Former President Solih Criticises Journalists Visiting North Thilafalhu, Labels Them 'Terrorists'

Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has condemned journalists who visited North Thilafalhu as part of an investigative report on the military base development, labelling them "terrorists" during his speech at a decentralisation conference organised by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

In late September 2023, Solih had announced plans to allocate land from North Thilafalhu just ahead of the upcoming presidential elections. The next day, journalists from Dhiyares, including the current sitting MP Ahmed Azaan, visited the area to investigate the land allocation.

During the visit, Dhiyares reporters discovered the island occupied by Indian workers employed by Rail Vikas Nigam, an Indian company tasked with developing a military base in the area. An MNDF officer, upon noticing the reporters, rushed to the jetty and told the journalists that they were not allowed on the island. He asked nearby Indian employees to contact a person named Rohit, denying any land allocation and asserting that the area was strictly for MNDF use.

The North Thilafalhu project, valued at USD 186 million (MVR 2.9 billion), is being funded in part by a USD 50 million loan from India's Exim Bank. The project and the presence of Indian military personnel have drawn criticism for the secrecy surrounding their involvement. Under agreements signed by the previous government, Indian troops stationed in the Maldives were granted privileges similar to diplomats and their premises were exempt from local searches.

Solih’s labeling of the visiting journalists as terrorists has further fueled controversy around Indian military presence on Maldivian soil. His remarks have drawn concern over press freedom, as the Dhiyares team was investigating public land allocation claims made by the former president.

The deployment of Indian personnel, officially labeled as "technical staff" assisting the Thilafalhu port development, has long been a contentious issue in the Maldives. Critics of the agreement argue that the previous administration failed to justify the need for Indian troops at a civilian project and that the extensive privileges given to them effectively compromised Maldives’ sovereignty.