A fourteen-year-old Maldivian kid lost his life on January 20th, allegedly due to President Mohammed Muizzu’s refusal to use an Indian-provided Dornier aircraft to transport him. The boy has a brain tumour, according to Maldivian media. His family had requested an air ambulance to take him from his home in Gaaf Alif Villingili to Male, the capital of the Maldives, following his stroke.
According to Maldivian media, the family claimed that the authorities had delayed providing medical evacuation. The father of the boy informed the Maldivian news outlet Adhadhu that Island Aviation did not answer the family’s calls right away. He claimed, “After the stroke, we called Island Aviation to get him to Male right away, but they did not pick up.” On Thursday morning, at 8:30 a.m., they picked up the phone. The answer in these situations is to have an air ambulance.
The Maldivian Member of Parliament, Meekail Naseem, stated, “People shouldn’t have to pay with their lives to satisfy the President’s animosity towards India,” citing a report on the occurrence by Mihaaru on social media site X.
Sixteen hours after the family asked for an emergency evacuation, the boy was moved to Male. Aasandha Company Limited acknowledged receiving the evacuation request and claimed that an aircraft mechanical issue was to blame for the delay. They had started the evacuation procedure, but “sadly, the diversion was impossible as planned due to a technical problem with the flight at the last moment,” according to the statement. Indian helicopters and planes have not been used for emergency evacuation since Muizzu took over in the Maldives. They can only be used with the president’s express consent, which in this instance is said to have been lacking.
Defence Minister Mohamed Ghassan said that 93% of medical evacuations were being handled by Maldivian Airlines in response to accusations that Indian planes were not being used for the mission. He stated on social media that the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for medical operations do not include notifying the President or requesting approval. Coordination with relevant institutions is necessary to achieve that.
Maldives-Indian confrontation
Anxiety has increased due to the diplomatic dispute between the Maldives and India regarding posts about tourism on social media. Notably, the “India Out” movement, which targeted fewer than 100 Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives, helped Muizzu’s party win the election.
Following his election victory, Muizzu demanded that the Indian military withdraw from the Maldives by March 2024. Muizzu, a prominent politician who supports China, just travelled there to sign multiple memorandums of understanding. Muizzu is allegedly attempting to lessen its dependency on India and establish alternative avenues to meet the needs of the nation, including access to healthcare.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lakshadweep at the start of January 2024 to introduce a few projects. He advertised the Islands of Lakshadweep as a possible travel destination while he was there. Social media users encouraged Indian citizens to select Lakshadweep over the Maldives after PM Modi’s visit.
The social media messages offended a few Maldivian deputy ministers, who then made disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Modi and the Indian people. This sparked a fierce backlash from Indian users. The Maldivian government suspended three deputy ministers in response to criticism from Indians, the opposition, and other parties with ties to the Maldives tourism industry.