Latest Maldives News

India to build new naval base close to Maldives amid tensions over China ties

Mar. 04, 2024 01:10 AM EST

NEW DELHI (AP) — India announced plans for a new naval base off the country’s south-west coast and close to Maldives, as tensions are running high between Delhi and the island nation. The Indian Navy said Saturday it plans to build a base called INS Jatayu on Minicoy, the...

India begins replacing military personnel with civilians in response to Maldives' demand

Feb. 29, 2024 09:13 AM EST

NEW DELHI (AP) — India on Thursday said it has begun replacing dozens of its military personnel in Maldives with civilian technical staff who will operate three aircraft given by India to provide humanitarian services. The first batch of technicians to operate a helicopter has...

India to replace military personnel in Maldives with civilians after president demanded they leave

Feb. 08, 2024 07:52 AM EST

NEW DELHI (AP) — India on Thursday said it will replace its military personnel in Maldives with civilian technical staff who will operate three aircraft from India that provide humanitarian services. The decision comes after new Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu demanded that the...

Maldives government asks India why its coast guard boarded 3 fishing boats

Feb. 03, 2024 05:18 AM EST

MALE, Maldives (AP) — The Maldives government says it has asked for clarification of why Indian coast guard personnel boarded three Maldivian fishing vessels operating within its economic zone earlier this week without consultation. The Maldives defense ministry said in a statement...

Maldives gives port clearance to a Chinese ship. The move could inflame a dispute with India

Jan. 23, 2024 10:47 AM EST

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The Maldives government said Tuesday that it had given clearance to a Chinese ship to dock in its port, a move that could further irk India with whom the tiny archipelago nation is involved in a diplomatic spat. The Maldives foreign ministry confirmed...

Maldives leader demands removal of Indian military from the archipelago by mid-March amid spat

Jan. 14, 2024 12:26 PM EST

MALE, Maldives (AP) — Maldives' President Mohamed Muizzu wants the Indian military personnel stationed in his archipelago nation withdrawn by March 15, an official with his office said Sunday. Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, a presidential aide, told reporters that Muizzu proposed the...

Maldives leader says his country's small size isn't a license to bully in apparent swipe at India

Jan. 13, 2024 13:57 PM EST

MALE, Maldives (AP) — The president of the Maldives said Saturday that his country's small size doesn't give anyone the license to bully it, in a sign of defiance toward India, the archipelago state's giant neighbor. President Mohamed Muizzu, speaking to the media on his return...

Modi's beach visit to a remote Indian archipelago rakes up a storm in the Maldives

Jan. 10, 2024 06:36 AM EST

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a series of photos on social media last week showing him snorkeling, strolling on a white-sand beach and lounging in a chair next to turquoise waters in Lakshadweep, an island chain in the Indian Ocean. It was an...

A row over sandy beaches reveals fault lines in the relationship between India and the Maldives

Jan. 07, 2024 11:37 AM EST

MALE, Maldives (AP) — The Maldives president on Sunday suspended three of his deputy ministers for posting derogatory comments against India, its closest neighbor and the source of much of the tourism that drives the islands' economy. President Mohamed Muizzu suspended until...