Breaking News: Thasmeen taking part in Maumoon's meeting

Thasmeen speaking at a DRP rally 

Main opposition DRP’s  leader Mr. Ahmed Thasmeen Ali is reported to participate in the meeting of the DRP founding member and former President  Maumoon with the members and the well wishers o drp tonight at Dharubaaruge.

Since 2011 has been informed that Thasmeen will be giving a speech at the meeting although it was first announced that only Maumoon will be speaking at the meeting.

Since 2011 came to know that the Leader of Peoples Alliance and brother of Maumoon Mr. Abdullah Yaameen Abdul Gayoom will not take part in tonight’s meeting

Things have been changing after the interview of Thasmeen Fasmandharu Program regarding the reality of the affairs and the official removal of Umar Naseer from the party.

-Since 2011-

Zaeem Maumoon’s rally tonight

Maumoon giving khutbah 

Maldives’ former President Abdul Gayoom will address a rally tonight – the first since he pledged to come back to active politics last month.

His speech tonight is highly anticipated in the backdrop of the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) grappling with internal clashes.

Although it was earlier said that only Gayoom would address the rally, Miadhu reported today afternoon that the rally will be addressed by DRP Leader Thasmeen Ali too.

The party’s internal crisis peaked when its Deputy Leader Umar Naseer who was at loggerheads with Thasmeen, was sacked by a party disciplinary committee.

Gayoom spoke against the dismissal, siding with Umar.

He said it was not valid, according to the party charter where a sitting deputy can only be removed from the post by a party congress.

Gayoom’s comments backing Umar signaled that his relations with Thasmeen, who was his running mate at the 2008 elections, have soured.

However, today’s rally bringing together both the former Leader Gayoom and the incumbent Thasmeen will manage to

Hosting SAARC Summit will put Addu on the World Map

President lays foundation stone of Addu Convention Center
Photo: Mauroof Khaleel 

Miadhu News: President Mohamed Nasheed yesterday laid the foundation stone of Addu Convention Centre to be built in Hithadhoo to hold SAARC Summit.

Last year the government announced that the this year’s heads of state and government meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, to be hosted by the Maldives, will be held in Addu.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Addu Convention Centre, President Nasheed said the government’s aim of hosting SAARC Summit in Addu was to put the atoll on the world map. He said SAARC Summit will mark Addu’s position on the map and ensure that everyone who crosses the Indian Ocean recognized the potential in the geography of Addu Atoll.

Noting that SAARC Summit to be held in Addu would be the first Summit to be held in Southern hemisphere, he said the work that began today with the construction of Addu Convention Centre marked the beginning of a defining chapter in the country’s history.

The President said the Maldives was located in a strategic position in the Indian Ocean and there were many avenues to maximise the advantages it obtained from its strategic geographic position.

He said there were many island nations around the Maldives and very close to Addu Atoll, that would want to develop with the Maldives and benefit from the development of the Maldives.

Umar Naseer removed from DRP registry

Miadhu News:The dismissed Deputy Leader of the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has been removed from the party’s registry by the Elections Commission on request of DRP.

The President of the Elections Commission, Fuad Taufeeg confirmed to Miadhu Daily that Umar has been officially removed from DRP’s registry.

Fuad said that the commission sent a letter of confirmation to DRP announcing the removal of Umar Naseer.

Opposition DRP said that Umar has been sacked from the party from December 18, 2010 after getting no appeal from him in the period of 15 days after the decision of the DRP disciplinary committee to remove him.

Despite the announcement of the Elections Commission on the removal of the dismissed DRP Deputy Leader Umar from the party, the founding

Maldives accepts Gitmo prisoners in exchange for US support to obtain IMF funds: WikiLeaks

The Maldivian government agreed to accept two Guantanamo Bay prisoners in exchange for US support to obtain IMF assistance, WikeLeaks revealed.

“The Maldives tied acceptance of prisoners to American help in obtaining International Monetary Fund assistance,” the New York Times reported quoting WikiLeaks.

“American diplomats went looking for countries that were not only willing to take in former prisoners but also could be trusted to keep them under close watch. In a global bazaar of sorts, the American officials sweet-talked and haggled with their foreign counterparts in an effort to resettle the detainees who had been cleared for release but could not be repatriated for fear of mistreatment, the cables show.”

Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed’s decision to accept the prisoners met with stiff domestic opposition in May.

Opposition critics blamed the president for “importing” unnecessary problems placing the country’s security at risk.

Even then the opposition accused Nasheed of seeking financial assistance from the Obama administration in exchange for taking the prisoners.
But Nasheed then put a humane face to the issue.

"In my view, it is not in line at all with our constitution, Islam, or 'Maldivianness' that we refuse to help -- especially Muslims, especially those wrongly imprisoned," Nasheed told a radio address then.

Cables prove that the US managed to persuade other countries as well to accept detainees from the notorious Guantanamo Bay camp in Cuba, with pledges of financial help.

The Bush administration offered the Pacific nation of Kiribati “an incentive package” of $3 million to take 17 Chinese Muslim detainees, the cables show.”