Maldives says 76 Indian military personnel replaced by civilians to operate 3 aviation platforms gifted by India
Male, May 11
Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Zameer on Saturday said 76 Indian military personnel were replaced by civilian employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which manufactured the two helicopters gifted by India, thus also ending the suspense over the exact number of those repatriated at the insistence of Male.
However, the Maldives government has no intention of removing the doctors from India at Senahiya, a media report said.
The Indian military personnel were stationed in the Maldives to operate two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft used primarily for medical evacuations. The last batch of Indian military personnel were repatriated by Friday, as per the May 10 deadline set following an agreement between the two countries in February in New Delhi.
That agreement was a result of the demand of pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu made within hours of his assuming office in November. Neither New Delhi nor Male has made public details of the agreement. Maldives has termed it as “classified.”
Local media reports on Saturday quoted Zameer addressing a press conference a day after he returned from his first official visit to India, detailing the presence of Indian soldiers stationed in Hanimaadhoo, Kadhdhoo and Gan.
“As many as 26 soldiers withdrew from Gan between March 7 and 9, while another 25 soldiers withdrew from Hanimaadhoo between April 7 and 9, and 12 withdrew from Kadhdhoo on Tuesday. The final batch of 13 soldiers withdrew from Kadhdhoo on Thursday,” a news portal reported, quoting Zameer as saying.
Civilian crew from India will leave in 2026, the report said.
The contract period for the 26-member crew in Gan will expire in February 2025. The contract period for the 25-member crew in Kadhdhoo will end in February 2025. The contract period for the 25-member crew in Hanimaadhoo will expire in February 2026, it said.
The Maldivian government had previously said that documents show there are 89 Indian soldiers in the Maldives, to operate two military helicopters and a Dornier aircraft.
Zameer said that it is the civilian employees of the company that manufactured the Indian-gifted helicopters, HAL that have come to replace the Indian military personnel.
“There are doctors of the Indian Army who have been working in the Senahiya military hospital since September 2012 and their assistance was requested by Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF),” added Zameer.
“President Muizzu’s intention is to remove them if their presence also affects (the country’s) freedom, by requesting the Indian government, but there is no need for it at the moment,” he said.
