:: Dhivehi Observer :: Peoples Press ::

A 34 year old man dies whilst in care

Mariyam Mohamed, 18 May 2004

Dhivehi Observer was alerted that Mr. Ali Mahir, a 34 year old man from S. Hulhudhoo died Sunday night whilst in care of the government controlled Mental Institute in Guraidhoo Island in Male’ Atoll. Reports say that he was found in the sea early evening and died around 8:30 pm.

The family of the man was not informed of his untimely death and he was buried last night at mid-night in Guraidhoo without the knowledge and the consent of his family. His family is now concerned that he could have died under suspicious circumstances.

Haveeru, the government controlled newspaper reports, that an unnamed official at Social Security Ministry as saying that "34-year-old Ali Mahir was missing after dinner time Sunday and was found in the lagoon of Guraidhoo, an island where the state-run institution for mentally challenged patients is located".

It is conformed that he was alive when we was found but later died under undisclosed circumstances.

According to officials from the Welfare ministry, Ali Mahir has been brought to the mental institution on many occasions, and that when he died he was staying at the institution because he had nobody to take care of him.

His family members have now filed a case with the police for the relevant authorities failure to inform them of his death and the subsequent burial.

Haveeru also reported the official as saying, “The institution is required to inform the Atoll Office of the atoll from where the patient comes from. We did that,” the official said.

“Moreover, his relatives have never inquired about him all this time which was why he was brought here to be looked after in the first place. How can we contact any family members in such circumstances?” the official added.

Names of officials are never reported and accountability for many of the government organisations in the Maldives is almost close to non-existent. Many similar cases or similar deaths in jails are almost never investigated independently in the Maldives.

The police are said to be investigating the matter. As of yet they have not made any statements.

In Maldives, post-mortem and pathological investigation is not common and burying the dead quickly is a long standing tradition. Authorities must show more concern about these issues in order to maintain public order and trust. It must be made mandatory to investigate cases such as this to avoid concerns of the public. In the aftermath of brutal killings of 4 inmates at Maldives jail last September by the Government of Maldives, one would hope that all such cases will be handled with extreme caution and great deal of respect.

Apology

Initially when we reported this news we reported the age of Ali Mahir as 27, we apologise for this error.