Yameen to Muizzu: Will take to roads if foreign soldiers are not removed

PPM’s leader, former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyom has warned to take streets wearing shirts with ‘India Out’ printed on them if the government-elect fails to remove the Indian soldiers stationed in the Maldives.

Yameen, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for money laundering and bribery charges in connection to the sale of V. Aarah on December 26, 2022, remained in prison for 10 months before he was transferred to home confinement. The former president was granted easement to terms of his home confinement by the Maldives Correctional Service on Friday.

Following the easements, Yameen visited PPM headquarters last night, and attended a gathering at the party centre tonight. Both events did not see the attendance of PPM-PNC’s leadership.

Speaking at tonight’s gathering at PPM office, Yameen said the president-elect’s administration will only receive “pass marks” once they remove the Indian soldiers based in the Maldives and the maritime territory Maldives allegedly lost in the dispute with Mauritius is gained back for Maldivian citizens.

“I will be content if these two issues are resolved. Once that is achieved, I will appeal to Maldivian citizens to give pass marks to president-elect PPM-PNC’s Dr. Muizzu’s administration,” he said.

Yameen said the citizens voted in the election to right the wrongs of the current administration. He cited the removal of Indian soldiers and regaining the maritime area which PPM had alleged was sold as what the citizens had wanted.

“These two works are the first things the current president-elect must do first. Have to also update the people on the status of the work being done from time to time. What progress has been achieved,” he added.

He said the removal of Indian soldiers and regaining the maritime area were the two things he was looking forward to the most. However, he said the president-elect did not maintain the same spirit when it comes to these two things as he did when he had announced other pledges.

Yameen also criticized the conviction he was enforcing at tonight’s gathering.

Citing it to be unlawful, he said the judgment was “evidently” delivered by the influencing the judiciary.

“I am grateful that I have been changed from island confinement. Despite this, (I) still must talk about the things that had been done wrong, right?” he said.

Yameen spearheaded the ‘India Out’ movement of the PPM-PNC coalition. He, donning ‘India Out’ t-shirts had attended various rallies and protests across a number of islands as part of the movement.

President-elect Muizzu has repeatedly reiterated his intention to remove Indian soldiers from the Maldives, in accordance with the policies of diplomacy.