A digest of news and opinion from the Maldives.
The evening call to prayer settles across Maafushi, marking the end of a long day for tourists enjoying the trademark sun, sand and sea of the Maldives – once an exclusive experience but now available on a shoestring. Maafushi, hailed by the World Bank for its inclusive wealth creation, is a kaleidoscope in the falling sun. […]
Just a few days ago, President Abdulla Yameen referred to the Equatorial Convention Centre in Addu City as an “economic crime” committed by former President Mohamed Nasheed. The very next day, local media was flooded with the news of the construction of an airport on Kulhudhufushi to fulfil one of Yameen’s long overdue pledges. The […]
On a Thursday evening, fishermen from the local market push buckets of fish guts to the low-lying seawall north-west of the capital, tipping the remains into the sea. Around a dozen whiptail stingrays, lured by the easy meal, scamper to the surface of the ocean for the feast. Ming Yang Hi and his wife follow […]
Ahmed Fauzan Abbas is on a ferry headed towards a popular surf spot an hour from Malé, the capital of Maldives. The surfer, better known as Karo, remembers a time when locals were arrested for surfing in spots where well-heeled foreign tourists were charged US$25 (MVR375) for access to the waves. “Back then surfing had […]
The following is a translation of a petition signed by 56 lawyers outlining serious concerns with the Maldivian judiciary. We, lawyers, are signing this petition because we are concerned about the situation of justice in the Maldives. We, therefore, call upon the relevant state authorities to address the concerns outlined herein. A majority of the […]
By Fathmath Isha and Hassan Moosa The asphalt path to Rasrani Bageecha was left damp by the afternoon rain as families trudged across puddles to the newly opened park, drawn by greenery and open space ensconced from Malé’s heavy traffic. Thousands have visited Sultan Park since its reopening late August but one group of residents of the […]