Nasheed opposed to allowing ex-militants in Syria to return home

Speaker of Parliament and leader of ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), President Mohamed Nasheed says he is opposed to allowing Maldivian citizens who operated as militants in Syria to return home to Maldives.

Nasheed, who is currently in neighboring Sri Lanka on a tour with Vice President Faisal Naseem and senior officials of MDP, made the remark in response to a question by a reporter during a press conference last Saturday.

Speaking during the press conference, Nasheed said there are approximately 160 adult Maldivian citizens and 30 children living in refugee Syria.

They need to be dealt with via an international mechanism, said Nasheed.

He called for relevant countries to sit down for talks to decide how to deal with the ex-militants.

He said that he was opposed to allowing ex-militants to return home unchecked.

“I don’t believe it’s the best to allow them to return on the next flight home,” said Nasheed.

Families of the Maldivian citizens who travelled to Syria to join militant groups have been pleading with the government to allow them to return home. However, public opinion is also overwhelmingly against allowing former militants to return to Maldives without establishing a rehabilitation and reintegration program.

Commenting on regional security, Nasheed said that both Sri Lanka and Maldives were peaceful countries. He said that there was no security threat in Maldives, and that Maldivian security forces were far more alert.

The purpose of VP Faisal Naseem and MDP leadership’s visit to Sri Lanka is to reiterate the support of Maldives to the Sri Lankan government and its people.