Maldives foreign land ownership reform bill is approved

Maldives President Abdulla Yameen has approved a law passed by parliament on Wednesday which allows foreigners to own land for the first time.


Up until now the constitution prohibited foreign ownership of any part of Maldivian territory.

But now foreigners will be allowed to buy land provided they invest more than $1bn and provided that 70% of it is reclaimed from the Indian Ocean.

Critics fear the move could enable China to set up bases in the Maldives.

The government has denied this, saying it wants foreign investment on a commercial basis.

It says that foreign investors will be able to buy 10% of the 298 square km (115 square miles) of naturally occurring land that make up the the Maldives.

It hopes that the move will attract offshore investors into special economic zones set up by President Yameen to make the economy less reliant on tourism.

But opposition MPs fear that the measure could enable China to establish bases in the strategically important Islamic republic, which lies within important international east-west shipping routes.

Correspondents say that any Chinese move into the Maldives is certain to be viewed suspiciously by India, which considers the Maldives archipelago to be within its sphere of influence.

"We can't ignore the fact there is a cold war brewing between India and China," Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party MP Eva Abdulla told the AFP news agency.

But Vice President Ahmed Adeeb rejected concern over the move, pointing out that it had been done to generate foreign investment.

"We are not going to sell land to other countries, whether it's China or Saudi Arabia," he was quoted as saying by Minivan News on Thursday.

The Maldives comprises thousands of tiny coral islands located across the equator.

It has endured considerable political unrest since its first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed, was overthrown in a coup in February 2012.

There have been frequent street protests in the capital Male since Mr Nasheed was convicted earlier this year on terrorism charges.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33638516

Maldives law 'selling' foreigners islands stokes Delhi's fears of rising Chinese role

With anyone investing $1bn now able to own land in perpetuity, concerns are growing that the Maldives will become the focus of an Indian Ocean cold war

A new law allowing foreigners to own land on the Maldives, the island nation known for luxury tourism, has sharpened regional competition for influence over one of the busiest oceans in the world.

On Thursday Abdulla Yameen, the controversial president of the Maldives, approved a law allowing foreign ownership of land in the country for the first time, triggering concern in Delhi over a possible opportunity for China to extend its reach in the Indian Ocean region.

Dozens of foreign companies already run luxury resorts on islands that they lease from the government of the honeymoon islands for a maximum of 99 years.

The law would allow foreigners who invest more than $1bn (£650m) to own land in perpetuity, provided 70% of it is reclaimed from the sea.

India has watched warily as the Maldives, which held its first free elections in 2008 after more than three decades of autocratic rule, has tilted towards China in recent years.

The two emerging Asian powers are battling for influence in the region, with Delhi concerned at what it sees as aggressive moves by Beijing in what it considers its backyard.

India won the most recent round of manoeuvring when President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka was ousted in a surprise defeat in January. Rajapaksa had increasingly looked to China for investment and diplomatic support. The new Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena, has shifted Sri Lanka’s policy back towards Delhi.

The Maldives have also seen competition. An Indian company had a major contract to extend the existing airport cancelled, while the Chinese are helping to build a crucial $300m road link between the airport and the capital, Malé. India was also closer to the former president and current opposition leader Mohammed Nasheed, who was ousted in 2012 and is currently under house arrest.

Yameen went out of his way to reassure India in an address to the nation. “The Maldivian government has given assurances to the Indian government and our neighbouring countries as well to keep the Indian Ocean a demilitarised zone,” the president was quoted as saying by the local Minivan News website.

Yameen said the foreign policy of the Maldives would not change and the new move would not pose “any danger to either the Maldivian people or our neighbouring countries”.

Officials in Delhi said they were examining Yameen’s statements closely.

Lawmakers in the Maldives voted on Wednesday for the bill, which easily passed after a brief debate, with 70 members in favour and 14 against, the assembly said in a statement.

But opposition MPs expressed fears that their small nation, made up of about 1,200 tiny islands, would be caught in the “a cold war brewing between India and China”.

Since Nasheed was jailed for 13 years in March there have been regular protests on Malé’s streets.

Loyalists have argued that the detention of the human rights activist turned politician is an attempt to shut down opposition to the government of Yameen.

David Cameron called last month for “political dialogue [and the] release of Nasheed and all political prisoners” in the Maldives.

The Maldivian prosecutor general said on Friday that he would appeal against Nasheed’s conviction.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/24/maldives-law-selling-foreigners-islands-stokes-delhis-fears-rising-chinese-role 

Maldives To Allow Foreigners To Own Land

Lawmakers in the Maldives have voted to allow foreign ownership of land for the first time, triggering concern over a possible landgrab by China in the strategic Indian Ocean region.

Dozens of foreign companies already run luxury resorts on islands that they lease from the government of the honeymoon islands for a maximum of 99 years.

The new law, which has yet to be ratified by the president, would allow foreigners who invest more than US$1 billion (RM3.8 billion) to own land in perpetuity, provided 70% of it is reclaimed from the Indian Ocean.

The bill passed easily on Wednesday after a brief debate, with 70 members voting in favour and 14 against, the assembly said in a statement.

But opposition lawmakers expressed fears that the move could clear the way for the Chinese to set up bases in the Maldives, which straddles vital international east-west shipping routes.

Regional superpower India is already wary of increased Chinese involvement in the area, which it considers to be within its sphere of influence.

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party MP Eva Abdulla said she feared the nation could become a frontline for a potential power struggle between India and China.

"We can't ignore the fact there is a cold war brewing between India and China," Abdulla told AFP by telephone from the capital island Male.

"What is in our interest is peace and stability in the Indian Ocean. India is our neighbour and we are not a country in the South China Sea," she said referring to China's dispute with several countries over claims to the area.

The government has said the move would not threaten the Maldives' sovereignty and was needed to attract large-scale foreign investment for projects.

The Maldives is seeking aid and investment from Beijing to build a 1.4km bridge linking Male with the nearby airport island.

Ahead of the vote, President Abdulla Yameen's half brother Maumoon Abdul Gayoom — the country's former strongman leader — had urged further public debate on the controversial move.

"I have appealed to (the) president to seek public opinion on proposed constitutional amendment re land ownership before ratification," he tweeted.

The Maldives, made up of 1,192 tiny coral islands scattered across the equator, has been plagued by political unrest since the toppling of the country's first democratically elected president Mohamed Nasheed in February 2012.

Since his conviction earlier this year on terrorism charges there have been regular protests on Male's streets.

Source: http://malaysiandigest.com/frontpage/29-4-tile/562581-maldives-to-allow-foreigners-to-own-land.html

Full text of interview with Maldives Vice President Ahmed Adeeb

India has raised strong concerns over the Maldives government’s decision to pass a constitutional amendment allowing foreign ownership of islands, a move that could give China a stranglehold in the Indian ocean region. Speaking exclusively to The Hindu, Maldives’ new Vice President Ahmed Adeeb defends the decision, insisting that the move was a commercial one not a strategic one.

How do you respond to India’s concerns that the constitutional amendment your government has passed could have ‘national security’ implications?

This constitutional amendment is purely a corporate, commercial decision, as we want to do this for investments of more than a billion dollars. There are many Maldives atolls that need reclamation done. We have already reclaimed two islands near the Male airport, and there are now people living there. There are many hotels there as well. We need much more by way of multinational’s investment for this. It is just a political play by the opposition to try and create a problem between the Maldives and India, to try and say that we would sell off land to China, but there is no such idea or communication in the government. We are open for business, but not open to give up our sovereignty to any country including China.

We have opened for SEZs and we have requests from many companies to be able to own lands in perpetuity. So far we have given leases for 99 years to them, for investments of around $200 million. But now we want to build big projects, like IT parks, like townships, so we need to give them more. Maldives is a great place for them as we have year-round good weather, environment, so this amendment is to help them invest in the Maldives. Even in India, investments over $5 million get several concessions.

In addition we have put into place many safeguards. First, it is only for investments over $1 billion, then parliament has to pass the project, it has to be transparent, and then they have to reclaim land up to 70 per cent to do the project. The opposition wants to say they will come and run military bases, but that is not the reality. We are looking at projects like Singapore Marina Bay Sands or Dubai’s Palm islands. We are not looking at strategic projects.

You speak of Singapore and Dubai type of projects, but some would argue that given the stipulations, only China can actually benefit from the new law: as it has the money, the desire, and the technology for reclamation…

Firstly China has never shown an interest in this kind of project. They would like to partner with us in infrastructure projects, like the airport, give us concessional loans etc. We are seeing much more interest from the Middle East (West Asia), especially from royal families there. Maldives can be like Bahrain is for them. Please remember that President Yameen is a person who declined the American offer for a base under the SOFA agreement. Because our sovereignty is not on offer. And we don’t want to give any of our neighbours, India....any cause for concern. We don’t want to be in a position when we become a threat to our neighbours.

Have there been tensions with India over this? How did India raise its concerns?

The President’s statement today was to communicate to India in particular that what is our intent. We are hoping for a visit to the Indian Foreign Secretary, and we have given assurances to the Indian government about this. It is very strange that the opposition should have caused these concerns with their comments. Let me ask about the opposition party MDP of Mr. Nasheed… is there any hope of a reconciliation now, given that the MDP supported the government on the votes in parliament?

Yes, we are trying to reconcile politically. There are two processes for appeal in the High Court and the Supreme Court. Those are independent, but the prosecutor general has announced that the State will appeal to the High Court to help finish Mr. Nasheed’s appeal process. So we are now supporting Mr. Nasheed’s request for a proper appeals process in court. We have also allowed international observers to come and they can study the whole process, even the Indian media should come.

Relations with India have been under strain over the government’s treatment of Mr. Nasheed, and PM Modi cancelled his visit. Are you hopeful relations can improve?

The PM’s visit was cancelled because of the opposition’s uproar here, as they had planned a protest to overthrow the government in Male. We understood why PM Modi didn’t want to come in the middle of political turmoil, and India didn’t want to be seen as interfering. We are trying to ensure the right environment so Mr. Modi can visit us soon. People in the Maldives are pro-India, we would not like any tensions in our relations with India. This weekend marks our 50th year of independence, and you can see, we have invited Indian bands to perform, and stars like Bipasha Basu who are very popular here will come to. So I hope this is all taken positively and we build on our relations.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/full-text-of-interview-with-maldives-vice-president-ahmed-adeeb/article7457321.ece

Mind the water hazard...floating golf course to be built in Maldives

Cutting-edge development in pipeline as islands plan for effects of climate change

The Islands of the Maldives, confronted by rising oceans and a landscape that is just a few feet above sea level, is poised to build a floating golf course and convention centre in what could be the first of a series of futuristic off-shore developments designed to counter the threat of global warming.

The country's government has signed a deal with a Dutch firm to investigate the feasibility of developing facilities that would be located among the 26 main atolls. It is likely the company, Dutch Docklands, which has built floating islands in Dubai, will also look into the possibility of floating homes in the Maldives.

"The methods and procedures developed by the company for floating developments reduce the impact on underwater life, and minimise the changes to coastal morphology," said a statement issued by the office of President Mohamed Nasheed. Since coming to office in late 2008, Mr Nasheed, a former political prisoner, has been quick to prioritise climate change as one of the most pressing threats to his nation, which is made up of a total of 1,200 islands.

One of his first announcements after defeating former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was a plan to try to buy an alternative homeland – possibly in Sri Lanka or India – because of the threat to his nation, more than 80 per cent of which is no more than a metre above sea level. Parts of the capital, Male, are protected by a 3m-high wall that cost more than £30m and took 14 years to build. The UN has forecast that the oceans are likely to rise by up to 60cm by 2100.

After the Asian tsunami in 2004, up to 40 per cent of the Maldives was under water. A hundred people died, which spurred the authorities to think about relocating people from the lowest-lying islands. In Kandholhudhoo, about 60 per cent of residents have volunteered to evacuate within 15 years.

Ahead of last year's Copenhagen climate change summit, the President drew attention to the likely fate of the Maldives by holding an underwater cabinet meeting at which he and his ministers used scuba equipment. Mr Nasheed has also announced plans to turn the islands carbon-neutral in 10 years. No agreement was reached in Copenhagen, to the bitter disappointment of the Maldives and many other leaders of smaller nations.

"We're trying to send our message, let the world know what is happening, and what will happen to the Maldives if climate change is not checked," he said at the time. "If the Maldives cannot be saved today we do not feel there is much chance for the rest of the world."

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk