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FOM Press Release
Maldives Aid Co-ordinator Nicola Witt Blacklisted!

23rd July 2005

Maldives Aid - the leading British charity working in the Maldives are dismayed by the recent blacklisting of Nicola Witt, a Maldives Aid co-ordinator.

Ms Witt, volunteered for Maldives Aid after the Tsunami, and has made a tremendous effort to send emergency aid to the Maldives. She has been a key member of the team that has sent over 120 tons of Aid to the Maldives.

The reason for the blacklisting has not been given by the Government of Maldives. All attempts to find out more information from the Maldives High Commission in London and Immigration in the Maldives have been unsuccessful.

Ms Witt has no involvement with the campaigning issues of Friends of Maldives the Human Rights group who highlights human rights abuses and political repression in the Maldives. Her only concerns have been to help the Tsunami victims, and to ensure that they receive the aid that has been collected by the people of the United Kingdom.

The Maldivian Government released a policy in late April, allowing them to seize all Tsunami aid from NGOs. All aid must now be channelled through the Disaster Management Centre, in order to ''avoid duplication''. In a recent interview, Ms Witt expressed her concerns over the fate of the 14 tons of educational aid sitting in Government warehouses in the Maldives. ''I simply do not understand why we cannot get involved in any of the distribution process of the Happy Buckets filled with educational aid. People from South England are very upset as they worked so very hard on this project. Schools, children, parents, grandparents, teachers, businesses and local media have all been involved. I volunteered to help the Maldivian people after the Tsunami and have been helping for over 6 months now and want to continue to help but feel as though my hands are tied. I am frustrated and confused at being blacklisted by the country whose people I have helped and wish to continue to help.''

Maldives Aid requests a clear explanation from the Government of Maldives why they continue to blacklist British citizens. The continued blacklisting of foreigners seems absurd when the Maldives are still facing serious problems – a collapse of their tourism industry (down by 50%) and shortfall of Aid donors some 7 months following the Tsunami.

The blacklisting of Ms Witt follows the blacklisting of founder of Trustee of Maldives Aid and Founder of Friends of Maldives David Hardingham in late April 2005. His blacklisting while investigations took place regarding his supposed involvement in an Islamic extremist plot to smuggle arms into the Maldives was all the more surprising considering the Government of Maldives had been accusing him of heading a Christian missionary organisation.