A dhoni (boat) full of people heading from Addu to Male for the November 10, 2006 MDP demonstration has been stopped.
As they left Addu, they were allowed to embark. However, closer to Male, the dhoni was stopped by the Coast Guard, where were using an Indian-supplied search and rescue vessel. They sprayed hot water on the passengers in the dhoni and threatened to shoot them if they continued on. The passengers include women and children. The dhoni has taken shelter in a lagoon and has been anchored there since last night, with no food or water being allowed. At this moment the boat is still in the lagoon.
Coast Guard Threatens to Sink Boat, Minivan News, November 7, 2006.
The Dhivehi Observer has also just uploaded a report of this.
Will the political crisis generate a humanitarian crisis in this and other instances? It looks very likely. The time for ignoring events in the Maldives is long past.
PS: The comments section of this post debates the veracity of this report. In so doing, it illustrates the range of views in the Maldives today.
12 comments:
As Far as I am aware, this report is not completely true. It is a Fact that Amin Faisal departed for Male on a a boat. Fact that children and women are on board. Fact that the boat captain was asked to adhere to its operating license. This is a fishing boat and thus do not have a license to carry passengers - especially women and children. Fact that the boat was asked by coastguard to stop for safety inspection which was ignored. Fact that it was not sprayed with hotwater. Fact that food and water was offered by coastguard, but was denied by Amin Faisal and friends onboard the boat. Fact that there are criminals wanted by the police aboard the boat, hence the denial by the captain for safety inspection by coastguard.
How come India does not seem to have a coherent foreign policy with regard to the Maldives? Is India impervious to the situation there? Will this appear in ANY Indian newspaper?
What anonymous above said is not true. Food and water was not offered by coastguard.
This is total human right's abuse by the government of Maldives.
The attack on the Adduan boat is part of a nationwide campaign of intimidation against would be participants of the upcoming demonstration on 10th November.
The Maldivian government has besieged an island and detained scores of people in the last few days. The police have beaten and broken bones. People are in hospital because of the police attacks.
http://www.minivannews.com/news/news.php?id=2599
It is obvious to me that 'anonymous' wants to disregard the facts of events of the past few days in an attempt to excuse the many Human Rights abuses and blatant disregard to humanity of the Maldivian government in its dealings with anyone critical to the regime.
Read the article I have posted above. It is by one of the deported reporters and shows the attitude of the police towards the people. The government does not only criminalise its opponents, it dehumanises them.
I commend unveils continued efforts to distort the truth. A hired reporter brought to Male' can only report what the client has asked the reporter to report - anyone can understand that. Hurrah for coastguard for policing the waters and those that attempt to disregard the rule of law should think again before doing these sort of things by cooercing women and children to travel the high seas with no regard to their safety in order to achieve their devious aims.Is it not apparent that these individuals are hiding behind innocent women and children..
In my view, MDP is not a political party now. It is a terrorist party led by a criminal who is power greedy.
A true Maldivian
I am totally disgusted after reading this report and the callous disregard by the government of Maldives for its own people.
And No, it is not apparent that these individuals are hiding behind innocent women and children. But WHAT IS apparent is that the authorities have no regard for the basic human rights of their own citizens when they deny them food and water.
I sure will not go to the Maldives on holiday again.
Do the people have to be under law even if the ministers and the president stands as untouchables?.
there was a time when minister Ilyas Ibrahim was convicted of fraud, and even the president openly announced it...yet he was forgiven and given the post of a minister...we are talking about millions of rufiyaa which belongs to the people of maldives. Do we still have to wait and see if president maumoon thinks for the future of maldives once?
FOR GOD SAKE, DONT SPREAD MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE POLITICAL SITUATION.
Hello, Are we still living in STONE AGE ! Read the reality,
Opposition media outlets are claiming that the Coastguard had been using force or heavyhanded
tactics to prevent a boatload of people coming from a southern atoll to reach Male.
A boat carrying some 50 people had left Addu sometime yesterday when the Coastguard had
received information that the boat was ferrying people who were heading to the capital with
violent intent and to join the gathering called for 10 November to overthrow the government
by force.
The Coastguard sent two dinghies with loudhailers to advise the boat to allow the Coastguard
officials to come aboard or to make landfall to enable the police to make some inquiries
following the reports that they had received that the boat was also carrying some persons on
the police wanted list. When the Coastguard dinghies approached the boat, the dinghies were
threatened with sticks and other wooden objects, and various other projectiles, and prevented
the Coastguard dinghies from approaching the boat.
Reports that the Coastguard used hot water cannon or other methods to attack or intimidate
the boat are categorically denied by the Coastguard. Likewise the allegations by Opposition
media that the Coastguard acted in a manner that endangered the boat or its passengers or
crew are also completely false and denied by the Coastguard.
The fact of the matter is that the boat continued its course until it decided to weigh anchor by
a reef in Gaafu Alifu atoll. Even while at anchor the boat continued to through violent means
prevent the Coastguard officials to come aboard or come alongside the boat in their dinghies.
It appears that the boat decided to stop when it ran out of fuel.
The Coast guard did prevent a small boat from a nearby island from approaching the ship
which was continuing to prevent any access by the Coastguard.
Shortly afterwards, the Coastguard opened a line of communication with those on the boat via
telephone, and when requested for replenishment of supplies, facilitated the same. The group
aboard are also carrying a couple of children who are being used as human shields to deter
any assertive action by the Coastguard.
The Coastguard are asking the boat not to proceed to Male with its mission of ferrying
passengers to join a protest gathering to intimidate parliamentarians, proclaim a transitional
constitution, and using violent means to topple the government on 10 November. The
Coastguard have also allowed the boat to be refueled.
The mission is led by known militant activists of MDP, including some people wanted for
police inquiries.
PLEASE LOG IN TO: www.5wmaldives.com for live updates of political events in Maldives.
I was there when the supposed violence started yesterday with Anni being taken away. The only violent actions I saw were on the part of the crowd of Anni supporters (around 10 or 15) who pushed and shoved and shouted to the police who were herding Anni away. And yeah the Police did use pepperspray (no matter the Police say) on the crowds who were attacking them... and it did effect a lot of other people in the crowd. including me who was several feet away from it.
Excellent post. Its really helpful for me,i like this post,Your work is outstanding! you are having a wonderful posts so i always like to visit to your blog and found this post very interesting.
Maldives Holidays
Post a Comment