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Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon tweeted the announcement. Photo: AFP

Maldives lifts state of emergency

AFP

The Maldives government announced on Tuesday an end to a state of emergency, which was imposed last week after an alleged attempt to assassinate President Abdulla Yameen.

 “Maldives lifts State of Emergency with immediate effect,” the foreign ministry said on Twitter.

 “Pleased that this matter has been dealt with so swiftly. Country back on a more normal footing,” Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon said in a separate post.

 Yameen imposed the state of emergency last Wednesday in a move that gave wider powers to police and armed forces to arrest and suspending freedom of assembly and movement.

 The Maldives, a popular destination for honeymooners, has been rocked by political unrest in recent months, which reached new heights last week when vice president Ahmed Adeeb was impeached.

 Adeeb, whose predecessor was also impeached in July, has been accused of high treason over an explosion on the presidential speedboat in September that left Yameen unhurt but injured his wife and one of his bodyguards.

Howeverm, the amber travelling alert against the Maldives issued since November 4 by Hong Kong’s Security Bureau remained. It said it would continue to monitor the situation there.

The alert, the lowest on its three-tier scale, means people who plan to visit the country or are already there should monitor the situation, exercise caution, attend to personal safety and avoid travelling to places of protests and large gatherings.

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