Security forces on alert as opposition stages surprise protest
Hundreds of raincoat-clad protesters have taken to the streets of Malé calling for President Abdulla Yameen’s resignation, prompting a crackdown by riot police who have used pepper spray to disperse the un-announced gathering.
31 Aug 2016, 9:00 AM
A hundred raincoat-clad protesters took to the streets of Malé at midnight Tuesday calling for President Abdulla Yameen’s resignation, prompting a crackdown by riot police who used pepper spray to disperse the un-announced gathering.
Security forces were on alert in the capital Malé Tuesday evening ahead of the protest, amid speculation of a plot to remove Yameen from office.
Dozens of soldiers were stationed at the supreme court, the republic square and at the president’s residence at Hilaaleege. Riot police had cordoned off the streets leading up to the president’s residence to traffic and pedestrians.
The news of the protest, the Maldives United Opposition’s first since the parliament approved a new law limiting protests, spread on social media.
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