‘India Out’ campaign in Maldives

Background

• The ‘India Out’ campaign has mostly cropped on social media and was launched in 2018 by the then President of Maldives, Abdullah Yameen who asked India to take two of its helicopters and a Dornier aircraft from there. The helicopter and the aircraft were kept by India for rescue operations in the Maldives. The Maldives had said that if India had given these gifts, then the pilots should be from the Maldives and not from India. The issue escalated to the point where people started protesting in the streets.
• Ever since Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was elected to office in 2018, the campaign became vigorous. More so because the leader of the current ruling party Mohamed Nasheed urged India in 2018 to intervene militarily to dislodge Yameen and restore peace and democracy.
• Despite repeated calls for intervention, India firmly avoided military action against the Yameen regime. New Delhi thoughtfully coordinated its diplomatic response with other stakeholders, and put enormous pressure on Yameen to hold the presidential elections in a fair and transparent manner.
• The campaign also caught up against the opposition to the Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) harbour development deal with India in February 2021, which is being seen as a way of allowing Indian military presence on native soil.
• More recently, the campaign gained momentum with release of former President Abdulla Yameen from house arrest after the verdict of Supreme Court on 30th November 2021

Who is Abdulla Yameen?

• Abdullah Yameen is leader of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and former President of Maldives from 2013 to 2018
• During Yameen’s term as President New Delhi-Male relations deteriorated drastically and his hostility towards India became part of a wider geopolitical battle between New Delhi and Beijing.
• Abdulla Yameen and its coalition partner People’s National Congress (PNC) are trying to mobilise people against the current government by spreading misleading propaganda against India.

Who is Ibrahim Solih?

• Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is the 7th President of the Republic of Maldives, having been sworn into office on 17 November 2018 for a 5-year term

Who is Mohamed Nasheed ?

• Mohamed Nasheed is currently serving as the speaker of the People's Majlis since May 2019.
• He also served as President of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. He is the first democratically elected president of the Maldives and the only president to resign from office

What are the #IndiaOut protests about? Why is it gaining momentum now?

• Over the last three years since Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was elected to office, an ‘India Out’ [#IndiaOut] campaign has cropped up every now and then within the Indian Ocean island nation, mostly on social media.
• The campaign is led by government critics who accuse the Solih government of “allowing Indian boots on the ground”, and thereby “compromising the sovereignty” of the island nation.
• Reports are being published in Maldives media alleging that the present incumbent government is allowing India to establish a military base in the island by signing secret agreements, in exchange for financial assistance or other material benefits.
• The ruling administration has denied there is any Indian military presence in the country, or a threat to Maldives’s sovereignty.
• More recently, the campaign has gained momentum with former President Abdulla Yameen leading it, after the Supreme Court on 30th November 2021 set him free, overturning his conviction in a case of alleged money-laundering.

Why this campaign is gaining ground again?

• The next presidential election is scheduled in 2023, and Mr. Yameen is trying to make a political comeback, tapping on both the anti-incumbency, and the anti-India sentiments among sections loyal to him.

What are the allegations of the campaign?

• The organizers of the campaign claim to have access to several classified agreements signed by India and the Maldives which are allegedly harmful to the Maldives including the agreement on the hydrographic survey, and the agreement on setting up of Coast Guard dockyard at Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) funded by India.
• It is argued that the Solih administration is “selling off Maldives” by entering into these agreements with India in the field of defence and security, and infrastructure development.
• The agreement between India and the Maldives on the hydrographic survey was criticised arguing that the agreement allows India to access underwater information and sell the information to others. Both India and the Maldivian government have responded against these allegations. The Maldives government has refused to share details of agreements signed with India citing security reasons

Why Maldives matters to India?

Strategic location:

• Maldives holds strategic importance for India under the Modi government’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy due to its location in the Indian Ocean.
• The Eight Degree Channel is one of the major maritime lanes of the world.  Stability, maturity and democratic systems in the Maldives can ensure peace and security in the Indian Ocean

Overview of India–Maldives Relations

• India and Maldives share a maritime border. Both nations’ were Britain colonies. In 1965 the Maldive Islands attained full political independence from the British, and in 1968 a new republic was inaugurated and the sultanate abolished.
• India was among first few nations to recognise its independence and established diplomatic relations with Maldives. Since then, both the countries have developed close strategic, economic, military, and cultural relations.

India has supported Maldives’ policy to keep regional issues and struggles away from itself.

• India and Maldives have consistently supported each other in multilateral fora such as the UN, the Commonwealth, the NAM and the SAARC.
• After the success of Operation Cactus (1988), relations between both the countries have expanded significantly. India has provided economic aid and has participated in bilateral programmes to develop infrastructure, telecommunications, health, and labour resources. India established the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Male

• Operation Cactus (1988)

• On the night of 2/3 November 1988, between 300 and 500 armed, Tamil / Sinhala-speaking mercenaries landed in Male harbour by boats from a mother ship and captured key locations. During this attempted coup, President Gayoom went into hiding and, in the early hours of 3 November, sought India's help and immediate intervention.
• On the night of 3rd /4th, Indian Air Force aircraft landed troops on Male's airport on Hulule Island. On learning that these troops were headed for Male, the mercenaries hijacked the merchant vessel 'Progress Light', taking Maldivian VIP hostages with them, and set course for Sri Lanka. In Male, law and order was restored as soon as Indian troops arrived on the morning of the 4th.
• Later on 7th November, 1988 Naval teams rescued the hostages. The mercenaries were handed over to the authorities at Male.

• In 2004, when the tsunami hit Maldives, Indian naval ships were dispatched to assist rescue operation.
• During the Male water crisis. Within four hours Indian Navy and Air Force vessels delivered water.

Do you know?

• The Maldives continued to support India’s positions on the abrogation of Art 370, CAA, and other issues in international forums such as the UN, OIC, etc. Foreign Secretary announced India’s support for the candidacy of Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid as the President of the UNGA in 2021 during his visit to the Maldives in November 2020.

Relations during Pandemic

• India’s multi-faceted and timely assistance to Maldives helped it to cope with Covid-19’s health and economic impact.
• Under Operation Sanjeevani, 6.2 tons of medicines were suplied in April 2020.
• In May 2020, 580 tons of food aid were supplied under Mission Sagar.
• Later 100,000 doses of Covishield vaccines were sent to Maldives in January 2021 as grant assistance.
• India created South Asia’s first air travel bubble with Maldives in August 2020. India became the largest source for tourists in Maldives in a pandemic-hit 2020. A direct ferry service between both countries was launched in September 2020 . India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and Maldives’ India First’ policy operated in tandem for mutual benefit.

China- A major challenge in India- Maldives Relations:

• India has been quite apprehensive of the growing Chinese influence in Maldives even as it continues to give utmost priority to the island nation. There have been growing concerns regarding China’s role in the Maldivian economy through so-called “debt-trap diplomacy.” Maldives incurred a debt of about $1.4 billion owing to loans from China to finance several of its infrastructure projects. Maldives and China had also entered into a free trade agreement.

India’s reaction:

• India’s requested to take action against local media and have repeatedly urged people to not spread hate against India.Foreign ministry’s urged the media not to affect bilateral relations and, as per article 29 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, it is the responsibility of the Maldives to treat the diplomats with due respect, and take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on freedom, and dignity of foreign diplomats.

Current Status

• The government in the Maldives and several key political figures in the Indian Ocean Region country have hit back against former President Abdulla Yameen’s “India out” campaign, allegedly promoted by China. Former Maldives President and the father figure of Maldives politics, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, has said that no campaign should be launched against any neighbouring/friendly nation. Maumoon (half-brother of Yameen) asserted that one should not campaign against any neighbouring country and that it was not a policy that would be accepted internationally.

Source: Economic Times  The Hindu