New Delhi: Amidst concerns about rising anti-India rhetoric in the Indian Ocean nation, the Maldives police announced on Saturday that it had arrested a man for threatening to bomb the Indian high commission.
The announcement comes a day after the Maldives foreign ministry advised the media that publishing “false news” against foreign diplomatic personnel would be detrimental to the country’s foreign relations.
The Indian high commission had last month written a letter to the Maldivian government over articles and posts which “attacked the dignity” of its diplomatic staff.
According to the Maldivian police, a 42-year-old man was arrested following a threat to bomb the Indian high commission in a tweet. The probe is being conducted by the Serious and Organized Crime Department.
#MPSPressStatement: PMC/2021/09
Raajjeygai hunna Indian High Commission govvaalaane kamah bune tweet kuri massalaigai meehaku hayyarukurumaa gulhey: https://t.co/2vGo04raxM#MPSNoosBayaan pic.twitter.com/84pzI452ea— Maldives Police (@PoliceMv) July 3, 2021
Following the threat, the police have increased security at the Indian high commission and the Chinese embassy, said the press note. As per the Maldivian foreign ministry, security had been beefed upon the request of the two diplomatic missions.
The Maldivian police also pointed out that providing security to diplomatic missions was a responsibility of security services.
As per a report in local news website Sun, the Maldivian police said that urged all parties to be “more responsible in disseminating information” as putting diplomatic personnel at risk has the potential of disrupting diplomatic relations.
“Furthermore, Maldives Police Service instructs all parties not to engage in any act which may compromise the safety and security of diplomatic missions of foreign countries stationed in Maldives,” said the press release, as translated by Sun.
A couple of hours after the report, another local news website, Mihaaru, identified the arrested man as an activist from the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
This is a twist in the tale as the anti-India campaign has been a political initiative of the opposition party in order to target the MDP-led ruling alliance for its close ties with the South Asian giant.
Relations between India and Maldives had earlier been fractious, as a perception had gained ground that Abdulla Yameen’s PPM government laid out the red carpet for China to increase its presence in the strategically-located nation.
However, there had been considerable improvement in relations between India and Maldives since Ibrahim Solih won the presidential elections after defeating Yameen in 2019.
The MDP had on Friday issued a strong statement condemning the local news website, Dhiyares, for publishing “defamatory propaganda which is only motivated by the desire to sow discord and animosity”.
Maldivian parliamentary speaker Mohamed Nasheed, who is also a former president, had tweeted on Friday that “hostile” and “disrespectful” language was being deployed by some quarters against India.
He also urged the opposition and critics to “maintain a certain standard when speaking about foreign diplomats appointed to work in the Maldives”. Nasheed is currently in Germany where he travelled for medical treatment after an attempted attack through a bomb blast.
Raajje ah kan’daalhaafai thihbavaa beyruge diplomat innaai gulhey gothun alhugandumen dhakkaa vaahakathah hunnan jehyenee vaki hama thakehga. Sarukaar aai MDP ge vaadhaverin India aai gulhey gothun dhakkavaa fithunaveri adhi beyadhabee vaahakathah huttanjehey
— Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) July 2, 2021
As per media reports, the Maldives parliamentary committee on independent institutions had asked the Maldives Media Council to look into the reports on Indian diplomats published by the website.
The co-founder of Dhiyares, Ahmed Azaan has tweeted that he has written to international media watchdogs that he will be arrested on “trumped-up charges” for his reports on activities of the Indian high commission.