The diplomatic dispute between India and neighboring Maldives over the "competition for tourists" continues to ferment. A few days ago, three deputy ministers of the Maldives posted on social media, calling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "puppet of Israel", "clown" and "terrorist", causing an uproar.
On January 7, local time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives "extinguished the fire", saying that the remarks of the three deputy ministers were "purely personal views". On the same day, a senior Maldivian official revealed to Reuters and the BBC that the officials involved had been suspended. India Today, The Times of India and many other Indian media outlets reported the news, among which India Today shouted "India has won a big victory in this island war".
Screenshot of Modi's tweet
According to the report, the diplomatic dispute between the two countries stemmed from a tweet by Modi on January 4. In a tweet on the same day, Modi praised the beauty of the "pristine beaches" of India's Lakshadweep archipelago and the warmth of local residents. The Lakshadweep archipelago is located in western India, north of the Maldives archipelago.
Some Maldivians believe that Modi's visit to Lakshadweep is aimed at "competing with the Maldives for tourists".
Subsequently, Malsha Shareef, Maryam Shiuna, and Abdullah Mahzoom Majid, three deputy ministers of youth rights, information and the arts in the Maldives, tweeted a derogatory tweet against Modi, calling him an "Israeli puppet," a "clown," and a "terrorist." Schuna even likened India to "cow dung".
The three Maldivian deputy ministers who demeaned Modi, from left to right: Shona, Sharif and Mahzoum Majid. The picture comes from the Indian media
The remarks of the three deputy ministers of the Maldives have caused an uproar in India. On social media, a group of angry Indian netizens swiped up topics such as "don't travel to the Maldives" and "play the Indian island if you want to play", calling on citizens to cancel their vacations to the Maldives. Many Indians shared screenshots of the cancellation of their holiday bookings to the Maldives on social media, and a number of well-known actors and athletes also joined the conversation.
According to the BBC, Indians were one of the largest groups of tourists visiting the Maldives last year. Indian airline booking website EaseMyTrip said it had suspended all flight bookings to the Maldives.
A person familiar with the matter told Reuters that India's high commission in the Maldives had "raised and expressed serious concern" about the remarks.
As the situation gradually fermented, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives stepped in to "extinguish the fire". On the 7th local time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives issued a statement, saying that the government had realized the "derogatory remarks" against foreign leaders, emphasizing that the relevant remarks "are only personal views and do not represent the position of the Maldives". The statement also said the government would take "immediate action" against the officials involved.
Later that same day, a senior Maldivian official told Reuters that the government had suspended three deputy ministers. A spokesman for the office of Maldivian President Muiz told the BBC that "all government officials responsible for these remarks have been suspended with immediate effect".
After the news of the suspension of the three Maldivian deputy ministers, Indian media such as "India Today", "Hindustan Times" and "Times of India" immediately followed up with reports. Among other things, India Today called the dispute an "island war" and celebrated India's "big victory".
Reuters and the BBC reported that the diplomatic dispute came at a time when Maldivian President Muiz demanded that India withdraw its troops.
Maldivian President Muiz delivered a speech at COP28 in December last year
Last September, the results of the Maldives' presidential election were announced, and Moiz, the candidate of the Alliance for Progressives, won the second round of voting and was elected as the new president of the Maldives. Unlike his predecessor, Saleh, who pursued a "pro-India" policy, Moiz advocates "Maldives first" and seeks to curb India's influence in the Maldives.
On November 18 last year, the day after Muiz was officially inaugurated as president of the Maldives, the Maldivian government formally demanded that India withdraw its troops. On December 3, Mouiz said the Indian government had agreed to withdraw troops from the Maldives. An Indian government source told Indian media at the time that discussions on the withdrawal were still ongoing, and the working group would review the question of the departure of 75 Indian troops.
According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 5, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced that President of the Republic of Maldives Mohammed Muiz will pay a state visit to China from January 8 to 12, 2024.
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