Fishermen have begun searching for the CEO of Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO), Ahmed Shamman Rasheed, claiming he has gone missing.
Fishermen protesting in Kooddoo said Shamman last met with them at 11:00 pm last night. Despite promising to stay until a resolution was reached with the fishermen, protesters said the CEO has not been seen today. They stated they are searching the island to see if he is still there.
"The CEO arrived at 8:00 pm on Monday night. He would meet us from time to time to give updates. We last saw him at 11:00 pm last night. We don't know where he is now. We haven't seen him leave the island. We are searching for him because he disappeared without a trace," a fisherman said.
The fishermen said the CEO had informed them that 119 million Rufiyaa of the outstanding payments owed to them had been arranged. However, they do not know what happened to those funds either. The CEO had only been saying that work was underway to determine how the money would be disbursed.
Fishermen noted that Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam had also traveled to Kooddoo, made grand statements, and then returned, and now the CEO has also fled after promising to stay until a solution was found. The fishermen stated that any dignitaries wishing to meet them this time must come to them. They said this applies even if it is the President of the country.
While fishermen have been protesting in Kooddoo since last Sunday, the government has yet to meet their demands. The government has repeatedly stated that the funds have been arranged and that all outstanding payments will be cleared before the 5th of next month. The fishermen maintain they will not leave Kooddoo until their dues are settled, nor will they go fishing. The President and the Fisheries Minister have appealed to the fishermen to end the protest and return to fishing, citing the losses incurred by halting fishing operations.
