Maldives Today

An angry mob forced Minister of Environment, Energy and Water Ahmed Abdulla out of Kulhudhuffushi in Haa Dhaal Atoll on Friday evening. Abdulla, who is also one of the two members representing Haa Dhaal Atoll in People’s Majlis (Parliament), was meeting with the youth of the island when frustrated islanders approached him about failure to keep promises of a sewerage system for the island.

Child sexual abuse is rampant in our society. Despite several cases of child sexual abuse being reported during the past months, society is still not taking a strong stand against it, and the government authorities are slow in taking action.

Soldiers from Maldives National Defence Force will start patrolling the streets of Male’ to curb the growing street violence, MNDF said on Monday in a press conference. Major Ibrahim Afzal from MNDF told reporters that the government has requested MNDF to intervene to stop the street violence which has left a 15-year-old boy in a coma at Intensive Care Unit of Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH). Afzal said MNDF will be working to control the violence and that police will be involved in the investigation phase.

It has emerged that the Imam of Goidhoo, Ali Rasheed, who in July was accused of sexually abusing 5 girls aged 11-19 years, is the head of the island’s Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party or DRP. The tiny island community in south Baa Atoll was outraged when police released Mr. Rasheed back into the island, after failing to find enough evidence to convict him.