India yet to clarify boarding local fishing vessels inside Maldives EEZ

Three days after the government of Maldives sought clarification of the incident where Indian Coast Guard ships entered the Maldivian economic zone, boarded and searched several Maldivian fishing vessels, the Indian government is yet to respond, Atoll Times has learned.

Two Indian Coast Guard vessels on Wednesday boarded and searched three fishing boats in the northernmost part of Maldivian waters. The following day, the Maldivian government asked the Indian government to clarify the reasons behind these actions of its coastguard.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday that three Indian fishing boats were operating within Maldivian economic zones when two Indian coast guard vessels entered the area and boarded the vessels without any prior notification which it labelled as a violation of international law.

Defence Ministry also said it had formally requested the Maldivian Foreign Ministry to find out the reason for the unwarranted stop-and-search operation by the Indian government.

However, a government official confirmed to Atoll Times on Sunday that India has not responded to the letter so far.

After boarding three boats on Wednesday, a case of Indian coast guards boarding a local fishing boat on Thursday night also surfaced on Saturday. On all four occasions, the Indian Coast Guard boarded the boats fully armed. The public is also expressing concern over the incidents.