Yameen govt invites world community to Maldives
‘ASSESS SITUATION’ Says no curfew imposed, general movement unaffected MALE/NEW DELHI:
The Maldives government on Wednesday said that it had imposed emergency to address “internal aspects of governance” and invited its development partners and representatives from international organisations to visit the country to assess the situation.
“The Maldives would like to invite its development partners and representatives from international organisations and associations to visit the Maldives to assess the situation in the Maldives and witness the safety and security of Male, for their own citizens as well as to engage with the government and key stakeholders in the country,” a foreign ministry statement said.
The statement further said that no curfew has been imposed and the general movement of people, services and businesses will not be affected.
The Indian Ocean archipelago, which has seen a number of political crises since the ouster of its first democratically-elected president Mohamed Nasheed in 2012, plunged into a political chaos last week when the Supreme Court overturned terror charges against Nasheed, who is currently in self-exile in Sri Lanka. The court also freed eight imprisoned opposition politicians, maintaining that their trials were “politically motivated and flawed”.
The Abdulla Yameen government refused to implement the ruling and imposed the emergency. It also arrested two Supreme Court justices and former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom — Yameen’s halfbrother who backs the opposition.
The political drama took a further twist on Tuesday night, when the Supreme Court reversed its decision regarding the charges against the opposition leaders.
On Wednesday, Nasheed on Twitter accused Maldivian authorities of ill-treating judge Ali Hameed. Gayoom had stopped eating, he added.
“I am told President Gayoom is not taking food, while Justice Ali Hameed has been ill treated,” Nasheed posted, but gave no further details.
The Maldives, best known for its luxury beach resorts, has assumed greater importance since China began building political and economic ties in its so-called “String Of Pearls” strategy to create a network of ports in the Indian Ocean. On Wednesday, China cautioned against any foreign meddling in the islands’ internal affairs, after Maldives’ opposition leaders called for intervention by its rival, India.