Police Warn Rasmalé Protest Organizers to Stay Within Legal Boundaries Ahead of Tonight's Rally

The Maldives Police Service has asked the organizers of a protest against the giving of 500 hectares from Rasmalé to the UAE's Egal Hills to keep the event within legal boundaries, saying it is being held without prior notice to the police. The event, organized by the "Dhivehi Land for Dhivehis" national movement, is scheduled to be held at Artificial Beach tonight at 20:30, an area where gatherings have previously been held without obtaining permission. In a statement issued in connection with the event, the police said the organizing parties are not coordinating with them. "No party has so far shared information with the Maldives Police Service regarding the safety and security of the parties participating in that event, and the difficulties that may be faced by the general public and those moving about," the police said. The police therefore instructed that gatherings not be held in places other than those permitted for gatherings without prior notice, and advised that arrangements be made so that the safety of participants and public movement are not disrupted. In tonight's movement against the leasing of Rasmalé, the opposition main party Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) will participate along with the People's National Front (PNF). Senior political leaders have been announced as participants, among them former President Abdulla Yameen, former Vice President Faisal Naseem, and former MDP Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail. The national movement against the Rasmalé project deal has been holding a series of events in Malé, with the main call being for a public vote among citizens on the project. The organizers have said tonight's event will be the largest in the series.