MALÉ: Maldives customs body blocked viewing of television channels other than the state broadcaster at its offices.
In a circular, customs said viewing of any channel other than the “national television” in its office had been “prohibited” from Thursday. However, the circular, signed by newly appointed customs chief Mohamed Junaid, did not specify a reason.
Customs spokesperson Ahmed Niyaz told Haveeru that the action was taken because of complaints that some employees had been watching television shows during working hours. It was not politically motivated, he stressed.
“If they want to watch TV during official working hours, they can only watch the national television because it brings information from all sides,” the senior superintendent said.
Apart from state broadcaster Television Maldives (TVM), all the other television channels in the country are privately owned. Most of them are owned by renowned by businessmen and are openly affiliated with different political parties.
The state broadcaster, which had been spun off into a new state owned company early this year, has recently come under fire for its pro-government stand. The opposition alleges TVM and its associated mediums, including the state radio station Voice of Maldives (VOM), of political bias and blocking any opposition voice from its programmes.
The restriction on television channels allowed inside the offices of customs comes days after the president replaced the service’s head.
President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom on November 17 replaced the Commissioner General of Customs amid allegations of a questionable clearance issued for a fireworks shipment which has been linked to the blast aboard the presidential speedboat late September.
CEO of Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) Mohamed Junaid was appointed as the new customs chief hours after Abbas Adil Riza was sacked from the post.
The shuffle comes after investigators had expressed concern by the lack of documentation on a fireworks shipment that was brought in for the Independence Day celebrations by Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) in July.
However, the customs had denied any wrongdoing.
MMPRC has been at the centre of the investigation into a recent explosion on a presidential speedboat.
MMPRC Managing Director Abdulla Ziyath had been questioned by police on several occasions before finally taking him into custody.
President Yameen had also alleged that MMPRC funds were used by the now deposed Vice President Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor to influence the police and the military.
President Yameen and First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim were travelling to Male from the airport on September 28 when the explosion took place. They had returned home that morning after concluding their visit to Saudi Arabia to perform the annual hajj pilgrimage.
The president was unhurt, but the first lady suffered a spinal fracture.
Then Vice President Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor was arrested on October 24 upon return from an official visit to China and taken to the police detention centre in the island of Dhoonidhoo in Kaafu atoll.
He is accused of high treason, a charge he strongly denies.
Customs’ decision to bar employees from watching any television comes ahead of a planned mass protest by the opposition on Friday. Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had said several demands will be put forth to the government during the extended protest.
