Emergency declared in Maldives; New Delhi issues travel advisory to citizens

Move comes after govt suspends parliament, orders army to resist any moves to impeach President Abdulla Yameen

NEWDELHI/MALE: Beleaguered Maldives President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency for 15 days on Monday, hours after asking the Supreme Court to revoke an order to free a group of imprisoned opposition leaders.

The move gives sweeping powers to security forces to arrest and detain suspects, and comes amid a deepening political crisis as Yameen refuses to comply with the country’s top court’s ruling.

On Monday, the army was deployed near the top court and the country’s Parliament, even as nations such as India and China urged their citizens to not travel to the Indian Ocean island.

The judicial ruling last week also cleared former president Mohamed Nasheed of terror charges and reinstated a dozen opposition lawmakers.

Malé: beleaguered Maldives President Abdulla Yameen on Monday declared a 15-day state of emergency, hours after asking the Supreme Court to revoke its order to free a group of imprisoned opposition leaders, saying it had overstepped its authority by ordering their release.

The move that is expected to plunge the troubled island nation into further political uncertainty came as protests continued and army was deployed near the top court and Parliament.

Legal affairs minister Aishath Azima Shukoor made the announcement of emergency on state television, effectively giving sweeping powers to security forces to arrest and detain suspects.

“During this time though certain rights will be restricted, general movements, services and businesses will not be affected,” the president’s office said in a statement. “The government of Maldives wishes to also assure all Maldivians and the international community that the safety of all Maldivians and foreigners living in and visiting the Maldives, will be ensured.”

India issued a travel advisory, asking citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Maldives, a popular tourist destination. “The prevailing political developments in Maldives and the resultant law and order situation is a matter of concern for the government. Indian nationals are, therefore, advised to defer all non-essential travels to Male and other atolls until further notice,” the advisory said.

China also issued a similar advisory to its citizens.

The judicial ruling last week – which also cleared former president Mohamed Nasheed of terror charges and reinstated a dozen opposition lawmakers – has led to a standoff between Yameen and the court. The order to restore the seats of government MPS who defected to the opposition would effectively reduce Yameen’s party to a minority in Parliament.

Yameen, in a letter to the court released by his office, said the order had encroached on the powers of the state and was an “infringement of national security and public interest”. He said the order “cannot be enforced in accordance with the constitution” and urged the court to “review the concerns” of the government.

Officials said the court had not properly responded to a series of letters from the government, citing problems with implementing the order, including that the cases against the political prisoners are at different legal stages. But the Supreme Court had said on Sunday “there are no obstacles in implementing the ruling”. The court also said the guilty verdicts against the opposition leaders were politically influenced.

(The state of emergency) is an indication of President Yameen’s desperation... It only serves to show an isolated man who no longer has the confidence of the Maldivian people and independent institutions. He has no democratic mandate to govern and must resign immediately.

EVA ABDULLA, Opposition legislator