New Delhi: India continues to remain silent two days after the Maldivian defence ministry claimed that Indian security forces boarded fishing boats in its territorial waters. Meanwhile, a prominent opposition leader and former president, Mohamed Solih, has condemned the alleged action, characterising it as a breach of international law.Earlier on Friday (February 2), the Maldivian defence ministry had posted a press release in Divehi that India had been requested to explained why the Indian Coast Guard entered the Extended Economic Zone of Maldives and boarded Maldivian fishing boats. The request was made through the foreign ministry, it noted.However, since then, there has been no further communication or public clarification from either side.Despite queries, the Maldivian foreign ministry did not confirm whether they had taken up the matter directly with the Indian side.There has also been no response from either the Ministry of External Affairs or the defence ministry on Sunday.The Maldivian yellow tunafin fishermen’s association had first flagged on their twitter account that Indian soldiers had boarded three fishing boats on Wednesday.The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) had rushed a team to the spot, but they did not mention the nationality of the foreign security forces.However, the Maldivian defence ministry’s press note on Friday identified the boarding teams from Indian Coast Guard Ship 246 and Coast Guard Ship 253.The fishermen association also posted several videos that showed armed soldiers boarding thee fishing boats while a Indian Coast Guard ship loomed in the background.The issue flared up in public just as India and Maldives had, on Friday, reached an understanding on withdrawing Indian military personnel operating aircrafts for humanitarian purposes and replacing them civilians. This had been a key campaign promise of President Mohamed Muizzu who won last year’s presidential election, accusing the incumbent of compromising Maldives’ sovereignty.MDP leader and former President Mohamed Solih, who had faced the brunt of the ‘India Out’ campaign, criticised the actions of boarding Maldivian boats by foreign forces as “highly inappropriate”. He reportedly said that no country should enter the territorial waters of another sovereign nation without permission, as it goes against international law. While both countries may have seemingly resolved the issue of the military personnel, the increased activity of Chinese research vessels in the Indian ocean waters near Maldives has also raised the hackles in India.Soon after President Muizzu returned from his state visit to China, a Chinese research vessel, Xiang Yiang Hong 3 was observed as having left its home port of Sanya with a destination for Malé. Maldives claimed that it had allowed the Chinese vessel to dock at Malé port, but that it would not conduct any research in its waters.
