Wednesday 29 December 2004

 Main News
Tsunami waves flood Maldives

Thousands homeless

DAY 4

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Please note that despite request for temporary lift of the ban on this website, Gayyoom has not done so. That way we can reach out to a larger proportion of internet users in Maldives who can give us accurate information and news and help with finding missing persons as well. We want to help in our little way by providing as much information as possible besides the controlled information from Gayyoom's Task Force - the DO Team

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News Updates >>>

Tsunami predicted by Maldives Culture in September 2003 - Maumoonabad and Gayoomdeebiya
By a DO reader - I was searching internet and came across this article in Maldives Culture written in September 2003. The writer has thought of tsunami effecting Maldives and possible consequences to Maumoon Abad.
"The Hulhumale project contravenes the policy of decentralisation which the government pretends to pursue. Developing an island next to Male' doesn't help decentralisation. It is bringing more people to an area which is already ridiculously congested. People implementing the project suggest that 'sheet piling' of the shoreline will protect Hulhumale from big waves and erosion. Has anyone thought about the affect of 'tsunami' which could wash across the whole island from one shore to the other. Maldives has been lucky that we haven't experienced this lately." This article which appeared on Maldives Culture website is published below.

Do we need a Saddam City? Definitely not in Maldives you might think, but I was reading the Dhevana Visnevvun, Second Thought column in Haveeru (30 August 2003) and I could barely control myself.
read more


Maldives culture and all other dissident websites like DO, Minivan News, the Maldivian Democratic Party website, and Sandhaanu are banned by Gayyoom. Controlling information to the public can have disastrous consequences.

Benn pledges 15 million pounds for tsunami victims
International Development Secretary Hilary Benn has pledged 15 million pounds for the international aid effort underway to help the victims of the Asian tsunami disaster. read more

Scotish Water (UK) sending 18,000 litres of bottled water to Maldives

A BBC News 24 report said that Scotish water has loaded 18,000 litres of bottled water to an emply flight bound to Maldives to bring UK tourists. The charter is operated by First Choice, one of the largest UK tour operators to the Maldives. They will be bringing back 300 tourists from Maldives. The flight is expected to reach Maldives tomorrow.

2:10 pm: *Ibrahim Ismail MP released from house arrest*
1:30 pm: *Mohamed Shaaz Waleed released from jail, placed under house arrest in Male'*
11:20 am: *Chlorine in acute shortage in the islands. Some supplies are available in Male' but distribution is very poor. People desperate for chlorine to clean water as there are no means of boiling water in the islands as utensils and kitchens have been washed away* *chlorine also needs to help dispose of rotting animals washed up on the beaches of many islands*
10:39 am: *Acute lack of medicines and qualified aid helpers in the Maldives - reports from Male' state*
10:34 am: *rotten cows and goats, probably from Sri Lanka as Maldives do not have these animals, washing up in Maldives. Urgent lack of chlorine to deal with these rotten carcasses* *Urgent lack masks and gloves for aid workers, reports from Male' state*
10:33 am: *Police in Male' shouting at refugees in Male' from the islands - residents complaining there is no counselling service available to those in shock*
10:32 am: *Island chiefs refusing to accept aid from Male' that does not come from government sources*
10:30 am: *Private relief work is continuing despite government ban on private relief work - but government refusing cooperate with private helpers*
7:04 am: *Daniel Dayakar, Age:34, Height: 5ft 2 inches; Anne Josephine ( Kalpana), Age: 29, Height : 5ft 1 inches who were thought to be traveling from Male' to Kolhufushi (in Meemu Atoll) at the time of the tidal wave, please contact Naveen Kudari in the United States (510-209-7372) or on nkudari@yahoo.com*
6:59 am: *Badly hit resorts (casualties not reported): Baros, Club Med Kani & Faru, Fun island, Full Moon, Kandooma, Olhuveli, Sonevagili, Veligandu Huraa, Dhigufinolhu, Dhonveli beach, Gasfinolhu, Kihaadhufaru, One and Only Kanuhuraa, Taj Exotica, Vilu Reef beach, Four Seasons, Hakuraa, Medhufushi, Rihiveli, Velavaru, and White Sands resort.*
12:42 am: *Crowd of youths reportedly confronts Atolls Minister Abdulla Hameed and demands to know where boats and launches are which are normally used to take people to Dhoonidhoo and Maafushi Jails*
12:41am: *D.Meedhoo Atoll School reportedly completely destroyed*
12:38am: *B. Dhonfanu, no bed on the island, people are reportedly sleeping on the beach area under the shade of a sail*
more on www.minivannews.com

President Gayyoom was confronted by an angry crowd when he arrived to visit his emergency task force at Iskandar school in Male' at 2 am, the morning after the tsunamis hit. People were angry about the lack of official information and failure of the Dhiraagu telecommunication services to the islands, especially to the atolls south of Male'.

Gayyoom was well aware of the tsunami threat on Sunday morning, according to a Dhivehi article published by DO. He and his family were on board their luxury yacht when the waves hit the capital. The NSS coastguard vessels and other high speed boats from the presidential fleet were all taken out of the harbour without delay. The NSS marched out of the Fort as the waves hit, and they blocked the road on both sides of the president's office. Gayyoom came back to Male' two hours later, after there was no more threat of tsunamis, and drove a few hundred metres around Male' in a gleaming motorcade of expensive four-wheel drive vehicles.
All warnings of the possible tsunami were suppressed in the Gayyoom-controlled Maldives media. DO reported the earthquake, but this website is blocked in Maldives by Gayyoom.


Latest death toll figures: 68 dead, 76 Missing
In Dhonfanu island, Baa atoll, there are no beds. People are sleeping on the beach under sails.
In Meedhoo island, Dhaalu atoll, the atoll school and building contents have been completely destroyed.
An injured man has had his leg removed in hospital.
Refugees from the islands continue to land in Male'.
A group of young men confronted Atolls minister Abdullah Hameed  and asked where were the NSS launches that always seemed to be available to take them to jail.


'That is not true actually!' - Sobir on BBC Asia Today
'I think the Task Force is doing a remarkable job in getting the right aid at the right places at the right time and I don't think that we should be engaging ourselves in politics at this time because this is like I said a humanitarian disaster and it would be very cheap and cruel and selfish to be talking about politics at this time,' Hassan Sabir, Maldives High Commissioner in London.
read more

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Kandoomafushi - Vilivaru - Male' airport: Shipping out the bad news from foreign minister's resort 
Tourist's account
On the dhoani to Kandooma from Vilivaru, I was sitting next to a middle-aged British couple. They had lost everything in the tsunami. They told me they wanted to phone their family to let them know they were alive and the Vilivaru manager said they would have to pay for the call. They explained to him they had lost all their money. He would not allow them to make a call. They also asked for a bottle of mineral water and were refused on the grounds that they had no money. A guest at Vilivaru bought their drinks and let them use his mobile to call home. My husband and I were doing likewise - buying drinks and letting people use our phones.
read more


Declaration of the Presidency of the European Union regarding the earthquake in the Indian Ocean
EU Member States have deployed rescue personnel and cargo aircraft or have made substantial contributions to emergency appeals of the Red Cross and other organizations. As an initial response, the European Commission has made available EURO 3 million for emergency aid.
read more


Briton Surfed his Way to Maldives Safety
The tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean barely noticed the Maldives, tearing through the collection of low-lying atolls – submerging some of them completely for several minutes – dragging tourists from their hotel rooms and swimmers out to sea. read more from news.scotsman.com

'Why didn't the Maldives, as one of the most tsunami endangered countries, have a warning system at their disposal?' ask the Germans

[Stemming from Germany's most respected news/politics magazine -Der Spiegel -Translation]

US-Authorities have tried to warn the affected Asian countries in advance of the threatening flood-waves. The reason for the failure has been the missing of an official alarm system for this region, Claims tv-station NDTV, with reference to the US- Pacific-Tsunami-Warning Center. Shortly after registering the heavy seaquake several US American Ambassadors and the US Foreign Department were contacted. Their try to get in touch with the official sides in the affected countries unfortunately failed. The Indian Government now wants to install a tsunami warning system. And here come the questions from Germany:
1. Why was it impossible to reach Maldivian officials in advance?
2. Why didn't the Maldives, as one of the most tsunami endangered countries, have a warning system at their disposal?

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'Industry is the functioning' said Firaq from Tourism ministry

Ali Firag of Tourism Ministry said on TV that the Maldives tourism industry is getting to normal. He says 55 resorts are functioning well and only 19 resorts in bad shape. According to Firaq the tourists who initially wanted to cancel their stay in Maldives have abandoned the idea and decided to stay in the Maldives. However, he said that some tourists have cancelled their bookings and decided not to come to Maldives. While he was giving the interview in Dhivehi he used some English words and there was a very funny thing he said and thus he said: ''industry is the functioning''. DO Correspondent - Male'

Gayyoom! Please stop the propaganda and save our people

Tonight Television Maldives (TVM) showed aerial pictures of tsunami affected islands in Laamu atoll. From the video I can clearly see that some islands are very badly affected. In some islands I saw many cleared areas where some houses once stood.
TVM also showed videos of some islands in Thaa Atoll. From these pictures I can clerarly see the utter destruction of houses and collapse of walls. Its just like a mess.
Island Chief of Thaa Atoll Ibrahim Manik Dhon Manik (brother of Hussain Manik Dhon Manik) was interviewed. During the interview he was standing near the Atoll Office behind some coconut trees on the beach of the island capital. He was wearing a sunglass and can't see his eyes. He talked very slowely carefully choosing the right words in order to please his mighty boss Minister of Atolls Abdulla Hameed. Even in this time of tragedy these Chiefs are playing politics.
Today morning there was another noticeable interview given by the Katheeb of Raa Atoll Alifushi on TVM. He was particulary talking about what happen to the island of Kandholhudhoo in the same atoll. He was having a meeting with the Atoll Chief and other island chiefs in Atholhuge, he says. Then he quickly left the island and went to his island where he found no demages. So he organised ways on how to help the people of Kandholhudhoo and he sent a fishing dhoni to bring people to Alifushi. He says they are now accommodated very well and they are feeding as well. He went on talking like that for a long time. Then at the end of the interview he began talking about thanking our might Maumoon and others. Then the director of the program at TVM stopped the interview but still the Katheeb was talking. DO Correspondent - Male'

Aid desperately required for Maldives in aftermath of Quake Disaster
Friends of Maldives are in the process of setting up a fund for donations to provide aid to the Maldives. Please see below for details of how to donate or send aid to the Maldives. The situation in the Maldives is serious and much aid is needed now and during the coming days and weeks.
Many islands have been totally destroyed by the floods making people homeless and leaving people without water, food, clothing or first aid. The area struck by the quake is so vast that much more aid is required all over Asia to ensure that the death toll does not increase. The coming days are particularly critical as water storage buildings have been destroyed, homes washed away and an epidemic is feared. read more


Diarrhoea Fact Sheet - Treatment and Prevention
Diarrhoea can cause dehydration, which means the body lacks enough fluid to function properly. Dehydration is particularly dangerous in children and the elderly, and it must be treated promptly to avoid serious health problems. People of all ages can get diarrhoea. read more

 

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'We only want donor countries to give money, we don't want help from Non Governmental Organisations' says Maldivian Government

According to sources in the Maldivian governments Tsunami Taskforce, Gayyoom is very unwelcoming to approaches by non-governmental organisations to help in the rescue and recovery efforts in the Maldives. NGOs are known to operate in disaster struck countries through their contacts on the ground rather than the government. It is therefore widely recognised that NGOs tend to get more out of a dollar than to the victims than which comes through governments.

None of the internationally renowned NGOs are operating in the Maldives at this moment in time, such as Oxfam and Care International.

Gayyoom is very concerned about exposing the state of the islands to the wider world because it will clearly show that he resides over a small city surrounded by his exotic billion dollar tourism industry which has now suffered an enormous setback. Gayyoom intends to continue with his dictatorial and autocratic rule at the expense of hundreds of innocent Maldivian lives.

Many grass-root political analysts believe that the Egyptian style 'committee' governments do not have the capacity to handle humanitarian work. Gayyoom is destined to fail and our people are paying with their lives. It is time public demands his resignation. Fresh blood is needed.

Tales of Tsunami victims

Fahud's lucky escape, we wish him a quick recovery

Fuhud is studying in Australia, he was home for his annual holiday. When the waves hit the Maldives, he was in the airport. Unlike so many who did not survive the ferrocious power of the Tsunami, Fahud got away with minor injuries, just cuts and bruises. We will him well. If you have a story to tell, please email us on dhivehiobserver@gmail.com

 

NSS shamed into limited response
When the tsunamis hit Male', police chief Adam Zahir took NSS officers to his house to salvage his personal property from the flooding. Neighbours noticed this and gathered around the officers and abused them for doing personal favours for their boss instead of helping the people of Male'.
The officers left Zahir's house when the abuse intensified, and soon afterwards the NSS began to offer limited help in the capital to people who had suffered serious flooding damage.

Abbas Ibrahim chased off Gaddhoo by angry tsunami victims

The public outrage began when Abbas was found discreetly distributing cash in sums of Mrf500 and Mrf1000 to some of his supporters inside a room in Bageechaage, where his campaign office is located. The money was labeled as aid (Abbas Ehee, Abbas help) for the poor people left penniless by the tsunamis.
read more


 Exclusive
"Please come to Maldives, we need you" pleads Riffath, Chairman of Capital Travel & Tours