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Maldivian gets the terror treatment Havaru Koi (pseudonym) Photo: US Navy site A Maldivian student Ibrahim Fauwzy from Baa atoll, and resident at Funna house in Vilingili island (adjacent to Malé), was arrested in Pakistan after 11 September, 2001. He was reportedly being held without charge in Camp X-Ray at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, but he has been returned to Pakistan to face visa charges. Fauwzy had been living in Karachi on a 'free entrance' visa, valid for three months, and he attempted to obtain a study visa and attend a university in Pakistan. Visa difficulties, due to bureacratic inertia, are common for foreign students in Pakistan, so Fauwzy attempted to solve his problems by purchasing a blackmarket permit. During this period, he rented a flat belonging to a friend, Solih Afzal, who the CIA suspected of being an Al Quaida agent. Solih Afzal was a friend to many Maldivian students, and he was studying at the same university as Ibrahim. On the day the authorities came looking for Solih, he was not at home. They met Ibrahim Fauwzy at the door, and when they questioned him they realised he was a foreigner. They checked his passport and found he had overstayed, and he was taken away. Before the September 11 attack, visa problems were much relaxed and students who had overstayed while studying were able to leave the country without fuss. top

Camp X-Ray Official Website Anti-Terrorism Detainee Operations Mission Map of base area Guantanamo Bay CIA Map 1985 Guantanamo Bay's link to the world History of Cuba

Maldives Culture is an independent internet magazine of Maldivian cultural issues.
Editors and translators: Michael O'Shea and Fareesha Abdulla, Australia
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