Taxis not involved in the protest also towed: Taxi drivers

The Drivers Association of Maldives (DAM) said that some of the taxis towed by the police for allegedly participating in the protest did not in fact, participate in the rally.

The association said in a statement that the protest in Hulhumalé on Wednesday night against the government's planned taxi line was a peaceful one. They said that although police claimed the drivers blocked the road leading to the high way from Hulhumalé during the protest, that was not the case.

"The actions of police when the taxi drivers were heading back home after the protest caused significant traffic congestion," the statement read.

Despite the statement, reports say the drivers protested by parking their cars in a single line in the middle of the road. The drivers were also out of the car, the reports say, causing the road to become very congested that night and disrupting public traffic.

The drivers' association said it would not support the closure of roads in a way that causes inconvenience to the public, reiterating that no such incident occurred during the protest.

The association, which represents taxi drivers, said the towing of many taxis which participated in the protest and those which did not partake in the protest is causing significant challenges for drivers. However, the statement did not clarify how many taxis that were not involved in the protest got seized.

The statement further said that Police have not yet informed the drivers why some of the taxis were towed.

Police towed 22 taxis from the protest in Hulhumalé. Four people were also arrested for disobeying police orders. Two of them were detained for five days and one was released on conditional bail. The fourth man was arrested under a court order on Saturday.

According to the Land Transport Act, the agency has the power to detain vehicles seized by the police for a maximum of 30 days.

Taxi drivers protested against the government's plan to introduce a taxi line. However, the Transport Ministry said it has not yet started any work on the government taxi line.