Table of Contents
MCQ;s Based On Maldives Crisis
1. India, Maldives bilateral military exercise is called EKUVERIN
2. The eight edition of India, Maldives bilateral military exercise EKUVERIN 2017 was held in Maldives
_________________________________________
A. Only 1 is true
B. Only 2 is true
C. Both 1 and 2 are true
D. Both 1 and 2 are false
Issues
•Political crisis in the Maldives
•The crisis is seen as the biggest threat to President Abdulla Yameen’s control over the
Maldives since he took power in 2013
NOTES
•India was one of the first countries that Yameen visited after winning elections in 2013. In 2014, Yameen was one of the leaders India invited for the swearing in of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
• But Modi called off a visit to Maldives in 2015 during a tour of Sri Lanka, Seychelles and Mauritius following reports of a crackdown by Yameen on the opposition.
• In recent years, Yameen has seemingly aligned the Maldives closer to China—signing up for China’s ambitious Maritime Silk Route project aiming to connect Asia and Africa through the Indian Ocean with a series of ports and other infrastructure projects to promote trade.
• In December, the Maldives signed a trade pact with China raising eyebrows in India. Yameen later sent his foreign minister Mohamed Asim to New Delhi to clear the air and reset ties.
ABDULLA YAMEEN
• 6th President of the Maldives
• Political party Progressive Party of Maldives
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MALDIVES?
• The Maldivian Supreme Court ordered the immediate release of former president Mohamed Nasheed and eight other opposition leaders and ordered they be tried again, saying the
previous proceedings had violated the constitution and international law.
• Nasheed is in exile in the UK but would be arrested if he came back.
NOTES
•The court also ordered the reinstatement of 12 lawmakers who had been stripped of their
parliamentary seats by Yameen’s party for defecting last year, saying their removal was unconstitutional.
• The reinstatement of the dozen legislators, who now belong to opposition parties, would cause Yameen’s party to lose its majority in the 85-member parliament.
NOTES
• Should the opposition reach a majority, they would be able to unseat the speaker, who is a member of the ruling party, and pass no confidence motions against government officials.
THE RIVALRY BETWEEN PRESIDENT YAMEEN
AND FORMER PRESIDENT NASHEED
• Former President Nasheed won elections in 2008, but was forced to resign in 2012 after ordering the arrest of a top criminal court judge, Abdulla Mohamed, for alleged corruption.
• Nasheed then lost the 2013 election to Yameen, and was sentenced to a 13-year jail term in 2015 for arresting judge Mohamed. Though Western countries have said Nasheed’s
action against the judge was against the law, they also raised concerns over his trial, which they called unfair.
NOTES
• Nasheed, a graduate of Britain’s Liverpool University, is well connected in the West and has
been able to bring pressure against Yameen’s administration.
• He even got the help of human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, married to Hollywood actor
George Clooney, to expose alleged human rights violation by Yameen’s administration.
• Maldivian Democratic Party
WHAT ARE YAMEEN’S OPTIONS NOW?
• So far, Yameen has ignored the order, although he has stopped short of saying he will not obey it. He fired two police chiefs who said they would uphold the court verdict last week,
however, and continues to jail opposition members
• Members of the ruling party have also sought to shut down an independent TV station accusing it of spreading “discord,” sparking a call from the U.S. embassy in Columbo, Sri Lanka, for Yameen’s government to respect the freedom of the press.
WHAT IS THE INTERNATIONAL REACTION SO FAR?
• Yameen has ignored calls from the United States and India, among other nations, to heed the court decision on Nasheed. When the Commonwealth pressed Yameen to uphold the rule
of law, his government vote d for the Maldives to quit the Commonwealth.
• Yameen has sought in the past to suppress protests, and the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said it would stop activities that “openly threaten the security and safety of the Maldives”
INDIA MALDIVES
• India and Maldives signed a trade agreement in 1981, which provides for export of essential commodities. Growing from modest beginnings, India-Maldives bilateral trade now stands at Rs.700 crores
• After the tsunami that struck Maldives on the m orning of 26 December 2004, India was the first country to rush relief and aid to Maldives. India provided a budget support aid of Rs.10 crores in view of the serious financial difficulties being faced by Maldives on account of the tsunami and related factors.
• India has earlier extended financial assistance for development projects
in Maldives –
• (a) Renovation of Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Male
• (b) Construction of training centre for Maldives Defense forces.
• (c) Assistance in setting up of Maldives Police Academy
• Other than that India also agreed to allow visa-free entry to citizens of Maldives for medical purposes.
• Maldives became the second country in South Asia, after Pakistan, to enter into a free trade agreement (FTA) with China.
• Under the FTA agreement, China will exempt its Maldivian imports, mostly fisheries products, from taxes.
• China, which didn’t even have an embassy in Maldives until 2011, has lately emerged as a key player in the domestic politics of the tiny island nation in India’s backyard. Xi Jinping’s signature moves are evident.
ANSWER
• The eight edition of India, Maldives bilateral military exercise EKUVERIN 2017 was held in India in Belagavi, Karnataka
• Indian Army and Maldives National Defence Force have been holding Exercise Ekuverin (meaning ‘friends’ in the Maldivian language) since 2009
Download Free PDF Maldives Crisis -Latest Burning Issues
WhatsApp