Residents of Vaadhoo island in Gaaf Dhaalu atoll have opened up a ‘Aburufulhu fund’ box in the island in order to help out privately run channel Raajje Television to pay up a hefty fine imposed on the station by Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC).
While residents of Vaadhoo had taken the initiative to open up a fund box for the station, RaajjeTV is the most watched channel in the island. A majority of the island residents are making donations, big and small, in order to express their solidarity with the station.
RaajjeTV was fined by an exorbitant MVR two million (USD 130,000) last Wednesday for broadcasting a live interview which the government-controlled MBC alleged to contain content that defames incumbent President Abdulla Yameen. Following this, the station had re-opened it’s ‘Aburufulhu fund’ box on the 10th of August. The fund opening was inaugurated by opposition coalition’s Presidential candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in front of the station’s office.
While the station has been receiving immense support through donations from the general public throughout the nation, opposition candidate Solih and his running mate MP Faisal Naseem are also opening fund boxes for the stations in islands during their campaign tours across outlying atolls.
