It Should be Illegal for Foreign Embassies to Sponsor Local Media: Capt Ihusan

To protect national sovereignty, it should be illegal for foreign embassies to sponsor local media outlets, said Capt. (Retd.) Ali Ihusan.

In a statement he released on Twitter, Capt. Ihusan said that it should be illegal for foreign embassies to sponsor local news outlets. He further wrote the media; being the fourth branch of government; should receive a regular stream of financing from the State, just as how things are done for political parties.

Many have accused some Maldivian media outlets of being funded by the Indian High Commission and by pro-India corporations. One particular outlet that comes under such criticism is “Mihaaru”.

Mihaaru had not covered India’s occupation of Kashmir.

Similarly, the pro-government media outlet, RaajjeTV, had published a report justifying the Indian occupation of Kashmir.

Many point out that both Mihaaru and RaajjeTV have tried to portray the presence of the Indian military in the Maldives as positive and necessary.