Hill & Knowlton's Maldives Role Still Generating Heat

The role of the PR firm Hill & Knowlton (H&K) in polishing the image of the authoritarian government of the Maldives has become the centerpoint of a controversy between the former Foreign Minister, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, and the current Information Minister, Mohamed Nasheed. In a blog post, Nasheed claimed that the reason that Shaheed resigned ahead of a motion of no confidence in August 2007 was that documents relating to the PR company's work were in the hands of the Foreign Minister's critics. In response, Shaheed stated that "it is total rubbish that Nasheed is saying he knows nothing about Hill & Knowlton. He twice met them in my presence." H&K's lead consultant on the account, Tim Fallon, is saying nothing. It appears that Fallon, who posted a blog in October 2006 defending his work for the regime, blogs no more.