Maldives back-track on green tax

The Maldivian government has scrapped a proposed green tax on tourists announced earlier this year.

“I think we are going to rule it out,” environment minister Mohamed Aslam told me. “Unfortunately the reaction to that was not very positive”.

He explained that the plan, which came out in the media in August, could have a potential impact on tourist arrivals to the tropical paradise and had met with a poor response from both resort owners and tourists.

The country will however keep it as a voluntary measure.

Tourism accounts directly for one third of the country’s GDP, with around 700,000 visitors travelling to the famed luxury destination every year.

Threatened nations meet in Maldives

Nations vulnerable to climate change have met in Bando island in Maldives at a conference aimed at forging consensus ahead of Copenhagen talks.

The event was a rather last-minute decision which I wrote about a couple of weeks ago when it was announced, but it has managed to garner representatives from Bangladesh, Barbados, Nepal, Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Tuvalu, Bhutan as well as the President of Kiribati.

President Nasheed is urging other nations to follow the Maldives’ example and to go carbon neutral. He remains optimistic that a group of vulnerable countries can change the outcome of Copenhagen, which is now under a month away. For many, Copenhagen is already doomed; for optimists, it will be a small but significant step in the right direction.

For coverage of the conference, here is the latest from Reuters by Maryam Omidi, the current editor of Minivan News in Male.

Maoists shut off entry points to Nepal’s capital

The Maoists today have closed the entry points to the Kathmandu valley, with groups of activists banning any movement in or out of the area and chanting protest songs demanding the president resign. The entry points include Nagdhunga, Sanga, Pharping and Baipass.

But Kathmandu is running pretty much as usual as there has been no bandha (striike) imposed within the valley; the Maoists even decided to clarify this in a press statement yesterday.

While originally they were going to shut down Tribhuvan international airport in Kathmandu, they backed out last week after talks with foreign diplomats.

It was reportedly due to the effect that the move would have on tourism. It is peak season here in Nepal and the fall-out could have a significant impact on thousands of families who depend on foreign visitors.

Today’s protest will still impact tourism, leaving visitors stranded in Thamel when they had planned to head to Pokhara or Lukla.

At least the Maoists are allowing emergency vehicles to pass.

But what now? The Maoists seem to be back to their plan of a few months ago. Keep the pressure on but don’t turn up the heat too much. But hasn’t that tactic failed? Or is it just that there is some time left before the government realise that something needs to change.

The agitation is for the same reason: the Maoists are demanding the President apologises for his “unconstitutional move” of reinstating the army chief in May.

So they have restarted protests following a few weeks of respite over festival season. And they are threatening to set up parallel governments again.

But it’s getting a bit tiresome now. The then army chief, Katawal, has sinced retired and a more moderate head has replaced him. And what will change if there is an apology or if the parliament debates the move?

Unfortunately though the Maoists have realised they made an error when they left the government and they want back in.

But what do they ultimately want?

No-one knows how long the deadlock is going to last. If you’d ask me months ago I wouldn’t have predicted we would still be in the same situation as winter approaches.

As the protests continue, there becomes more opportunity for a rupture. Maybe this is what the Maoists want: an opportunity they can capitalise on. It may not be the organised protests that cause the most harm. It could instead be an overspill of violence from cadres in the districts which, if met with armed resistance, could boil over.

The real problem remains: there is no law and order. When the Maoists seize buses and demand money (“donations”), then the company is forced to pay up.

And the government, well…all they seem to be doing is telling the UN to mind their own business.

For a nice look at Maoists’ options, read Ameet Dhakal in Republica