Maldives: Coming to a country near you!

**American Patriot** · February 7th, 2012, 16:05

Trouble in paradise: Maldives president steps down amid protests (+video)

In the archipelago nation known for its beach resorts, Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed was forced to resign after the military clashed with protesting police dissidents.

By Hussain Sinan, Associated Press / February 7, 2012

Maldives soldiers (l.) are involved in a clash with police officers in Male, Maldives, Tuesday. Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed presented his resignation in a nationally televised address Tuesday afternoon after police joined the protesters and then clashed with soldiers in the streets.
Hussain Sinan/AP

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Male, Maldives

The first democratically elected president of the Maldives resigned Tuesday and was replaced by his vice president after the police and army clashed in the streets of the island nation amid protests over the arrest of a top judge.

Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed announces his resignation in Male, Maldives, Feb. 7. Nasheed announced his resignation Tuesday following weeks of public protests over his controversial order to arrest a senior judge.
Sinan Hussain/AP

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Graphic: Maldives
(Rich Clabaugh/Staff)

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Mohammed Waheed Hassan, who previously worked as a top UNICEF official, was sworn in as the new Maldivian president in the afternoon. Soon after, the judge was released.
In a televised address, Mr. Hassan promised to protect his predecessor, Mohamed Nasheed, from retribution and called for the chaos in the streets to stop.
"I urge everyone to make this a peaceful country," he said.
Think you know Asia? Take our geography quiz.

Mr. Nasheed's resignation marked a stunning fall for the former human rights campaigner who defeated the nation's longtime ruler in the country's first multiparty election. Nasheed was also an environmental celebrity, traveling the world to persuade governments to combat the climate change that could raise sea levels and inundate his archipelago nation.
Nasheed presented his resignation in a nationally televised address after police joined the protesters and then clashed with soldiers in the streets. Some of the soldiers then defected to the police side.
"I don't want to hurt any Maldivian. I feel my staying on in power will only increase the problems, and it will hurt our citizens," Nasheed said. "So the best option available to me is to step down."
Maldivians waving flags poured into the streets to celebrate Nasheed's resignation. Some playfully threw water at each other.
Hassan, who was educated at Stanford University in California, was the first television anchor in Maldives history and the first person shown live when local TV went on the air in 1978, according to his official biography.

**American Patriot** · February 7th, 2012, 16:06

For anyone who "doesn't get" the title.... the first image says it all.

The guys on the left are military, the guys on the right are cops.

**American Patriot** · February 7th, 2012, 16:07

Here's a map:

**Malsua** · February 7th, 2012, 17:09

Originally Posted by Rick Donaldson

For anyone who "doesn't get" the title....

Oh, I figured it was that tiny little islands of good little muslims were going to be everywhere, but your way is ok too.

**American Patriot** · February 7th, 2012, 18:12

HAHAHA

Yeah, that too!

**American Patriot** · February 8th, 2012, 15:38

8 February 2012 Last updated at 09:51 ET Maldives ex-president Mohamed Nasheed was 'forced out'

Several were injured in clashes as protests were held in support of the former president
Continue reading the main story Related Stories

Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has said that he was forced to resign "at gunpoint" by police and army officers in a coup.
He said the move was planned with the knowledge of Vice-President Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik, who has replaced him. Mr Hassan denies the claims.
Several of Mr Nasheed's supporters were injured in clashes as riot police used tear gas and batons against demonstrators in Republic Square.
Mr Nasheed quit on Tuesday amid unrest.
He announced his resignation after police joined opposition-led protests over the detention of a top judge.
Several thousand Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters, led by Mr Nasheed, marched through the streets of the capital earlier on Wednesday in protest at his ousting.
The BBC's Andrew North, in Male, says soldiers in riot gear and police with batons charged the crowd and fired tear gas. The main square is now blocked off by soldiers and police.
Continue reading the main story At the scene

Andrew North BBC News, Male
It's been a bewildering 24 hours in paradise, after the coup that was not a coup - depending on which side you're on.
The man who was vice-president yesterday calmly held a news conference today in the air-conditioned presidential palace looking like he'd been in the top job for years. There was no coup, no plan, said Mohammed Waheed Hassan smoothly, wearing a freshly-pressed suit - I'm as surprised as you are but democracy is safe, he insisted.
Across town, furious supporters of his boss until yesterday, Mohamed Nasheed, gathered at his party headquarters. No air-conditioning here.
Sweltering in the equatorial heat, they crammed into a meeting hall to hear the former president say he'd been forced to resign at gunpoint and would fight to get his job back. Mr Nasheed's supporters believe the police helped engineer his removal.
Here in paradise, the trouble may not be over.

Those detained include one of the former president's senior officials, our correspondent says. Other reports say MDP supporters threw petrol bombs at police and demanded Mr Nasheed be reinstated.
The head of the youth wing for the former ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Shauna Aminath, said she was part of a crowd of protesters near Republic Square when riot police charged at them.
"The police here are animals. It was peaceful.. and then the police came straight at us. So many people have been injured," she told the BBC.
The streets had been calm since Tuesday's dramatic resignation and life had appeared to be returning to normal after clashes and protests earlier in the week.
'Guns all around me' Mr Nasheed's whereabouts over the past 24 hours have been unclear at times and his aides have alleged he was being held against his will.
But on Wednesday, the Maldives first democratically elected president met party supporters and told them he would fight to get his job back. He urged Mr Hassan to stand down and called for immediate elections.

The new president denies he is part of a conspiracy
"Yes, I was forced to resign at gunpoint," he told reporters after the meeting. "There were guns all around me and they told me they wouldn't hesitate to use them if I didn't resign."
He told the AFP news agency in a telephone interview that he had gone to military headquarters on Tuesday where he found about 18 "middle-ranking" police and army officers in control.
"I wanted to negotiate the lives of the people who were serving in my government."
He added that he feared Mr Hassan - formerly his vice president - was "in on" their plans.
The new president in turn criticised Mr Nasheed for wrongfully arresting Justice Abdulla Mohamed last month.
He denies a coup took place or that there was a pre-arranged plan for him to stage a takeover. Mr Hassan said his aim now was to form a coalition to help build a stable and democratic country ahead of fresh presidential elections due next year.
"We will respect the rule of law, we will uphold the constitution, the executive will not interfere in legislation and we will make sure that democracy is consolidated," he told a news conference on Wednesday.
He also promised to protect Mr Nasheed from retribution, pointing out that he was free to leave the country.
However he said he would not interfere with any police or court action against Mr Nasheed.
The authorities are reported to be investigating the discovery of bottles of alcohol at Mr Nasheed's former residence. Consuming alcohol outside tourist resorts is a crime in the Muslim nation.
'Rogue elements' Protests over the arrest of Justice Mohamed are widely seen has having hastened the downfall of Mr Nasheed, who critics say acted unconstitutionally.
Continue reading the main story The Maldives

The Maldives is a chain of nearly 1,200 islands in the Indian Ocean
Fewer than 200 of those islands are inhabited but with sandy beaches and coral, tourism is the Maldives' largest industry
It became a protectorate under the Dutch in the 17th Century and then the British in the 19th Century. It achieved full independence in 1965
President Mohamed Nasheed came to power after elections in 2008 ended 30 years of autocratic rule by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
A former political prisoner and activist, President Nasheed highlighted the threat of global warming to the low-lying islands
But he has faced fierce political opposition, as parliament is dominated by opposition supporters of the former president
Tensions escalated last month after the army arrested a senior judge the government accused of political bias, prompting street protests

Maldives country profile

The judge was released soon after Mr Hassan took power.
The judge was accused of being loyal to the opposition by ordering the release of a government critic he said had been illegally detained.
Hours before Mr Nasheed's resignation, there had been a mutiny in police ranks which saw a few dozen officers side with protesters and then clash with soldiers in the streets.
The mutinying officers took control of the state broadcaster in the capital, Male, and began playing out messages in support of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, an autocrat who ruled for more than 30 years.
Mr Nasheed, a former political prisoner, defeated him in the country's first multi-party elections in 2008.
British, US and Australian diplomats have flown in from neighbouring Sri Lanka to provide consular assistance, if needed, to tourists holidaying in the Maldives.
Foreign governments are advising those visiting the islands to be careful. The archipelago receives nearly a million visitors a year - but most head straight to their resorts and never reach the capital.

More on This Story

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New Maldives leader pledges order 07 FEBRUARY 2012, ASIA
Maldives country profile 07 FEBRUARY 2012, SOUTH ASIA
Maldives UN appeal in judge row 23 JANUARY 2012, ASIA

**American Patriot** · February 9th, 2012, 19:31

Maldives Court Issues Warrants for Former President

By JIM YARDLEY

Published: February 9, 2012

NEW DELHI — The former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, faced criminal charges on Thursday and possibly arrest, only two days after his abrupt resignation plunged the island nation in the Indian Ocean into violent protests and political turmoil amid claims of a coup.

The New York Times

Political unrest boiled over in Male after a judge’s arrest.

The Criminal Court of the Maldives issued arrest warrants on Thursday against the former president and the country’s former defense minister, according to the police and members of Mr. Nasheed’s political party. But the specifics of the charges remained unclear, and the police had not yet attempted to execute the orders. By Thursday afternoon, Mr. Nasheed remained inside his residence in Male, the capital, joined by supporters.
“We are waiting for the police to come arrest President Nasheed right now,” said the former foreign minister, Ahmed Naseem, speaking in a telephone interview in the early afternoon. “We have absolutely no idea of what the charges are,” he added.
Later in the day, as more than 100 supporters massed outside his residence, with police officers also present, Mr. Nasheed gave a live interview on a national television channel in which he repeated his claim that security officers had forced him to resign and that the new government was already backtracking on democracy.
Abdul Mannan Yoosuf, a police spokesman in Male, declined to detail the charges against Mr. Nasheed, though he did confirm that officers had recovered bottles of alcohol from inside the official presidential residence during a search conducted after Mr. Nasheed resigned. The Maldives is a Muslim nation where possession of alcohol is largely forbidden.
“At this stage, we are not in the position to share the charges with the media,” the police spokesman said.
The legal uncertainty was the latest development in what has become a fast-moving and volatile situation in the Maldives, an archipelago of 1,200 islands known for pristine beaches and luxury tourist resorts. Besides the unrest in the capital, the police confirmed rising violence on other islands, including areas involved in the tourist trade.
In Male, supporters of Mr. Nasheed clashed with the police on Wednesday as officers used tear gas and wooden batons to disperse the crowds. The police blamed protesters for rioting and throwing stones at government buildings, though the protesters accused officers of attacking what had been a peaceful procession.
The street clashes followed Mr. Nasheed’s resignation as president on Tuesday. Within hours of stepping down, Mr. Nasheed told reporters that he had quit under duress as security forces threatened bloodshed if he did not step down. He has blamed his ouster on allies of the former autocratic leader of the Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for 30 years before losing the country’s first democratic presidential election in 2008.
Mr. Nasheed has also accused his successor, Mohammed Waheed Hassan, the former vice president, of participating in a coup with mutinous security officers. Mr. Hassan, who was sworn in as president on Tuesday, has denied any involvement or knowledge of a coup and has pledged to bring stability to the country by forming a unity government composed of members of multiple political parties.
“This is the time for all citizens to unite and work diligently to uphold the sovereignty of the Constitution and restore the rule of law in the country,” Mr. Hassan said in a statement released by his office on Thursday. “The president’s highest priority now is to restore peace and security for the people.”
On Thursday, Mr. Hassan offered assurances that public services would continue while he also began assembling a new cabinet by naming a new defense minister, Mohamed Nazim, and a new home minister, Mohamed Jameel Ahmed. Both men have clashed in the past with the former president, Mr. Nasheed.
Amnesty International has condemned the Wednesday crackdown by security forces against Mr. Nasheed’s supporters. “We are extremely concerned about the latest developments in the Maldives,” said Sam Zafiri, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director.
An American envoy was scheduled to arrive in Male on Saturday to take stock of the situation. Diplomats from India and Britain have already held meetings with Mr. Hassan, the new president. Britain has issued a travel advisory discouraging tourists from coming to the Maldives because of the current instability.
Violence was erupting on smaller islands in the Maldives, including in the country’s second-largest city, Addu, a jumping off point for foreign tourists trying to reach different luxury resorts. A Maldivian general blamed supporters of Mr. Nasheed for attacking police stations and other government buildings in Addu and elsewhere. Mr. Yoosuf, the police spokesman, said eight police stations were destroyed, along with three court buildings. Police officers were stationed at the airport in Addu to protect tourists transferring to and from resorts.
However, Mr. Naseem, the former foreign minister and ally of the former president, said the police were arresting supporters of Mr. Nasheed in different locales across the nation in what he described as a brutal campaign.
“Today, they are beating people,” he said. “It’s a terrible situation.”
Hari Kumar contributed reporting.

**American Patriot** · February 9th, 2012, 19:34

US recognizes new government of Maldives
(AFP) – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON — The United States on Thursday recognized the new government of Maldives President Mohamed Waheed as legitimate and urged him to fulfill a pledge to form a national unity government.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland also said Robert Blake, the top US diplomat for south Asia, telephoned former president Mohamed Nasheed to tell him Washington backed a "peaceful resolution" of the crisis on the archipelago.
"We do," Nuland told reporters when asked if Washington recognizes the new government as the legitimate government of the Maldives. She called Waheed the president and Nasheed the former president.
Blake, the assistant secretary of state for south Asian affairs, will travel Saturday to the Maldives to meet with both Waheed and Nasheed, who charges he was ousted in a coup, as well as civil society.
"He will be encouraging this national unity conversation," she added.
"Blake spoke this morning to former president Nasheed, conveying assurances that the United States supports a peaceful resolution of this," Nuland said.
Blake assured Nasheed who is facing arrest "that we are also expressing our views to the government that his security should be protected," Nuland said.
Unrest has spread to the far corners of the nation of more than 1,000 islands, as Waheed struggles to maintain order.
Nasheed, the Indian Ocean country's first democratically elected president who has hunkered down at his modest family home in the capital Male since losing the presidency on Tuesday, has appealed for urgent foreign help.
The United States is "also encouraging him, as we encouraged President Waheed that this needs to settled now peaceably through dialogue and through the formation, as the new president has pledged, of a national unity government," Nuland said.
A judge issued an arrest warrant Thursday for the ex-president, who says he was forced from office in a coup, as troops deployed to restore order after a night described by a presidential aide as "anarchy."

**American Patriot** · February 9th, 2012, 19:34

Was it really a coup in Maldives?

Agence France-Presse
New Delhi, February 09, 2012

First Published: 23:59 IST(9/2/2012)
Last Updated: 00:01 IST(10/2/2012)

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The legitimacy of the new administration in the Maldives could hinge on who wins a high-stakes debate over whether the former President resigned of his own will or was ousted in a coup. When Mohamed Nasheed resigned at a televised press conference on Tuesday, the new administration and the army

moved swiftly to quash any suggestion he had been coerced into stepping down.
But the next day Nasheed fired back with his own version of events, saying he was frogmarched into his office by armed police and army officers who stood around as he was forced to pen his resignation announcement. "They told me if I didn't resign they would resort to use arms," he told AFP in an interview. His successor and former VP, Mohamed Waheed, who was sworn in as the new head of state, insisted there had been no plot to overthrow Nasheed's government.
"It is wrong to describe the events as a coup. We did not know this was going to happen. I was unprepared," he said. But Nasheed's version appeared to be gaining some traction both at home and abroad.
EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said she had "noted" the former President's account and said she was "deeply concerned" at developments in the island resort nation.
US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stopped short of describing events as a coup but said the United States was seeking information from all sides. Washington often waits before declaring that a nation has experienced a coup, a designation that under US law requires all aid to be cut off.
Nasheed was provided space for an op-ed piece in the New York Times in which he asserted he had been overthrown "in a coup d'etat" and that Waheed "helped to plan it."