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The
Republic
of Maldives
consists of 1,190 islands (fewer than 200 are inhabited)
in the Indian
Ocean, southwest of Sri
Lanka. The Maldives has a population of 270,000,
of which about 70,000 reside in Male, the capital city.
Beautiful atolls,
inhabited by over 1,100 species of fish and other sea
life, attract thousands of visitors each year. Tourism
facilities are well developed on the resort islands.
The Tsunami
of December 26, 2004 caused some damage to several hotels
and facilities on some of the islands
Political
unrest
The
presidential
and Majlis
elections are held on a nonpartisan basis because there
are no organized political parties in the country. Candidates
run as independents on the basis of personal qualifications.
Although
in 1994 Maldives
had no organized political competition in the Western
sense, partisan conflict occurred behind the scenes.
Battles were intensely fought on the basis of factional
or personal alliances among elite circles. For more
than twenty years, until late 1978,
the dominant faction had been led by former President
Nasir, who ran the government with a firm hand and who
seldom appeared in public. His sudden departure from
Maldives,
subsequently revealed as connected with malfeasance,
ended a political era.
Transition was smooth under the new leadership group
presided over by Maumoon
Abdul Gayoom, a former cabinet member and diplomat
who took office on November 11, 1978,
after a peaceful election. The new president pledged
to administer the country in a fair and more open manner
by restoring civil rights, by establishing rapport at
the grass-roots level, and by remedying the long neglect
of popular welfare in the outer islands. However, criticism
of alleged nepotism and corruption has continued through
the 1980s and early 1990s
Gayoom's
presidential cabinet,
including his relatives in key positions, is considered
a "kitchen cabinet" of traditional power holders
that exert a strong influence against democratic reforms
on a weak but relatively popular president. Events in
the spring of 1990 tended to confirm that Gayoom's announced
support for democratic reform was not being honored
throughout the governmental power structure. In April,
three pro-reform members of the Majlis
received anonymous death threats. A few months later,
all publications not sanctioned by the government were
banned, and some leading writers and publishers were
arrested. These actions followed the emergence of several
politically outspoken magazines, including Sangu (Conch
Shell). The circulation of this magazine increased from
500 in February 1990 to 3,000 in April. read
more......
Drugs
Abuse and trafficking
The
patterns and increase of drug abuse and trafficking
in Maldives
appear to closely parallel the escalation of drug abuse
in the region. However, certain local characteristics
appear to make the drug problem in Maldives
of more serious concern.
Maldives
lies at a potentially strategic location not too far
from the golden triangle, with hundreds of tourists
arriving every day by flights from Europe, the Middle
East, South Asia and East Asia. It is well connected
to the outside world with its international airport
and ports. Hence, Maldives
is potentially vulnerable as a point for illegal shipments
of precursor chemicals or large quantities of drugs
meant for other countries. Drug traffickers may conveniently
exploit Maldives as a conduit to take the drugs to other
parts of the world. Its strategic location makes Maldives
ideally suited for the trafficking of regionally available
drugs, commonly opiates (especially heroin) and cannabinoid
derivatives.
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