Residents of Shaviyani Foakaidhoo have stormed the local Fenaka Corporation office following the dismissal of 13 employees from the branch.
Speaking to Adhadhu, the Vice President of the Foakaidhoo Council, Maumoon Rasheed, said that residents entered the office after management repeatedly ignored requests for a meeting.
"Protests were held outside the Fenaka office last night, and residents returned during official hours today. After waiting for a long time and requesting the managers to come out and meet them, the residents went inside when they refused to step out," Maumoon said.
He noted that although the residents entered the premises, no violence occurred. However, he mentioned that local police attempted to obstruct the residents as they tried to enter the building.
"These are individuals with nearly 70 dependents who were dismissed without any fault. Their only 'crime' is supporting the MDP, which is why their family members went there to protest," Maumoon added.
Maumoon further noted that a Police Specialist Operations (SO) team has since arrived on the island. However, the protest has been temporarily suspended after management finally came out to address the crowd.
"After the residents spent some time inside, the managers came out and claimed that the dismissals were not their doing, but were ordered directly by the Managing Director. The protest ended after the local head of the branch promised to send a letter to the MD requesting the reinstatement of the 13 employees," Maumoon said.
During the protests that began last night, residents called for the resignations of President Mohamed Muizzu, the management of the Foakaidhoo Fenaka branch, the constituency’s Member of Parliament, and members of the local PNC steering committee.
In a statement released yesterday, the Foakaidhoo Council strongly condemned the sudden dismissal of the 13 employees without prior warning, stating that the move has left 13 families in a state of vulnerability.
