Maldives
Demand No Indian Interfer
ance
Interferance
The relations between India
and Maldives are under serious
strain for some years, particularly
ever since the Yameen Govt. had
come there. Earlier too, the people
of Maldives did not like the way the
Indian rulers were treating Maldives
and meddled in its internal affairs.
India’s blatant intervention in the
Maldives’ political crisis and its
siding with the opposition in the
power squabble had worsened the
relations further. It is still
manifesting on various issues. The
controversy over the two
helicopters and the problem of
visas to the Indian job seekers are
among them.
The Indian Govt. has gifted
two helicopters to Maldives in 2013.
One of them was operated by the
Indian Coast Guard and the other
by the Indian Navy. The Maldives
Govt. has been demanding for
years for their withdrawal. The
validity fo r the helicopters had
expired earlier this year. But they
are still in Maldives. The visa of
Navy men was extended by one
month at the end of May. But 28
Indian Navy men are still in
Maldives.
An estimated 2000 Indian job
applicants are in the Maldives with
no work permits. The job seekers
feel that they are the victims of bad
relations between India and
Maldives.
The officials of India’s External
Affairs Ministry say that the Indian
Govt. has decided in principle to
withdraw the helicopters together
with Navy personnel. But they say
that it is an “ongoing process.” It
indicates that the govt. is for going
slow.
The developments in Maldives
are rooted in India opting to serve
as a frontline state for US in its
strategy to impose its domination
and contain China in the Indian
Ocean Region. The Indian govt’.s
August - 2018
moves to gift the helicopters and
send navy personnel to Maldives
came as a part of its attempts to
create a small military foothold in
this strategically significant area of
the Indian Ocean. Things went well
as long as there was an obliging
government in Maldives. But the
situation has changed with the
change in the govt. The new
Yameen govt. has gone a long way
in developing close relations with
China. China has heavily invested
in Maldives. It has emerged as a
biggest source of tourism in the
archipelago. Maldives has joined
the Eurasian infrastructure
initiatives and signed a trade
agreement with China.
The Maldives govt. has asked
India to remove the helicopters
from Laamu atoll where China is
considering to build a port only in
the wake of these strained relations
between the two countries.
The Indian rulers began to
show much concern towards the
change of regime in the Maldives.
They claim that India is entitled to
it because the Maldives is a SAARC
country and a neighbor. It is an
open secret that the Indian rulers
as well as the US and other
western powers have given
enough space and resources to
the exiled opposition leader of
Maldives Mohamed Nasheed’s
propaganda and tirade against the
contd from page 4
propaganda that immigrant are
stealing the jobs. Neo Nazi and
national chauvinist forces are
allowed to gain popularity and even
share the political power in Europe.
As the trade wars are sure to
escalate with the imposition of
tariffs and counter tariffs, so is the
crisis deepens resulting in more
austerity and repressive measures
on the toiling masses of people of
the world.
present Maldives govt. as well as
China. He is openly appealing them
to intervene in the situation,
restore him in power in Maldives to
enable him to stop Maldives drift
towards China and reorientate the
policies to suit the needs of US
strategy in the Indian Ocean
Region.
Here, the Indian rulers and the
imperialists must know, firstly, the
people of a country always wish to
remain free and independent and
will not accept the attempts of
another country to dictate or treat
and use their country as subordi-
nate or a satellite. They will
definitely oppose and fight against
such attempts. Secondly, no other
country can engineer a regime
change or meddle in their internal
affairs. The Indian rulers cannot
claim such a right either in the
name of being a member of
SAARC or as a neighbor.
The only way for the Indian
Govt. is to withdraw the helicopters
together with Navy personnel forth
with. It must restore normal relations
with Maldives treating it equally and
as a sovereign and independent
country. It must not meddle into the
internal affairs of Maldives. This will
go a long way in bettering the
relations between the two countries
and amicably solving the problems
including the problem of Indian job
seekers in Maldives.
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