Vietnam advises citizens not to travel to Maldives

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday afternoon issued a statement saying that the Maldives government has declared a 15-day state of emergency due to the political crisis. Maldivian security forces have been deployed in the capital Male to respond to political developments.

The Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends that Vietnamese citizens should not travel to Maldives during this time until the Maldives government lifts the state of emergency.

Vietnamese citizens working, studying or traveling in the Maldives should avoid crowded and sensitive places and regularly monitor warnings from local authorities to ensure safety.

In case of emergency, Vietnamese citizens can contact the hotline: Vietnamese Embassy in Sri Lanka (concurrently in Maldives), phone number: +94.11.2696050 or Citizen Protection Hotline: +84.981.84.84.84.

Maldives President Abdulla Yameen declared a 15-day state of emergency on February 5 as the country is experiencing a major political crisis.Reutersreport

The protests erupted after Mr Yameen refused to comply with a ruling from the Maldives Supreme Court to release political prisoners, including opposition lawmakers who had been convicted of terrorism, including former President Mohamed Nasheed. Mr Yameen also ordered security forces to take control of the court and arrest the Supreme Court judge and a chief justice.

Speaking on state television, Mr Yameen said the court's actions had "impeded the functioning of the government". President Yameen's office criticised the court's decision to release the prisoners as exceeding its authority and "affecting national security and public interest".

In response to Mr Yameen's statement, the Maldives Supreme Court affirmed that "there is no obstacle to the implementation of the judgment".