India Out Banners Replaced After Being Destroyed In Hanimaadhoo

The "India Out" banners installed around the areas inhabited by the Indian military in Hanimaadhoo (Haa Dhaalu Atoll) have been put back up after they were destroyed.

Hanimaadhoo residents had gone out yesterday and installed banners emblazoned with "Indian Military Out" in the area near the airport and the inhabited parts of the island. The slogan had also been applied to the wall of a store often patronised by Indian military personnel.

A source told The Maldives Journal that Indian military personnel had been watching as the banners were being installed in the island; the police had also come to inspect the area twice.

The source said that although the banners installed yesterday had been destroyed, work was underway to replace them with new banners.

While Indian military personnel are stationed in various parts of the Maldives, an Indian military aircraft is based in Hanimadhoo. Several Indian military personnel have been stationed in Hanimadhoo under the pretext of attending to the aircraft; the government's classified treaty with India that allows for these Indian military personnel to remain also grants them immunity from Maldivian law.

The development of Hanimaadhoo's airport is funded by loans granted by India. A source had told The Maldives Journal that the blueprints for the developed airport showed that the airport could be used as a military air base.