10 arrested in opposition protest on fishermen's rights
According to the opposition, the protest was held with the aim of conveying fishermen's complaints to the government.
By
Ahmed Mizyal
Police arrested 10 people on Monday from a protest held by the opposition PPM-PNC coalition on behalf of fishermen.
The opposition coalition held a protest called ‘Leynaaru’ (bloodline) starting near the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) building. However, police rushed to the scene and broke up the protest.
PPM spokesperson Heena Waleed told Atoll Times that 10 people were arrested including senate members of PPM.
According to the opposition, the protest was held with the aim of conveying fishermen's complaints to the government, claiming that the government had not fulfilled its pledges made for fishermen.
One of the main concerns of fishermen is the lack of fish storing and weighing capacity during peak fishing periods.
MIFCO limited weighing fish to 5 tonnes per vessel in March and April, during peak fishing season. The limit was also increased to 7 tonnes after fishermen protested in GA. Kooddoo. At the time, the government had vowed that the capacity issue of Kooddoo Fisheries Compelx will be resolved before the next peak season for fishermen.
However, Kooddoo has seen no improvement when fishing had improved since September.
