This Govt Will End With The Indian Military’s Departure: Yameen

Opposition leader, former President Abdullah Yameen Abdul Gayyoom declared that the Indian military will have no choice but to leave the Maldives, and the Solih administration will come to an end with their departure.

The opposition leader had begun a series of trips to the atolls to muster support for the opposition-lead “Maldivians In Defence Of Sovereignty” movement. The movement calls for the removal of all Indian personnel and assets from the Maldives and the cancellation of all military agreements made between India and the Solih administration.

The first destination he had visited was Guraidhoo (Kaafu Atoll), today. On his arrival, many supporters came out to greet him. Addressing the crowd that had gathered to meet him, he had reiterated that the Indian military would have no choice but to leave.

Former President Yameen said that Maldivians and Indians shared a close bond that would remain in the future. However, he had said, the presence of Indian troops throughout the Maldives with neither an invitation people nor a plea for help was a cause of concern for the Maldivian people.

He had further asked if the military personnel were a colonising force. He had also asked for how long would the Indian military stay in the Maldives. He said that the Solih administration had refused to disclose the agreements in a meaningful way such that these questions could be thoroughly answered.

The Solih administration had previously falsely claimed that no Indian military personnel were present in the Maldives, he pointed out. The government had claimed that they were technicians, he said. He said that this behaviour was not surprising as “this government was built on top of lies, and it will remain upon lies”.

The former President said that this region with several shipping routes, and he said that it was not unlikely that another country’s military may wish to have a presence in the region as a result. He said that the problem did not lie only in the fact that the Indian military was present in the Maldives, but also in the possible undesirable outcomes of that presence.