President Gayoom's
public statement to bring people responsible for
detonating an improvised explosive device in
Male' on 29 September 2007, to justice "as soon
as possible" was unacceptable, adding that such
cases ought to go to court immediately. "This is
not a time to find excuses to delay and halt the
democratic process. Public order can only be
gained by implementing reforms and ensuring
justice for all. Those should be our present
aims", Dr. Munavvar said.
more
My Diary
Am
I to face the same fate as Fahala Saeed?
Almost every day is filled with surprises. But
then, one should always bear in mind that this
is the Maldives with Gayyoom at its helm and
anything is possible. The man claims himself to
be a Muslim scholar but have yet to learn that
mercy is one of the uppermost facets of a
practicing Muslim. On June 5, 2007, I gave an
interview to Al-Jazeera accusing the Maldives
Police Services of proliferating the
drugs-culture in the Maldives. It is the simple
truth as the public believes. Exactly a month
later – on June 5, 2007, members of the Drug
Enforcement Unit of the Maldives Police Services
barged into my home – there was a friend named
Shareef inside at the time – handcuffed us and
took us both to the Male' Police Custodial.
more
Minivan News Scholars
Defy Government On Veil Ban
Religious
scholars are openly questioning President
Gayoom's right to define Islam in the Maldives,
as the country divides over how to deal with
religious extremism. The government appointed
Supreme Islamic Council, "has not yet decided,"
whether to implement an instruction from Gayoom
to ban the full veil. The Adhaalath Party has
called on supporters to defy the ban, the first
time the conservative Islamic party has called
on supporters to disregard a Government
directive.
more
Minivan News "Government
Must Not Overreact" Warns Advisor After
Himandhoo Arrests
"In the
fight against terrorism it is imperative that
the Government does not overreact," the
Maldives' counter terror advisor has warned.
Singapore based Al Quaeda expert Dr Rohan
Gunaratna trains the Maldives police and is
believed to have the ear of President Gayoom. He
told Minivan News that the Government has a
"broad mandate" to fight Islamic extremism for
the first time following the Male' September 29
bomb blast.
more
For the first 25 years of his rule, the Maldives
Dictator found it pretty easy going. Many had fallen into his "honey-trap"; some
by bribery while others were duped into believing that he was indeed a
benevolent leader. However, the pro-democracy campaign that was launched in 2003
in the aftermath of the horrendous murders in Maafushi jail committed the local
police became the first nail on his coffin and is now going strong. Of course
there were several pervious attempts to expose his crimes and oust him from
power but these efforts were stopped by his regime before it gained any real
momentum. more
Local News
Maldives Dictator's
salary to increase by 267% to Mrf 200,000 per
month
A bill has been proposed to the Parliament by
members of Maldives Dictator Gayoom’s own party DRP to increase his current
salary of Mrf 75,000 to Mrf 200,000 per month, an increase of 267%. This is in
addition to all the amenities he currently receives which included the cost of
maintaining his private retreat of Aarah island, all his holiday expense and
that of his family.
more
Presidency of the European Union Declaration
by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on
developments in the Maldives
The European Union
fully supports a process of democratic reform in the
Maldives. The reform agenda promoted by the government since
2004 has produced a number of necessary steps towards a
modern democratic system. With various challenges still to
overcome, it must now stay on track. The EU takes note of
the referendum held on 18 August 2007 to determine the
preferred system of government in the Maldives. The EU
welcomes the reports of international observers, which
suggest that the result of the referendum offers a fair
reflection of public opinion on this question.
more
MDP Press
Concerns
of justice for Himendhoo detainees increase
The Maldivian Democratic Party has expressed
concerns over the prolonged custody and delay in
being produced in court of over 63 people
arrested from the island of Himendhoo on 07
October 2007. "Every individual, every island is
important to us", Dr. Munavvar said referring to
the recent visit to Himendhoo Island by an MDP
fact-finding team. "As one of the biggest
political parties, it is our duty to ascertain
the facts and look into violations of peoples
basic rights", he said.
more
MDP
Press Parties
support call to speed up transitional arrangements prior to
multi-party elections
All political parties
except the President Gayoom's DRP have expressed support to
speeding up transitional arrangements to oversee the run-up
to the country's first ever multi-party elections scheduled
for 2008. MDP Chairperson Mr. Mohamed Nasheed speaking to
reporters in the U.K on 06 October 2007 called on the
government to speed up transitional arrangements to enable
the draft Constitution to be finalized and in force soon.
more
MDP Press
Civil
Court postpones Referendum fraud cases
The Civil Court in Male' has postponed the case
submitted by the MDP against the Commissioner of
Elections Mr. Kaaf Dhaal Ahmed Maniku. The MDP
had cited the Elections Commissioner culpable in
a number of fraudulent practices pertaining to
the Referendum on a system of governance held on
18 August 2007. The Civil Court also postponed
the MDP case against Minister of Atolls
Development Mr. Ahmed Thasmeen Ali. The MDP had
stated that a raise by nearly a third in the
monthly allowances of Island Chiefs and Atoll
Chiefs just a few days prior to the Referendum
had influenced the outcome.
more
Male' - Reliable sources close
to the New Maldives group have confirmed that a senior
delegation of the group will be visiting UK in the coming
week. The delegation will consist the three former cabinet
ministers who resigned from Dictator Gayyoom's government in
August this year, they are Dr. Hassan Saeed (former attorney
general), Mohamed Jameel (former Justice Minister) and Dr.
Ahmed Shaheed (former foreign minister). As the founding
members of the New Maldives, the group was a key ally of
Dictator Gayyoom but deserted him when they were convinced
that the reform agenda of the Dictator had failed. In this
visit, the delegation is expected to meet with senior
government officials, politicians as well as NGOs in the UK.
Local News
Yacht
tours to be compensated
Male' - Yacht Tours Maldives who have long
campaigned over the disqualification of their bids for Vilivaru and Biyaadhoo
resorts in Male' Atoll over 3 years ago are finally going to be compensated
reports say. A special team setup by the Dictator has apparently concluded that
Yacht Tours bid for Vilivaru was unfairly disqualified hence a fair compensation
package is to be offered to them. According to sources within the cabinet, Yacht
Tours will be awarded an island to develop a resort as well as an interest free
loan for the project, which could be in the region of 10 million dollars.
Sources close to Yacht Tours however are not reportedly overjoyed by the
prospects as they feel that they ought to have won both islands, Vilivaru and
Biyaadhoo. "Even 4 islands from the North or South of Maldives could not be
equalled to the business potential of 2 islands located in South Male' Atoll
(referring to Vilivaru and Biyaadhoo). So, we shall wait and see how fair this
compensation package is going to be," said a source close to Yacht Tours group.
"And, not to forget, what about the potential earnings from those projects?" he
added further.
Minivan News HRC
Report Slams Prison Department
The Male’ remand centre "could be better"
the Prisons Director said today, after a scathing Human Rights Commission report
slammed the prison department (DPRS) for housing long-term prisoners in
temporary cells. More than 29 long-term prisoners are being held in overcrowded
cells intended for temporary prisoners, according to the report, released after
a snap inspection in August.
more
British Parliamentary Debate - Maldives
"We
care a great deal about the Maldives"
Foreign Minister Dr. Howells
When I made inquiries with our officials,
they said, "Look, as for contact between the
Maldivians and us, we are no more than a
phone call away.” We have a very good
relationship with the Maldivians, and it is
not at a formal level. If they want to speak
to us, they can do so at any time. I wanted
to reiterate that in the House tonight,
because it is an important point. We care a
great deal about the Maldives. It has a very
small population of 350,000, but as the hon.
Member for Southend, West, pointed out, it
has strong historical links with our
country, and we want to nurture and
strengthen those links.
more
BBC News Bhutto
convoy bombs kill dozens
At least 58 people have been killed and 100 wounded after two bombs hit
crowds greeting returning Pakistani ex-PM Benazir Bhutto. Ms Bhutto was
being driven in a convoy through crowded streets from Karachi airport to
a rally to mark her homecoming after eight years in exile. Ms Bhutto was
not among the casualties and has been driven to safety. Hundreds of
thousands of people had turned out to greet the former PM, amid a huge
security presence.
more
BBC News Huge
crowds greet Bhutto return
Hundreds of thousands of people have been greeting Benazir Bhutto,
following her dramatic return to Pakistan after eight years in exile.
Well-wishers packed the streets of Karachi in the hope of glimpsing the
ex-PM, causing her motorcade to get bogged down as it left the airport.
Ms Bhutto is set to hold power-sharing talks with President Pervez
Musharraf, which could see her becoming PM again.
more
BBC News Maldives
militant move condemned
A Maldives opposition
group has strongly condemned moves announced earlier this
week by the president to curb Islamic militancy in the
country. A spokesman for the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)
said the move was would "exacerbate extremism". They argue
that innocent people are being affected by the crackdown.
President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said that measures to combat
Islamic extremism were necessary to protect the country's
lucrative tourism industry.
more
News Review
Government
plans to make criminals out of youngsters
At a time when Maldivian jails are overflowing
with criminals and half the convicts are roaming the streets of the capital
because the Penitentiary system cannot accommodate them, the last thing that the
criminal justice system should be doing is to create additional categories of
crimes to pass jail sentences on. But that's exactly what the Attorney General's
Office is currently doing. They are busy increasing the punishments for sexual
misdemeanours, euphemistically labelled 'acts of bad behaviour.'
more
Minivan
News Government
Must Share Power, Says Shaheed
The Government should
share power with opposition parties to avert a "national
crisis," the former foreign secretary told Minivan News
today. A Government coalition with the Adhaalath party and
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is needed to pave the way
for next year's multi-party elections, and fight extremism,
Dr Shaheed said. "If the Government is serious about a free
and fair election, we need a temporary transition period,
where all parties are in the Cabinet. "And a broad-based
approach is imperative to fight extremism, now it has reared
it's ugly head."
more
AFP News
Maldives Dictator Sheikh
Gayyoom opening the first ever Institute of Islamic Studies
in the Maldives in 1980, 2 years after coming to power....
"Maldives being a 100% muslim country, government
acknowledges the importance of Arabic and Islamic education,
and as a result Mauhad was established. And so far, the goal
has been reached. " - Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom
Maldives cracks down on
Islamic extremism
MALE (AFP) - The
Maldives unveiled tough measures to combat Islamic extremism
and protect its vital luxury tourism industry after an
unprecedented bombing wounded British, Japanese and Chinese
holiday makers. An order from President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
said fundamentalists should not be allowed to conduct
religious services and that foreign clerics should not be
able to enter the country without special permission. The
decree, which also outlaws head-to-toe covering for women,
comes in the wake of a bombing on September 29 which wounded
two Britons, two Japanese and eight Chinese tourists
visiting a park in the island capital of Male. The bombing
has unsettled the Maldives, a nation of 330,000 Sunni
Muslims who have been practising a liberal form of the
religion and built South Asia's most successful economy with
the region's most exotic and upmarket destination.
more
Reporting network
for relatives of
persons detained
launched following
the demonstration of
12 and 13 of August
2004 in Male,
Maldives
Wednesday 17 October
2007
Editorial
How
far have we come in 4 years?
It was exactly 4 years to the day, when the BBC
World broadcast a special report on the Maldives, highlighting for the first
time, the extent of torture and oppression of the regime of Dictator Gayyoom.
Adam Mynott's pioneering report came as a shock to many and planted the seed for
the current democracy movement. For the very first time, the international
community was made aware of the rising tension in the country. The report
highlighted the cases of the murder of the inmates in Maafushi jail in the
preceding month, September 2003. The report drew attention to the plight of the
people in a country that until that time, the world thought was just a paradise.
more
Maldives Culture special
report - October
2003 BBC plot to destabilise Maldives, says regime
The government of Maldives and its
supporters are accusing the BBC of taking part in a plot to destabilise
the country, after the broadcast of interviews with two Maldivians,
recorded in Male', who were openly critical of President Gayyoom.
Alerted by SMS mobile phone messages, many Maldivians watched BBC news
on Friday night and cheered as Ahmed Nazim, the younger brother of
Mohamed Nasheed ex-Majlis member for Male', appeared in a live broadcast
and made damning statements about President Gayyoom and his regime.
Ahmed Nazim has not yet been arrested.
more
Special Review
Latest
in a series of dirty tricks
On June 5, 2007, I gave an interview to Al-Jazeera
laying the blame for the proliferation of the
drug-culture in the Maldives on Maldives Police
Services. Considering the fact that the
population of the Maldives is around 300,000
people, 70% of them are under 35 years of age.
It works to around 210,000 people. That’s the
total number of youth in this country and 40% of
them are unemployed. Perhaps you may surmise it
is the lack of jobs that is the problem. Not so.
The problem is drugs: mostly brown sugar. 40% of
the youth are jobless, aimlessly hanging around
and the natural cycle ending in finding solace
in drugs with the result crime rates soaring to
unprecedented heights.
more
Minivan
News Shangri-la
Used Front Company To Rig Male' Hotel Bid
Handiwork
Investment Limited, the company initially awarded the
contract to build Male’s luxury hotel, was a front
company used to ensure Shangri-la Maldives won the
lucrative deal at the lowest possible cost, Minivan News
can reveal. Shangri-la and Handiwork, both subsidiaries
of the Kouk Company, offered the Government $5 million
and $8 million advance rent respectively to build the
hotel.
more
BBC
News Oil
reaches new records above $87
Oil prices have hit
record levels above $87 a barrel amid tensions between
Turkey and Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq and output
concerns.
In Tuesday trading, US light, sweet crude rose as high
as $87.97 a barrel before easing back to $87.61, while
Brent finished at $84.16. The continued upward curve
followed reports that Turkish forces had shelled an
Iraqi border village in recent days. With global
supplies tight, any threat to oil output is likely to
hit prices.
more
Tourism
News Mandara
Spa for the Maldives
Steiner Leisure has
confirmed it will operate its second Mandara Spa, in the
Maldives, after signing a further agreement with the
Alila Villas Hadahaa Resort. The facility will feature
five double spa villas, an outdoor pavilion, a
reflection pool, lap pool and outdoor spa bath.
more
BBC
News Two
aircrafts collide at Heathrow
Two airliners have been involved in a collision while
taxiing at Heathrow airport in west London. One was a
British Airways Boeing 747 departing for Singapore and
the other was a Sri Lankan Airlines Airbus A340.
Heathrow's operator, BAA, confirmed there had been an
incident at around 2220 BST and that there were no
reported injuries. BA said there had been a "minor
collision" involving flight BA011 and an investigation
has started.
more
Abdullah Waheed's Blog Come
on Sheikhs: You got some explaining to do
It's high time one
of these sheikhs told us what they have been preaching
to simple Maldivians for the last 20 years. What we have
been hearing from them are sermons on beards and buruqas.
After that we saw people in islands like Himendhoo
sporting exactly such beards, not to mention the black
veils surrounding the women folk. We thought that was
what the sheikhs were promoting. Then suddenly a bomb
exploded in the Sultan Park and now the Sheikhs are
telling us that Himendhoo people have gone badly astray.
That won't do, my dear Sheikhs. It's high time you put
your acts together and explained the difference between
what you say and what Himendhoo people say.
more
Business News (LBO)
Shangri
La win bid to build luxury hotel in Male'
COLOMBO October 14,
2007 (LBO) - Leisure operator, Shangri-La has been
selected to build a five-star city hotel in the
Maldivian capital of Male, a senior minister said
Sunday. Shangri-La Maldives, which is currently building
a 400-bed resort in the northern atoll of Villingili, is
expected to complete the 200-bed city hotel by 2010,
Tourism Minister Mahamood Shougee said.
more
BBC News Tourists
die in Thai cave floods
Eight tourists,
including one Briton, have died after being swept away
by flash floods in Thailand while exploring a cave. The
tour group were trekking through the Khao Sok national
park in Surat Thani province when the cave flooded. The
dead have not been officially identified but reports say
they were two Thai guides, a British man, a German boy
and four Swiss nationals.
more
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The
Dream
By the strength of our
common endeavour, to achieve what we cannot do alone, to grant each of
us the power to realize our full potential, and the means to create for
this and future generations a community in which power, wealth and
opportunity are in the hands of the many not the few, where the respect
we receive reflect the duties we owe, so that freed from the tyranny of
poverty, ignorance and fear, we could live together in spirit of
solidarity tolerance and respect.
[Clause 4 - Labour
Party - UK]
Quotes
"Verily never will God change
the condition of a people until they change it themselves."
Holy Qur'an 13:11
The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good
men to do nothing. - Edmund Burke
Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the
power to make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
The past
half-century provides ample proof that democracy is more
than just another form of government; it is also a
powerful generator of international security,
prosperity, and peace. — Madeleine K. Albright, NDI
Chairman
Channel 4
Special TV Report Crackdown
in the Maldives
The authorities in the Maldives have been cracking down
on political dissent. The Maldives have become a holiday destination for the
well heeled. But away from the eyes of tourists, the government there has been
cracking down on political dissent. Watch the report
watch the report on Channel 4 site
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Copyright 2006-
Dhivehi Observer
Kutti
gets a new portfolio Ministry of Legal
Reform, 'Dhebakurtuvaa', Information and Extreme
Arts with Sweeping Road Maps; Azima Shukoor is
the new Attorney General
Kutti
Nasheed to be declared Holy Roman Emperor
Munavvaru,
Anni, Zaki and Reeko Moosa to contest for the
'TOP' job
Hassan
Saeed Quits DRP
FIFA to
facilitate Maldives FA to comply with Statutes
All is
not lost for Iraq tourism
(cSwCcawm
cnurwhwa 18) WyiretcsWlcKia
.jpg)
ނައިފަރު
ގޮނުއަނގަ
ކަރާޝިބު
މުރާޖައާ(18 އަހަރުން މައްޗަށް) 
Cut
'Izzaththeri' and maybe we can complete the
constitution on time 
Election
Commissioner Must Go: IDC Poll Coordinator
A nod and a wink
Feeding
Dr. Afrasheem to the lions
Time
To Come Clean On The Economy
Constitution
Complete By January: Ibra
Aqua
Restaurant in airport shut down by authority for failing food and hygiene
standards
2008
Elections: It's now or never for MDP
Hussain
Ali Manik to Exhibit in China
ނައިފަރު
ފަތިފުށް
Paradise
without the gloss
CIMA
expands operations to the Maldives
Maldives
tourism under threat
MDP
Must Chose Presidential Candidate Now: Suood
Why
I'm Backing My Brother For President: Abdullah Yameen
Dictator
Gayyoom : Father of Extremism in the Maldives
Court
Rules Government Must Reinstate Sacked Employee
I
Have Not Broken Party Regulations: Anni On
Aneesa Meeting
President
Nathan makes four-day state visit to Maldives
Government
Admits Mistakes Over Biyadhoo Resort Award
Feuding
sultan's secret billions exposed
Gayyoom's
last resort?
Maldives
fears foreign terror cells as religious tensions
rise
Maldives:
building a community in the middle of the ocean
Mozambique
ex-leader wins prize 
India's
missing girls 
Optimism
'no bearing on cancer' 
President
Gayoom must bear responsibility for emerging
extremism in Maldives - Dr. Munavvar
Am
I to face the same fate as Fahala Saeed?
Dictator
Gayoom is the only roadblock to Reform
Declaration
by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on
developments in the Maldives
Parties
support call to speed up transitional arrangements prior to
multi-party elections
Civil
Court postpones Referendum fraud cases
'New
Maldives' group to visit UK
HRC
Report Slams Prison Department
ހަވީރު
ނޫސް
"We
care a great deal about the Maldives"
Foreign Minister Dr. Howells
Bhutto
convoy bombs kill dozens 
Huge
crowds greet Bhutto return
Maldives
militant move condemned 
Government
plans to make criminals out of youngsters
ޚަބަރު
މުރާޖައާ
chWx cnWx
Shangri-la
Used Front Company To Rig Male' Hotel Bid
Oil
reaches new records above $87 
Mandara
Spa for the Maldives 
އެޓޯލްސް
މިނިސްޓަރު ތަސްމީން އަލީއާ ކުރާ ދައުވާފަސްކުރެވިއްޖެ
އޯކޭ
ޒާހިރު 
Two
aircrafts collide at Heathrow
Come
on Sheikhs: You got some explaining to do 
Shangri
La win bid to build luxury hotel in Male' 
Tourists
die in Thai cave floods 
ކުނބުރުދޫ
ހަސަނު
ޚާއްސަ ކަރާޝިބު މުރާޖައާ
ގޮނުއަނގަ.ކޮމް
