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Minicoy Island and the Maldives!

Minicoy Island or Maliku is the only inhabited island of the Maliku Atoll. It is the second largest and the southern-most among the islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago, measuring about 10 km from its northern end to its southernmost point. Minicoy is a long island, almost completely covered with coconut trees.
The locals, the Malikun, call their island "Maliku," as do the Maldivians, while it is called "Minikkoy" in Malayalam. On the southern side of the main island lies the uninhabited islet of Viringili where formerly the lepers of Minicoy were banished.

This atoll is administered by India under the Indian Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The closest island to Minicoy is Thuraakunu in the Republic of Maldives. Since 1956, the Indian Government has forbidden contact between people of the two islands despite their geographic proximity and ethnographic similarities. Minicoy Islanders, like the close islands of the Maldives follow Sunni Islam. The islands were probably Buddhist before like they were in the Maldives.

Today Maliku is administered by India, but claimed by the Maldives. This claim was made in 1983, when the President of Maldives made a public speech claiming Maliku for the Maldives. Even today many Maldivians privately harbour such sentiments. At the same time India is overly cautious of any contact between people of Maliku and its Maldivian neighbours to the south.

An oral tradition of the Maldives (according to the late Magieduruge Ibrahim Didi, a Maldivian learned man) explains why Minicoy is not politically part of the Maldives anymore: Some time in the past (perhaps during the 17th century), Minicoy was devastated by a great cyclone which destroyed most houses and a great number of coconut trees. Following the catastrophe, a delegation of Minicoy islanders from the best families in the island sailed to the King in Male' asking for gold to help them through the hard times. However, the Maldive King told them that he had not enough money in his treasury and that he was not able to help them. Hence the delegation of Maliku nobles went onwards to the Malabar coast, where they found favor with the king of Cannanore (Kannur) who welcomed them and helped the Minicoy people to rebuild their island in exchange for their loyalty. Henceforth the Minicoy Islanders owed allegiance to this kingdom of the SW Indian shore.

Today, Maliku has a combined population of 9,500.
Under the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands (Laws) Regulations, 1967 of the Government of India, Maldivian nationals can only visit Maliku if they are permitted by the High Commissioner of India. The High Commissioner of India in Malé shall intimate the names of the persons whose visits are permitted and the period of their stay to the Administrator of Lakshadweep sufficiently in advance. The Administrator may, on valid grounds, extend the period of stay of Maldivain nationals.

Airport Hotels, Safari Yachts should not have alcohol!

The increase in the smuggling and illegal sale of alcoholic beverages in Male has taken a sharp rise in the recent months. In most of the cases, it is expatriates (Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, etc) who are seen to be taking part in such activities, along with help from locals. I suggest the following actions if we want to see a decline in this:

1. Permits are currently given to foreign teachers, seaplane pilots, etc. to purchase liquor from places such as resorts and the Airport Hotel and consume such products in Male’. There is no way to prevent such foreigners from selling alcohol drinks to locals. I suggest that we stop issuing such permits. Any foreigner who wants to consume alcohol should do so in resorts but he should not be allowed to bring such beverages to any inhabited island.

2. Currently many foreign residents of Male visit the Airport Hotel to consume alcohol. This has apparently become an easy access point to bring alcohol to Male illegally. Similarly the Ocean Reef Hotel in Addu Atoll Gan is also apparently such a point where locals could get easy access to alcohol. I suggest that we revise the regulations so that no hotel in an inhabited island (or with a causeway-connection to an inhabited island) should be allowed to sell alcohol. If such a regulation is implemented it would prevent the Hulhule Airport Hotel and the Ocean Reef Hotel in Gan from selling alcohol.

3. Similarly we should not allow any of the upcoming Airport Hotels (that are to be opened in regional airports) to sell alcohol.

4. Safari Yachts who travel to various islands and atolls (with tourists) are allowed to buy and sell alcohol. Such vessels could easily sell alcohol to locals. I suggest that the safari yachts should not be able to buy and sell alcohol.

Conference Tourism at Aarah or Gan, and Dhoonidhoo Island as a resort for locals

How about developing a resort close to Male that is completely custom designed to host conferences and accommodate delegates. This way we could promote Maldives as n affordable and ideal host of international conferences and business meetings.
The island of Aarah which was previously used as a Presidential retreat is an ideal island to develop in this was as a Conference Resort. Or we could develop part of Gan Island of Addu Atoll as a Conference Resort. Either way we could promote Maldives as a relatively affordable and attractive venue for hosting various conferences and business meetings of multi-national companies.
As we develop Aarah as a Conference Resort, we could also develop Dhoonidhoo Island as a resort for locals.

A “China Town” and a “Little India” in the Maldives?

There is hardly any country in the world that doesn’t have a China Town. China Towns of Singapore and Malaysia are popular spots with Maldivian tourists but there are “China Towns” in countries such as the US and Canada too. I think we should build one too!

I know that usually such names and places evolve due to ethnic Chinese or ethnic Indians settling in those areas and bringing their cultures to those spots.
But that need not be the case all the time. We can designate a specific area as “China Town” and lease out land to build Chinese restaurants and street vendors who sell “cheap” Chinese products in stalls, shops that sell Chinese souvenirs, and have Chinese cultural shows and so on. We can do this in collaboration and with help from the Chinese government. I’m sure they will be perfectly willing to help financially too.

Similarly we can designate an area as the “Little India of Male” and lease out land to build Indian restaurants and street vendors who sell Indian spices and Indian “Halvahs” (sweets), etc.
The purpose of having places such as the “China Town” and “Little India” would be part of a larger programme or project to build places of interest for tourists.
Even Maldivians would be interested in visiting such places.
“Hey, why don’t we go to China Town tonight for dinner…”

Island Holidays to tap Bollywood segment for Maldives

Island Holidays a Mumbai-based consolidator for Maldives now plans to tap the Bollywood segment by facilitating movie producers with shooting locations in the island nation and also arrange their travel plans (reports www.travelbizmonitor.com).

Elaborating on the plans for promoting Maldives through Bollywood, Aman Bhatia, Partner, Island Holidays said, “We recently facilitated the shooting of Kites, a movie by Rakesh Roshan in Maldives. We in talks with Maldives Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) to promote movie shoots and advertisements at different locations in Maldives through Island Holidays and we are expecting it to materialise within a month or so.”

From the 1900 islands that form Maldives, there are certain islands where there is no habitation and are used for picnics by locals. Island Holidays will be promoting these islands and also the local villages for shooting, though to access these islands one needs government’s permission. To tap the Bollywood segment, the company will promote their offerings through their network of Bollywood producers. “Our offerings will also be promoted through actor Kumar Gaurav who is a part of the company,” stated Bhatia. It will also organise familiarisation trips for produces to get a feel of the destination.
Apart from promoting the destination through Bollywood, Island Holidays will also promote the honeymoon and leisure segment for Maldives along with other destinations like Sarawak in Malaysia, Turkey, Tanzania and Fiji.

British teachers wooed by Maldives

British head teachers are being encouraged to swap their high-pressured jobs for teaching posts in the palm-fringed atolls of Maldives (reports http://news.bbc.co.uk/)

Maldives' Minister for Education Dr Mustafa Lutfi told BBC that Maldives is seeking teachers familiar with the English curriculum in order to boost standards in schools on some of the country's 200 inhabited islands. Dr Lutfi says that while 12 to 15% of the government's budget is spent on education, an average of only one in three students obtains five O-levels at grade C and above.
"Currently our standard is poor compared to the money we spend on education," he told the BBC. "We want foreign professionals to come and help us turn our schools around."
The move is part of a wider strategy by the government, which came into power in November, to improve education, which also includes the privatisation of some schools.
"Previous education policies centralised schools and colleges in the capital, Male, where one third of the country's population live. We need to give the other two thirds similar access to high quality education," Dr Lutfi said.
British teachers with three years experience will be offered a monthly salary of 10,000 Rufiyaa (£523) and accommodation, and will teach in one of the country's 227 schools.

Like the Maldives, Kiribati Islanders too Seek Land to Buy as Rising Seas Threaten

Kiribati, a Pacific island-nation in danger of being submerged because of global warming, may purchase land elsewhere to relocate its people, reports www.bloomberg.com/.
“We would consider buying land,” President Tong of Kiribati said in an interview in New Delhi. “The alternative is that we die, we go extinct.” Kiribati (pic), between Hawaii and Australia, is the second island-nation after the Maldives that’s floated the idea of buying land should their islands be swamped by rising seas and more powerful storms. President Tong, who holds a masters degree from the London School of Economics, was elected Kiribati president in 2003 and re-elected in 2007. The country won independence from the U.K. in 1979.

Warmer temperatures are melting icecaps, expanding the volume of oceans and causing more intense storm systems. Higher tides in Kiribati’s 33-island archipelago are making potable water for its 100,000 residents too salty to drink. Tong appealed Feb. 5 to leaders who will meet in Copenhagen in December to turn their attention to islanders hurt by global warming.
“I can fully understand why responsible leaders of countries like Kiribati and the Maldives want to take action now and I think we’ll see more of this,” said Kim Carstensen, climate-change program director for the environmental group WWF International.
The United Nations has called on 192 countries to negotiate a new climate-protection treaty to be signed in Denmark. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted sea levels will rise one to two feet by 2100, having climbed 17 centimeters during the last century. The panel also said tropical cyclones likely will increase in intensity.
The sea level around Kiribati, the former Gilbert Islands, has been rising 5.1 millimeters a year since 1991, Australia’s National Tidal Centre reported.

Giving some Japanese islands to the “sinking” Maldivians

Amy Chaves who is a Japanese resident has put forward a novel idea to relocate all Maldivians to Japan. Writing on http://search.japantimes.co.jp/ she says that by giving some Japanese islands to the Maldivians, Japan can solve some economic problems and at the same time help Maldives too! Following are extracts from Amy Chavez’s article:

“For years Japan has struggled with the question of how to revive the countryside. With few jobs and an aging population, the countryside isn't much of a draw for anyone under the age of 80. This goes for the islands in the Seto Inland Sea too, where the last generations of fishermen barely manage to hang on to a folkloric lifestyle. There have been many thoughts on how to revive the islands, but despite the half-hearted promotional efforts by the government, nothing much changes here.
But, I have an idea on how to revive not only the island where I live, but all of the islands in the Seto Inland Sea.

My plan would increase the overall island population by 400,000, build a new industry, and create up to a million jobs. This idea would make you, me and Japan very rich. My economic stimulus package for Japan is this: Japan should lease out the 200 or so inhabited islands in the Inland Sea.
Why? Because we already have a potential buyer. The Maldives. You see, the Maldives (a series of over 1,000 islands, but of which only about 200 are inhabited), have this sinking feeling that they are not going to be around for much longer. The relatively flat islands are disappearing as sea levels rise due to the warming of the planet. The Maldives government considered the possibility of protecting their islands by building giant sea walls around them, but the idea was deemed impractical and too expensive.

So instead, the country is looking for a new home. The Maldives government is already saving money to buy up land somewhere else. They have reportedly looked into large tracts of land in India, Sri Lanka and Australia. Hey Japan, these people have cash! Their population needs islands, and our islands need population. And since our islands are basically mountains, should the seas continue to rise, we can always move to higher ground. What happens if the Maldivians don't want to come? Don't despair. The South Pacific islands are sinking too.”

Sonam Kapoor does a photo shoot in the Maldives

Bollywood has a new star kid on the block. After impressing masses and critics alike with her debut film Saawariya, Sonam Kapoor is back with a bang this year.

Though people didn't get to see this (young Kapoor) - daughter of the very talented and versatile Anil Kapoor – last year in 2009 the pretty actress will be seen in the much-awaited Delhi 6. But before her film hits theatres her fans can get a glimpse of the actress in a hot avataar on the cover of Verve. Sonam, who is the fresh face of L'Oreal, has done an exclusive photo-shoot for the magazine that was shot on the beaches (pic) of Maldives.

Maldives Foreign Minister seeks more US scholarships

At a time when the new government of Maldives seeks immense strides in the development of the country it is imperative that we do not depend solely on the goodwill of the Indians. While India would always be a strategic and important ally and helper, it would be folly to ignore the importance of further strengthening the roles played by the United States and Europe in our development. It is perhaps for this reason that the Foreign Minister Shaheed visited Washington recently

During the visit to Washington, Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed emphasized the importance of increasing educational opportunities for Maldivian students in the United States, reported Miadhu Daily. Minister Shaheed made the emphasis during a courtesy call on US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Ambassador Richard. A. Boucher. The call took place at the US Department of State on the 23rd of this month.

At the call, the Minister expressed sincere gratitude to US for its commitment to the democratization process of the Maldives. Furthermore, he took this opportunity to outline the Government’s development plans and priorities. Returning his remarks, Ambassador Boucher congratulated the Maldives on its historic achievement, and expressed continued support to the Maldives.

Discussions also took place on strengthening development cooperation between the two countries. Dr. Shaheed expressed hope that the US will remain a close development partner of the Maldives in the future as well. In response, the Ambassador reaffirmed the goodwill and support of the US to the Maldives.

While the certificates and qualifications from US institutions are desirable, most students in Maldives are unable to pursue studies in US due to comparatively high costs and difficulties in obtaining visas. Increased opportunity to study in US will be welcome improvement for the country. US Ambassador Robert Blake in his last visit to Maldives has indicated US support to develop human resources in the Maldives and has commented that the program will commence soon.

At a time when the new government of Maldives seeks immense strides in the development of the country it is imperative that we do not depend solely on the goodwill of the Indians. While India would always be a strategic and important ally and helper, it would be folly to ignore the importance of further strengthening the roles played by the United States and Europe in our development.

Sri Lanka to boost cricket in the Maldives

The Daily Mirror Newspaper of Sri Lanka (www.dailymirror.lk/) reports that Sri Lanka is to help Maldives in the development of cricket. According to Daily Mirror, the Sports ministers from the Maldives and Sri Lanka agreed to a sports promotion exchange programme between the two countries. The meeting between the Maldivian Sports Minister Hassan Latheef and Sri Lankan Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge took place at the Sports Ministry recently.

The main topic of discussion was the cooperation from Sri Lanka in the development of cricket in the Maldives.
Sri Lanka is a world power in the sport of cricket and they have, in the past, won the cricket Asia Cup and the World Cup too. Most of their national team players are world icons in cricket. Sri Lanka could indeed help put Maldives in the map of the cricketing world.

President Nasheed’s father is an ardent cricket fan and a former national team wicket keeper. I call upon Nasheed’s father and other cricket fans to lobby to the President to come up with a solid plan to at least qualify Maldives for the Asia Cup within the next five years.

Maldives to put aside at least us dollar 2 million a year into a fund

(Extracts from the article on http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5604464.ece)
Of the $45m the government currently earns annually from tourism, President of the Maldives (Nasheed) plans to start putting aside at least $2m a year into a fund, with contributions increasing substantially over time. This seems unlikely to be enough to buy a sizable chunk of land in the near future in such mooted destinations as Australia. But the government’s intention, he says, is that this fund be supplemented by donations from the richer nations that bear the brunt of responsibility for global warming.
When pressed, however, Nasheed says he only mentioned Australia as a possible destination out of solidarity with other small island states in the South Pacific such as Tuvalu and Kiribati, for which the rising oceans are also a ticking time bomb. Regional think-tanks are already urging the Australian government to draw up plans to relocate the small populations of these atoll states through staged migration as land becomes increasingly uninhabitable.
A more realistic destination for Maldivians, says their president, would be a tract of land in one of the southern states in India, such as Kerala, where the relocation of 386,000 in a country with a population of 1.14 billion might be more feasible. “No country has said they will not have us,” says Nasheed. “We are going into unknown territory, so we have to have the vision to believe a new future is possible. If the Maldives is going to be underwater, for instance, who owns it?

Former Vice President Al Gore has referred to the case of the Maldives

(Jakarta News.Net) While speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, former Vice President Al Gore has referred to the case of the Maldives, which he said was now looking to purchase territory to re-locate its entire population due to of rising water levels. Al Gore called for climate crisis leadership under President Barack Obama. He urged US lawmakers to enact legislation on climate change before a U.N. summit on the issue late this year in Copenhagen.

Mr. Gore, the winner of a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, said he thought President Obama would be able to actually get something done on climate change. Gore showed the panel charts and pictures to illustrate the urgency of the climate crisis, saying worldwide major weather-related disasters had been building up.

He gave the example of the Maldives, which he said was now looking to purchase territory to re-locate its entire population due to of rising water levels.
The former vice president said the US is the only industrialized country that refused to ratify the Kyoto climate accord, should negotiate a new global climate treaty with other countries this year.

Fergie & Josh Jet Back from the Maldives

For newlyweds Fergie and Josh Duhamel, when one honeymoon ended, another began (reports www.people.com/) Back from a whirlwind global adventure that took them to the Maldives and then the Bahamas, the happy couple arrived in Los Angeles on 25th January, looking refreshed and tanned.

First stop on their itinerary: the Maldives. There for a week, beginning Jan. 12, the two jump-started their honeymoon with a relaxing vacation at the One & Only Reethi Rah Resort, where they stayed in a luxury Grand Water Villa with a private pool and veranda overlooking the beach. According to sources, the two enjoyed daily activities on the island, including snorkeling and water skiing.

Fergie (Stacy Ferguson), 33, is a graduate of Disney's Kids Incorporated. She elevated the once all-male underground rap group the Black Eyed Peas to new pop heights. She cut her last name in half, dropped the Stacy (and most of her clothing), and became the Peas' gyrating, belly-baring, real-life Bratz doll songstress. Before that Fergie formed the girl group Wild Orchid. But, when the group fell apart, so too did Fergie; her escalating drug use got worse. With her mother's help, she rehabbed and joined the Black Eyed Peas. After winning a Grammy with the group, Fergie went solo, releasing her debut album The Dutchess in 2006. As it topped the charts, so did her personal life with hunky actor Josh Duhamel, whom she married in a white fantasy Malibu wedding in January 2009.

The couple is said to have immensely enjoyed their honeymoon at One & Only Reethi Rah Resort in the Maldives.

Hail the mighty Maldives for stumping China!

Extract from http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/

“This month's Asian Cricket Council Trophy is not one of the sport's most glittering competitions. It is contested by Oman, Bhutan, Brunei, Myanmar, Thailand, Iran, the Maldives and China. But it is still well worth following. After all, that China (population somewhere around the 1,330,044,605 mark) can compete in any arena against the Maldives (population closer to 385,925) is in itself rather marvellous.
That China should also get thoroughly hammered is cause for downright jubilation. In their group match nine days ago, the Maldive islanders finished their 50 overs on 376 for 7.

In reply, the Chinese took 32.2 overs to reach 61 all out, a 315-run defeat. I'll refrain from wondering whether they had an unorthodox left-arm spinner in their team, delivering what in a less politically correct era was dubbed the Chinaman. The people running Chinese cricket don't need to contend with cheap gags like that in this time of crisis.”

Drug Stash Hidden In Maldivian Mosque

Police have found a drug stash hidden in a light pole on the ground of a Male’ mosque, reports Minivan News. According to the website, 54 drug bullets were found at Thaquvaa mosque in Henveiru yard on Monday by police. The case is being investigated but no arrests have been made.

Imam Mohamed Shareef said there were gangs who often loitered behind the mosque. “They do all kinds of bad things. It might have been one of them.”

He added the gangs disturbed those praying. “Sometimes I feel as if it’s difficult to pray because of all their noises. They shout and they scream.”

Litter and graffiti (pic) were also problems. Empty cans and bottles, discarded pill packs and cigarette butts covered the area behind the mosque.

“To clear the walls we used to paint over the graffiti but it never takes long before they spray over it again,” said Shareef. One mosque-goer, who wished to remain anonymous, said the gangs were involved in “illegal activities” but did not elaborate.

In February 2007, a man was arrested for using drugs inside toilet at Jalaaludheen mosque in Male’. Last year a young boy and a middle-aged man was arrested inside the Viyafaariveringe Mosque after midnight, having homosexual sex. One wonders whether this is the legacy that Gayyoom wished to leave behind as he concluded his three-decade-long rule in the country.

The new Tourism Minster should make Maldives friendlier to shoot Bollywood films!

Here are some of Hrithik Roshan’s photos in Bandos-Maldives. Hirthik, along with his Kites co-star Barbara Mori flew to Maldives for the shoot of the film Kites. Prior to this, Kites had a lengthy shoot at Mexico and Las Vegas.

The new Tourism Minster should make Maldives more Bolllywood-shooting-friendly so that more film crew would fly to shoot films here. We need to build the proper transport and technical infrastructure to suit such an industry.

Bollywood mega star Hrithik Roshan and his crew stayed in Bandos for the shooting of ‘Kites’, his upcoming movie featuring a South American actress Barbara Mori and Kangana Ranaut. The crew also includes director Anurag Basu and Hrithik Roshan’s sister Suneina. Some scenes were shot near Sundowners bar and Water Sports centre. A Romantic scene was shot in the lush green area on the island and a song was shot on a boat called Sultans of Blues which was anchored on the west of Bandos.

Sri Lanka has more to offer the tourist than Maldives: says The Island!

Mr. Gunaratna of Sri Lankan newspaper (Island) writes that Sri Lanka has more to offer the tourist than Maldives. Below is an extract from his story, which you can read at http://www.island.lk/2009/01/19/business2.html

"The tourism industry in Sri Lanka will bounce back and we have the potential to become a top destination in the region," an optimistic Anura Dewapura, the new General Manager of Mount Lavinia Hotel said. Sri Lanka has more to offer the tourist than Maldives but we need to reposition our product he said. The tourism authorities in the country will have to launch a massive promotional campaign world wide about what we have to offer and that Sri Lanka is a safe place to visit the veteran hotelier said.

We have the ability to compete with other top destinations (like the Maldives) but will have to improve our service, product, industry standards and provide value for money he said adding that to achieve this all stakeholders will have to make a concerted effort. Our product is diverse, we have the beaches (as shown in the picture here), the hills, we offer eco tourism, adventure tourism, health tourism and its an ideal location for weddings and honeymooners, those keen on religious tourism or historical sites the list is so vast he explained.

A US country band called the “Maldives”!

Have you heard about the country music band (in the United Staes) named after our country? Yep! This band’s name is: “Maldives”.
Visit http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/396176_postcard16.html
to read about this story.

The band makes foot-stomping, sing-along Americana with a bevy of traditional instruments (banjo, pedal steel, dobro, violin) and a few rock instruments (bass, drums, electric guitars). Centered on singer-songwriter Jason Dodson, the group is Kevin Barrans, Jesse Bonn, Tim Gadbois, Ryan McMackin, Tomo Nakayama, Chris Warner, Seth Warren and Chris Zasche.

CAREER DEBUT: "With the members as we play now," Dodson says after admitting to many lineup changes over the years, "the Tractor, August 2007, with Tim Seely and the Crying Shame. That show was the kick-off to our first West Coast tour, making our way down to San Diego and back in a family RV we call 'The Beaver.' "

MONIKER: "Our friend and old guitar player, David Wingo, was trying to come up with a name for the band, so he and his buddy were looking at the answers on the back of Trivial Pursuit cards, and The Maldives stood out as an interesting name. The name grew in significance, as we grew in size, seeing how the actual Maldives are a group of islands that comprise a country, and we are a group of musicians that comprise a country band."

RELEASES: "The Maldives," an EP that Dodson describes as "over 45 minutes worth of slow jams and low-fi folk-rock," as well as the upcoming "Listen to the Thunder" (Spring 2009).