The President's Office has officially disclosed the presence of 77 Indian military personnel stationed within Maldivian territory. This information was made public by the Under Secretary for Public Policy at the President's Office Mohamed Firzul during a press conference.
At the press conference, Under Secretary Firzul outlined the specific roles of the Indian military personnel in the Maldives. He specified that 24 individuals are involved in helicopter operations, 25 are engaged in the operations of a Dornier aircraft, 26 are assigned to a second helicopter's operations, and an additional two individuals are responsible for the maintenance and engineering works of these aircraft.
Additionally, Firzul said that the government acknowledges that the Dornier aircraft and helicopters gifted by India have been useful to the Maldives. As such, the aircraft have been used for 661 medical evacuations, 220 surveillance operations and 100 search missions. He, however, said that President Muizzu will not accept the presence of foreign military personnel to conduct the operations. He emphasised the President's commitment to address public concerns regarding the presence of foreign military forces within Maldivian territory.
The previous government has stated that India has donated military assets, including a coastguard helicopter in 2011, a navy helicopter in 2016, Dornier aircraft in 2019, and vessels. They stated that Indian military personnel were initially present to handle operations using the aircraft until Maldivian military personnel were trained to take over. Despite this intention, Indian military personnel are still overseeing the operations.
Moreover, the new administration has formally requested India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives. President Muizzu formally made the request during a meeting with Minister of Earth Sciences of India Kiren Rijiju at the President’s Office. During the meeting, the President noted that during the presidential election, the Maldivian people gave him a strong mandate to make the request to India and expressed the hope that India will honour the democratic will of the people of the Maldives. He also acknowledged the significant role of the two helicopters in providing numerous emergency medical evacuations.