Maldives President resigns, feeling “unable to maintain security”

PanARMENIAN.Net - President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives resigned Tuesday, Feb 7, after members of the nation's police force revolted against his government.

According to CNN, in a nationally televised address, Nasheed said he felt unable to maintain security and peace in the country, according to Ahmed A. Rasheed, an executive producer at the state TV station.

About 200 policemen in the Maldives mutinied against the country's government and seized control of the state TV station, Rasheed said.

The policemen defected on Monday night in support of opposition groups that had been calling for Islam to play a greater role in the running of the country, Rasheed said.

Nasheed's office said the policemen had sided with the party loyal to the former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

The policemen gathered in Republic Square in the capital, Male, according to Rasheed, where a peaceful standoff with members of the Maldives defense forces turned violent Tuesday morning. Rasheed described the situation in Male as "chaos."

The policemen took over the state TV station later Tuesday morning. They changed its name from the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation back to its old name, Television Maldives.

The nation is an archipelago of almost 1,200 coral islands south-southwest of India. Its pristine beaches and rich marine wildlife are a lure for well-heeled Westerners.

In 2008, Nasheed became the country's first democratically elected president in 30 years.