Maldives News | Dhivehi Observer | South Asia | Maldives marred in crimes: gang fighting, murder, cyber-crimes, money counterfeiting, drug dealing and more

Bushry Column

Maldives marred in crimes: gang fighting, murder, cyber-crimes, money counterfeiting, drug dealing and more

by Mohamed Bushry, 05 May 2008

If ever you want to see a government at the mercy of criminals, you are looking at one in the Maldives. At the moment, around 200 or so prisoners in the Kaafu atoll Maafushi jail are on a hunger strike. The prisoners simply refused to eat, alleging discrimination against them. The vast majority of inmates in the Maldivian jails are in for crimes related to drugs abuse and small time dealings. Some of the militia who orchestrate these drug dealings have impunity because the regime takes immense political capital by using crimes and criminals.

Crime has been on the rise in this quiet corner of the world which has been free from major crimes in the past. Over the past two years escalating street fights have resulted in injury to people, damage to property and have resulted in loss of life to a number of people - mostly young people. Most recently on December 2, a young man named Ali Ishar was brutally murdered and a 14-yr-old boy was knifed to death last month in the middle of the busiest road in the capital island. These incidents cannot be said to have been the result of a spontaneous quarrel but was clearly premeditated and presumably resulting from serial street gang fights and rivalries rampant in Male' with its huge population of bored, despaired and restless youth.

Home Minister Abdulla Kamaluddeen hinted that at times Police were not armed and that if people happened to carry weapons, unarmed Police officers obviously would not get involved; but he promised to get around the problem. Kamaluddeen also recently said that these gang wars will stop only when the perpetrators stop it! What then is the purpose of having a police force one wonders? There was a motion at the Parliament recently to vote for a no confidence motion against the Home Minister. The motion failed because the ruling regime has the majority in the Parliament.

It has also been alleged that some big shots have a hand behind the street violence. Street gangs have revealed, without naming specific persons or parties, that they have been paid and encouraged to sow discord. And when violence crimes take place these big shots quietly leave the country and only return when the media limelight subsides. Hence, there is reason to believe that the current street violence, sponsored by some politicians and business persons, have hidden personal agendas, whatever those agenda may be.

Petty crimes are also on the rise. Recently a laptop and some other items had been stolen from a Philippines man who was staying at the M. Blue Diamond Guest House. On the bigger issue: Over a million Rufiyaa worth of counterfeit US dollar bills were confiscated by the Police and three people arrested recently in connection to the crime. Three Maldivians and one Malaysian man was recently arrested by the Maldives Police Service on charges of using fake credit cards to purchase Rf3.5 million worth of goods from shops, Police have said. The Maldives Police Service arrested more than 76 people in Male' during March on drugs related offences. Child molesting and incense is also on the rise. An expatriate worker in Seenu Atoll Hulhudhoo was recently arrested on charges of sexually molesting a five-year-old boy from the island.

When police were obviously unable to stop the increase in violent crimes, the army (MNDF) was deployed fro a week or so recently. Following the deployment of army to patrol the streets of Male' the situation returned to normality for a while but has again restarted.

It is therefore quite obvious that the rising violent and organised crimes as well as petty crimes will only cease with the departure of Dictator Gayyoom. We need a government that is responsible and effective in implementing the rule of law. We need a government that's main objective is to serve the people and provide them with social security and justice. Dictator Gayyoom and his cronies have failed miserably and it is time for a fresh beginning.

[ For comments and feedback, please visit Bushry's blog www.clubescapemaldives.blogspot.com ]

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