Maldives Civil-Military Issues

[SriKumar]

all this is old hat, motherhood and apple pie stuff.... govt should do their job etc. Maldives they did get some 'help' from India .... in 1988. Saved their country, in fact. Time for same old same old 'if they do that, what can we do only''....is over. Things are different now.... more critical.

[jpremnath]

Yup, 1988..thats 30 years ago..What did we do for them after? Lend an occasional helicopter or Petrol vessel here and there...Those are peanuts as aid by any measure.
We could ignore countries like Vietnam, Mauritius, et al because them going to the Chinese dont affect us that much. Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives are strategically important in terms of our own security but we practically ignored them till now.

[anupmisra]

We could ignore countries like Vietnam, Mauritius, et al because them going to the Chinese dont affect us that much.

I would respectfully disagree with you on the above statement.

It is not always the power or influence you hold over your immediate neighbors (which, of course is important), it is more about the amount of influence you hold over your enemy's immediate neighbors. That's the hallmark of great diplomacy. That's the chankian way. Think China vis a vis its eternal enemy, India. The power China holds over India's neighbors is what bugs India. Now reverse the roles and think of Vietnam, Japan, Philippines, S. Korea and Mongolia vis a vis China.

[jpremnath]

Sorry, I should have been clearer..What I meant to say was compared to our immediate neighbours, countries like Vietnam are too far away from us to give an advantage to China. Definitely we would prefer them to be on our side in the long run. But considering our limited economic power, it would be more prudent on winning back our immediate neighbours first. Which as we can all see; is what Modi is doing now. I can see the invisible hands of our security establishment in two major political events in our neighbourhood. Wickramisnghe coming back and Yameen getting the surprise of his life...

[Chinmay]

Interesting interview with the Maldivian Defence Minister

Q: To put those rumours or reports to rest, what can the Indian side gain? Can they train there? Use it for relief, rescue, humanitarian missions? What exactly does the Indian side do?
A: You mean the radar system? The radar system is more useful for us because the Indians have technology through their satellites, they can see everything. We visited the fusion centre and we saw all the ships around. So they don’t necessarily need it. It’s us who need it. We spend so much petrol, time, managing our people, searching for ships that have gone missing. But if have the radar system in place, we can easily spot it and go to the spot. Now we’re spending so much of tax-payers’ money, but there are some people who just want to talk for the sake of saying something—saying that is sovereignty and things like this. We know very well—If the Indians really wanted to occupy Maldives—they’ve never had the intention, but if they do, you know I don’t know how we can stop it. Your Air Force, your Navy, your infantry—there’s nothing we can do. This is just being practical:if they wanted it they can do it. But it’s not that. They’re there to assist us, to help us and be good neighbours. We both have the same interests. We both want the Indian Ocean to be a military-free zone where there is peace, stability in the region. We, Sri Lanka and India want it. So, we have similar interests and because of that we’re able to maintain this very close relationship which carries on to the mutual benefit of these two countries.

[Vips]

Work resumes full steam on Maldives coastal radars.

After an initial stumble following political uncertainty in the Maldives, work on setting up a coastal surveillance radar chain in the island nation has resumed full steam, with technical teams from India finishing installation work to get the system operational.

The radar chain—which will link up with similar systems in India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Seychelles—will provide a comprehensive live feed of ship movements in the Indian Ocean Region that can be used by friendly navies.

Sources have told ET that seven out of the 10 radars that had to be set up are now being fitted with the latest systems that can relay location information, videos and images live to a central command unit. While the civil work on the seven radars had been completed, the political turmoil before the change of government in November 2018 had held up operationalisation of the chain.

Three other radars had been functional but could only relay AIS (automatic identification system) data and are currently being upgraded by teams from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), the sources said. Once complete, these can be integrated into the 600-crore Coastal Surveillance Radar System (CSRS) project.


As part of the plan to increase maritime domain awareness in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, coastal surveillance radars have been set up in Sri Lanka (6), Mauritius (8) and Seychelles (1). India also set up an Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in December that will share real-time maritime information with friendly nations in the region.

In the future, officers from Indian Ocean littoral will be invited for permanent deployment at the Gurgaonbased centre which India believes will help reduce illegal maritime activities by providing intelligence and the means to enforce the law.

[Rony]

Maldives ex-president sentenced to five years for money laundering

Former Maldives president Abdulla Yameen was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering on Thursday - as dozens of his supporters gathered outside the courtroom saying his was innocent.

Yameen, who ran the Maldives with an iron hand for five years, unexpectedly lost an election last year and has since faced investigations over a number of deals sealed during his tenure.

He was accused of receiving $1 million of government money through a private company as part of a deal to lease a number of tropical islands for hotel development - charges he has repeatedly dismissed.

Judge Ali Rasheed, who headed a panel of five judges trying the case, told the criminal court it had been established beyond any reasonable doubt that Yameen had taken money that he knew was embezzled from the state.

“The judges took over 10 days to deliberate on this and this is the unanimous verdict of the five judges,” Rasheed said.

Yameen drew the Indian Ocean island country closer to China during his tenure from 2013-2018. Opposition critics accused him of giving contracts, including a major bridge and an extension to the international airport, to Chinese companies at inflated prices. He denied any wrongdoing.

[drnayar]

The fun continues


https://pulseofdubai.ae/blog/maldives-d ... id-crisis/

Maldives Declares Bankruptcy, Seeks IMF Bailout Amid Strained India Relations; Finance Minister’s Advisor Resigns Amid Crisis

[Garooda]

The fun continues
https://pulseofdubai.ae/blog/maldives-d ... id-crisis/
Maldives Declares Bankruptcy, Seeks IMF Bailout Amid Strained India Relations; Finance Minister’s Advisor Resigns Amid Crisis

Here comes China to the rescue should IMF fail to help address the bankruptcy.

[drnayar]

The fun continues
https://pulseofdubai.ae/blog/maldives-d ... id-crisis/
Maldives Declares Bankruptcy, Seeks IMF Bailout Amid Strained India Relations; Finance Minister’s Advisor Resigns Amid Crisis

Here comes China to the rescue should IMF fail to help address the bankruptcy.

China has muzzi in its pocket they don't care about the country

[A_Gupta]

Maldives is in a debt trap. Like Pakistan it lives beyond its means. Unlike Pakistan it is a small country and so is even more easily bought.

[Garooda]

Here comes China to the rescue should IMF fail to help address the bankruptcy.

China has muzzi in its pocket they don't care about the country.

Ofcourse. I was being sarcastic. China has significantly expanded their loan sharking sector within the last couple of decades

[tandav]

Can India buy a few Islands to help Maldives. Hanimadhu Island in North Maldives is a great candidate as it has an International Airport already

Anyway there is 1 island 1 resort concept so changing ownership from Maldives to India should not really matter.

[Pratyush]

For far too long, nations in the subcontinent have tried to run with the hares and hunt with the hounds.

It's time an example is made and a message sent. That there is only India to deal with. You are welcome to try to bring PRC in the picture. But the consequences of that action are on you.

This has to happen in the next few years. Or India will become a secondary power in the Indian Ocean itself.

[Manish_P]

Can India buy a few Islands to help Maldives. Hanimadhu Island in North Maldives is a great candidate as it has an International Airport already

Anyway there is 1 island 1 resort concept so changing ownership from Maldives to India should not really matter.

We should wait till they are neck-deep in debt and on verge of bankruptcy. Then buy it cheap.

We lost an opportunity in Sri Lanka

[tandav]

For far too long, nations in the subcontinent have tried to run with the hares and hunt with the hounds.

It's time an example is made and a message sent. That there is only India to deal with. You are welcome to try to bring PRC in the picture. But the consequences of that action are on you.

This has to happen in the next few years. Or India will become a secondary power in the Indian Ocean itself.

Is the Chinese strategy essentially as above been successful in the Indo China sea?

[drnayar]

For far too long, nations in the subcontinent have tried to run with the hares and hunt with the hounds.

It's time an example is made and a message sent. That there is only India to deal with. You are welcome to try to bring PRC in the picture. But the consequences of that action are on you.

This has to happen in the next few years. Or India will become a secondary power in the Indian Ocean itself.

Unless pappu becomes pm that won't happen!

[Pratyush]

Is the Chinese strategy essentially as above been successful in the Indo China sea?

Not a relevant comparison. As the USA was the dominant power in the region since the end of WW2. The PRC is trying to replace the USA and is doing it in a ham handed was.

Whereas, in the subcontinent, India is the resident power and smaller nations think that bringing PRC will have benifits for them.

[A_Gupta]

Some years ago Maldivians used to come to Trivandrum or Ernakulam for medical treatment. I am told reliably that now they go to Malaysia or Thailand.

[chetak]

Can India buy a few Islands to help Maldives. Hanimadhu Island in North Maldives is a great candidate as it has an International Airport already

Anyway there is 1 island 1 resort concept so changing ownership from Maldives to India should not really matter.

tandav ji,

IMVHO, the question itself is wrong. India can certainly buy island(s) from them

However, the real question is, will they sell to us ...

or more realistically, will they be allowed to sell to us ...

It is not merely an economic issue as you imagine, but there are long standing, deep seated cultural, and civilizational issues at play here, and the two entities that run the show here, one overtly and the other covertly, have a traditional, long established, and deeply ingrained hatred for the Indian civilizational state

They know it well and milk us accordingly, but we do not seem to have either the brains or cultural detachment to understand and assimilate this treachery and deal with it practically.

We have done exactly the same senseless, counter productive accommodations, and repeated appeasement of the pakis, nepalese, lankans and the beedis and are still paying the geopolitical and NATSEC price for our gullibility, our foolishness peaked in 1947, 1971 and 1987 respectively.

Ever wondered why every single "neighbour" of ours has bent over backwards to welcome the barbarian cheen, knowing fully well that it goes against India's interests and endangers the security of the Indian state

We seem to lack the surefooted understanding of the realpolitik at the regional level and the rapacity of our "neighbours" and hence the need to grasp the inherent requirements and advantages of kicking them hard in the testimonials, as and when required ... and at other times, just for practice ... but instead, we naively continue to preach the mantra of "non reciprocity", so eagerly professed and practised by India, almost always to her own detriment, while they continue to bilk us

When there is a distinct regional power gradient in your favour, a wary neighbour is always a good neighbour, especially one who knows and also appreciates his limits when dealing with you.

It's both a strategic and a tactical lesson that we failed to appreciate over multiple decades that has led to this cognitive dissonance among our "neighbours" when dealing with us, because all of them are very sure that this regional geopolitical power gradient is permanently tilted in their favour and all these "neighbourly" creeps play India off against the cheen to extract concessions from both to the extent possible because, while the cheen are stingy and perverse, foolish India is more benevolent

Who was it that said: the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results ....

[chetak]

MALDIVES ENTRY BAN BACKFIRES HARD

Two weeks after the Maldives announced a ban on Israeli nationals entering the Islamic country, the government's legal advisor stated there are challenges in passing the legislation.

Specifically, 2 million Israeli Arabs, referred to as Palestinians, hold Israeli citizenship.

The Maldives clarified that they do not aim to ban Arab, Muslim, or Christian Israelis, but rather target one specific group: Jews. @HenMazzig


https://www.gktoday.in/maldives-bans-en ... t-holders/

[chetak]

https://ddnews.gov.in/en/india-allows-e ... ined-ties/



India Allows Exports Of Essential Goods To Maldives Despite Strained Ties

05/04/24

India has allowed limited exports of essential commodities, including sugar, wheat, rice, and onions, to the Maldives, the government said on Friday, even as ties between Male and New Delhi remained tense amid rising Chinese influence.

India, a leading exporter of rice, sugar and onions, has imposed various curbs on exports of these food commodities to keep a lid on local prices ahead of general election.

Shipments of these commodities in the 2024/25 finiancial year which started on April 1 to Maldives “will be exempted from any existing or future restriction/prohibition on export,” the government said in a notification.

India has allowed exports of 124,218 metric tons of rice, 109,162 tons of wheat flour, 64,494 tons of sugar, 21,513 metric tons of potatoes, 35,749 tons of onions, and 427.5 million eggs to the Maldives.

[g.sarkar]

https://www.india.com/viral/fact-check- ... u-7165011/
FACT CHECK: Has Maldives Handed Over Its 28 Islands To India?
Contrary to what's been buzzing on social media platforms, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly rebuffs the gossip that India has been gifted 28 islands by the Maldives.
Joy Pillai, August 14, 2024
Fact Check: Amid ongoing reports circulating that the Maldives has transferred 28 islands to India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has dismissed and rejected these claims, stating that the news spreading across the internet is ‘misleading and fake.
The misinformation was spread during External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s recent three-day visit to the Maldives, which marked the first high-level diplomatic trip from India since the major political shift in the island country, where Mohamed Muizzu, a pro-Chinese leader, took oath as President.
.......
Gautam

[chetak]

India out, Crisis in - this should be the lesson for all our ungrateful and entitled neighbors

[sanjaykumar]

Next up, Bangladesh.

[Manish_P]

India out, Crisis in - this should be the lesson for all our ungrateful and entitled neighbors
...

And what should be the lesson for us, Chetak sir?

[sanjayc]

^^ The lesson for us is -- being too nice and being readily available for unconditional help at all times leads to contempt in the recipient and these puny countries begin to treat India like a doormat. These countries should at all times stay aware of the big stick India carries and its willingness to use it if a country steps over the line.

भय बिनु होइ न प्रीति

[chetak]

India out, Crisis in - this should be the lesson for all our ungrateful and entitled neighbors
...

And what should be the lesson for us, Chetak sir?

we are like that onlee, Manish saar.

we will never learn and our foolishness will inevitably create a situation every time, just like we have with the pakis now, as well as the cheen.

Those foolish days of Hindi cheen bhai bhai are now resonating painfully in our ears and not to forget the criminally insane "people to people" contacts with the paki pigs via the aman ka tamasha lunacy.

It was a rinse and repeat scenario with the beedis

and the non reciprocity meme is still playing out in nepal, SL and the maldives, despite all of them spitting in our face while gleefully grabbing aid from us

[Manish_P]

^ In the case of Beediland we should have taken land to widen the chicken neck in 71. Now it is almost impossible due to the demographics.

In the case of SL we should have taken land and built a dual-use port there. Even if the lankans would not have sold it to us it would have helped them jack up the prices and it would have made it a bit more costlier for the cheenis.

In the case of maldives it is a sinking proposition anyway. What can we do with the submerging islands (if the global warming holds true)?

[chetak]

^ In the case of Beediland we should have taken land to widen the chicken neck in 71. Now it is almost impossible due to the demographics.

In the case of SL we should have taken land and built a dual-use port there. Even if the lankans would not have sold it to us it would have helped them jack up the prices and it would have made it a bit more costlier for the cheenis.

In the case of maldives it is a sinking proposition anyway. What can we do with the submerging islands (if the global warming holds true)?

Manish ji,


Even now, what stops us from militarizing the entire chicken neck, just kick everyone else out. Period

why this constant whining on our part and allowing the jihadis to threaten us time and again when they say that they will cut off the chicken neck

It is a real danger, known to India for the longest time, and the cheen, the amrikis and the beedis/pakis already have plans to sever this link. It also secures the cheeni's land bypass option to the malacca trap, which the slant eyed snakes will use sooner, rather than later

The amrikis are looking at st martin's island just to prevent such an option from being operationalized by the cheen. What ever else they get out of the deal is a bonus. The cheen also want the island for the very same purpose of protecting their options

for once, the cheen have revealed their hand early, forced by hasina's greed, to break cover and perhaps have got checkmated

For deposing hasina, it may be that some one has prepared the pitch, and someone else has hit the sixer

India is a spectator on the side lines but has managed to recover hasina to safety, meaning that the game has been on for some years now .....

It is very foolhardy on our part to continue to allow creeping migration into this critical chicken neck area, knowing well the horrendous consequences on India's NATSEC

why are we so helpless in defending ourselves and playing nice guy while the jihadis persist in settling in and around the chicken neck zone and one day they will simply overwhelm us by sheer demography

yunus is a smokescreen. The amrikis want a jihadi beedi govt in place. It's so much easier to deal with the corrupt beardos than with the ideologically fanatic alternate. That is how the amrikis kept the pakis in play

A few tactically placed sniper shots or a couple of wandering suicide bombers here and there will always get the weeds out and keep the garden patch green and clean to the liking of the puppet masters.

This is the most common modus operandi to manage the trouble spots around the globe, bribery or the bullet to the head

With the sinhala, do not make the mistake of building a rail and road bridge between the island and the mainland.

The sinhala are locked in by the cheen and the tamils by the dravidians, both are not friends of India

You will be opening another major infiltration route for illegals of every description directly into the the southern hinterland

we have neighbours, puny, greedy, and jealous neighbours intent on harming us, just don't empower them by trying to earn their gratitude or bribe them by deluding yourself that they will turn into loyal friends

[Manish_P]

...

Even now, what stops us from militarizing the entire chicken neck, just kick everyone else out. Period
...

The local state goverment, the opposition parties and the SC. In that order.

[chetak]

...

Even now, what stops us from militarizing the entire chicken neck, just kick everyone else out. Period
...

The local state goverment, the opposition parties and the SC. In that order.

Manish ji,

we could create it as union territory and an army cantonment covering the entire zone

the mafia queen showed us that a state can be bifurcated, even against the wishes of the state govt to the contrary


This discussion is OT for this thread. It belongs in the beedi thread

[Manish_P]

I referred to BD, SL only to point the benefits are tangible on an immediate basis and also a safer investment from a long term (decades) perspective.

Maldives being far from our mainland is a much bigger challenge, especially given our numerical inferiority.

[chetak]

I referred to BD, SL only to point the benefits are tangible on an immediate basis and also a safer investment from a long term (decades) perspective.

Maldives being far from our mainland is a much bigger challenge, especially given our numerical inferiority.

No criticism Saar,

Just a heads up before the big boys arrive is all

[chetak]

Next Stop Maldives, Oh Wait, It's Bora Bora - Another India Takedown Attempt Goes Wrong

A teacher from Maldives wanted to strike at the upsurge in interest for Lakshadweep by showing a sunset in his home country.....and failed spectacularly.

His Google image search led him to posting a pic of islands in the South Pacific and not Indian Ocean - Bora Bora in French Polynesia, almost 15,000km away.

Hopefully the Maldivian patriot is not a teacher of geography.

[Amber G.]

Look who's here in India.

[Amber G.]

EAM's twitter:
Pleased to call on President @MMuizzu today at the start of his State Visit to India.

Appreciate his commitment to enhance relationship. Confident that his talks with PM
@narendramodi
tomorrow will give a new impetus to our friendly ties.

[Aditya_V]

Look who's here in India.

Another stupid forgiveness from us, Maldives has not paid for it's behavior,

[SRajesh]

And he is here with a big Katoora
He needs a bailout and once he is back home with the money he and his ilks will revert back to the old ways

[Amber G.]

( Muizzu reached India on Indian Air Force's (IAF) civilian airliner - India provided it .. IAF has some civilian airliner it had got from Air India previously and it is used to ferry such people )




Five days visit - reminding everyone "Tensions a thing of the past."