The Defense Ministry has agreed to disclose the information on the UTF agreement requested by local newspaper, 'Dhiyares'.
The Defense Ministry initially refused to disclose information on the agreement between MNDF and Indian military to develop Uthuru Thilafalhu (UTF) military base, citing national security concerns. The Information Commissioner's Office on October 14 instructed the ministry to disclose the information requested by the newspaper. However, the ministry had not obliged to the request.
Dhiyares News confirmed to AVAS that the Defense Ministry had informed the newspaper that it would disclose the requested information within this week.
Information Commissioner Ahid Rasheed has said if the Defense Ministry does not cooperate in disclosing information to the Dhiyares News, the matter will be investigated by the office. However, no action will be taken on the delay in disclosing the information, he had said.
The UTF agreement was disclosed to the Parliament Committee on National Security Services (241 Committee) last Sunday. However, not all parts of the agreement were shared with the committee, committee members had said. The Chair of the committee and Hithadhoo North MP Mohamed Aslam said no clauses that could pose a threat to national security were identified in the agreement.
The agreement to develop a dockyard and port in Uthuru Thilafalhu with Indian assistance was signed last February. Political parties have expressed concern, stating that the agreement allows foreign military personnel to remain in the Maldives for long periods. Although a document said to be a draft copy of the UTF agreement was leaked on social media a while back, the government has said the document is not genuine. The government continues to stress that no foreign military personnel will be allowed to remain in Maldives for extended periods.
