The UAE on Wednesday issued a travel warning to the Maldives, advising its passengers to be vigilant and cautious when visiting the country.
The advisory was published on the UAE foreign ministry’s official Twitter account in Arabic, stating that Emiratis travelling to the Maldives should take precautions due to the political instability in the country.
UAE’s travel warning to the Maldives comes at a time when the UK, US, India and China have issued similar warnings, after President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency on February 5.
The government had announced a 15-day state of emergency after a deadlock on the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on February 1, which ordered the release of nine high-profile political prisoners including former President Mohamed Nasheed and axed Vice President Ahmed Adheeb, reinstated 12 legislators that were unseated for defecting from their elected political parties, and annulled the apex court’s previous ban on floor-crossing.
Just hours after the state of emergency was declared, armed security forces had stormed the Supreme Court and arrested two top court Justices and the Judicial Administrator, while the police arrested former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom and his son-in-law the same night. The police have since announced that the prominent figures were arrested for bribery and conspiring to overthrow the government.
Several foreign forces, including Amnesty International and the UN Human Rights Council, have voiced concerns over the government’s refusal to execute the apex court’s order to free political prisoners, and its later move to arrest the top justices who issued the ruling.
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