All but one arrested from opposition's fishermen protest released

All but one of those arrested from Monday’s protest staged by the protest to voice concerns over what they call as the government's failure to cater to the demands of the fishermen have been released. 

Ten people were arrested from the opposition coalition's Leynaaru protest, including members of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Senate.

Police said that two of the 10 people arrested were summoned to court on Tuesday for their remand hearing: a 60-year-old man and a 28-year-old man. 

Police said that the court decided to remand the 28-year-old man to three days in custody. The other nine have now been released.

Spokesperson of PPM Heena Waleed said that Ali Azhan, a member of PPM Youth, is currently in custody. 

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 to fishermen.

The fishing industry has seen a rise in catch since September, high season, but the lack of facilities to store or sell catch has not improved, despite pledges.

The government had revealed their incompetence in preparing for the fishing season in a parliamentary session. During the peak fishing season in April, the fisheries minister had promised two more vessels will be brought to Kooddoo to increase their capacity, as the Kooddoo region is the most robust. However, the two vessels are still nowhere in sight.