Minister of Defence Mariya Ahmed Didi has said radicalisation of any sort, including religious radicalisation, is a concern for the Government of Maldives.
Speaking to an Indian newspaper, The Hindu, the defence minister said religious radicalisation is addressed in Maldives, under the Religious Unity Act. The minister said terrorism and violent extremism are addressed under the Anti-Terrorism Act. She highlighted two senior-level committees, the Counter Terrorism Steering Committee and the Counter Radicalisation Committee, ensure a whole-of-government and a whole-of-society approach to address the issue. The approach involves capacity building at the organisational level and conducting community empowerment programmes for vulnerable communities and other important social sectors such as the education sector and non-governmental organisations, according to Minister Mariya.
The defence minister said the government is currently working on designing and implementing a rehabilitation programme for radicalised individuals. At the operational level, the armed forces and the security agencies have been making efforts to enhance readiness and further build their operational capabilities to deal with the threat, the minister added.
Furthermore, the defence minister revealed there is no specific or imminent terrorist threat detected in Maldives.
‘’However, in today’s world, we can never really entirely rule out the possibility of one. Therefore, in the interest of vigilance, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and Maldives Police Service have been holding joint, special emergency response exercises, testing various scenarios. Similarly, other security organisations such as the Aviation Security Command, Maldives Customs Service, and Maldives Immigration have also heightened their security levels,’’ Mariya said.
The minister further said National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) gets its numbers from relatives and others who come forward and report that someone they know have travelled abroad to join foreign wars. She revealed NCTC puts the current figure at 69, excluding women and children.