State of emergency declared in Maldives as security forces prepare for crackdown on anti-government protest
Consitutional freedoms suspended ahead of anti-government demonstrations, prompting Hong Kong to issue travel alert to its citizens
Maldives President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency yesterday, giving security forces sweeping powers to arrest suspects ahead of a major anti-government protest rally and creating uncertainty around its lucrative tourism industry.
The move, announced on Twitter, followed an alleged attempt to assassinate Yameen and the discovery of a bomb near his official residence.
The declaration came two days before a planned protest by the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), whose leader Mohamed Nasheed is in jail after a widely criticised conviction under anti-terror laws.
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"President Yameen has declared a state of emergency to ensure the safety and security of every citizen," Yameen's spokesman, Muaz Ali, tweeted.
Official sources said the state of emergency, initially for 30 days, would lead to the automatic suspension of several constitutional provisions, including the right of association.
Tensions are high in the honeymoon island nation after an explosion aboard Yameen's speedboat on September 28 that wounded his wife and two others.
Yameen was unharmed, and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation has said there is no evidence it was caused by a bomb. But authorities in the Maldives have called it an attempt on his life.