King Salman cancels scheduled trip to Maldives "due to flu outbreak"
He was to arrive in the Maldives on Saturday, on the last leg of his Asian tour
King Salman was to arrive in the Maldives on Saturday
Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud has cancelled his scheduled trip to the Maldives.
In a press conference held at the President’s Office on Friday, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohamed Asim announced that the royal visit to the Maldives has been cancelled.
“King Salman’s trip to the Maldives was postponed due to the recent flu outbreak,” he said, adding that he will visit on a later date, “which is to be announced”.
He was to arrive in the Maldives on Saturday, on the last leg of his month-long trip of the Asian region; including Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Japan. Both the Maldivian and Saudi government had confirmed the royal visit to the Maldives, with the Maldivian government making all sorts of preparations for the visit, until the cancellation; including doing reconstruction work in certain areas of the capital city.
Three resorts had been booked for the trip, and the King was to stay in the Maldives for five days., along with 10 ministers, 1500 officials, King’s personal carrier, five additional planes and two helicopters. King Salman's yacht and helicopters have been brought to the Maldives as well, and a Saudi navy ship anchored near Malé on March 10.
Less than 24 hours before the cancellation, Parliamentary Group leader of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik, in a leaked audio clip, revealed new details of the Faafu deal with Saudi Arabia, as well as criticized the Saudi government and royal family.
READ MORE: Russians will have "dirtier money" than the Saudis: MP Nihan
In the clips, he is heard explaining to a group of people, that Maldivian authorities had brought the controversial amendment to the foreign land ownership bill in order to accommodate the royal family’s request, which is to pass of Faafu Himithi to their next of kins.
READ MORE: Changed the law to allow Saudi Royal family's descendants to inherit an area of Faafu: MP Nihan
Following reports of the sale, public concern has intensified as the government has been mostly silent on the matter.
On March 1, President Abdulla Yameen said that planned project for Faafu Atoll "is worth USD 10 billion," and that the details will be released "when it is appropriate to do so." He had earlier claimed that "the Saudi government, or those senior in the government have a special interest in Faafu Atoll".
“What’s happening in Faafu Atoll is not an unachievable feat. If the results of this experiment in Faafu Atoll is a successful one, it will be one that marks Maldives on the global chart,” President Yameen had said.
However, on March 10, the Saudi embassy issued a press release, saying that the Saudi government had "no intention in buying land, island or an atoll in the Maldives".
READ MORE: Saudi Govt. not investing in the Maldives: Embassy
On Thursday, leader of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), former President Mohamed Nasheed called on both the Maldivian and Saudi government to clarify the public's suspicion regarding the possible sale.
