Fragility of Maldives
The Maldives is in crisis yet again. And the striking feature of the 19-month prison term awarded to the former…
Maldives President Abdulla Yameen on Wednesday reached out to friendly countries and announced envoys to China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
According to media reports, Yameen’s office announced that the envoys will visit “friendly nations of the Maldives” and “provide updates on the current situation”.
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Earlier in the same day, China supposedly warned India against military intervention in island, cautioning that it could complicate the situation.
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Maldives had plunged into chaos last week when the Supreme Court called for the release of nine imprisoned opposition politicians, ruling that their trials were politically motivated and flawed.
The government refused to implement the ruling, prompting a wave of protests in the capital, Male, with angry clashes between police and demonstrators. Yameen declared a state of emergency in the island. Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and another judge, Ali Hameed, were arrested hours after the government declared a state of emergency.
Exiled former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed had requested India to send “envoy, backed by its military” to release judges and political detainees.
Reacting to the crisis in Maldives, India on Tuesday had issued a statement saying that the government’s refusal to abide by the Supreme Court and the imposition of emergency is disturbing.
(With agency inputs)
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