China might buy islands in Maldives for new Naval base in Indian Ocean

[Zarvan]

Alarm bells are ringing in South Block after the Maldives Parliament on Wednesday amended the nation’s Constitution to allow foreign ownership of land.

Alarm bells are ringing in South Block after the Maldives Parliament on Wednesday amended the nation’s Constitution to allow foreign ownership of land. While there has been no formal word on the issue, The Indian Express has learnt that officials are “concerned” that the amendments will enable China to buy islands and build strategic assets in the Indian Ocean nation.

India’s relationship with the current government in Maldives has not been at its best after the arrest and imprisonment of former president Mohammad Nasheed. Four months ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi put off his Maldives visit following Nasheed’s detention.

The latest move comes after Indian firm GMR was ousted from the airport development project, with Chinese firms gaining a foothold in the nation. The amendments, which were passed by the 85-member Majlis, will allow foreigners who invest more than US$1bn to purchase land within the project site — at least 70 per cent of the area of the completed project must be reclaimed land. The Constitution previously prohibited foreign ownership of any part of Maldivian territory, but allowed leasing of land for up to 99 years. The amendments submitted on behalf of the Abdulla Yameen government by the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) was passed with 70 votes in favour and 14 against, with one MP absent.

Significantly, 10 MPs of the main Opposition — ex-president Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) — and nine MPs of the Jumhooree Party (JP) also voted in favour of the proposed changes. The PPM and its coalition partner Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) control 48 seats in the House. Other Opposition MPs, however, expressed concern over “possible Chinese military expansion” in the Maldives. What has alarmed New Delhi, however, is the speed with which the amendments were passed. The Bill was submitted on Monday, debated and sent to a review committee at an extraordinary sitting on Tuesday night, and put to vote on Wednesday. The Bill was sent to the 11-member committee at around 12:30am – the panel reportedly approved the amendments at around 1:30am.

“The parliamentary panel reviewed and approved the Bill within just one hour… that raises alarm bells,” sources said. The legislative process in Maldives includes three main stages and usually takes weeks or months. But under the new rules, a Bill can be debated and passed into law on the same day. The Maldives government maintained that the new law was necessary to attract large-scale foreign investments and to launch “mega projects”, which Yameen said would “transform” the economy and reduce the reliance on tourism. The Bill is the second amendment proposed to the Maldives Constitution since it was ratified in 2008.

In June, MPs had passed the first amendment to set new age limits of 30-65 years for the presidency. New Delhi sees the latest development in the context of Maldives President Abdulla Yameen’s declared foreign policy shift to the East since last year. Chinese President Xi Jingping was the first head of state to visit the Maldives after Yameen assumed power. During the visit, the Maldives agreed to become a partner in China’s maritime silk route, a trade route from China’s Fujian province to the Mediterranean Sea via South Asia and East Africa.

China is also providing grants and loans to the Maldives to build a bridge between the capital and the airport. Chinese companies are involved in work on the airport, too, and have been handed islands for developing resorts. In January, the MDP had alleged the government was planning to award parts of south central Laamu Atoll to China for a military base. The Chinese embassy dismissed the allegations as “completely false.”
Defence News - China might buy islands in Maldives for new Naval base in Indian Ocean

 

[Skull and Bones]

Best of luck for that endeavor.

 

[Peaceful Civilian]

China is expanding its influence with good PACE. Good luck India and Japan!
China will become Asian Power in this decade, and Super power in next few decades close to U.S.A.

 

[Optimos Prime IA]

Now this is very grave concerns for India . How can we reciprocate ? Either by arm twisting Maldives with use of brut force or by opening new front at South China sea . Anything less than this will be considered as failure for India . Let's see what Modi and Doval will do

China is expanding its influence with good PACE. Good luck India and Japan!
China will become Asian Power in this decade, and Super power in next few decades close to U.S.A.

But you under estimated both Japan and India as far as our naval upgrades are concerned

 

[nik141991]

Won't happen keep on dreaming

 

[cirr]

Interesting development。

More reclaimed land？No problem。China can and should certainly help the Maldives in that department。

 

[ebony&ivory]

Now India is completely surrounded on all sides! We will base megatons of nukes in our Maldives base.

What happened to look east? Or act east? Or just empty talk east?

 

[SwAggeR]

Will not allow Chinese military bases, Maldives assures India: The Hindu - Mobile edition

Love to burst OP's bubble.

 

[kez]

Maldives will have a regime change should they act like against Indian security interests.

 

[ArsalanKhan21]

Maldives will have a regime change should they act like against Indian security interests.

The only regime change has to occur is in India where the Feku Hindutva butcher of Gujarat that orchestrated genocide of Muslims should be replaced.

 

[kez]

The only regime change has to occur is in India where the Feku Hindutva butcher of Gujarat that orchestrated genocide of Muslims should be replaced.

If you are interested in rants, this or any other thread isn't for you. You are free to go to one of your terrorist loving jihad wielding forums for that.

If you wish to discuss about India, use other threads. India witnesses regime changes regularly. The last change of regime happened in 2014. India uses democratic means to change Governments, and all Indians accept the process and results of the Election Commission of India. The people of India will get what they want.

This is a discussion - in particular about Maldives. A country that has recently suffered a coup, one in which India was asked to intervene to prevent but deliberately chose not to. India is also the principal security provider of the country that also patrols Maldivian territorial waters and guarentees security to the island nation. It has also intervened before and prevented a coup there.

However if Maldives chooses a course of action that jeopardizes Indian security (commercial development of any island or port is not a security threat), then India not only has the capacity but also the will to respond and change the regime.

 

[Hindustani78]

Updated: July 24, 2015 03:13 IST
EXCLUSIVE

Will not allow Chinese military bases, Maldives assures India - The Hindu

• Suhasini Haidar

AP
Maldives President Abdullah Yameen


The Maldives government’s move to allow foreign ownership of its islands will not affect India’s strategic interests, said Maldives President Abdullah Yameen.
The Maldives government’s move to allow foreign ownership of its islands will not affect India’s strategic interests, said Maldives President Abdullah Yameen on Thursday, after ratifying the constitutional amendment on freeholds that could benefit countries like China, that are eager to build land holdings in the Indian ocean. “Our sovereignty is not on offer," the new Maldivian Vice President Ahmed Adeeb told The Hindu in an exclusive interview, adding, "We don’t want to give any of our neighbours, including India..any cause for concern. We don’t want to be in a position when we become a threat to our neighbours.”

Blaming the opposition parties in the Maldives for raising concerns over the law, Mr. Adeeb said, "The opposition wants to say they will come and run military bases, but that is not the reality. We are looking at projects like Singapore's Marina Bay Sands or Dubai’s Palm islands. We are not looking at strategic projects."

Mr. Adeeb, who was sworn in on Wednesday also disclosed that the Maldives was trying to “create the environment” for PM Narendra Modi to visit the Maldives, after he cancelled the trip in March, and said that Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar was expected to visit. While the MEA didn’t confirm any dates for Mr. Jaishankar’s visit there, a senior official told The Hindu the Foreign Secretary “may make a visit soon.”

The conciliatory statements from Male come a day after India raised concerns over the land law amendment that was passed overnight on Tuesday by the Maldivian People’s Majlis (parliament). To a question from The Hindu about whether the concerns had been addressed, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, “The government watches closely all issues that pertain to India’s national security. In the context [of the Maldives], I would refer you to the text of President Yameen’s statement on the issue today.” In his statement, President Yameen specifically referred to India’s objections to China building military bases, or using reclaimed islands for them, as it is accused of doing in the South China Sea.

"The Maldivian government has given assurances to the Indian government and our neighbouring countries as well to keep the Indian Ocean a demilitarised zone,” Mr. Yameen said. The MEA’s remarks indicate that India is willing to accept the Maldivian President’s assurances at face value for now. However it is clear that given the parameters laid out for land ownership, including investments of over 1 billion dollars for projects where 70% of the land has been reclaimed, China will be the obvious beneficiary.

President Xi Jinping’s 21st century new “Maritime Silk Route” hinges on projects in the Maldives, and during his visit to the Maldives in September 2014, Mr. Xi discussed several big projects, like the 1.5 Km “China-Maldives friendship bridge” project connecting Male with the airport island Hulhule. Moreover, with more than a million tourists last year, Chinese nationals now account for the largest arrivals in these tourism-dependent islands, and Chinese hotel and resort chains, who so far were only allowed to lease not own lands, will be keen to move in. “Even if there isn’t a military base being planned, it is China that will benefit the most at present,” said one diplomat.

In sharp contrast, India has seen a dip in its relations with the Maldives, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled his visit there as part of his “Sagar Yatra” in the Indian ocean this March. The Indian decision came over internal disturbances in the Maldives over the arrest and rough treatment of former President Mohammad Nasheed. Since then, the government has kept its communications with Male at low-ebb, and even when PM Modi telephoned his counterparts in Islamic SAARC countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to wish them for the Ramzaan month in June, he didn’t called President Yameen. It remains to be seen whether President Yameen’s recent moves for reconciliation with Mr. Nasheed and his party the MDP will evoke a thaw from India, beginning with a visit from FS Jaishankar who has visited all SAARC nations except the Maldives so far.

Since July 1st, the Maldivian government has held at least three rounds of talks with MDP representatives, and extended Mr. Nasheed’s house-arrest as he serves a 13-year jail term on terrorism charges. On Wednesday, President Yameen also sacked his vice-president Jameel Ahmed, a known Nasheed-baiter who belonged to the pro-Sharia DHQ party, and replaced him with his 34-year old tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb instead. “We are trying for a political reconciliation,” Mr. Adeeb told The Hindu, confirming that the government’s prosecutor-general would now assist Mr. Nasheed with his appeal against his sentence.

As a result of the talks, the Nasheed’s MDP party surprised all by backing both the appointment of the new vice president as well as the amendment for land ownership in parliament. The moves also come even as the the Maldives prepares to celebrate its 50th independence day anniversary, and speculation has risen of a deal to free Mr. Nasheed if a political reconciliation, that India has been urging, comes through.

 

[muco14]

The only regime change has to occur is in India where the Feku Hindutva butcher of Gujarat that orchestrated genocide of Muslims should be replaced.

And Modi will be PM of India until 2029
Yakub gonna be dead. I heard your kind has burning sensation in the certain holes of your anatomy knowing this.
And hope Modi continues his trend of eliminating terrorists

 

[Luca1]

And Modi will be PM of India until 2029
Yakub gonna be dead. I heard your kind has burning sensation in the certain holes of your anatomy knowing this.
And hope Modi continues his trend of eliminating terrorists

Is Modi eliminating himself? The Gujarat massacre was his calling card.

 

[Indika]

Since July 1st, the Maldivian government has held at least three rounds of talks with MDP representatives, and extended Mr. Nasheed’s house-arrest as he serves a 13-year jail term on terrorism charges. On Wednesday, President Yameen also sacked his vice-president Jameel Ahmed, a known Nasheed-baiter who belonged to the pro-Sharia DHQ party, and replaced him with his 34-year old tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb instead. “We are trying for a political reconciliation,” Mr. Adeeb told The Hindu, confirming that the government’s prosecutor-general would now assist Mr. Nasheed with his appeal against his sentence.

As a result of the talks, the Nasheed’s MDP party surprised all by backing both the appointment of the new vice president as well as the amendment for land ownership in parliament. The moves also come even as the the Maldives prepares to celebrate its 50th independence day anniversary, and speculation has risen of a deal to free Mr. Nasheed if a political reconciliation, that India has been urging, comes through.

Wow, just like jayalalitha case, public prosecutor and defence prosecutor both will be from govt. And they will compromise. Why waste time,money for the sham trial.