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SL-Maldives spat over alleged plot to kill Yameen
View(s):Sri Lanka-Maldives relations took a plunge yesterday as the Government of Maldives said last night that a Sri Lankan citizen has been arrested for “conspiring to assassinate” President Abdulla Yameen.
The announcement came in the official twitter account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Male. It said “A Sri Lankan citizen is under Maldives Police Custody for conspiring to assassinate Maldives President. The person was arrested on October 24.”
The arrest comes in the wake of a full-scale investigation into what the Maldivian Government is saying is an aborted coup to oust President Yameen. The probe began with an explosion on September 28 inside the Presidential yacht that was transporting him from their international airport to the capital, Male. Sri Lankan forensic experts invited to investigate the incident said it was caused by an explosive device, while the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) gave a negative report on a possible bomb on board.
Media reports from the Maldivian capital Male claimed earlier that a Sri Lankan “sniper” has been arrested for the same purpose. However, this report drew a sharp rebuttal from Military Spokesperson Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera, who said the security forces had no link whatsoever with the incident and no sniper was involved.
The Sri Lankan arrested has been identified as 24-year-old Lahiru Madhushanka. No further details were available about his reasons for being in the Maldives. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo has instructed Sri Lanka’s Acting High Commissioner in Male to visit Mr. Madhushanka in detention and ensure that he receives all legal assistance.
Maldivian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Zahiya Zareer is to be summoned to the Foreign Office in Colombo tomorrow over a previous incident involving the deportation of a Maldivian national from Sri Lanka wanted in connection with the purported coup (see page 2 report). It is likely that the matter relating to the arrest of Mr. Madhushanka is also to be taken up during the meeting.
President Yameen declared a 30-day state of emergency in the island archipelago on Wednesday. Several Western countries have criticised his Government for the political unrest in the popular tourist destination.