The police have removed banners hung from Male' City buildings with altered spellings of the 'India Out' slogan.
A Presidential Decree signed and issued by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Thursday said the National Security Council had decided that the India Out movement led by the opposition to drive out Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives was detrimental to national security. The Decree further said the campaign would negatively impact the age-old friendship between Maldives and India and regional security and stability. It also said the campaign violated all international treaties and called on relevant authorities to enforce the order to stop the movement and its activities.
The Decree came while supporters of the movement had been hanging banners with the movement slogan from tall buildings in Male' City. Banners were hung from the building where the PPM Office is located and the home of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom. Following the Decree, Maldives Police Service removed the banners from both buildings.
However, PPM hung another banner that read 'In Dear Out' instead of 'India Out' from a building in Galolhu on Thursday. They used a spelling variation of 'India Out' to avoid getting into trouble. However, the police have since removed the banner.
The party has said they would continue hanging banners and that their work could not be stopped. The party further said the Presidential Decree was unconstitutional and that they would file a court case regarding the Decree.
