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The Maldives India Disconnection Thoonu Sitee (pseudonym) Malé, September 21, 2002
Carefully choreographed to give a semblance of respectability and civility, this official visit of the Indian premier is programmed to mark a high point in Indo-Maldives relations. Mr. Vajpayee and co. are scheduled to be in 'paradise' from 22 to 25 September. In the background, we see the Norwegians orchestrating the peace negotiations for the Sinhalese and the Tamil populations of Sri Lanka, attempting to end the civil war there. Missing from the scene is any worthwhile peace effort by the South Asian regional body, SAARC. While the Pakistani president is preparing his people for the December elections by arresting influential rival candidates, and Nepal sinks into civil war, the continuing intrigue on the Iraq front and the shadow of Al Qaida give an eerie backlight to the Indian PM's visit to Maldives. Let's not mention the government-orchestrated slaughter of Gujarat's Moslems, or the murderous attacks on Indian and foreign Christians by neo-Nazi BJP thugs. Vajpayee has been an apologist for these atrocities, and many others committed in the name of Hindutva. Historians in the region may be baffled by the absence of any initiatives by the Maldivian government towards the peace effort in Sri Lanka, despite the historical connections that link these two south Asian countries. Some diplomats familiar with this region's affairs point to an alleged rift between the governments of Sri Lanka and the Maldives over the terrorist attack by PLOTE members in 1988, the notorious November 3rd incident. Some readers will be familiar with reported events from that period, when the Indian army apparently rescued the Maldivian regime from total destruction. Indian army units flew in from south India and landed on the airport located adjacent to Malé. This factor, by itself remains an unexplained footnote in the saga of November 3. One could ask why an organized terror group such as PLOTE failed to secure such an important link, the national airport in Hululé, when they attacked the capital island. Was it perhaps by deliberate arrangement, so that the 'rescuers' can conveniently land and bring to an end the terror that confronted the people of Maldives? This scenario is often representated in popular Hindi movie culture. Canadian papers published accounts of Indian troop movements prior to November 3, indicating that the Indian government knew in advance about the PLOTE attempt. It is also quite perplexing to observe that the Maldivian government rejected Sri Lankan assistance offered by the then President of Sri Lanka, Mr. Jayawardene. President Jayawardene is believed to have made the first offer of rescue along with the Americans. The Sri Lankan writer, Rohan Gunaratne gives a clear background of the formation of the LTTE and PLOTE cadres in his books on terrorism. Both these groups received training and funds from the Indian government. Sadly, no further light has been thrown on the shadows that still linger over what actually happened on that fateful day in November 1988. Unknown assailants killed the head of PLOTE, Mr. Uma Maheshwaran, in the immediate aftermath of the incident. His body was discovered in a lane named Frankfurt Place, located one street behind the Maldivian Embassy in Melbourne Avenue, in Colombo. The one person who could have offered further information from the Sri Lankan side, namely the Special Task Force chief Upali Sahabandhu, was allegedly murdered by the LTTE in retaliation for STF atrocities committed against Tamil rebels. Innocent Maldivians, both civilians and NSS fighters, lost their lives on 3 November 1988. The national security of this small island state, and its communities, were put at great risk. A prominent MP Ahmed Mujuthaba and Mrs Mujuthaba, together with MP Ismail Nasser, were all taken hostage by the PLOTE attackers. This was during the PLOTE's escape attempt, when they tried to take over a cargo vessel and evade capture by the Indian navy. President Gayyoom condoned the order to fire on the vessel, thereby endangering the innocent lives of the hostages aboard. They barely escaped with their lives and have been permanently traumatized by that episode. The visiting Indian PM was a minority member of parliament at the time of the 1988 attack on Maldives. Perhaps he would be able to enlighten us on what actually transpired on that fateful day. The archives of the Indian secret service, RAW, may shed further light on the enigmatic episode. Or perhaps Maldivians ought to let the past be. One thing is for sure; the regime of President Gayyoom received new life and support from the attack and its aftermath. Many Maldivians do not dare to reflect on this violent incident that changed their lives forever. Any student of Maldivian history would be aware that violent politico-military incidents of the past have often been stage-managed by the ruling elites. The public perform scripted parts to enliven the theatre of deception. Future historians can unravel this mystery, while today Maldivians await the Hindutva fanatic and welcome him to their Moslem paradise. Jai Hindh! |
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Maldives Culture is an independent internet magazine of Maldivian cultural issues.
Editors and translators: Michael O'Shea and Fareesha Abdulla, Australia
We invite contributions from Maldivians and others interested in Maldives.
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