Minister ‘unaware’ of why Indian soldiers stormed Maldivian boats

Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam, on Tuesday, said he is unaware of why armed Indian soldiers stormed Maldivian fishing boats fishing in the Maldivian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and other details relating to the incident.

Minister Shiyam was summoned to the parliament on Tuesday over concerns of fishermen.

During the time allocated for additional questions – North Maafannu MP Imthiyaz Fahumy (Inthi) inquired whether the reason behind armed Indian soldiers’ storming of Maldivian fishing boats has been clarified.

“Has it been made clear to the government why this incident took place?” he asked.

In response, Minister Shiyam acknowledged the importance of MP Inthi’s question. However, he said he was unaware of the details at this time, adding he would provide the details after clarification at a later time.

“The response to that question is not privy to myself at the moment. I note that I will share the response directly with the honorable member after clarifying the details of the incident from the relevant authorities concerned with that question,” he said.

Indian soldiers stormed three Maldivian fishing boats fishing off while it was fishing 72 miles off HA. Thuraakanu on January 31^st.

The Maldivian government has formally requested the Indian government to explain why Indian soldiers, without any prior notice and in violation of laws, boarded Maldivian fishing boats that were fishing in the Maldives’ EEZ. However, no response has been received so far, reported the Maldivian Defense Ministry.