All of the individuals arrested in connection with the protests at Kudahuvadhoo island of Dhaal atoll, have been released.

Maldives Police Service (MPS) revealed that a total of 17 individuals were arrested in connection with the Kudahuvadhoo protests and that they were all released from police custody, on Thursday.

14 of them were released by the Kudahuvadhoo Magistrate Court, with specific conditions.

The police institution revealed that although the suspects have been released, the case is being probed further.

Protests in the island were provoked by delays in transporting a sickly youth to the capital Malé City for emergency medical treatment after he suffered a heart attack.

This churned public outcry and Kudahuvadhoo residents have been protesting against Manta Air since August 1, at the airport region.

Some of the residents have asserted that this is not the first time a sickly person has been denied to board flights and that this is a recurrent issue.

Following public outcry since the case surfaced, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation has since appealed to Manta Air and FlyMe to ensure arrangements are made within the next three months to accommodate the emergency transfer of sickly individuals, .

The transport ministry told RaajjeMV that they have issued a memo to the civil aviation authorities operating Manta Air and FlyMe aircrafts, to ensure such arrangements for emergency transfer are made.

The ministry has also assured that the required action will be taken against the airlines , if they do not follow the instructions of the authority.

Manta Air’s CEO Mohamed Haleel has accused the residents of Kudahuvadhoo of fabricating lies concerning the airline having refused to carry the sickly patient. He also accused protestors of “hijacking” tourists travelling onboard Manta Air.

The airline has also stressed that their sea planes were not built to carry-out emergency medical evacuations, asserting that it would have been against the rules and regulations of air travel.