Cathay Pacific reviews state of emergency as Maldives political crisis deepens
Adding to uncertainty for Lunar New Year holidaymakers, Hong Kong’s flagship airline acknowledges the change in security conditions after president declares 15-day state of emergency
Cathay Pacific Airways is reviewing a 15-day state of emergency in the Maldives, hours after a political crisis in the Indian Ocean island nation deepened.
Adding uncertainty for Lunar New Year holidaymakers, Hong Kong’s flagship airline acknowledged on Twitter on Tuesday the change in security conditions.
Maldives chief justice, top judge arrested as President Yameen clashes with Supreme Court over jailed politicians
A day earlier, China’s foreign ministry had advised its citizens to avoid visiting the Maldives until the political tensions subsided.
Cathay Pacific said: “Operations at the airport in Male, the capital of the Maldives, are reported as normal. We are monitoring the developments closely.” Rival carrier Hong Kong Airlines said it was “closely monitoring the situation in the Maldives. Flight operations are currently normal”.
Instability over the years has roiled the tiny island nation archipelago. The situation came to a head after a court ruling last week ordered the country’s president, Abdulla Yameen, to release political prisoners.
Defying the order, a 15-day state of emergency was declared on Monday which saw the ex-president detain two of the country’s top judges, including the chief justice. The upgraded status gave the country’s security forces vastly increased powers of arrest.