Future sea level rises should not restrict new island formation in the Maldives

he continued accumulation of sand within the iconic ring-shaped reefs inside Maldivian atolls could provide a foundation for future island development new research suggests. Islands like the Maldives are considered likely to be the first to feel the effects of climate change induced sea level rise, with future island growth essential to counter the threat of rising sea levels.

The study published in the journal Geology, and carried out by researchers from the University of Exeter in collaboration with the University of Auckland, James Cook University, the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Japan, Curtin University and the University of Glasgow, focussed on the formation of islands inside the atolls of the Maldives.

The researchers studied the history and timing of island building, a process which starts when the lagoons fill sufficiently with sand that is derived from the surrounding corals reefs, to provide a foundation for island establishment.

Assuming these reefs continue to flourish and can thus maintain high rates of sand supply, those lagoons that are already nearly full have clear potential to provide foundations for new island development over the next few hundred years.

Professor Chris Perry from the University of Exeter said: "Many of the heavily populated islands in the Maldives have limited capacity to respond naturally to sea-level rise and this will necessitate additional spending on shoreline maintenance.

"Our research suggests, however, that the potential does exist for new island formation on those reefs inside the atolls that have near fully infilled lagoons. These may ultimately provide additional land options across the region, and some possibilities for mitigation options under higher sea level conditions."

The study suggests that it is the smaller reefs, with lagoons that are already nearly in-filled, that are most likely to give rise to new islands. Once established, and given sufficient sand supply, the findings suggest that these new islands can develop rapidly, over a few 100 years, and that these may then evolve into larger, island structures that could provide alternative land options in the region.

Evidence from this region also suggests that many existing islands established and expanded under slightly higher than present sea-levels over the last few 1000 years.

Larger reefs with deeper, unfilled, central lagoons are likely to only fill with sand over much longer timescales and are thus unlikely to support new island development over any meaningful future timescales.

Sea level rise is projected to put increasing pressure on the Maldives. Heavily populated islands, including the low-lying capital Male, have limited capacity to respond to natural shoreline changes and will thus require ever more costly management interventions to sustain them under projected sea level rises.

Source: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Future_sea_level_rises_should_not_restrict_new_island_formation_in_the_Maldives_999.html

Helen Flanagan chills in the nude on luxurious Maldives break

Model and former Corrie star Helen Flanagan did just that on her recent break at the Indian Ocean resort.

The 23-year-old, voted FHM’s world’s sexiest woman, was holidaying with her agent and her children.

And just because she was over 8000 kilometres from home didn’t mean she couldn’t update her social media accounts with snapshots of her luxurious break.

Flanagan posted plenty of photos of the deluxe hotel to her Instagram page, captioning one, “Swimming naked in my pool”.

Aside from the odd skinny dip, Helen spent some time catching up with her ‘spiritual reading’.

Posting a photo of the book ‘The Road Less Travelled’ by  M.Scott Peck on her Twitter page, Helen wrote, “Love spiritual reading and can not be parted from my @taylormorrisldn sunglasses.”

Helen split from her footballer boyfriend Scott Sinclair in June, but was recently spotted sneaking out of a hotel with him.

The couple ended their relationship after Sinclair was reportedly ‘sexting’ another woman.

Source: http://www.independent.ie/woman/celeb-news/helen-flanagan-chills-in-the-nude-on-luxurious-maldives-break-29621059.html

China now the focus of many global travelers, UNWTO chief says

MALE - The profile of the global traveler is changing and Europe is no more the center of attraction, according to UN World Tourist Organization (UNWTO), Dr. Taleb Rifai.

China, he told reporters at a media briefing on the sidelines of the World Tourism Day official celebrations held last week in the Maldives, is now the focus of many receiving markets.

The UNWTO chief bestowed accolades on the attraction of the Maldives to foreign visitors, saying, “This place is simply magic. It is truly unparalleled on Earth.”

The Maldives was picked to host this year’s official World Tourism Day celebrations, which was held last year in the Canary Islands while next year it moves to Mexico.

“World Tourism Day this is the center of our celebrations which we hold in special places. Maldives is special and in particular because the topic of discussion is on the theme ‘tourism and water,’” he told the official opening ceremony on Friday, attending by Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed and Tourism, Arts & Culture Minister Admed Adeeb. The focus of this year’s celebration was also sustainable development of the tourism industry.

Dr. Rifai said the Maldives is a unique example of how tourism can do good, if well managed.

There are 100 resorts in the Maldives mostly catering to the up-market traveler, which are self-managing in terms of water production (through de-salinization) and sewage disposal among other initiatives.

Last year more than one billion travelers crossed borders with 1 of every 7 people in the world making an international trip. Dr. Rifai added, “We need to manage it well and turn this into one billion opportunities instead of one billion disasters.”

In his address, President Waheed described the Maldives as an archipelago that stretches across over 1,000 kilometers of mostly water and less land mass.

“We have been sailors, boat builders and fishermen until 40 years ago tourism became a reality. Our oceans are at risk, our islands are at risk. Climate change and global warming is more severe to the Maldives than most people think,” he noted.

He said out of the 191 inhabited islands, 113 are threatened by salt water intrusion and coastal erosion.

The event was also the occasion to launch the Maldives 4th Tourism Masterplan which focuses mostly on infrastructure development and increasing the number of Maldivians employed in the tourism sector, among other proposals.

The one-day conference that included a panel discussion on the theme of the meeting was held in the backdrop of opposition protests in the capital, Male, which is about 10-15 minutes away by speedboat from the Kurumba Maldives resort where the meeting was held.

Dr. Rifai, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the celebrations, said the UN body wanted to hold the meeting in the Maldives, despite the issues, at a time when the people of the Maldives are deciding their future.

Commenting on the crisis, he said travelers across the world are today acutely aware of political, social, and economic issues and that this is part of life.

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party is protesting against a Supreme Court ruling to suspend the second round presidential vote until a verdict is reached in a petition against the first round election. The opposition is also urging tourism workers to protest.

The second round poll was scheduled to have been held on Saturday, September 28.

Ahmed Adeeb, Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture told reporters at the same briefing with Dr. Rifai that they were concerned by Nasheed’s call.

“This will affect the entire industry. Politics should not be brought into tourism. Tourism workers I believe won’t abide by the call but if they do it will be a big backlash (in the industry),” he said. Maldivian resort owners also expressed concern over the call for protests. Tourism is the Maldives main foreign exchange earner.

Source: visitmaldives.com

The Maldives is the extreme test case for climate change action

Like rays of burning sunlight concentrated through a magnifying glass, almost all the world's environmental problems come into sharp focus in the Maldives. The 1,000km-long archipelago is the extreme test case.

The lowest lying country in the world is not even built on sand, but on the planet's most endangered ecosystem, coral reefs, the smashed fragments of which comprise every stunning white beach. And not only is the tide of sea level lapping at the shallow islands, but sea temperatures are rising as is the acidity of the ocean: both kill the corals.

The news from the world's climate scientists in their landmark report on Friday will be that the threat of global warming is worse and more imminent than in their 2007 analysis. But what is being done?

The beating sunlight in the Maldives should at least deliver plentiful solar power. But in a grim irony, the 400,000 islanders, whose overall contribution to planet-warming carbon emissions is negligible, are entirely hooked on diesel for the generators that keep their lights on. The nation, which is close to broke, spends over a quarter of its GDP on the fuel and pays colossal subsidies to keep energy bills affordable.

Solar power would be a just quarter of the cost on most islands, Mohamed Arjwad at the Maldives energy authority told me, making it a no-brainer - in theory. But there's no capital or expertise to deliver it, he says.

Instead international investors are piling into tourism, the mainstay of the economy. Despite the doubts about whether the Maldives will keep its head above water and the $1.5m per room cost of developing luxury resorts, the existing 110 resort islands are set to be joined by 50-60 more, each posing dangers to the fragile coral environment.

"That is too many if they are not implemented well, and they are not," says Armando Kraenzlin, regional vice-president for the Four Seasons resorts in the Maldives, which spends hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on marine scientists in an attempt to protect its own natural coral and sealife assets.

Stark contradictions also exist in the Maldives' second biggest industry, fishing. Traditional pole-and-line caught tuna is as sustainable as tuna fishing can be, yet the groupers and snappers which form a cornerstone of the coral ecosystem which underpin the islands are being fished out. Sea cucumbers, fat as marrows, are going the same way and the use of the lagoon-nurseries where sharks and rays breed their young for sea cucumber farms is growing, along with the risks of pollution.

"The Chinese pay a hell of a lot of money for these: that is good for us and also bad for us," Dr Shiham Adam, head of the Marine Research Centre, tells me. The tension is summed up by anecdotes of the increasingly numerous and rich Chinese tourists who are attracted by the extraordinary sea life and then eat it.

Add to all these challenges the vast and growing rubbish mountains - the only hills in the Maldives, locals joke – and the growing freshwater crisis and it's clear the Maldives is on the environmental front line.

Many of these problems could be solved. Many of the solutions, like solar power, are cheaper in the Maldives than the status quo, but incur an upfront cost. The inevitable tension between raising incomes in a relatively poor nation and over-exploiting the natural source of the wealth is creating a paradox in paradise.

But perhaps the biggest challenge of all is apathy. For most Maldivians, the problems are out of sight and out of mind. Travel in the vast archipelago is expensive and most Maldivians will see only two or three of the 1,200 islands. Many, especially women, cannot swim and so do not see the riches below the sea's turquoise surface, such as the orange and white clownfish snuggling into the waving mauve and green-tipped tentacles of their anemone homes.

Mohamed Aslam, a former environment minister, accepts the short term nature of politics and the focus of voters in the current presidential campaign on housing, health and welfare benefits. "There is a mismatch in timescale. Climate change is decade-long or more but political timescales are four to five years," he says. "But you need to survive to enjoy those benefits. Just because you are not dead now doesn't mean you are not dying."

With the new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Friday, the threat to the Maldives will be clearer than ever. The solutions are also clear, both globally and locally, and the investments required are perfectly sound.

But if the extreme case of the Maldives is not being dealt with, and it is not, can the will and the ways really be found to tackle the global problem? The IPCC report will sound the alarm louder than ever, but will it be heard?

Mohamed Nasheed, whose advocacy as president put the Maldives on the climate change map, is uncertain. Asked for the odds of his grandchildren inheriting an inhabitable Maldives, he says: "50-50."

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2013/sep/26/maldives-test-case-climate-change-action

Chinese tourists, diplomats make a splash in the Maldives

The travellers pouring off flight LV199 from Shanghai into the international airport of the Maldives, many dressed in designer labels, are an unmissable sign of China's interest in the far-flung archipelago.

Their arrival -- Chinese visitors are now the biggest group of tourists to the Indian Ocean islands -- has been accompanied by greater diplomatic engagement in the Maldives by Beijing, which is investing widely around South Asia.

Recently married Chen Hui and Fang Ye, 20-something business executives from near Shanghai, are returning for their second trip and heading to a resort by speed boat where over-the-water bungalows start at $500 a night.

"Most of our friends come here on their honeymoon," Fang told AFP, who said they were looking forward to doing some fishing and posing for photos on the sun-kissed white sands that draw nearly a million visitors a year.

The Maldives has been promoted as a destination in the Chinese media, she said, with the Islamic republic benefiting from its status as an "approved destination" by the Communist Party government.

Chinese now comprise nearly a quarter of all tourists annually, triggering a recruitment race for Mandarin-speaking hosts, waiters and diving instructors at five-star hotels.

Across the water from the airport island lies the cramped capital Male, where Chinese aid paid for the foreign ministry, a waterfront building built in the shape of sails that evoke the nation's sea-faring character.

In the Sultan Park neighbourhood stands the two-storey national museum, another gift from China that opened in 2010. It hit the headlines two years later when Islamist rioters broke in and smashed invaluable Buddhist artefacts.

Around the same time, Beijing opened an embassy, giving it a permanent diplomatic presence -- and better access to the frequent Chinese swimming casualties who underestimate the dangers of the country's turquoise waters.

"I think we will do our best to develop our friendship and cooperate in the economic field," Chinese ambassador in Male, Yu Hongyao, told AFP in an interview when asked about Beijing's vision for relations.

"Gradually we will give aid to Maldives," he added.

He said that bilateral trade volumes remain "very small" but that talks were on for future joint projects, including possible road construction and education schemes.

China's interest in the Maldives fits a pattern of investments around the Indian Ocean, referred to by some analysts as a "string of pearls" strategy to contain India's rise.

The Maldives consists of more than 1,100 islands scattered across the equator, which sit aside the world's most important shipping channel on which goods from the East travel to markets in the West.

Its strategic location was appreciated by former colonial master Britain, which ran a military base here until 1976, and China was once rumoured to be eyeing an uninhabited atoll as a submarine base.

Ambassador Yu laughs off what he calls alarmist reporting in the Indian media and stresses that the Maldives is an independent country with a diplomatic relationship with Beijing stretching back more than 40 years.

India continues to be by far the biggest foreign influence in the country, but its uncontested hegemony has waned recently -- as it has in other historically pro-India neighbours Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal.

Outgoing president Mohamed Waheed dispatched ministers to Beijing after taking power in 2012 and visited himself later in the year. Most significantly, he alienated New Delhi by ejecting Indian firm GMR, which was running the national airport.

The second round of presidential elections, due to be held on September 28, will therefore be critical for the future trajectory of the country and its eagerness to embrace Chinese aid.

Mohamed Nasheed, who was ousted as president in February 2012 by mutinous police officers and replaced by Waheed, has overcome his sense of betrayal by New Delhi for failing to prevent his overthrow.

"Our foreign policy is 'find a friend, be good to that friend and don't play the friend off against any other'," he told reporters on September 5 shortly after visiting India, where he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

His opponent in the run-off, Abdullah Yameen, would be likely to take a balanced approach but has personal family reasons to be grateful to India.

His half-brother, long-time autocrat Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled until 2008, was saved from a coup by late Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who dispatched paratroopers in 1988.

Out at the Anantara holiday resort where tourists Chen and Fang are beginning their holiday, such thoughts seem a world away as they are welcomed at the jetty by a traditional drummer and staff bearing cold face towels.

Employees such as spa attendant Huang Jing Fang are on hand 24 hours a day to cater for their every need.

"Maldives is like a dream place for Chinese people, and me also," Huang told AFP. "That's why I came to work here."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-tourists-diplomats-splash-maldives-144536204.html

Maldives Supreme Court postpones presidential run-off for appeal

(Reuters) - The Maldives' Supreme Court on Monday postponed a presidential election run-off scheduled for September 28 to allow it to consider a challenge from a defeated first-round candidate, denting hopes of an end to months of political turmoil.

The candidate, Gasim Ibrahim, a tourism and media tycoon who was finance minister under long-time ruler Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, came third with 24.07 percent of votes in the first round on September 7, just behind Gayoom's half-brother Abdulla Yameen, on 25.35 percent.

The first round was won by ex-president Mohamed Nasheed, whose removal from power 20 months ago ignited months of unrest in the Indian Ocean archipelago. He secured 45.45 percent in the first round, just short of the 50 percent needed for outright victory, and his party promptly announced mass protests against the postponement.

Gasim's Jumhoory Party (JP) had asked the court to annul the first round result, alleging vote rigging.

"The Supreme Court orders the Elections Commission and other state institutions ... to postpone the second round of Presidential elections scheduled for September 28 until the Supreme Court decides in the case before it," the court said in its ruling.

Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, spokesman for Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), said the MDP would appeal.

"This is unconstitutional and people will not accept it ... we have already challenged it and the party's National Council approved a protest," he said by phone from Male. "We appeal to security forces to ensure the safety of the protesters."

Nasheed, who served for three years as the Maldives' first democratically elected president, was forced from office in February 2012 when mutinying police and soldiers armed opposition demonstrators and gave him an ultimatum.

Protests by his supporters were met with a heavy police crackdown that tarnished the Maldives' image as a tranquil holiday paradise. Analysts and human rights defenders say the islands have been in political and economic limbo ever since.

Critical challenges facing the next president include a rise in Islamist ideology, human rights abuses and a lack of investor confidence after the government cancelled the Maldives' biggest foreign investment project with India's GMR Infrastructure.

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/09/23/uk-maldives-election-idUKBRE98M15S20130923

World Tourism Day: UNWTO Focuses on the Importance of Water

Preparations are at fever pitch in the Maldives, the host of this year’s official celebrations of the World Tourism Day on Friday September 27. The theme of the event which will be celebrated in many other countries around the world is “Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future”.

As the most important international observance day for tourism, WTD 2013 is a worldwide platform to underscore tourism´s responsibility and commitment in ensuring a sustainable water future.

In a special message on the occasion of WTD 2013, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “This year’s World Tourism Day highlights the responsibility of the tourism industry to safeguard and intelligently manage water. In this International Year of Water Cooperation, I urge tourism establishments to cut consumption and improve waste management and I call on individuals to play their part by making environmentally conscious choices when they travel.”

“World Tourism Day offers a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on water both as an asset and as a resource and on the actions needed to face up to the water challenge,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. “I urge all those involved in the tourism sector to join our global World Tourism Day campaign and continue to devise innovate solutions to ensuring tourism contributes to sustainable access to water resources worldwide,” he added.

As part of the WTD celebrations in the Maldives, a high-level Think Tank on Tourism and Water will bring together public and private sector tourism stakeholders, leading experts on water preservation and media experts to debate key issues encompassing the global water challenge.

Source: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/world-tourism-day-unwto-focuses-on-the-importance-of-water/159546/

The most important international observance day for tourism

As the most important international observance day for tourism, World Tourism Day (WTD )2013 is a worldwide platform to underscore tourism´s responsibility and commitment in ensuring a sustainable water future.

With one week left until World Tourism Day on September 27, preparations are on the final stretch in the Maldives, the host of this year’s official celebrations, and in many countries around the world around the 2013 theme, “Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future.”

In a special message on the occasion of WTD 2013, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “This year’s World Tourism Day highlights the responsibility of the tourism industry to safeguard and intelligently manage water. In this International Year of Water Cooperation, I urge tourism establishments to cut consumption and improve waste management and I call on individuals to play their part by making environmentally conscious choices when they travel.”

“World Tourism Day offers a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on water both as an asset and as a resource and on the actions needed to face up to the water challenge,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. “I urge all those involved in the tourism sector to join our global World Tourism Day campaign and continue to devise innovate solutions to ensuring tourism contributes to sustainable access to water resources worldwide,” he added.

As part of the WTD celebrations in the Maldives, a high-level Think Tank on Tourism and Water will bring together public and private sector tourism stakeholders, leading experts on water preservation and media experts to debate key issues encompassing the global water challenge.

UNWTO invites all to participate and share their events and follow the official WTD celebrations online: wtd.unwto.org

Source: http://www.eturbonews.com/38087/most-important-international-observance-day-tourism

AFC Cup Preview: Al Kuwait v New Radiant

Al Kuwait head into the second leg of their AFC Cup quarter-final with New Radiant knowing they are on the cusp of reaching the last four.

Marin Ion's men cruised to a 7-2 victory in the first leg in the Maldives and securing their progress to the semi-finals on Tuesday should be a formality.

Tunisian striker Issam Jemaa was the key man in the first leg, the 29-year-old finding the net four times as the Kuwaiti champions picked apart the New Radiant defence.

That result should give the hosts supreme confidence going into the second leg, but they will be eager to guard against complacency.

Still, the defending champions will be heavy favourites for the game at the Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, with the focus sure to be on Jemaa as he looks to add to his tally of 10 goals in this competition so far.

Both sides will have to make changes ahead of the game, with Mohamed Umair suspended for New Radiant, and Abudulhadi Khamis banned for Al Kuwait after both players were dismissed in the closing stages of the first leg.

New Radiant displayed great spirit in the second half of that contest, Ali Fasir and Ali Ashfaq pulling goals back after they had fallen 6-0 behind before the interval.

Chedi Hammami's late penalty all but ended their hopes but Velizar Popov's men should be keen to regain some respectability and avoid another dismal loss.

Popov will likely look to striker Ali Ashfaq - who has nine goals in the competition so far - to inspire them to victory.

The winner of the tie will face either East Bengal or Semen in the last four.

Source: http://int.soccerway.com/news/2013/September/21/afc-cup-preview-al-kuwait-v-new-radiant/

No evidence of any election fraud: Transparency Maldives

MALE: In the backdrop of election rigging allegations, voluntary watchdog Transparency Maldives said that it did not find "any evidence" supporting the claims of fraud in the first round of presidential polls.

Transparency Maldives was one of the observer group which kept a close watch on presidential elections held on September 7 with the help of its volunteers at over 470 ballot boxes.

"In view of the cases submitted and allegations made at the High Court and Supreme Court of the Maldives regarding systematic vote rigging, Transparency Maldives notes that it did not find any evidence that support allegations of systematic election day fraud during the nation-wide observation," the group said in a statement.

It appealed to "all actors and institutions to refrain from undermining the integrity of and confidence in the election day processes without credible evidence of fraud."

India and other international agencies including the UN which were part of over 100 international observers have appealed to all parties to respect the will of people expressed through results.

India has asked all sides to respect the verdict and aspirations of the people of Maldives.

"We hope that the second round of Presidential elections will be held as scheduled on September 28, 2013 in a similar transparent, organised and peaceful manner," a spokesperson of the Indian External Affairs Ministry had said yesterday.

The Jumhooree Party (JP) whose candidate Gasim Ibrahim missed the second of polls round by a whisker has alleged irregularities in the voters' list and requested the apex court to annul first round of elections.

The appeal has support of Progressive Party of Maldives whose candidate Abdullah Yameen remained runner-up.

The allegations have been refuted by the Election Commission and Maldivian Democratic Party whose candidate former President Mohammed Nasheed won the first round with overwhelming 45 per cent of total votes.

He would face runner-up Abdullah Yameen in the second round on September 28 as none of the candidate could muster up support of over 50 per cent of the voters.

Source: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-09-19/news/42218222_1_gasim-ibrahim-jumhooree-party-president-mohammed-nasheed

From Maldives to Bangkok… Dubai Police help bust drug gangs

The General Directorate for Drug Control of Dubai Police received many letters of thanks for its contribution in helping foil at least five cases of cocaine smuggling.

The suspects were attempting to smuggle drugs from Latin America to South Africa, Maldives, Singapore and Thailand.

A total of about 13kgs of cocaine were seized from the five cases.

In the first operation a woman coming from Cape Town was caught. She was hiding at least 5kg drugs in several bags.

In the second case, the lead given by Dubai Police helped arrest a suspect at Durban airport, who possessed 400 grams of cocaine.

In the third operation, the suspect was arrested in Maldives and 3.2 kg cocaine was seized from the suitcase.

The fourth case was busted in Bangkok airport following information provided by Dubai Police. The suspect was caught with 1.4 kg of cocaine.

Two others from South Africa were also arrested.

The fifth operation led to the arrest of the suspect at Singapore airport.

The accused along with a woman was held with 3 kg of cocaine. They had hid the drugs in metal pipes.

Source: http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/from-maldives-to-bangkok-dubai-police-help-bust-drug-gangs-2013-09-14-1.520987

Coconut detained in Maldives over vote-rigging claims

A coconut has been detained by Maldivian police on suspicion of vote-rigging in a key presidential election.

The coconut, described as "young", was found near a school that will be used as a polling station on Saturday on the remote Kaafu atoll, one of the hundreds of islands that comprise the Indian Ocean archipelago state.

Though the population of the Maldives is Sunni Muslim, continuing belief in magic is widespread in rural areas. Coconuts are often used in rituals and inscribed with spells.

The hundreds of thousands of international tourists who travel to the Maldives usually stay in isolated resorts and have no contact with local people other than staff.

The local Minivan news website reported that police "took the coconut into their possession" around 7.05am on Tuesday, after they received a complaint about the suspicious fruit near the school on the Guraidhoo Island, which lies 130 miles from the capital, Male, and has a population of around 2,000.

"The 4in coconut had a [Koranic verse] written in Arabic [on it] and was lying on the ground near the school, easy for the public to see. It seems like it was a joke, just a prank, so that people will become aware," Minivan quoted a source on Guraidhoo saying.

Minivan said its source had suggested the coconut "was a lesson for islanders not to practise black magic in an attempt to influence voting, and that the polling area would be closely monitored to prevent such activities from occurring".

Earlier this year, school authorities on Guraidhoo resisted using their buildings as a polling station, citing previous instances when problems had been caused by magic. Their fears were only partly allayed when the national election commission said it would accept responsibility "if anyone falls under a spell or comes down ill".

The election has been bitterly contested, with Mohammed Nasheed, the former president, who claims he was ousted last year in a coup, taking on one of the Maldives' biggest businessmen, the outgoing president and the half-brother of former dictator, Mamoun Abdul Gayoom.

Nasheed, an internationally respected human rights and climate-change campaigner, hopes to win outright this weekend and avoid a run-off second round of voting.

A magician summoned by police established that the coconut was innocent, local officials have said. No arrests have been made.


Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/06/coconut-detained-maldives-vote-rigging

Maldives' Ex-Leader: Anti-Islamic Label Cost Votes

The first democratically elected president of the Maldives said Sunday that his rivals portraying him as anti-Islamic may have turned some voters against him and possibly denied him a simple majority in the presidential election.


Mohamed Nasheed emerged the clear leader in Saturday's election, receiving 45 percent of the votes, but fell short of the more than 50 percent needed in the first round to avoid a Sept. 28 runoff against Yaamin Abdul Qayyoom, a brother of the Maldives' former autocrat Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Nasheed's rivals have long accused him of working with Jews and Christians and of trying to undermine Islam in the 100 percent Muslim nation. He was ousted from power midway through his first term last year, plunging the Indian Ocean archipelago into political uncertainty.

"Some used religion as a campaign strategy, manipulating it to a large extent, and it did affect a few voters," Nasheed told reporters.

The religious issue featured prominently in the election campaign, with writings on walls in Male, the capital, reading "Pope Anni." Nasheed is known as Anni among Maldivians.

He also said that even though the election was largely peaceful, turnout in some areas was higher than the number of registered voters. He said he asked the Elections Commission for an explanation.

Nasheed, who in 2008 won the country's first multiparty election after 30 years of autocracy, said a decision would be made soon whether to contest the results in court.

Transparency Maldives, an independent election monitoring group, said that there were minor complaints of voting irregularities, but that they would not affect the result.

Qayyoom received 25 percent of Saturday's vote, while businessman Qasim Ibrahim was a close third with 24 percent and incumbent President Mohamed Waheed Hassan got 5 percent, according to Elections Commission results released Sunday.

More than 211,000 of the Maldives' 240,000 eligible voters turned out.

The country, known for its luxurious island beach resorts, has been in political turmoil since Nasheed resigned last year after weeks of public protests and slipping support from the military and police. He later said he was forced to resign at gunpoint by mutinying security forces and politicians backed by the country's former autocrat.

Though a domestic commission of inquiry threw out his claim, Nasheed has repeatedly dismissed as illegal the government of Hassan, his former vice president.

Despite winning the most first-round votes Saturday, Nasheed may still face a battle getting over the finish line as the third- and fourth-place finishers were also his bitter critics and are likely to throw their support to Qayyoom.

However, Nasheed may benefit from the fact that some Maldivians remember the human rights issues of the three-decade dictatorship and fear returning there.

"Now I am 40 and I know what happened (in the 30 years), said an airport worker, Ali, who only gave one name.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/maldives-leader-anti-islamic-label-cost-votes-20192950

Maldives polls: Nasheed leading in first round

Male: Former President Mohamed Nasheed was tonight ahead in the first round of the Maldives' presidential election but may fall short of the crucial 50 per cent mark by a whisker, raising the prospect of a run-off between the top two candidates.

The Election Commission announced results from 315 of the total of 470 ballot boxes as per with 45-year-old Nasheed secured 45 per cent of the votes while President Mohamed Waheed got about 8 per cent votes.

"The results from 315 ballot boxes have come... 45 per cent of votes have gone to Mohammed Nasheed, who is the highest scorer, 26 per cent has gone to Progressive Party of Maldives candidate (Abdullah Yamee) and 24 to Jumhooree Party candidate (Gasim Ibrahim)," President of Election Commission Fuwad Taufeek said.

"Waheed has got about 8 per cent," he told a press conference.

Taufeek said none of the candidates has got more than 50 per cent of the votes.

Under the country's election laws, if none of the candidates get more than 50 per cent of the vote, a run-off will take place between the top two candidates.

A run-off could see Nasheed contesting against Gasim Ibrahim or Abdullah Yameen.

President Mohamed Waheed was struggling with little over five per cent of the votes.

The second round of elections is scheduled for September 28 and the new President has to take charge by November 11.

Four candidates - President Waheed, former President and Maldivian Democratic Party candidate Nasheed, Abdulla Yameen, the brother of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and candidate of Progressive Party of Maldives, and Jumhooree Party candidate and business tycoon Gasim Ibrahim - are in the fray for the top job.

Polling was peaceful barring one minor incident at Dhiggaru island on Meemu atoll, where voting began two hours behind schedule because of a tussle between local observers and voters.

According to reports, observers wanted to vote first but people who had lined up at the booths since early morning objected.

Police arrested some persons who were trying to use fake ID cards to vote.

All the candidates expressed satisfaction with the election process.

The wife of President Waheed, who accompanied him to vote, was asked by election staff to join a queue following which she returned without casting her ballot.

Over 2,229 local observers, 102 international observers, 1,343 representatives of political parties, 1,642 local and 225 international journalists are keeping a close watch on developments in this young multi-party democracy.

An Indian delegation consisting of former Chief Election Commissioners J M Lyngdoh, B B Tandon and N Gopalaswami and former High Commissioner S M Gavai is observing the polls.

The first multi-party free elections, held in the Indian Ocean archipelago in 2008 after three decades of Mohammed Abdul Gayoom's rule, were won by Nasheed.

He had to resign after four years when security forces joined protests led by the opposition parties over the arrest of a judge.

Nasheed's ouster resulted in the elevation of then Vice-President Waheed. Nasheed had termed this change of power as a coup and said he would bring the alleged perpetrators to book if he wins.

According to constitutional provisions adopted by the country after the 2008 election, mid-term polls cannot be conducted.

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/maldives-polls-nasheed-leading-in-first-round-415775

Maldives polls: Ousted Nasheed may miss majority in first round

MALE: Former President Mohamed Nasheed on Saturday led the first round of the Maldives presidential election but might miss the crucial 50 per cent mark by a whisker, making a run-off between the top two candidates imminent.


According to trends from the election commission, 45-year-old Nasheed, who had to resign under duress in February last year, led in the initial trends but slowly lost the edge and stabilised at 42.84 per cent of votes.

Under the country's election laws, if none of the candidates get more than 50 per cent of the vote, a run-off will take place between the top two candidates.

The election commission said 187 of the 470 ballot boxes had been counted so far. Over 70 per cent of 2.30 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the first round of the election here on Saturday.

A run-off could see Nasheed contesting against Gasim Ibrahim or Abdullah Yameen, who have bagged 24.36 per cent and 27.58 per cent votes respectively.

President Mohamed Waheed was struggling with little over five per cent of the votes.

The second round of elections is scheduled for September 28 and the new president has to take charge by November 11.

Four candidates - President Waheed, former President and Maldivian Democratic Party candidate Nasheed, Abdulla Yameen, the brother of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and candidate of Progressive Party of Maldives, and Jumhooree Party candidate and business tycoon Gasim Ibrahim - are in the fray for the top job.

Polling was peaceful barring one minor incident at Dhiggaru island on Meemu atoll, where voting began two hours behind schedule because of a tussle between local observers and voters.

According to reports, observers wanted to vote first but people who had lined up at the booths since early morning objected.

Police arrested some persons who were trying to use fake ID cards to vote.

All the candidates expressed satisfaction with the election process.

The wife of President Waheed, who accompanied him to vote, was asked by election staff to join a queue following which she returned without casting her ballot.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Maldives-polls-Ousted-Nasheed-may-miss-majority-in-first-round/articleshow/22402519.cms

Maldivians hope election will end months of turmoil, questions of government legitimacy

MALE, Maldives — Voters in the Maldives went to the polls Saturday amid hopes that questions about the legitimacy of the government will finally be answered 19 months after the ouster of the first democratically elected president in the country, best known for its luxury island resorts.

About 240,000 people were eligible to vote in the election to pick a leader from among four candidates, though voter turnout was not immediately known. The polls closed late Saturday afternoon, and final election results were expected hours later.The candidates included the Indian Ocean archipelago’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed, who says he was ousted in a coup.

Nasheed, who won the country’s first multiparty election in 2008, ending 30 years of autocracy, resigned last year after weeks of public protests and slipping support from the military and police. He later said he was forced to resign at gunpoint by mutinying security forces and politicians backed by the country’s former autocrat.

Though a domestic commission of inquiry has dismissed Nasheed’s claim, the country has been in political turmoil ever since. Nasheed has repeatedly dismissed as illegal the government of his former vice president — current President Mohamed Waheed Hassan, who was also an election candidate.

Nasheed and Hassan were competing against Yaamin Abdul Qayyoom, a brother of Maldives’ former autocrat Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, and businessman Qasim Ibrahim.

With 99 of the country’s 470 ballot boxes counted, Nasheed was leading with 41 percent of the vote, with Qayyoom second at 28 percent. Qayyoom and Nasheed were considered the leading candidates.

If no candidate gets at least 51 percent of the vote, the top two vote getters will face off in a second round of voting on Sept. 28.

“The ruling government came (to power) not in a very good manner,” Ahmed Ilyas, a 37-year-old port employee, said after voting. “Hopefully, after the election the international community and the locals will fully cooperate with the government.”

About 240,000 of the Maldives’ 350,000 citizens were eligible to vote.

“We are hoping it (the government) will be stable instead of an interim one in which we don’t know which way we are going,” said Jameel, a young voter who would give only his first name.

The next president must form a credible government, build up public confidence in government institutions that are accused of political bias, such as the courts, police and military, and deal with pressing issues, including high unemployment, increasing drug addiction among young people and improving transportation among the nation’s far-off islands in the Indian Ocean.

Nasheed’s fall from power last year came after he ordered the military to arrest a senior judge whom he accused of bias.

“This is absolutely crucial,” Qayyoom said of the election after voting at a school in the capital, Male. “Things have gone so wrong in the past five years, it’s absolutely imperative that we change for the better this time.”

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/maldivian-voters-hope-election-will-end-months-of-turmoil-questions-of-government-legitimacy/2013/09/07/fef49730-1784-11e3-961c-f22d3aaf19ab_story.html

Ousted Nasheed leads in Maldives vote after unrest, run-off looms

Partial presidential election results in the Maldives showed Mohamed Nasheed leading on Saturday, nearly 20 months after his removal from power ignited months of sometimes violent unrest.

But he was likely to fall short of a majority, officials in his party said, suggesting a run-off vote was on the cards.

Nasheed, the Maldives’ first democratically-elected president, was forced from office in February 2012 in what his supporters say was a coup. The turmoil tarnished the Indian Ocean archipelago’s image as a tropical holiday paradise.

Critical challenges ahead for the next president include a rise in Islamist ideology, human rights abuses and lack of investor confidence after President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik’s government cancelled the country’s biggest foreign investment project with India’s GMR Infrastructure.

Nasheed was leading at 1800 GMT on Saturday with 45 percent with 453 ballot boxes counted out of a total of 470, followed by his main rival Abdulla Yameen with 25 percent, state-run Television Maldives said.

Television Maldives tweeted that it could “predict a run-off round of elections based on current election results”.

Mohamed Aslam, a senior member of Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and a former minister of housing and environment, said his party was “preparing for a second round”.

“We didn’t get what we wanted from Male,” he said. The capital is one of Nasheed’s strongholds.

“Voting today is significant because we are going to establish a legitimate government,” Nasheed said early in the day outside the polling centre where he cast his ballot.

THREE OTHER CONTENDERS

He was running against three rivals, including Waheed, who succeeded him as president.

Yameen is a half-brother of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for 30 years and was considered a dictator by opponents and rights groups. “I hope to get through in the first round itself,” Yameen told reporters before he cast his vote.

Also on the ballot was Gasim Ibrahim, a resort tycoon, media business owner and an ex-finance minister under Gayoom. Gasim and Wahid had 24 and 5 percent respectively of votes counted.

Officials at the Election Commission said turnout could be around 80 percent, compared with 85 percent in the 2008 vote.

“I’ve been waiting 19 months for this day. So I got here as early as I could. It’s my way of standing up against the coup,” said voter Ismail Shiyaz, 39, a supporter of Nasheed.

Others, like Rooya Hussain, were less certain.

“I don’t think any of these candidates are suitable,” she said. “However, I cast a valid vote for one of them. Let’s see if this brings any change for the better.”

Election commissioner Fuad Thowfeek said there had been “no serious issues” apart from delays caused by long queues at some polling stations and campaigning during the polling.

Before the polling ended, Transparency Maldives, which deployed 400 observers for poll monitoring, said the conduct of the election was satisfactory.

Nasheed said earlier he had support in the ranks of the military and police and expressed confidence he would secure 50 percent of the vote to win in the first round.

He was forced to resign in 2012 after mutinying police and military forces armed opposition demonstrators and gave him an ultimatum.

His removal sparked unruly protests by his supporters and a heavy-handed police crackdown, pushing the country into crisis. A Commonwealth-backed commission of inquiry later concluded that his removal did not constitute a coup.

The Maldives, a sultanate for almost nine centuries before becoming a British protectorate, held its first fully democratic vote in 2008 with Nasheed defeating Gayoom, an autocrat who was then Asia’s longest-serving leader.Source:

Maldives electing new president after instability

A presidential election in the Maldives has drawn long queues of voters. Contesting the poll in the Indian Ocean archipelago are four candidates, including incumbent Mohamed Waheed and ousted predecessor Mohamed Nasheed.

The Maldives voted for a new president on Saturday after instability last year prompted tourists to avoid the "paradise" destination. Monitors include international observers from Commonwealth countries.

If none of the candidates scores more than 50 percent, a run-off is scheduled for September 28.

Waheed (pictured above, c.), 60, a former news anchor and ex-UN official, came to power in February 2012 when security forces mutinied, forcing the departure of Nasheed as Maldives first democratically elected president during a row over the arrest of a top judge.

At the time Waheed was vice-president. In Saturday's contest, he is seeking election to a full term on issues such as social protection for women and compulsory education for children.

The 46-year-old Nasheed, a keen scuba diver and advocate of social programs, grabbed world headlines on climate change in 2009 when he held a cabinet meeting under water.

The other candidates are resort tycoon Qasim Ibrahim and Abdulla Yameen, a parliamentarian and the half-brother of former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for three decades until 2008.

Keeping watch

Transparency International, a Germany-based anti-corruption group, has organized more than 400 local volunteers to monitor the voting.

A spokesman for Transparency Maldives, Aiman Rasheed, said there were no serious incidents at the start of voting.

"We had a few issues regarding access [of] voters to polling booths, but that was resolved," Rasheed said.

Also present is a 17-member Commonwealth election group under the guidance of former Maltese prime minister Lawrence Gonzi.

The Maldives 2008 election drew a turnout of 85 percent. This time, 240,000 voters are registered to vote, including 66,000 abroad. Ballot boxes were due to be made available in the Maldivian diplomatic missions in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and London.

The Indian Ocean archipelago, comprising 1,192 scattered coral islands, rises to 2.4 meters above sea level at its highest point. Sea-level rise attributed to climate change has been a key election issue.

Source: http://www.dw.de/maldives-electing-new-president-after-instability/a-17072815

Deposed president Mohamed Nasheed set for comeback in Maldives election

Long queues formed outside polling booths before voting started under bright sunshine across the Indian Ocean archipelago, with the incumbent President Mohamed Waheed among the first to cast his ballot.

Mr Waheed came to power in February 2012 when the first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed, was forced from office following a mutiny by the security forces that he branded a "coup".
Mr Nasheed, a British-educated scuba-diving fanatic who once held a cabinet meeting under water, is contesting again and is seen as the clear frontrunner among the four candidates.
Mr Waheed is also standing - along with tourism tycoon Gasim Ibrahim and Abdulla Yameen, the half-brother of long-time Maldivian autocrat Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

The Maldives, which comprises more than 1,000 islands and has a population of about 350,000 Muslims, held its first free elections in 2008 after three decades of autocratic rule by Mr Gayoom.
If none of Saturday's candidates wins an outright majority, a run-off vote between the top two contenders is scheduled for September 28.

Mr Yameen, who is seen as the main challenger to Nasheed, called it a "watershed election" as he voted near the university, wearing a shirt and tie and large sunglasses.
"Things have gone so wrong the last four to five years. It is absolutely imperative that we change for the better this time," he said.

Voting is taking place at polling stations on all inhabited islands as well as on the tourist resorts that have made the country famous as a "paradise" destination.
Nearly one million holidaymakers visited the Maldives last year, drawn to its secluded beaches on private coral-fringed islands where cabins can cost several thousand dollars a night.
Any more instability would spell problems for the industry, the lifeblood of the country, which suffered a wave of cancellations following the unrest last year.

Mr Nasheed resigned from office on national television, which had been taken over by the security forces, whom he said threatened him and his family with violence.
Mr Waheed, who was then vice-president, took the oath immediately afterwards, leading Nasheed to accuse him of taking part in a conspiracy with Gayoom and other wealthy businessmen.
Mr Waheed denies the charges, but the contested change in leadership set back what was a flourishing democracy and has left a legacy of bitterness and distrust.
An international investigation concluded that Waheed's ascent to the presidency was constitutional, but Nasheed claimed he stepped down under duress.

Leela Ahmed, a 43-year-old teacher, told AFP outside a polling station in Male that she had voted for Mr Nasheed to reverse what she called a "coup" last year.

"We're working to bring back a democracy that was crushed by a few people," the mother-of-two said.
Mr Nasheed spoke of his apprehension earlier this week that "renegade elements within the police and military... might intervene during voting or during counting".

The former president's social programmes and work to highlight climate change - 80 percent of Maldivian land is less than one metre (three feet) above sea level - earned him many fans, but he was not universally popular.

After growing frustrated with the judiciary, he sent the army to arrest the head of the country's criminal court, which led to a pending criminal charge that he abused his powers while in office.
His work to increase taxes and introduce budget guesthouses also earned him enemies among the powerful tourist tycoons, while he is seen by some as being too eager to please neighbouring India.
Retired politician Ahmed Shareef, who served as a deputy foreign minister and mayor of Male under former governments, denounced Mr Nasheed for privatising the international airport in a deal with Indian operator GMR.

The contract was scrapped last year by Mr Waheed, leading to a serious deterioration of ties with India, which has been eyeing greater Chinese interest in the strategically located islands.
"It wasn't a coup. It was what the creator of human beings, Allah, intended," Mr Shareef told AFP while declining to say who he would vote for.
"I don't want any foreigner to be the operator of the airport," he said.


Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/maldives/10293031/Deposed-president-Mohamed-Nasheed-set-for-comeback-in-Maldives-election.html

Coconut detained in Maldives over vote-rigging claims

A coconut has been detained by Maldivian police on suspicion of vote-rigging in a key presidential election.

The coconut, described as "young", was found near a school that will be used as a polling station on Saturday on the remote Kaafu atoll, one of the hundreds of islands that comprise the Indian Ocean archipelago state.

Though the population of the Maldives is Sunni Muslim, continuing belief in magic is widespread in rural areas. Coconuts are often used in rituals and inscribed with spells.

The hundreds of thousands of international tourists who travel to the Maldives usually stay in isolated resorts and have no contact with local people other than staff.

The local Minivan news website reported that police "took the coconut into their possession" around 7.05am on Tuesday, after they received a complaint about the suspicious fruit near the school on the Guraidhoo Island, which lies 130 miles from the capital, Male, and has a population of around 2,000.

"The 4in coconut had a [Koranic verse] written in Arabic [on it] and was lying on the ground near the school, easy for the public to see. It seems like it was a joke, just a prank, so that people will become aware," Minivan quoted a source on Guraidhoo saying.

Minivan said its source had suggested the coconut "was a lesson for islanders not to practise black magic in an attempt to influence voting, and that the polling area would be closely monitored to prevent such activities from occurring".

Earlier this year, school authorities on Guraidhoo resisted using their buildings as a polling station, citing previous instances when problems had been caused by magic. Their fears were only partly allayed when the national election commission said it would accept responsibility "if anyone falls under a spell or comes down ill".

The election has been bitterly contested, with Mohammed Nasheed, the former president, who claims he was ousted last year in a coup, taking on one of the Maldives' biggest businessmen, the outgoing president and the half-brother of former dictator, Mamoun Abdul Gayoom.

Nasheed, an internationally respected human rights and climate-change campaigner, hopes to win outright this weekend and avoid a run-off second round of voting.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/06/coconut-detained-maldives-vote-rigging

Polling ends peacefully in Maldives

Over 240,000 Maldivians were eligible to vote in the election in which four candidates, including incumbent President Mohamed Waheed and the ousted Nasheed, are in the fray, Xinhua reported.

Polling to elect the next president of Maldives concluded peacefully on Saturday, 18 months after the country's first elected president Mohamed Nasheed was ousted.

Thousands of people flocked to 470 polling stations across 200 islands in the Maldives Saturday to cast their ballots.

Over 240,000 Maldivians were eligible to vote in the election in which four candidates, including incumbent President Mohamed Waheed and the ousted Nasheed, are in the fray, Xinhua reported.

The other two are tycoon Gasim Ibrahim and MP Abdulla Yameen, the half-brother of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

The election has been endorsed by over 400 monitors as peaceful but concerns have been raised that about two % of the vote could have had its secrecy compromised, Xinhua quoted an official as saying here.

Transparency Maldives, who fielded the largest number of monitors, told media that the administration of the polls has been efficient and praised the elections commission and its stakeholders.

"The opening procedure went relatively well with 99.5 % of polling stations opened before 8.30 a.m. and 83 % of all polling stations were opened within the first ten minutes. All ballot boxes were empty and verified as empty before the start of the polls," Transparency Maldives director Uz. Hussain Siraj told media.

"We also note that the police were present at 95 % of the observed polling stations at the time of opening and the observers concluded that the polling stations were set up to safeguard the secrecy of the vote in the majority of 98.2 % of the cases,” he said.

However, this was less clear in about two % of the cases observed for which we are closely observing and monitoring," he added raising concerns about credibility.

All four candidates were in an upbeat mood Saturday over the large turnout where young and old alike stood for hours in snaking lines all across the capital Male.

Waheed decided to be the early bird and cast his vote just 15 minutes after the polling stations opened. He said he was "very confident" of winning the elections.

Gasim Ibrahim took a leisurely walk to the polling booth to cast his vote around the same time as Waheed.

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP Abdulla Yameen headed to the poll booth next to the National University of Male.

Yameen said he believed the election was a turning point in the history of the Maldives.

However, he admitted that doubts regarding its credibility still remained and that political parties could decide to contest the result to be announced early Sunday.

"This (the election) is absolutely crucial. This is the watershed election. Things have gone so wrong for the last four to five years and it is absolutely imperative that we change for the better this time," Yameen told Xinhua.

Asked whether he was confident of the elections being free and fair, he said there were still loopholes that the regulators had failed to close ahead of time.

"It all depends on how problems are going to be resolved here. If it (result) needs to be contested, if there are substantive issues, I suppose every party would contest,” he said.

Yameen had the public endorsement of former president Gayoom and many of his family members active in the current government.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/world/1885847/report-polling-ends-peacefully-in-maldives

Bhutan 2-8 Maldives: Ali Ashfaq scores four as Urbanyi's side march into the semis

Maldives record their second straight win courtesy Ali Ashfaq scoring four to record a regulation win against Bhutan...



Maldives continued their imperious form  as they drubbed a 10-man Bhutan team 8-2 at the Dashrath Rangasala Stadium, Nepal, in a Group B match of the SAFF Championship 2013.

Ali Fasir put Maldives ahead in the 16th minute, while less than 10 minutes later the Red Snappers conceded their first goal in the competition when Passang Tshering (25') scored the equaliser before Chencho Gyeltshen made it 2-1 in favour of Bhutan in the 35th minute.

Maldivian midfielder Muhamed Umair (45+2') equalised at the stroke of half-time, while Bhutan goalkeeper Leki Dukpa saw red. Four more strikes by Ali Ashfaq (48', 51, 76', 79'), a second by Ali Fasir (69') and one by Ali Umar (82') completed the tally for István Urbányi's side.

It was Bhutan who started the match the better of the two sides as they almost found themselves in the lead in the 10th minute when Yeshey Dorji's piledriver had beaten goalkeeper Imran Mohamed all ends out but Chencho was not able to convert on the rebound.

Minutes later, Ali Fasir put Maldives ahead by calmly slotting through the feet of Dukpa in goal after Ali Ashfaq found him with a pinpoint pass. Meanwhile Bhutan's bad luck in front of goal continued as Tshering Dorji's shot hit the woodwork.

However, the equaliser did come in the 25th minute when Passang Tshering headed home by getting on the end of a teasing cross by Tshering Wangdi from the right wing.

In the 31st minute, Bhutan custodian Dukpa held on to his nerves to parry Mohamed Umair's shot at goal, while defender Karun Gurung stood in the way of Imaaz Ahmed's attempt off the rebound.

With Maldives committing too many bodies forward, Chencho Gyeltshen was allowed a free run-in behind their defense. The latter chipped the ball above the orushing Imran Mohamed to put Kazuhori Ohara's side ahead for the first time in the match.

All the good work was wasted however when Leki Dukpa in the Bhutan goal was sent off at the stroke of half time for bringing down Ali Ashfaq just outside the box. It became worse as the resultant freekick was duly converted by Mohamed Umair to equalise for the Red Snappers.

As Maldives began the second half with a man advantage, there was no looking back as Ali Ashfaq made no mistake to steer in a pulled back pass by Ali Fasir in the 48th minute, and then continuing with his peerless form in front of goal by making it 4-2 after being set-up by Ali Umar in the 51st minute.

Ashfaq turned provider in the 69th minute, releasing Ali Fasir, who placed the ball at the back of the net as Bhutan's substitute keeper Hemlal Bhattrai looked on helplessly.

Bhattrai was left with the job of picking the ball from his net thrice more. Maldives substitue Mohamed Niyaz helped Asfaq complete his hat-trick in the 76th minute, who struck again to make it 7-2 three minutes later. Ashfaq rounded off his four goals by also setting up another assist in the match. He cruised past a  defender and the nervous substitute keeper with ease, before squaring it off to Ali Umar who had no problem guiding the ball into the empty net in the 82nd minute.

The result takes Maldives at the top of the table with an incredible goal difference of +16 over that of second placed Afghanistan (+5), with whom they will have their final group stage face-off on Friday to decide as to who shall take the top team from Group B.

Source: http://www.goal.com/en-india/match/119513/bhutan-vs-maldives/report

Maldives beat Sri Lanka by 10-0 SAFF Championship

Maldives beat Sri Lanka 10-0 in their Group B match of the eighth SAFF Championship here at the Dasrath Stadium in Kathmandu on yesterday(Monday) evening.

Ali Ashfaq scored six goals including two in penalty shoot-outs. He had made a hat-trick during the second half.

Abdulla Asadhulla had scored the first goal for Maldives at the fifth minute of the game.
Hassan Adhuham, Ali Fasir and Ali Umar added a goal each during the second half.

Source: http://www.csn.lk/maldives-beat-sri-lanka-by-10-0-saff-championship/