Maldives president declares state of emergency

MALE, MALDIVES: The president of the Maldives declared a state of emergency on Wednesday sharply curtailing key rights of citizens for 30 days following an explosion on his speedboat and the discoveries of a homemade bomb near his residence and a weapons cache.

MALE: The Maldives declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, as President Abdulla Yameen sought to shore up his power over the Indian Ocean island nation following a suspected assassination attempt.

Citing a threat to national security, the foreign ministry announced on its official Twitter feed that emergency rule would remain in force for 30 days.

The authorities acted after discovering explosive devices near Yameen’s official residence and the main mosque in the capital Male, as well as stashes of weapons believed to have been stolen from army stores.

“Because these would be a threat to the public and the nation, the National Security Council advised taking immediate steps to protect the people of Maldives,” attorney general Mohamed Anil said in a live televised address.

The imposition of emergency rule, for the first time under a constitution passed in 2008, came two days before a demonstration planned by the main opposition party.

The string of tropical islands, home to 4,00,000 people and a favourite of tourists, has been in turmoil since a September 28 blast on board Yameen’s launch as it was about to dock at the capital, Male.

CITING A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY, THE GOVT ANNOUNCED THAT EMERGENCY RULE WOULD REMAIN IN FORCE FOR 30 DAYS

Yameen was unhurt but his wife and two aides were injured in the explosion, which the government quickly concluded was an attempt on his life.

Senior ministers said the government would only make use of limited powers to restrict the right of assembly. There would no curfew or arbitrary detention.

“Please go ahead with your holidays - the Maldives are a peaceful country,” foreign minister Dunya Maumoon told Reuters.

“There has never been a major incident targeting tourists.” A Western diplomat in Colombo said European Union members may consider a travel advisory after the order, which comes just before the peak tourism season. A record 1.2 million tourists visited in 2014 and accounted for 29% of the economy.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had planned the Friday protest to demand the release of ex-president Mohamed Nasheed, jailed in March for 13 years for terrorism in a trial that drew international criticism.