On Saturday night (6th January), the official websites of the Maldivian President, the Foreign Ministry, and the Tourism Ministry went down hours after Maldivian social media was replete with denigratory posts attacking India, Indians, and PM Modi over his visit to the Lakshadweep Islands. However, the websites are reported to have been restored and accessible now.
Upon checking, OpIndia found the websites of the Maldivian President’s office and Foreign Ministry accessible, however, the website of the Tourism Ministry is still down.
On Saturday night, the Maldivian President’s Office acknowledged the “unexpected technical disruption” to the said websites. It further said that the National Centre for Information Technology and other relevant entities are actively working to resolve the issue.
“Please note that the President’s Office website is currently facing an unexpected technical disruption. NCIT and other relevant entities are actively working on resolving this promptly. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for your understanding and patience,” the Maldivian President’s Office wrote on X.
Please note that the President’s Office website is currently facing an unexpected technical disruption. NCIT and other relevant entities are actively working on resolving this promptly.
— The President's Office (@presidencymv) January 6, 2024
We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for your understanding and patience. pic.twitter.com/jUOopsQTUs
The Maldivian media has reported that the websites are unreachable in a suspected cyber attack in the wake of a social media attack by a pro-Maldives account, denigrating India and Indians over PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit.
On Saturday, Mariyam Shiuna, Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, recently made insulting remarks against PM Modi, referring to him as a ‘clown’ and a ‘puppet of Israel’. Not just social media users, but ministers and prominent citizens too have weighed in on the controversy, using uncharitable and deplorable language for India, Indians, and PM Modi.
“What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr Narendra diver with a life jacket #VisitMaldives,” Shiuna tweeted.
On Friday, January 5, Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) took to the microblogging site X to mock Indians. The PPM member’s highly racist remark against Indians came in response to a post by popular X user Mr Sinha, where he shared pictures of PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep and hailed the islands as a viable option to Maldives.
Responding to a tweet posted by a user @MrSinha_, Zahid Rameez tweeted, “The move is great. However, the idea of competing with us is delusional. How can they provide the service we offer? How can they be so clean? The permanent smell in the rooms will be the biggest downfall.”
