Malé, Maldives – The Maldives Minister of Defence Mariya Didi today said that it will be difficult to execute a surprise attack on the Maldives, referring to the terrorist attack on the Maldives on 3 November 1988.
In response to a question regarding the preparedness for a similar attack scenario to that of November 3 by RaajjeTV, the Defence Minister said that the global responses to defence and security has progressed much since 1988, especially after the 9/11 attacks.
Minister Mariya stated that countries now share information including locations of vessels through tracking devices and satellite imagery. She further added that Maldives uses radar systems and shared information through the assistance of the Maritime Fusion Center in India which would make a surprise attack very difficult.
Further, the Defence Minister stated that the Maldives now liaises with friendly nations for maritime and aerial defence through information sharing and patrolling.
There are also special forces trained by foreign military for terrorism response.
In November 1988, a coup led Maldivian discontents and supported by Sri Lankan mercenaries seized the airport, government buildings and TV and radio stations in the capital city Malé.
19 locals including Maldivian soldiers sacrificed their lives to protect the Maldives’ independence.
India was the first country to answer the call for help by the Maldives and initiated a military response code-named Operation Cactus on 3 November 1988 and aided in defeating the attackers.
