CRISIS: Maldives Update: November 6, 2006

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.