Maldives Update; September 12, 2007.

A report released by a Peoples' Majlis committee alleges that the have authorities mismanaged the notorious Hussein Salah case.
Authorities Damned in Hussein Salah Case, Minivan News, September 10, 2007.

Constitution Drafting Committee to meet twice a day amidst concerns of missing November 30th deadline, MDP, September 11, 2007.

Today, the international community needs no further proof if they are genuinely interested in helping the people of Maldives by replacing the current dictatorial regime with a democratic government.
Ahmed Moosa, Rigging the referendum is a blessing in disguise, Dhivehi Observer, August 29, 2007.

The International Press Freedom Mission to the Maldives has sent a letter to the Minister of Information urging immediate amendments to the draft Press Law currently before parliament.

To increase the efficiency of the Police service, an independent survey has been constituted, to find out public opinion about the local police force.
Independent survey planned to find out public’s opinion of Police, Haveeru Online, September 12, 2007.

People’s Special Majlis have submitted a petition to the Government to confront the spiraling drugs crisis among young people.
Government Urged To Confront Drugs Crisis, Minivan News, September 6, 2007.

Also See:
Praful Bidwai, Sanctifying mass destruction, Frontline, September 8, 2007.

Maldives Update, September 5, 2007.

The increase in xenophobia could also be related to the rise in organized crime and the proliferation of gangs in Malé. A large percentage of youth in the Maldives are brown sugar addicts.
Nihan Zafar, Inhumane Treatment of Migrant Workers, Global Voices, September 3, 2007.

Around 20 percent of the island nation's residents under the age of 15 are using banned substances, according to the National Narcotics Control Bureau.

The HRCM has not always been in the government’s good books, however. Saleem has frequently angered the Gayoom administration by speaking out against human rights abuses.
Paul Roberts, Referendum “Generally Fair” – Human Rights Commission, Minivan News, August 27, 2007.

In a referendum in the Maldives, voters supported a proposal for a presidential system, seen by the government as an endorsement of the president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has been in power for 29 years. The opposition alleged rigging, and the foreign minister became the latest reformist to quit Mr Gayoom's cabinet.
Stephen Abbott, Voters choose presidential system in Maldives referendum, Guardian, August 22, 2007.

Simon Gardner, Maldives Foreign Min quits over reform pace, Reuters, August 22, 2007.

Asia's longest-serving leader will run for re-election at the island cluster's first multi-party presidential elections next year.
Simon Gardner, Maldives President sees reforms complete in 2-3 yrs, Reuters, August 20, 2007.

However, it was unclear how the opposition, which backed a British-style parliamentary government rather than the presidential system favoured by Gayoom, would react to the president's olive branch.
Maldives strongman wants to rule on into fourth decade, AFP, August 20, 2007.

Journalists, reporters and photographers working for dissident websites and magazines are continuously being harassed and even detained, but fortunately Gayyoom is no longer capable of shutting us down because the public is not afraid to stand up against this tyrant.
Ahmed S. I. Moosa, Maldives dictator versus the free media, Asia Media, August 20, 2007.

Maldives Update: March 12, 2007.

The habit of debate follows the democratization movement in the Maldives and commentators analyze media reportage in Maldivian newspapers and websites.
Adam Cooper, Lowering The Tone, MinivanNews, March 3, 2007.
The Pitiful State Of Maldivian Web Media, MinivanNews, March 11, 2007.
The critiques voiced in these have been borne out by the responses to these critiques.

With the recent introduction of the multi-party democracy President Gayoom is forced to introduce sweeping democratic reforms.
Ali Rasheed, Viewing Democracy In The Maldives, Minivan News, March 12, 2007.
A. S. I. Moosa asks in the Dhivehi Observer: Can India help democratise Maldives by protecting a 28 year old brutal dictatorship?

Mean while Mariya Ahmed Didi, from the Maldivian opposition, was honoured as an ‘international woman of courage’ by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Maldives Update: January 14 - February 2, 2007

Notwithstanding its reformist face, there is still a lack of trust in the Maldives government as the confusion over whether they were going to further regulate the press showed this last week. The government's apology however is a novelty.

In the meanwhile, there are changes happening in the Maldivian media industry that are interesting at such a critical moment.
The Battle For The Maldives Media Is On, Will Jordan, Minivan News, January 31, 2007.

Bird Flu Could "Devastate" Maldivian Economy Warns UN. Chikungunya has also been diagnosed in the atoll-state.

Of interest: this blog entry by Will Jordan who writes for Minivan News: The Essence Of Repression, January 31, 2007.

Finally, because the darkest situations carry moments of profound irony:
Satyagraha Movement is a very significant philosophy and that it calls for a non-violent approach for conflict resolution- President, Haveeru Daily, January 30, 2007.
Will Jordan, Row As Gayoom Celebrates Non-Violent Resistance, Minivan News, January 30, 2007.
See also: Blood and Irony, January 31, 2007.

A new report from Reporters Sans Frontieres: Maldives - Annual report 2007.

Maldives Boat Crisis Update, 8-11-06 (2)

The Coast Guard is said to have boarded the boat, handcuffed and arrested people on board the dhoni. There is no word after that.

The Maldivian crisis raises anew a range of very old questions that states and citizens across South Asia need to consider:

1. Do borders delimit and limit our concerns about human rights and democracy?
2. Where is the threshold beyond which polite, international legal constraints about sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs do not apply, for clearly there should be such a threshold in international society?
3. Should considerations about such limits inform the decision to buy and sell arms, boats and other equipment that can have a 'dual-use' capability--against true marauders and against one's citizens?

The crisis also points to how government-controlled media can prove a liability to the government itself because their credibility is eroded over time. The result is that coverage of crisis situations is polarized to the point where everything one side says seems wrong to the other. In the argument over who is telling the truth, it is real people who fall between the cracks.