China against outside role in Male

Male/Beijing: As Maldives President Abdulla Yameen on Wednesday welcomed the move by the Supreme Court to revoke the order to release high-profile political prisoners and invited representatives from “international organisations” to see for themselves “the safety and security of Male”, China warned against any military intervention in the Maldives.

The move to reinstate the convictions of high-profile political prisoners by the remaining three judges of the Supreme Court comes after Mr Yameen arrested two top judges and declared a state of Emergency, plunging the upmarket holiday paradise into chaos. They said they were rescinding their February 1 order “in light of the concerns raised by the President”.

The court’s original decision, signed by all five judges, had quashed a terrorism conviction against former president and Opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed, among others.

Amid repeated calls for India’s military intervention by former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed to resolve the political crisis, China on Wednesday said military intervention in the Maldives would further complicate the situation.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, when asked to comment on Mr Nasheed’s call to India, said the international community should “play a constructive role on the basis of respecting the Maldives sovereignty instead of taking measures that could complicate the current situation.”