Table of Contents
UPSC PERSPECTIVE
- UPSC CIVIL SERVICES Mains General Studies Paper 2 Syllabus
- International relations –
- India and its neighbourhood- relations.
MCQ FOR YOU ALL
- Consider the following statements regarding Maldives –
- Maldives is not a part of the BIMSTEC initiative.
- The Maldives is a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
- Only 1 is true
- Only 2 is true
- Both are true
- Both are false
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
- Subramanian Swamy, a member of the upper house of the Indian parliament had come under intense criticism over his Tweet on Friday saying
- “India should invade Maldives if rigging of election takes place,” after his meeting with Maldives’ selfexiled former president Mohamed Nasheed to discuss the opposition concerns over fraud ahead of the upcoming presidential elections
THE BIG STATEMENT
1988 MALDIVES COUP D’ÉTAT – OLD MEMORIES
The 1988 Maldives coup d’état was the attempt by a group of Maldivians led by Abdullah Luthufi and assisted by armed mercenaries of a Tamil secessionist organisation from Sri Lanka, the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), to overthrow the government in the island republic of Maldives. The coup d’état failed due to the intervention of the Indian Army, whose military operations efforts were code-named Operation Cactus by the Indian Armed Forces.
REACTION
- India received international praise for the operation. United States President Ronald Reagan expressed his appreciation for India’s action, calling it “a valuable contribution to regional stability”.
- British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher reportedly commented, ‘”Thank God for India: President Gayoom’s government has been saved”. But the intervention nevertheless caused some disquiet among India’s neighbours in South Asia.
AFTERMATH OF SWAMY’S STATEMENT TIMELINE
- Ties between India and the Maldives nose-dived after Maldivian President Yameen declared emergency on 5 February following an order by the country’s Supreme Court to release a group of Opposition leaders, who had been convicted in widely criticised trials.
- The emergency was lifted 45 days later.
TIMELINE
- India expressed concern over announcement of elections in the Maldives without allowing democratic institutions, including Parliament and the judiciary, to work in a free and transparent manner.
- India had said it wanted “credible restoration” of the political process and the rule of law in the island nation before the elections are conducted.
MCQ FOR YOU ALL
- Consider the following statements regarding Maldives –
- Maldives is not a part of the BIMSTEC initiative.
- The Maldives is a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
- Only 1 is true
- Only 2 is true
- Both are true
- Both are false