MCQ1. 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

•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 voted 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 morning 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.

MCQ1. 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

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