Maldives tells India to withdraw troops by March as row deepens

AFP | Malé

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Maldivian president told India yesterday to withdraw its nearly 100 troops by March 15, a day after returning from China where he signed a raft of deals.

The March deadline was set during talks with Indian officials in the Maldives on Sunday, a top aide to President Mohamed Muizzu said, honouring the leader’s long-standing election pledge.

“The president put forth this request at the meeting of the high-level committee between the two nations... the proposal is currently under consideration,” Muizzu’s Public Policy Secretary Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim told reporters.

India has a deployment of about 89 personnel, including medical staff, to operate three aircraft to patrol the archipelago’s vast maritime territory. Muizzu came to power in September after pledging to evict Indian forces.

Muizzu said the Maldives will also slash reliance on India for healthcare and medicine, adding more countries where citizens needing government-paid health treatment abroad can go.

Most eligible citizens currently get treatment in India, as well as small numbers in Sri Lanka and Thailand, officials said. Most pharmaceuticals in the Maldives are currently imported from India, and Male will now seek to import medicines from the United States and European nations, he said.