President Vows to Crack Down on Undocumented Businesses and Unregulated Migrants

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu said a concentrated effort is underway to close businesses run by undocumented migrants in the Maldives.

He made the remarks during the meeting with residents of Galolhu ward, held at Imaadhudheen School in Malé City last night. The President noted that the government has placed special focus on massage parlours since December 9, resulting in 52 closures within the past week.

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

“Within this short period from the work we have done, we were able to close 52 massage parlours. From those 52 places, 24 were closed by the inspection team based on the information collected, and 28 closed voluntarily after our operation. In total, 52 places were closed,” he said.

President Muizzu added that ten expatriates have been detained so far and will all be deported.

Addressing the broader issue of foreigners in the Maldives, he said unregulated migrants will no longer be allowed to live in the country. He added that foreigners without their biometrics registered in the Maldives’ system will be deported and that restrictions have also been placed on bringing in additional foreign workers.

The President noted that the crackdown has expanded to other illegal activities conducted by foreigners, with 38 unregulated businesses shut down in the past two weeks. He called on citizens to support the government’s efforts in addressing this issue.