Maldives gov't declares state of emergency

By Daniel Bosley

MALE, Maldives

The Maldives government declared a state of emergency at midday on Wednesday, as tensions continued to mount following an alleged assassination attempt on the president in late September.

"The president is doing his duty for the safety and security of the whole nation," the president’s office asserted after it was announced that certain constitutional rights had been suspended for a 30-day period.

The decision comes shortly after the discovery of a large number of illegal weapons hidden close to one of the archipelago’s 900 uninhabited islands last week.

Just days later, parts of capital Male were closed off as security officials defused an explosive device found near the presidential palace.

Moments before the announcement was made this morning, security officials warned that similar instances were likely, leading them to advise that a state of emergency be imposed.

The declaration will temporarily annul the right to peaceful assembly, free travel, freedom from arbitrary detention and search for the Indian Ocean nation’s roughly 400,000 citizens.

The current crisis has escalated since an explosion aboard President Abdulla Yameen’s official yacht as he returned to the capital on Sept. 28.

Yameen was unscathed in the incident, although two staff members were hurt and the first lady sustained serious back injuries.

Rumors of the potential involvement of Vice President Ahmed Adeeb in the incident grew after Sri Lankan investigators found that the explosion had been a “deliberate” attempt to harm the president.

Following a series of raids on the homes of his close associates, Adeeb was detained at Ibrahim Nasir International airport upon his return to the country on Oct. 24.

Yameen has since accused his deputy -- who was only appointed in July -- of using undue influence over the police to impede the investigation, while also suggesting that senior members of the security services were aware of the plot.

Speaking on Tuesday, Yameen vowed to take all steps necessary to protect the people.

“The president said that these incidents prove that there were a few people who do not hesitate to instill fear in the people’s hearts, or place the people in harm’s way for their own temporary gains,” read a statement from his office.

Wednesday’s emergency announcement was accompanied by a decision to begin impeachment proceedings against the vice president, whose lawyer has challenged the evidence against him and said the move was politically motivated.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday repeated assurances that the country remained safe for the roughly 1.2 million tourists who visit each year. 

“Despite state of emergency, situation in Maldives remains calm and normal. There are no restrictions for visitors to travel to Maldives,” the ministry tweeted.

While pro-government MPs have supported the move, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has described it as “disproportionate” and “a desperate attempt by a president who is losing his grip to cling onto power”.

“His [Yameen’s] paranoid regime lurches from crisis to crisis. Yameen has jailed or threatened every opposition leader, placed criminal charges against 1,700 opposition activists, and is now turning on his own by jailing the vice president,” MDP spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor charged.

In March, MDP leader and former president, Mohamed Nasheed, was sentenced to 13 years on terrorism charges.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions last month classified Nasheed’s ongoing detention as “arbitrary”.