Majlis committee to probe Bodufinolhu unrest

The People’s Majlis Committee on National Security and Foreign Relations is to probe the unrest that took place on Thursday, in Bodufinolhu island of Baa atoll, an island being developed into a resort.

In an interview with RaajjeMV, Villimalé constituency MP and committee member Ahmed Usham revealed that the case has been placed on Monday’s agenda for the committee meeting.

The committee is to investigate the matter as a serious case.

According to the MP, the reason for investigating the case as a serious one is because the issue of expatriate workers, has been long-drawn out without a solution.

The committee has been summoning individuals for questioning from the relevant authorities, in connection to foreign relations.

On Thursday, 15 Maldivian workers in the resort had attempted to depart from the island at around 09:30am, however, a large group of over 200 expatriate workers on the island had gotten in their way, stopping them from leaving the island.

The group then continued to protest, having secured the island and armed themselves with rocks and metal rods, attacking the first group of officers that attempted to enter the island from Thulhaadhoo island in the same atoll.

The Maldivian hostages were rescued after a team of officials from the Bangladeshi High Commission in the Maldives as well as a team of the police Public Order Response Unit and investigative unit led by two senior officers arrived in the island early Friday.

Following the team’s arrival on the island, the infuriated group of migrant workers had not shown hostility, said the police. Officers also assessed the damage inflicted on property and buildings on the resort.

The case is being probed by the authority’s Serious and Organized Crime Department and Human Trafficking Department and 19 expatriate workers have been taken into police custody for being involved in the unrest.