Author: Mohamed Reehaan

Maldives government implements a system facilitating submission of grievances regarding civil rights infringement or violation. President of the Maldives Dr. Mohamed Muizzu set up the “Office for Civil Rights” under the Attorney General’s Office mandate. The office on Thursday, November 23 said they will look into complaints regarding the protection of civil rights guaranteed to the public by the Maldives Constitution and laws. As per the Attorney General’s Office, action will be taken based on formal complaints made by the public regarding denial of civil rights. Complaints regarding denied civil rights will be handled as per the “Guidelines on filing…

South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) has presented a special award to tourism industry pioneer Mohamed Umar Manik (MU Manik). At a special ceremony held in Kurumba Maldives, SATA presented the award in recognition of MU Manik’s extensive contribution towards tourism industry promotion and growth in the Maldives. Manik is among the first individuals in the Maldives to operate a tourist resort, and presently he is one of the leading resort operators in the country. SATA was established in 2016, and is regarded as one of the most prominent tourism industry accolades granted in the region. The tourism awards is recognized…

Tourist arrivals to the Maldives have reached over 1.6 million according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Tourism. As per the ministry, the total tourist arrivals as of November 20, 2023 observed a 13.0% increment in annual terms. Monthly Arrivals January: 172,499 | 30.9% February: 177,915 | 19.4% March: 173,514 | 15.1% April: 164,357 | 13.1% May: 120,959 | -3.6% June: 120,363 | 8.5% July: 145,620 | 9.0% August: 154,854 | 17.4% September: 130,967 | 16.9% October: 159,141 | 3.5% November (1 – 20): 110,343 | 12.2% According to statistics so far, the only month with a decrement…

Later this month, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is scheduled to fly to Dubai to participate in the 28th edition of the International Conference on Environment, COP-28. The announcement of his attendance was made on Wednesday evening, November 22, at JEN Maldives by Shangri-La during the celebration of the 52nd Union Day of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The COP Summit is scheduled from November 30 to December 12 this year. President Muizzu, addressing the gathering on Wednesday evening, highlighted the importance of this year’s COP meeting; especially for small island nations. He also expressed optimism about utilizing the “loss and…

Notable Maldivian entrepreneur Amir Mansoor has been appointed as the new president of National Boating Association of Maldives (NBAM). Additionally, the association had appointed two other executive board members during the annual general meeting held on Wednesday evening, November 22, at Maagiri Hotel. The previous president of the association, Ismail Hameed, is still part of NBAM’s board members. At the AGM, the association had highlighted its achievements in the past 16 years as well. Besides the president, NBAM appointed Aminath Solah as its Vice President, Ahmed Ibrahim as the new Treasurer and Mariyam Maaisha as the new Secretary General. The…

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has dissolved the Settlement Committee on Tuesday, November 21, formed under the compensation policy. President’s Office said that the outgoing government’s decision to pay over MVR 1 billion in compensation, inclusive of assets, to various parties was unlawful and done without the legal counsel of the Attorney General. According to the office, President Muizzu dissolved the committee on the advise of Attorney General Ahmed Usham. Usham said that previous government had been adhering to a conflict resolution policy between the state and private parties that lacked any legal framework. The previous government led by former President…

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has appointed Ibrahim Abdul Razzaq Haleem as the new Chief Executive Officer of Dharumavantha Hospital. Haleem previously served as the Managing Director of Maldives Ports Limited (MPL), Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC), Maldives Road Development Corporation (MRDC) during former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration. He was appointed as the hospital’s CEO at a State Minister level, and the post was previously filled by Ibrahim Saleem who served as CEO of both Dharumavantha and Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH). Additionally, President Muizzu on Wednesday, November 22, renamed the Male’ Hospitals Board of Trustees to “City Group of…

Maps College is currently accepting applications for enrolment in the Advanced Certificate in Information Technology course. This one-year program is designed for students to build foundational understanding of information technology (IT), and will be exclusively conducted through face-to-face sessions. Eligibility Criteria C Grades and above in 3 subjects (including Islam and Dhivehi) Level III Certificate recognized by MQA Candidates should be 18 years of age or older One-year work experience and proficiency in English The total course fee is MVR 21,150, which can be paid in 10 monthly instalments of MVR 2,115. Curriculum for the program includes topics such preparing…

Maldives parliament on Monday, November 20, approved the MVR 6.5 billion supplementary budget for the current year. As approved by the budget committee, the bill was passed at the Monday’s sitting with 57 votes; but faced contention from The Democrats’ 10 MPs. Following the legislative approval, the current state budget is at MVR 49.4 billion inclusive of the supplement. Supplementary Budget Details Recurrent Expenditure: MVR 3.1 billion Capital Expenditure: MVR 3.3 billion Under the supplementary budget allocation of recurrent expenses, MVR 1.8 billion will be spent on subsidies and another MVR 1.2 billion on Aasandha – the state-initiated health insurance…

According to the Ministry of Finance, the outgoing government which ended its term on November 17, had acquired USD 3.5 billion (MVR 54 billion) in loans and guarantees. The previous government led by Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took 42 loans with a combined total of USD 2.7 billion (MVR 42 billion) in the past five years, with nine of these used for cash and capital injections for state-owned enterprises (SOEs); which amounted to a loan total of USD 750 million (MVR 11.5 billion). The collective loan total of the previous government is an MVR 14.4 billion increment compared to former President…