A large delegation of Maldivian media personnel has travelled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the sponsorship of Eagle Hills, the UAE-based company to which the government has decided to grant 500 hectares of land from Rasmalé.
The media delegation, which travelled to the UAE this week, consists entirely of news outlets that receive monthly payments from the government.
The large media contingent was brought to the UAE under the pretext of showcasing various developments completed by Eagle Hills and other projects associated with the company to the journalists.
Some journalists on the Dubai trip have shared photos on their social media platforms from luxury hotels and shopping malls.
Previously, Eagle Hills had sponsored a trip for several Maldivian journalists to Egypt to promote the company's projects there. Additionally, Mohamed Alabbar, the head of Eagle Hills, visited the Maldives last month and gave interviews to government-aligned media outlets.
This large-scale press trip to the UAE comes amid growing opposition to the government's decision to hand over half of Rasmalé to Eagle Hills.
Critics of the project have highlighted three concerns: the decision to grant 500 hectares of Rasmalé to Eagle Hills, the lack of transparency regarding the details of the dealings with the company, and Mohamed Alabbar’s close ties to Zionist interests.
Under the commercial terms agreement signed between the government and Eagle Hills, the company claims that properties developed in Rasmalé can be sold on a perpetual 99-year lease cycle.
While the government maintains that Rasmalé is being leased for 99 years, Alabbar’s Eagle Hills states that if a property is sold before the initial 99-year lease expires, a new 99-year lease term will commence.
The commercial terms to sell 500 hectares of Rasmalé—which is being reclaimed at Fushidhiggaru lagoon using state funds—to Eagle Hills were signed on September 21. Efforts are underway to sign the definitive agreement for the project on November 11, which marks the Maldives' Republic Day.
The government’s deal to sell off Rasmalé follows a previous pledge by President Mohamed Muizzu that not a single grain of sand from the site would be leased or given for free to any foreign party, even for a single day.
"Every grain of sand on every piece of land reclaimed there [Ras Malé] is a grain of sand owned by the Maldivian people. It is not land that will be leased or given for free to any foreign party for even a single day," Muizzu had stated.
