Maldives Immigration to Deport Six Migrants Involved in Male’ City Fight
Maldives Immigration has announced its decision to deport six migrants who were involved in a fight in Male’ City.
The authority made the announcement via a post on X, stating that the Maldives Police Service had handed over the six migrants to their custody. The visas of all six migrants will be cancelled, and they will be deported.
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Immigration released photos and ages of the migrants, but did not disclose their names or nationalities. All of the migrants are men, aged between 26 and 40.
The altercation occurred in Asrafee Magu and was reported to the police at 12:33 am on Thursday. A video of the incident shows at least six men hitting each other with batons.
The police had earlier stated that the migrants involved in the fight were from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Two of the migrants sustained injuries during the fight, received treatment at Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), and were subsequently discharged.
Five migrants were arrested in connection with the incident but were later released. This decision drew criticism on social media, though the police affirmed that the case remains under investigation.
In a separate incident, Maldives Immigration deported a Norwegian national on Thursday. The authority stated on X that the tourist had arrived in the Maldives on December 20 of the previous year. After his tourist visa expired, he continued to live and fish on a vessel. The Norwegian national was taken into Immigration custody on July 25 with assistance from the Maldives Police Service.
Illegal immigration and the unauthorised operation of businesses by expatriates are significant concerns for the current administration. The Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology recently launched ‘Operation Kurangi’, a nationwide initiative to collect biometric data of expatriates to aid in their identification.
Furthermore, Immigration has intensified efforts, with support from relevant law enforcement authorities, to detain and deport illegal immigrants and expatriates running businesses unlawfully.
