Updated: 09/12/2005 07:01:12

International News & Reports on Maldives Please visit www.bbc.co.uk for world news Main - September 2004 - August 2004 - Archives Saturday 30th October 2004 Dictator of the Month: November, 2004 Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom According to Gayyoom's official biography, he became friends after a state visit to Saddam Hussein in Iraq in 1980. Similar to Hussein, some of Gayyoom's critics allege that he is not a believer in Islam, and uses Islam as a political tool to increase support. It is also alleged that some islanders actually believe he is third is the holy hierarchy - first Allah, followed by Muhammad and then Gayyoom or Kuda Kuda Kalaan'ge, ('little little god', referring to his physical size). read more   The World's Dictators in 2004 Here is a comprehensive gallery of the world's dictators. We define a dictator as the ruler of a land rated "Not Free" by Freedom House in their annual survey of freedom. read more     Friday 29th October 2004  journalism.co.uk Writers languish in Maldive jails Press freedom group Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) has expressed growing concern for a group of cyber-dissidents who are serving lengthy sentences for publishing pro-democracy information online. read more read more   News Source: Khaleej Times Commonwealth Secretary General Concerned over the continued custody of political detainees The Commonwealth secretary general also praised Maldives for launching steps towards democratic reform, but expressed concern over the continued custody of political detainees. President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom lifted a state of emergency this month which had been imposed to crack down on political dissidents. "Clearly, everyone would like to see the issue behind them rather than in front of them," McKinnon said. The emergency giving wide powers to Gayyoom was declared on August 13 after thousands of people demonstrated in Male demanding democratic reforms the president himself had promised. It was lifted after international condemnation and a European Union resolution seeking an aid embargo on Asia's most expensive tourist destination. The Maldivian government initially said it detained 185 people after the August protests, but last month said only 78 people remained in custody, including seven parliamentarians. read Khaleej Times    Torture news  No change in US torture policy Asia Times, 29 Oct 2004 'The failure to substantially change policy and practice after the scandal of Abu Ghraib leaves the US government completely lacking in credibility when it asserts its opposition to torture' read more   Thursday 28 October 2004 What does the Commonwealth know about Maldives? Submission of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group's meeting, 25th September 2004 The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) is committed to providing a civil society perspective on human rights issues covered by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group. As such, please find below details of our concerns and recommendations regarding the one country currently on CMAG's agenda, Pakistan; a country that is fast deteriorating and requires immediate Commonwealth action, Maldives; and a former Commonwealth member, Zimbabwe. We have also included our recommendations regarding the future activity of CMAG. read more    thetravelrag.com - the independent traveller's online read Paradise lost Following on from her report last year on alleged human rights abuses being committed in the paradisiacal Maldives, Rebecca Cork, returns to the issue and finds violence remains unchecked. They call them the Paradise Islands, but behind the white beaches, the rolling surf and the palm trees of the Maldives lurks a darker reality. Tourists may be pampered and stress-free, but others in the island republic are routinely beaten or murdered by thugs working for the nation's ruthless dictator. read more   The Worlds Worst Dictators  Mirror.co.uk Here is a list of the world's 10 worst living dictators as compiled by dictator-watcher David Wallechinsky in collaboration with Amnesty International, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders. read more    ABC News link  Four Britons sue US officials over Guantanamo 'torture' The four are seeking a total of $US10 million in damages in the action in a Washington district court.  read more see also: Center for Constitutional Rights - A letter from Guantanamo     Wednesday 27 October 2004  THIRD ANNUAL WORLDWIDE PRESS FREEDOM INDEX Maldives ranked 157th & North Korea 167th (the worst) - Denmark is ranked Top Reporters Without Borders announces its third annual worldwide index of press freedom. Such freedom is threatened most in East Asia (with North Korea at the bottom of the entire list at 167th place, followed by Burma 165th, China 162nd, Vietnam 161st and Laos 153rd) and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia 159th, Iran 158th, Syria 155th, Iraq 148th). The Maldives (157th) lost ground in this year's index because of a crackdown on journalists and pro-democracy activists by long-time President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom. read more     Tuesday 26 October 2004 Maldives' moves - Frontline update      World news Saudi mini-revolt fizzles newsday.com RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- The quiet revolt began with late-night meetings in living rooms and cafes. Academics, lawyers, businessmen and journalists drafted polite petitions and communiques demanding reform. They wanted an elected parliament, an independent court system and basic rights for women in a society where they can't even drive. read more     Monday 25 October 2004   Reporters Without Borders Cyber-dissident Fathimath Nisreen banished again Reporters Without Borders welcomed the release from prison today of cyber-dissident Fathimath Nisreen, who was detained on 13 August in the wake of a pro-democracy rally, but condemned as "unacceptable" her announced transfer within a few days to Feeail island south of the capital to resume serving a five-year sentence of "banishment." read more       Friday 22 October 2004 Maldives names defence minister as envoy to India New Delhi, Oct 22 (IANS) The Maldives has appointed Minister of State for Defence and National Security Abdul Sattar Adam as its first high commissioner to India. India's external affairs ministry Friday said it had been informed about Adam's appointment and that he was expected to take up his post shortly. The Maldives high commission in Delhi will be the fourth diplomatic mission abroad of the Indian Ocean atoll nation with a population of 300,000, after Sri Lanka, Britain and the UN. Adam was in the centre of a political storm in August when he ordered his National Security Service personnel to disperse by force demonstrators in the capital Male demanding democratic reforms. President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom had clamped emergency following the incident but has since lifted it. By Indo-Asian News Service     Thursday 21 October 2004  Reuters Maldives leader dismisses rights critics MALE, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Beset by accusations of endemic human rights abuses in his Indian Ocean resort nation, Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom says his critics should check their facts before accusing his regime of systematic torture. read more       Tuesday 19 October 2004   Khin Nyunt has been seen as more reform-minded  World News on BBC Burma's prime minister 'arrested' Conservative elements in Burma's military junta have ousted Prime Minister Khin Nyunt and put him under house arrest, Thai officials say.  "Khin Nyunt was removed from his position," Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told reporters. read more                Friday 15th October 2004    Ideas for Gayyoom Zimbabwe set for treason verdict He is accused of plotting to kill President Robert Mugabe ahead of elections controversially won by the Zimbabwean leader in 2002. Mr Tsvangirai denies the charge and contends that he was framed by the security services. read more     Concern about the fate of four cyberdissidents two months after their arrest Reporters Without Borders The organisation called on the European Commission to put into effect a resolution passed by the parliament in mid-September on freezing all financial aid to the Maldives. "President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom continues to rely on hypocrisy in his dealings with the international community. He has indeed just lifted the state of emergency, but most of the demonstrators who were arrested on 13 August are still being held."  read more       Tuesday 12th October 2004 Maldives resumes bid to reshape democracy Source: Reuters COLOMBO, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The Maldives took a step towards long-promised democratic reform on Tuesday, convening a special assembly of lawmakers to revamp its restrictive constitution. read more     Saturday 9th October 2004 A Cry for democracy The crackdown on pro-democracy dissidents in the Maldives puts under peril the country's transition to full-fledged democracy, which will depend on the pace of reforms and the government's ability to convince its critics that it will deliver. read more If you would like to comment on this Frontline story, please write to 'letters to the editor' at: frontline@thehindu.co.in For authenticity, please remember to include your full postal address in the email.       Friday 8th October 2004 Maldives eases emergency COLOMBO (AFP) - The Indian Ocean state of the Maldives has eased some provisions of a state of emergency imposed after a pro-democracy uprising and allowed the International Red Cross access to political prisoners. The Maldivian government said in a statement sent here Friday that President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom "reinstated a number of rights and laws that had been suspended since the declaration of a state of emergency" on August 14. However, the state of emergency remained in force in Male, the capital island of Asia's most expensive resort industry, and a few neighbouring islands. read more     Ideas for Gayyoom Tanzania's leader snubs new jet Tanzania's President Benjamin Mkapa is not using his new presidential jet to attend a meeting in Ethiopia after criticism from the opposition. The controversial $40m US Gulfstream G550 jet arrived in Tanzania on Friday. No explanation was given as the president left Dar es Salaam for Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines plane.   An opposition leader described plans to take the plane to an African Commission meeting to discuss poverty as "really embarrassing". read more on BBC     US Students tackle crime code grounded in Islamic law PHILADELPHIA - Professor Paul Robinson's fall seminar at the University of Pennsylvania Law School offered a unique opportunity for the ambitious student: a chance to make law, rather than just study it. As part of a project sponsored by the United Nations, the class's sole task would be to craft an updated crime code for the Republic of Maldives, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean. The job would be no exercise. The students would work with high-ranking Maldivian officials. Their final draft would be submitted to the country's parliament. As a bonus, some would get to travel to the tropical archipelago, known for its white beaches, coral reefs and luxurious resorts. But there was a catch. The students' client would be a regime that has outlawed dissent, jailed pro-democracy demonstrators and been accused by Amnesty International of "endemic torture and unfair trials." read more   UK government believes international aid is being misused The UN Millennium development goals, adopted by world leaders in 2000 to address poverty, health and environmental problems, are "off track" in 72 middle-income countries, according to a report by the Department for International Development (Dfid) that shows very few of these countries are likely to meet their targets, and that progress over the next 11 years will be slow and uneven. ? Middle-income countries (MICs) include Albania, Columbia, Peru, Samoa, Iraq, Iran, the Maldives, Thailand, Ecuador, Surinam and Swaziland. Per capita incomes range from $750 (?421) a year to more than $9,000 (?5,047). read more in The Guardian      Wednesday 6th October 2004 Maldives grants ICRC access to detainees Geneva/New Delhi (ICRC) - On the 5th of October the ICRC and the government of the Maldives signed a memorandum of understanding granting the ICRC access to all persons arrested and detained in the country. read more

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