Male: As the relations between India and Maldives are poised to a new low since the past month, Male has levelled another allegation on New Delhi claiming "Indian Coast Guard boarded three Maldivian fishing vessels without its consent". According to the statement released by the Maldivian Defence Ministry, its military was informed on Wednesday that personnel from a foreign military had boarded a Maldives fishing vessel, and on reaching the location it was found that they were from the Indian coast guard.
Further, the ministry claimed it sought clarification from New Delhi as it claimed the Maldivian fishing vessels operating within its economic zone. However, the statement did not elaborate much details about the alleged incident. “On Feb. 1, 2024, the foreign ministry of the Maldives asked (India) officially for the details of the operation that was carried out while Maldivians were fishing in the Maldivian exclusive economic zone, without any coordination with the relevant authorities and against all international laws,” the statement said in the native Dhivehi language.
Contradictory claims
Notably, the statement coincided with Indian and Maldivian officials meeting in New Delhi on Friday, wherein both countries issued different statements on the withdrawal of Indian troops from Maldives. The Maldives foreign ministry said that officials from both countries agreed on a common withdrawal date and added India would begin withdrawing troops from the Maldives on March 10 and complete the process by withdrawing from all three aviation platforms by May 10.
However, an Indian foreign ministry statement did not mention a withdrawal, saying instead that both sides agreed on a set of solutions “to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medevac services to the people of Maldives.”
Maldives allows Chinese spy ship to enter Special economic zone
It is worth mentioning the fresh allegations by the Maldivian government came a week after it allowed the docking of a Chinese ship, equipped to carry out research and survey. In a statement on Tuesday, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry said a diplomatic request was made by the Chinese government for the necessary clearances to make a port call, for the rotation of personnel and replenishment.
The statement, however, said the Chinese Research Vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3, will "not be conducting any research while in the Maldivian waters". However, a report published by a local newspaper raised grave concerns as the vessel reportedly did not appear on any of the usual tracking sites. Later, it was found that the vessel was stopped by the Indonesian Coast Guard on Sunday after the captain turned off its transponder after entering the Indonesian exclusive economic zone.
Notably, a transponder is an automatic identification system capable of providing position, identification, and other information about the ship. According to international maritime law, all ships navigating the archipelagic sea lanes in Indonesian waters, are required to have working transponders. The media report that the transponder was switched off thrice. However, later ICG asked the vessel to leave the country's exclusive economic zone, reported The Asia Times.
