Lh. Atoll fishermen protest at sea over alleged corruption

Fishermen from approximately 14 fishing boats from Lh. Atoll have joined a protest at sea this Tuesday morning over alleged corruption.

The fishermen are calling for resignation of top officials of the Felivaru fish factory in Lh. Atoll, alleging that they were corrupt.

The fishermen are shouting slogans and carrying multiple signs to voice out their grievances, some of which read that the price of their fish was being undervalued.

Police media official reported that officers operating in Lh. Atoll had been mobilized to deal with the protest.

One of the protesting fishermen who spoke to “Sun” said that the fishermen did not receive the right price for their fish.

He complained that they had to stand in queue for four days before they received ice for their fish from Felivaru.

He complained that the fishermen did not receive immediate payment for their fish, and received the payment in installments.

The fisherman said they were protesting to pressure Felivaru to rectify the issues.

“We don’t receive immediate payment for the fish we catch. We are voicing out today because a month goes by before we receive payment for our fish, as well as multiple other such difficulties. They give the payment in bits when they do,” said the fisherman.

Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (Mifco) is unavailable for comment at the moment.