The crew of a Thai cargo vessel seized in the Maldives had their passports confiscated and were forced to leave without them, claims Thimarafushi MP Mohamed Musthafa.

Musthafa told RaajjeMV on Sunday night that the 1,200-ton vessel had been seized with a number of cargo onboard and that the passports are currently with an ‘associate’ of his.

“Having them leave without their passports? Their international documents for travel? I think that is an unacceptable practice anywhere else in the world” Musthafa said.

MP Musthafa said that having them leave in this manner is questionable, and that authorities must provide an adequate reason for having done so.

The lawmaker said that, to his understanding, the travel documents are still in the Maldives in the possession of a local.

MP Musthafa, who called on authorities to investigate the matter, said that Defence Minister Adam Shareef himself had asked Musthafa to ‘let the matter go’ when he posted about it in group thread run by the ruling party’s parliamentary group.

He further said that the story has been confirmed by the Director General of Counter Terrorism Zakariyya Moosa and Immigration Controller Mohamed Anwar.