|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Tuesday, 16 March 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Male incidents : a reply Assistant Director General, Ministry of Information, Arts and Culture, Male, Republic of Maldives, Ibrahim Waheed has sent us the following response to a Reuter report titled 'Maldives set to open trial in prison shooting published in the Daily News on March 8 As you are aware, in September last year, three very tragic incidents happened in the Maldvies in quick succession. On the night of 19 September, an inmate died in Maafushi Jail of injuries inflicted upon him by some members of the NSS Jail Security Unit. The following day, there was a shooting incident at the same jail, when some members of the Jail Security Unit opened fire during a confrontation with a large number of convicts. Three people lost their lives and 17 more sustained injuries. The President immediately appointed a Presidential Commission to conduct a full inquiry into the two incidents, to identify those deemed responsible, and to come up with recommendations that could be implemented to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. The third occurrence took place on the streets of the capital, Male, also on 20 September, when some people, for their own ends, exploited the genuine indignation of the community over the death of the prisoner the previous night and torched several government buildings and vandalised publics property. I am sure that, having witnessed the bitterness of civil strife for 20 years. Sri Lankans would understand more than most how such acts can disrupt peace and harmony and instill fear into the hearts of the public. The Presidential Commission on completion of their assignments, presented the reports of their findings to the President, who in turn, forwarded it to the Attorney General for the prosecution of the persons deemed responsible in the incidents. Your article is right in noting that, after drawing up the case against a number of the people to face prosecution in connection with the incidents, the Attorney General's Office presented the case to the Criminal Court, who last week held the first hearing onthe matter. The transparency of the Government's actions in its efforts to bring those responsible for the incidents to justice is clearly evident in the following facts: The President presented the Commission's reports to the People's Majlis (Parliament); these reports were published for all to see; the trails of the persons prosecuted in connection to these are being held in open court, with full legal access to lawyers to all persons prosecuted. Given these circumstances, Mr. Mohamed Latheef's allegations do not withstand the scrutiny of factual evidence. His daughter, Ms. Jennifer Latheef was arrested after the events on the streets of Male. Her trial is ongoing in an open court (as is the practice in the Maldives) and she is being represented by her lawyer. Instead of quoting Mr. Latheef's unsubstantiated allegations, Daily News and any other interested parties are most welcome to attend the court sessions and witness proceedings first-hand. I would like to also note that Mr. Mohamed Latheef, the spokesperson of the so-called and self-styled Maldivian Democratic Party, should like all of us, await the conclusion of the ongoing trials of the persons deemed responsible for the aforesaid sad events. Such baseless allegations, while in noway helping in the Government's efforts to uphold justice, also serve to obstruct the free and fair judgment of court. Furthermore, the political domain of the Maldives is open for all to see, especially to our nearest neighbours. But the casual use of phraseology indicates a strong negative bias in the article. The misinformation that there was a 'prison crackdown', the statement that police chief was 'sacked' when he was actually assigned to another post for the very purpose of respecting and accommodating the then ongoing work of the Presidential Commission and the various implications throughout the article that question the existing strong democratic principles upon which the political framework of the Maldives is based, is regrettable. The Maldives has received numerous accolades, both from sources near and far, for the prevalent peace, security and calm and the political stability, which is the foundation upon which the country has developed socio-economically for over 2 decades, which is mentioned in the article. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate here the welcome of the Government of the Maldives to all reputed media and news gathering sources wishing to compile reports and articles on the country. I am confident that such interactions and communication will serve to produce more balanced and factually sound journalism, and to uphold the fundamentals upon which the noble profession is based. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
