Maldives this week: 28 November - 4 December
Last week's key headlines.
On 4 December, High Commissioner of Bangladesh Nazmul Hassan said that there are close to 100,000 Bangladeshi workers in the Maldives, half of whom are undocumented.
On 4 December, the Enviornment Protection Agency (EPA) approved the departure of MV Navios Amaryllis, the Panama flag carrier that ran aground off the reef of K. Rasari, after it paid the USD10 million in fines imposed for damage to the reef.
On 3 December, former President Abdulla Yameen said that media freedom and freedom of expression had been guaranteed during his administration. He also alleged that many media outlets in the Maldives are funded by India. Yameen also called for the allegations of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih having benefited from the MMPRC corruption be investigated.
On 2 December, Vice President Faisal Naseem departed for the United Arab Emirates to participate in the 5th Indian Ocean Conference.
On 2 December, Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer signed a USD2.050 million technical assistance agreement with the Asian Development Bank to strengthen campaigns against communicable disease and COVID-19.
On 1 December, Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem extended the public health emergency declared in the country with the COVID-19 pandemic, to now expire on 30 December.
On 1 December, former President Abdulla Yameen met with supporters after the Supreme Court annulled the conviction against him and announced that oppositions efforts will be increased.
On 1 December, former Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed said that he was under immigration detention in the United Kingdom and thus will not be able to return to attend court hearings until the case was resolved.
On 30 November, the Criminal Court issued a travel ban order against former President Abdulla Yameen, at the request of the Maldives Police Service (MPS).
On 30 November, the Supreme Court annulled the money laundering conviction against former President Abdulla Yameen.
On 29 November, the Criminal Court issued an order on the Maldives Police Service (MPS) to arrest and present former Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed at court.
On 29 November, the parliament went on recess, having passed over 20 bills during its current sitting. The bills include ones on civil procedures, amendments to the Sexual Offences Act, amendments to the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and amendments to the Sole Proprietor Act. The parliament also passed the report of the committee on security services stating that there were no threats to independence and sovereignty from the agreements signed with India.
On 29 November, the Maldives Police Service said the Criminal Court has issued an order allowing blocking of websites and social media that are anti-Islamic.
On 28 November, the President's Office said, in a statement on Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen making a courtesy call on Vice President Faisal Naseem, that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina will be visiting the Maldives in 2021.
On 28 November, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ratified the fifth amendment to the Penal Code, which criminalises the portrayal of people as anti-Islamic based on their expressed views, as well as the use of any language or acts in public against Islam.
On 28 November, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ratified the third amendment to the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, which mandates the delegation of services specified by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology to local councils.
On 27 November, Minister of Defence Mariya Didi, in an interview to India's WIONews said that the 'IndiaOut' campaign is run by drug traffickers, who were threatened by the joint surveillance operations against trafficking run by India and the Maldives.
On 27 November, Minister of Defence Mariya Ahmed Didi, during her ongoing official visit to India, said that the defence agreements between the two countries were beneficial for both.
On 27 November, the Director General of Public Health Maimoona Aboobakr announced a ban on tourist arrivals from seven countries due to the Omicron variant. The seven countries are South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Eswatini.
