Welcome to the darker side of Maldives!

im not removing this post even if you asked me to!!!




After spending a tiresome day working at TVM i took a van home since earlier that day I had broken the sandals i was wearing. I had heard that there was going to be a protest about the referendum held by the one of the oppositions party MDP ( Maldives Democratic Party). I live near a politically and narcotically( I invented that word) very active area hence while in the van I prayed that id reach right home and would not have to get out and walk home barefooted due to a road block. but as usual the prayer was denied. The van driver dropped me off near Male' opticals and drove off. I took the longer route( maaveyo magu) barefoot and got stuck because the poilice wouldnt let me through. apparently they were chasing and trying to catch some men who had tried to hit them with whatever they used. so i turned back and headed back to where the action was which seemed much more empty than the route i chose before. while i turned back i saw a group of Star Force ( aka Golha force) men running after 3 men. I was surprised with myself that i didnt react to it like i used to . i was neither scared nor was i awed to see it. which meant one thing this had become a part of our lives... seeing civillians and cops play hide and seek and tag.

Anyway i made it to near Mercury light where all the actions were. There were four or five traffic police and many Start force troops. I asked one of the traffic officers whether i could pass through and cross to the other side of the road since i want to get home the shortest possible way and dont want to walk bare footed all the way west and then take a really long route home. he said it was ok. while i talked to him i observed the surrounding carefully. there were people everywhere. there was one or two photographers snapping pictures of star force troopers swishing their baton dangerously and threateningly at civillians while the civillians did the same with their hands and verbally abusing the star force men. since i got permission to to cross over i did and while i did i saw one of the star force man threaten a photographer and fling his camera. that camera is almost 1000$ didnt he know that?

I made it to the other side to find my self infront of a crowd and traffic. it was going to be so hard to make it through carefully so i slowly started to make it in to the crowd hoping to vanish without a trace. but as i was about to go this star force man stopped me calling me "dhelo kanaa kalyah neyngey tha mithanah meehun evveffa ovvaa annaakah nujehyene kan and blah blah" i tried to explain to him tell him the situation when he exploded " balaaennu amm fuyeh nukiya thikiya ethche gos amayaa bafaayaa gaathu keema nimuneenun" I know that he would be exhausted dealing with all the crap at that moment but while these men learnt and practised dealing and being violent i was surprised that they werent taught patience. What he said really pissed me off i really felt like slapping him. i didn't listen to him or stay there watching him scream my head off i turned back to make my way to the crowd when the star force troopers started to yell. while minority of the men spoke loudly but quite calm and nicely requesting us to go home - " hurihaa beyfulhun geyah vadain enveun edhen" most of the men were screaming nufeli thi alaathun amilla thappaahah dhann ulhey. kon lhai eh tha miulheny heligen... most of there requests started with balaaeh , fada boi, nufeleyshey, which deeply hurt me because these were the people who were sent bring the people in to calmer situation and they lacked communication skills. anyway i was going home pretty steamed when i heard the commotion i couldn't resist but turn back and watch while they just pulled out any one they can grab from within the crowd people who stayed near there gates and people who were blocked in traffic. maybe not all of them were innocent but I was question marked when he dragged a frightened and confused looking man out of a lorry carrying gas cylinders and threw him and i mean threw him in to to the police van. i watched as the caught men were loaded in to the van till these star force troopers started to scream balaennu geyah dhashey buneema mi thiba beerunthakakah adhen neevey tha nufelethi felefiyya gendhaanan. they swished there batons and threatened anyone they felt like abusing without taking any reasons.
i was steaming when i got home. i don't mind being called dhelo kanu but he had no right to insult my parents. they say these people are given the permission and do what they are asked by the president. knowing the president i dont think he d have said to them go out there talk to the public using abusive language where ther kids are awake at homes hearing every word they say.
someone once told me this is the sign of development. if the sign of development mean seeing civilian fight with civilians killing each other , police fight with police and civilians and the police fighting i think id rather eat kandoo than rice. have candles than electricity and have nothing but my peace. and while all this was happening there was a tourist upstairs watching and taping the whole thing happen... i really wanted to wave to him say out loud " welcome to the darker side of Maldives. that surely is the part i regularly see these days.

SIGH....