The
China-Maldives Friendship Bridge (now officially named the Sinamalé Bridge) project, which was launched in 2015, is the first of its kind in the Maldives. It is 1.4 kilometres long and 20 metres wide, linking
Malé's eastern edge to the western corner of
Hulhulé Island, where
Velana International Airport is located. It will provide one lane for four-wheeled vehicles and one lane for motorcycles on either side. There is also a lane for pedestrians on both sides. The project began in 2014 and he inaugurated the
Sinamalé Bridge on 30 August 2018. Expansion of the country's main gateway,
Velana International Airport is expected to be completed within the second quarter of 2018. The project will expand and increase the capacity of the airport to handle more passengers and aircraft. This ambitious project consists of a fuel farm with a storage capacity of 45 million litres and a cargo complex with the capacity to handle 120,000 tonnes, a new Code F 3,400-meter-long, 60-meter-wide
runway which is able to cater to the largest of aircraft such as
Antonov An-225 and
Airbus A380 and a new passenger terminal. Upon completion, the existing runway will be converted into a taxiway, reducing the turnaround time of aircraft at the airport. The new terminal is expected to increase the ability to serve around 8 million passengers from the current rate of 1.5 million passengers a year. The new international passenger terminal will consist of a floor area of 78,000 square meters, the new terminal will have 40 departure checking counters, 38 immigration counters, 12 jetties, and six aero-bridges. Other new airports are being developed to accommodate to the increase of the influx of more passengers and tourists which is expected to rise in the years to come. New regional airports are being built on islands such as
Kulhudhuffushi and existing regional airports such as
Gan International Airport have been converted to international airports with international airlines slowly beginning their operations.
Hulhumalé was also being developed under the supervision of Yameen. The new land required for Phase II of Hulhumalé was reclaimed at the beginning of 2014 and ever since, speedy development has followed through such as construction of roads and other necessary infrastructure. Yameen has also initiated a grand housing project called 'Hiyaa' to provide sheltering for an estimated 100,000 people. The project under the second phase of Hulhumalé's development will see the construction of 10,080 housing units including flats. Yameen had further pledged to improve
healthcare facilities to include better treatment of
cancer patients and those with heart ailments – in addition to committing towards improving investigative, and other technical capabilities. Furthermore, the new 25-storey high-rise hospital, Dharumavantha Hospital, considered as the biggest investment for the Maldivian Health sector under Yameen's administration, will be a technologically innovative inclusion to the Maldives health sector and promises to deliver enhanced services and would utilize new and improved state-of-the-art equipment. The building is designed to 'shield' radiation while a life support system will be installed to the premises. Furthermore, six floors of the building is designated to national diagnostic center. The building will also have a fully equipped and enclosed section to store volatile chemicals. Other facilities planned to be included in the building include a gym, hydro-therapy center, rehabilitation suite along with a child care center and a swimming pool. A new medical college which meets the international standards is also being established for the first time ever under the supervision of Yameen to further revolutionize the health sector in Maldives. Two floors of the new state-of-the-art hospital is designated to the medical college to facilitate the best amenities for the students practicing their
MBBS in the medical college in Maldives. In
Addu, a new tertiary hospital is being completed to ensure access to top level healthcare apart from only being available in just the capital city of Malé. To increase the country's revenue and decrease the dependency on just tourism, Yameen also envisions that these projects will sprout a new and additional source of revenue for the economy of Maldives-medical tourism.
Human rights infringements There were reports of large scale infringements of
human rights and suppression of dissent during the presidency of Abdulla Yameen. Among them included autocratic measures like eroding
freedom of association,
freedom of expression,
peaceful assembly, and political participation. Human rights violations included mass arbitrary arrests,
flogging as punishment, abuse of women, decrees blocking opposition parties from contesting elections, the arrest of Supreme Court justices, and cracked down on the media in efforts to silence critics. In 2014,
Ahmed Rilwan, a blogger and reporter for the
Maldives Independent, a newspaper that used to criticize corruption and religious extremism was abducted and murdered. On 5 February 2018 President Abdulla Yameen declared a
state of emergency and ordered the arrest of a number of politicians and officials including two judges of the Supreme Court of the Maldives, including Chief Justice of the Maldives
Abdulla Saeed and former President
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. This was followed by mass arbitrary arrests of at least 141 people.
Alleged assassination attempt On 28 September 2015, an explosion took place aboard the presidential yacht 'Finifenmaa' carrying Yameen and his wife along with top government officials from the airport island Hulhulé as it was nearing to dock at the presidential jetty, Izzuddeen Faalan in Malé. Yameen escaped unhurt, but the first lady, a presidential aide, and a bodyguard were injured. The aide suffered minor injuries, while the bodyguard sustained relatively serious injuries. The first lady sustained minor fractures to her spine, and was hospitalized for over a month. Following the incident, government officials provided conflicting reports on the cause of the explosion. Although government officials initially pointed to a mechanical failure as a likely cause, they later claimed an international team of investigators from the U.S.
FBI,
Saudi Arabia,
Australia, and
Sri Lanka ruled out this theory. The government then declared the incident an assassination attempt. The FBI later refuted this claim, stating they had found no conclusive evidence suggesting the blast was the result of an explosive device. An unnamed Sri Lankan official who suggested the blast was the result of a "high explosive explosion" did not provide further details, and although the Maldives' local probe commission cited Saudi Arabian investigators as saying there were signs of
RDX, they provided no evidence to support that claim, nor have Saudi Arabian officials confirmed this conclusion. It was announced that investigations revealed that the vice president, some government officials and soldiers had been involved. They all were later found guilty and charged with high treason and terrorism resulting them being sentenced to jail. Former vice president
Ahmed Adeeb was found to have illegally possessed firearms to attempt a coup by eliminating senior government officials as well as masterminding the bomb plot by ordering and bribing few soldiers to plant an IED in the yacht and destroy the evidence as soon as the yacht is taken for investigation following the explosion. However the
FBI investigated the blast and stated it found no evidence for an explosion cause by a bomb. ==2018 political crisis and election==