Tourism and Terrorism in the Maldives

This assignment delves into the complex relationship between tourism and terrorism in the Maldives, exploring how political turmoil and security threats have affected the country's vital tourism industry. It analyzes various sources, including academic articles, reports, and news coverage, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by Maldivian tourism due to terrorism and extremism. The assignment also examines potential mitigation strategies and explores the future outlook for tourism in the Maldives.

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Research proposal on ‘Internal Security Threats to Maldives and Role of the Military in
maintaining peace”
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Abstract
This paper will deal with the role of military in combating terrorism against Maldives.The
efficiency of the military of Maldives in minimizing the terrorism in the country is also discussed
in the paper. . This research would be beneficial to find out if the gap in the effective working of
the military to improve the security condition of the nation. It is necessary to find out the level of
internal security threats which are existing in the country. Moreover, the actions which are taken
by the military of the country to handle these situations to maintain peace in the nation are also
discussed in the paper. The Government of Maldives must try to condemn various self serving
actions which are taken by the individuals so as to combat or defend terrorism. The military has
projected the ambition for various kinds of regional leadership and they defined military alliance
against terrorist in a different way. The capability of the Maldives security forces to counter
various terrorist attacks is important and it is described and analyzed in the paper. Thus, it is
necessary that Maldives must take a proactive role against this terrorism and the military must
play an active role in combating this.

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Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................1
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................4
1.0 Introduction............................................................................................................................4
1.1 Statement of problem.............................................................................................................5
1.2 Objectives of the study..........................................................................................................5
1.3 Significance of the research topic..........................................................................................6
1.4 Scope or aim of research........................................................................................................6
1.5 Methodology..........................................................................................................................7
1.5.1 Outline............................................................................................................................7
1.5.2 Philosophy......................................................................................................................7
1.5.3 Design.............................................................................................................................7
1.5.4 Approach.........................................................................................................................8
1.5.5 Hypothesis......................................................................................................................8
1.5.6 Data collection and analysis...........................................................................................9
1.6 Limitations.............................................................................................................................9
Chapter 2: Literature Review.........................................................................................................11
2.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................11
2.1 Terrorism in Eurasia............................................................................................................11
2.2 Terrorism and Extremism....................................................................................................12

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2.3 Multi – Party Democracy in the Maldives and emerging security environment.................13
2.4 Trouble in Paradise: Islamist Radicalism in Maldives........................................................13
Chapter 3: Causes of Terrorism in the Maldives...........................................................................15
Chapter 4: Role of Army in Limiting Terrorism...........................................................................21
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendation...............................................................................24
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................27

4RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.0 Introduction
The research paper aims to find out the extent of internal security threat of Maldives and
the actions taken by the military to maintain peace in the country. Maldives, the island nation, is
situated in the Indian Ocean and consists about total of 1190 islands. Only 200 islands are
populated with 393,500 people. Tourism is open in only 130 islands and rest is open for
agriculture1. Maldives is located in a very strategically important position in the IOR as
numerous shipments traverse through that path. Hence, it is vulnerable to maritime terrorism as
well as many external threats. Being a Muslim country makes the nation more prone to the
conflicts, fought in the name of religion. It has been found that, more than 200 citizens of
Maldives have participated in the foreign conflicts and that has made this nation highest per
capita in the number of people joining in foreign conflicts in South Asia2. The people, who return
from these conflicts, pose a threat for the nation. There is also political instability in the nation,
making it more prone to security threats. Sometimes, the politicians make use of terrorism to
achieve their goals.Therefore, the geo strategic position, religion, political instability and
dependency on tourism, all contribute in the vulnerability of the country towards the terrorism
activities3.
1Kothari, Uma. "Political discourses of climate change and migration: resettlement policies in the Maldives." The
Geographical Journal 180, no. 2 (2014): 130-140.
2Shakeela, Aishath, and Susanne Becken. "Understanding tourism leaders’ perceptions of risks from climate change:
an assessment of policy-making processes in the Maldives using the social amplification of risk framework
(SARF)." Journal of Sustainable Tourism 23, no. 1 (2015): 65-84.
3Kumar, Anand. 2016. "Multi - Party Democracy In The Maldives And The Emerging Security Environment In The
Indian Ocean Region". https://idsa.in/system/files/book/book_democracy-maldives-ior.pdf[Accessed on 31st
October, 2017].

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The government of Maldives has participated in many activities to control and eliminate
the terrorism in the country. It has established the National Counter terrorism Centre (NCTC) on
25th February 2016 under the “Terrorism prevention Act 2015/32”4. It aims to prevent the
terrorism activities in the nation by formulating policies. However, as the terrorism activities are
increasing globally, Maldives need to put more effort towards minimizing the terrorism and
security threats within the country.
1.1 Statement of problem
Statement of the problem refers to clear and precise description of the issue that needs to
be addressed by the researcher in the research paper. In this research study, the problem
statement is how the military can improve its actions to maintain peace in Maldives. Since, it is a
100% Muslim country; the nation has become very much vulnerable to the terrorism threats.
Although the government of Maldives has established the National Counter Terrorism Center
(NCTC) and has been working with SAARC countries and the United Nations to counter the
terrorism activities, the country is still very much affected from the security and terrorism
issues5. The research paper aims to find out how the threats from terrorism in Maldives should be
addressed and how the military shouldtake actions to control the situation and maintain peace
and security more efficiently.
1.2 Objectives of the study
The objectives of the research paper are as follows:
 To understand the nature of terrorism associated threats in Maldives
4Robert, Patrick. 2011. "Trouble In Paradise: Islamist Radicalism In The Maldives". Jane's Intelligence Review.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/152999903?versionId=166736163[Accessed on 31st October, 2017].
5Cagua, Edgar Fernando, Neal Collins, James Hancock, and Richard Rees. "Whale shark economics: a valuation of
wildlife tourism in South Ari Atoll, Maldives." PeerJ 2 (2014): e515.

6RESEARCH PROPOSAL
 To analyze the extent of national and transnational terrorism events in Maldives
 To assess the role of the military in maintaining peace and order in the country
 To analyze the scopes of improvement in the role of the military
1.3 Significance of the research topic
Security threat is a big issue for any country. If a government tries to maintain a peaceful
environment in the country, it must handle the security threats and terrorism activities in a
sensitive way and must try to eliminate those. The citizens must feel safe to stay in the country.
The military plays a major role in this context. If the military does not work efficiently, the
threats would not be minimized6. Hence, through this research paper the researcher tries to throw
some light on the efficiency of the military of Maldives in minimizing the terrorism in the
country. This research would be helpful to find out if there is any gap in the effective working of
the military to improve the security condition of the nation.
1.4 Scope or aim of research
Aim or scope of this research paper is to find out the role of the military of Maldives in
dealing with the internal security threats and terrorism in the country. To reach to any
conclusion, the research must find out the level of internal security threats existing in the country
and the actions taken by the military of the country to handle these situations to maintain peace
in the nation.
1.5 Methodology
Research methodology refers to the systematic approach towards conducting the research
work. It consists of research approach, philosophy, design, process of data collection and
6Arnall, Alex, and Uma Kothari. "Challenging climate change and migration discourse: Different understandings of
timescale and temporality in the Maldives." Global Environmental Change 31 (2015): 199-206.

7RESEARCH PROPOSAL
analysis. This is helpful in demonstrating the insight of the researcher towards the research
process7. The methodology for this study is as follows.
1.5.1 Outline
Since, the research proposal is based on the national security threats of the Maldives and
the role of its military, therefore, secondary data would be best suitable to evaluate the situation
and draw a conclusion based on that. The researcher will collect data on the internal threats and
terrorism activities in Maldives, its impacts in terms of casualties and actions of the military in
such situations. These data will be analyzed to get an idea about how the military have handled
these situations and whether there has been any improvement in the security situation of the
nation.
1.5.2 Philosophy
Research philosophy is the approach that helps in the design of the approach of the
research paper. Among the four philosophies of research, interpretivism deals with interpretation
of the social phenomena8. Hence, researcher will be choosing the interpretivism philosophy.
1.5.3 Design
Research design helps to address the research topic logically and unambiguously9.
Research design is of several types, such as, exploratory research, case study, causal design,
action research design, cohort design, explanatory design, historical design, experimental design,
cross sectional design, descriptive design, philosophical design, mixed method design,meta-
7Taylor, Steven J., Robert Bogdan, and Marjorie DeVault. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A
guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.
8Smith, Jonathan A., ed. Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. Sage, 2015.
9Taylor, Steven J., Robert Bogdan, and Marjorie DeVault. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A
guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.

8RESEARCH PROPOSAL
analysis design, longitudinal design, observational design and meta-analysis design10. Among all
these types, the researcher will be choosing exploratory research. In this type of research, the
researcher needs to explore the secondary data and make an interpretation of the data to reach to
a conclusion.
1.5.4 Approach
Secondary data analysis mainly follows the qualitative research approach. This approach
helps in gaining an understanding the underlying causes and opinions. Along with that, the
insights into the topic are also addressed through qualitative research to reach to a conclusion.
1.5.5 Hypothesis
The hypothesis that are to be tested in this paper are:
H0 (Null hypothesis): The military forces of Maldives are not taking effective actions and
making comprehensive and indispensible anti terrorism plans to curb the terrorism activities in
the country
H1(Alternate hypothesis): The military forces of Maldives are taking effective actions and
making comprehensive and indispensible anti terrorism plansto curb the terrorism activities in
the country
1.5.6 Data collection and analysis
The researcher will be using only the secondary data for this research. Secondary data is
the one, which is collected from already published sources, such as, books, journals, official
10Lewis, Sarah. "Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches." Health promotion
practice 16, no. 4 (2015): 473-475

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websites, etc.11 For this research study, the researcher will be collecting secondary data from
official websites from the government of Maldives, news articles, research papers, journal
articlesand books from the Indian Defence Services Staff College Library (DSS). The
interpretation will be done based on the collected data. However, there is not much data on
Maldives and confidentiality must be maintained. In this context, it is important to maintain the
originality of the paper. The data may be already published elsewhere but the analysis and
interpretation must have uniqueness.
Qualitative data analysis will be used to analyze the data. In this type of data analysis,
there is no predetermined expected outcome. The result and analysis are much broader and
contextual, the sampling is flexible and less structured andthe patterns are drawn from insights
and concepts. Illustrative explanations are provided in the result12. Since, the research study
involves a topic that demands an exploratory research; therefore, qualitative analysis is the most
suitable method of analysis in this case.
1.6 Limitations
The major limitation of this study is the unavailability of the data on terrorism threats in
Maldives. Since, the data is confidential; it is difficult to reach the proper sources for the data.
For the proper research, authentic data is required, while being an issue of national security
threats, the data sources are difficult to access.
11Johnston, Melissa P. "Secondary data analysis: A method of which the time has come." Qualitative and
Quantitative Methods in Libraries 3, no. 3 (2017): 619-626.
12Ezzy, Douglas. Qualitative analysis. Routledge, 2013.

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Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.0 Introduction
This chapter addresses various aspects of security threats, terrorism activities and its
impacts andsituation in Maldives with reference to many articles published in the media and
journals, and from some books on terrorism.
2.1 Terrorism in Eurasia
This is one of the most concerning issues of the world, which affects almost all the
people across the borders. In the Eurasia region, the Talibans were the most common group of
terrorists while currently, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has become dominant.
Chopra(2001) writes in his book that, while every citizen of every nation has the right to live
peacefully and with proper safety and security, the terrorists use variety of techniques to disturb
the peace around the world. While some countries are badly affected, some countries provide
support to these activities for their own benefits. Hence, some world law must be established to
eliminate the terrorism activities completely13. The entire world has become a victim of terrorism
and every year millions of people are dying everywhere. However, terrorism in Eurasia is neither
a resultant effect of Cold War, nor is it an effect of the terror attack on the USA on 9/11. The
epidemic rise of the ISIShas been affecting the world peace for quite some time now. There are
different nations and different groups of terrorists but the problem is same. The developed
countries of North America and Eurasia are the major targets for terrorist activities in the past
decade. Majority of these activities are conducted by the Muslim terrorists, who are guided by
13Chopra, V.D. 2001. "Rise Of Terrorism And Secessionism In Eurasia". http://gyanbooks.com/index.php?
p=sr&Uc=9788121207386&l=0[Accessed on 31st October, 2017].

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the false notion of religion. Nalbandov (2012) says that terrorist groups existed from a very long
time, and terrorism was restricted mostly within the national boundaries, in the form of regional
cold war or civil war. After the attack of 9/11, Al Qaeda came in front of the world in a massive
way and changed the way the world thought about terrorism. The Muslim groups became
apparent and some of the Muslim countries gave shelter to these terrorists. It was a very
significant event in the international relations. The Middle East and Eurasia became the center of
such activities and countries around the world started to get affected. The South Asian countries
were also affected due to these activities but those are mostly internal security threats14.
2.2 Terrorism and Extremism
Ahmed Niyaz (2010) mentioned in his paper “Terrorism and Extremism; A Threat to
Maldives Tourism Industry” that, since, the economy of Maldives are extremely dependent on
the tourism and the country is vulnerable to the terrorist activities, the tourism sector can be
highly affected due to these activities and the economy can suffer. The bombing in the Sultan
Park in the Male, Maldives in 2007 by the religious extremists has a bad impact on the tourism
sector as well as on the economy of the nation. Prior to this event, Maldives was marked as a
safe destination for tourists, however, after the bombing, which was mainly targeted at the
tourists from the western countries, changed the perception15. This industry is highly dependent
on the global events, such as, terrorism, natural disasters, economic recessions etc. Hence, it is
important for the economies, which are heavily dependent on the tourism; keep their
environment safe for the citizens as well as for the tourists.
14Nalbandov, R. 2012. "Terrorism 2.0 In Eurasia". CEJISS.Org.
http://www.cejiss.org/static/data/uploaded/13835989521026/Article%2004_1.pdf[Accessed on 31st October, 2017].
15Niyaz, Ahmed. 2010. "Terrorism and Extremism: A Threat To Maldives Tourism Industry". ISSN 1696-2206.
https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/UNIS/article/viewFile/UNIS1010330221A/26960[Accessed on 31st October,
2017].

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Terrorism results in unemployment, deflation, criminal activities, homelessness and many
types of social ills. The tourism industry gets highly affected too. The visitor arrival gets reduced
and all the tourism facilities, such as, airlines, hotels, restaurants, and the people employed in this
industry gets affected by the security threats16. Maldives is no exception. For an economy, highly
dependent on tourism, terrorism has a negative impact17. The effect on one particular industry
has rippling effect on the entire economy in terms of market share, foreign exchange earning,
employment, domestic and international trade and improvement of the industry.
2.3 Multi – Party Democracy in the Maldives and emerging security environment
Anand Kumar describes in his book that Maldives has seen political instability and the
emergence of the religious extremism after the constitution was ratified in 2008 and introduced
democratic rights to the citizens of Maldives. The rise of the terrorist activities and threats to the
security was due to many factors, especially due to religion and the poor economic condition18.
The democracy gave rise to the multiparty rule in Maldives and political instability is a resultant
effect of this. It also gave rise to the terrorist activities, as the parties were busy to achieve their
own motives.
2.4 Trouble in Paradise: Islamist Radicalism in Maldives
Patrick Roberts (2011) wrote in his article in Jane’s Intelligence Review, that the
terrorism was able to spread its wing in Maldives because, more than 200 people have
16Hosterman, Heather, and Joel Smith. "Economic costs and benefits of climate change impacts and adaptation to
the Maldives tourism industry." (2015).
17Zubair, Shahida, David Bowen, and Levent Altinay. "Enclave resort tourism in Maldives: Destination
development and resistance to change." CAUTHE 2015: Rising Tides and Sea Changes: Adaptation and Innovation
in Tourism and Hospitality(2015): 793.
18Kumar, Anand. 2016. "Multi - Party Democracy In The Maldives And The Emerging Security Environment In
The Indian Ocean Region". https://idsa.in/system/files/book/book_democracy-maldives-ior.pdf[Accessed on 31st
October, 2017].

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participated in the foreign conflicts and many have returned from that. However, they still keep
contact with the foreign conflict groups, which pose a huge risk for the nation. These people can
create serious problems for the country. The Islamic radicalism is quite strong among the
believers, although, apart from the bombing in 2007, it did not surface much. It has been found
that many citizens from Maldives have travelled to Pakistan to join the Jihadi groups and those
who return to the country, still maintain their contacts with those groups. Although these people
mainly support the foreign groups, the possibility of terrorism in the nation cannot be ruled out.
These activities make the peaceful nation and tourist destination a vulnerable security threat19.
The country is 100% Sunni Muslim country. Although it did not have extremism in the
society in the past, recently, it is growing an influence towards more puritan Islam. This
extremism can often lead to Jihadi activities in the Muslim countries and that results in terrorism
activities paralyzing the economy20.
19Robert, Patrick. 2011. "Trouble In Paradise: Islamist Radicalism In The Maldives". Jane's Intelligence Review.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/152999903?versionId=166736163[Accessed on 31st October, 2017].
20Samatha, M. "Maldives Political Crisis: An Appraisal." (2016).

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Chapter 3: Causes of Terrorism in the Maldives
This chapter will describe the nature and scope of the threats in terrorism in Maldives
citing the recent examples. The effect of political instability, religious extremism and the origin
of different criminal gangs are described in this chapter.
The political environment of Maldives is experiencing some events which are regarded as
unprecedented. This has happened when Mohamed Nasheed resigned from the post of President
and Mohammed Waheed Hassan, the Vice President has sworn in as the President of Maldives.
The President was forced to resign at the gunpoint and this message was conveyed to the
Maldives Defense Force and Maldives Police Service. In this globalised world, there are a
section of people in Maldives who are motivated by the violent terrorist and extremist ideology.
Moreover, there are also some people who facilitate and encourage the Maldivians to travel
abroad and get engage in different foreign conflicts. As the national borders are transgressed
with ease by the use of mobile phone or laptop with an internet connection, therefore the violent
extremist and terrorist organizations which are operating in the overseas countries can infiltrate
very easily and spread their influence in the Maldives. In order to address the threats, social and
domestic problems which are brought by terrorist or extremism activities, proper attention and
national consideration is a must21. There are only a limited number of proportions of Maldivian
men who have travelled to different countries for overseas conflicts and they have taken their
families along with them. As a result of these, their families have remained isolated from the
community. Moreover, there are many social issues which have risen from violent extremism
21Akhmat, Ghulam, Khalid Zaman, Tan Shukui, and Faiza Sajjad. "Exploring the root causes of terrorism in South
Asia: everybody should be concerned." Quality & Quantity 48, no. 6 (2014): 3065-3079.

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and thus it has affected the children and women.The president of Maldives has escaped from an
explosion which has occurred on his speedboat when he returned from his luxury tourist
destination i.e. from Haji pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.22
Maldives is concerned by these issues and the government has continued to take concrete
steps so as to address these challenges23.The Government of Maldives is concerned about those
people who are living outside the country and thus they have exaggerated the issues which are
related to violent terrorism and extremism. These individuals are trying to make continuous
efforts and thus encouraging the international community to take actions against the interest of
the country which are based on false allegation and improper facts. These actions exert a huge
cost on the economy and this will impact the people of Maldives. The Government of Maldives
tries to condemn various self serving actions which are taken by some individuals such as
participating in the television or news shows and thus they adversely impact the economy of
Maldives24. The actions which are carried out by the individuals in the name of democracy and
freedom are regarded by the Government to fulfill the needs and interest of the country. These
actions are considered unethical and they are carried out in bad faith and it causes no direct or
indirect harm to the citizens or the country. Terrorism has spread in Maldives not only due to
poverty but because of the Islamic preachers who supported violence and were allowed to act
freely25.Dr Afrasheem Ali whose party was a member of the governing coalition in the Indian
22Maldives". 2017. Theguardian.Com. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/28/maldives-president-escapes-
explosion-on-speedboat.[Accessed 30th October, 2017]
23Ali, Gulzar, and Zhaohua Li. "Role of economic factors in terrorism in Pakistan." Quality & Quantity 50, no. 5
(2016): 2237-2250
24Shahid, Hassan. National Security Policy and Security Challenges of Maldives. ARMY COMMAND AND
GENERAL STAFF COLLEGE FORT LEAVENWORTH KS, 2014.
25Kamali, Mohammad Hashim. "Extremism, Terrorism And Islam: Historical And Contemporary
Perspectives." Islam and Civilisational Renewal 6, no. 2 (2015): 148-165.

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ocean was stabbed to death. The authorities have not held the names of the person who has done
this but the President has agreed that one of his team member was involved in the incident. It
was evident that the extremist party was involved in the incident26It is important to resolve the
nationalist, religious and ethnic grievances because it can help in eradicating terrorism.
Moreover, Maldives is dependent on tourism and the presence of radical elements with latency in
strike and other anti-western sentiments will undermine the fragile economy of Maldives.
Moreover, the country is also gaining international infamy which is regarded as the breeding
ground for Islamic radicalism. The country has also become an administrative space for different
terrorist groups particularly those based on Pakistan. These will tarnish the image of the country
and it will also destroy the relationship with the neighboring countries.Another important
example which has led to extremism is the role played by foreign madrassa education. The
provision of free education by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in an important way for radicalizing
the Maldivians locally. The people of Maldives are affected by the happenings around them.
They visit the madrasas with a view of gathering the knowledge, but they return to the country
with extreme religious ideas27. There were also intolerance towards certain culture and religion
that were manifested during the annual meeting of SAARC. Some Islamic protestors destroyed
different monuments that were gifted to Maldives by the SAARC countries. The extremist has
directly targeted the liberal intellectual writers and the other activists.A blogger Yameen
Rasheed was stabbed to death due to political restive in the Maldivian capital. The exact reason
for his death was not known. The various political issues were identified to be the main reason
for his death. Iraq and Syria has also faced Isis influence28. The authority never identified or tried
26BBC News". 2017. Bbc.Com. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-19826539
27Richards, Anthony. Conceptualizing Terrorism. OUP Oxford, 2015
28Young, Mary Alice. "Transnational organised crime monthly briefing, May 2015: Fighters from
Caribbean travelling to fight with extremists in Syria and Iraq." Open Briefing (2015).

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to identify the motive behind these meeting and the attack. The Maldivians also got engaged in
the Jihadist Group and a single terrorist attack perpetrated the Islamic terrorist29.
Maldives is surrounded by ocean and the city has been experiencing rapid gang violence
since the time when campaigning has started for the democratic election in 2008. The gang
violence troops are mostly connected to the political figures in one way or another. Therefore, it
can be said that this factors are encouraging radicalization on other countries due to the
increasing number of gang crimes30.According to the report published on 2014, Maldives ranks
1st out of the 93 countries in the world in crime levels. The level of crime is increasing since the
past three years at a moderate rate of 56.82%. A descriptive crime statistics from 2008-2017 is
presented below
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
Assault
Theft
Robbery
Drugs
Traffic Accidents
Vandalism
Counterfeit and Forgery
29Paul, Dorin, Nicoleta Georgeta BUGNAR, and Liana Eugenia MESTER. "TERRORISM AND ITS IMPACTS
ON THE TOURISM INDUSTRY." Romanian Review on Political Geography/Revista Româna Geografie
Politica 17, no. 1 (2015).
30Maldives". 2017. Theguardian.Com. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/26/paradise-jihadis-maldives-
islamic-extremism-syria. [Accessed 30th October, 2017]

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Fig- Crime Statistics of Maldives
Source- Maldives Policed Service, 201731
31Maldives Police Service. 2017. Police.Gov.Mv. http://www.police.gov.mv/statisticscrimes#casestat.

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Chapter 4: Role of Army in Limiting Terrorism
Maldives is in the list of 34 countries that have joined the Saudi-Arabian military alliance
to fight against terrorism. Various joint operations are conducted by the military forces so as to
fight against terrorism. Moreover various programs were also launched to support the efforts of
the military.It is important for the army to check that domestic security is not politicized and
therefore strategic and unified thinking is important from all sides of the political divide. It is the
duty of the army to deal with the terrorism domestically through various kinds of targeted
legislation and robust institutions32.The new coalition campaign of the military forces will try to
fight against terrorism in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and Egypt.This includes the Jabhat al-
Nusra Front and the Islamic State. There are more than seven Maldivian military force who were
killed in this incident according to a report published by the local media service33. There were
certain Maldivians who were engaged in fighting against the Al-Nusra Front and the Turkish and
thus they are killed in the battle. There is also an important amendment which was added to the
constitution for the Prevention of Terrorism Act and it was regarded as a crime to join or fight in
any conflict oversees. There must also be collaboration between the various state bodies such as
tourism bodies, intelligence agencies and airports which are trying to tighten the potential
32Jongman, Albert J. Political terrorism: A new guide to actors, authors, concepts, data bases, theories, and
literature. Routledge, 2017.
33maldivesindependent.com. (2017). Maldives Independent. [online] Available at:
http://maldivesindependent.com/politics/maldives-joins-saudi-led-anti-terrorism-military-alliance-120652
[Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].

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terrorists and prevent various types of attacks. These measures are streamlining the efforts and
thus it has become easier to identify the threats for the national security. Further, there was re-
organization of military into a more military trained force after 3rd November 1989 terrorist
attack. This has helped to reduce the criminal activities to some extent. Further, the
establishment of a special military force has helped to counter terrorism in 2006. Moreover, the
separation of police also helped the military to focus on terrorism and to counteract it.
The formation of the new military alliance has occurred after US has urged the Gulf Arab
States to aid campaign against the IS. President Abdulla Yameen Gayoom has established
effective and strong policies and thus this has helped in countering extremism and terrorism. The
President has highlighted that they need collective effort in handling terrorism and extremism.
The military forces must also be strengthened and the policies must be framed more specifically.
The President has also mentioned that the exchange of ideas and intelligence among different
countries and a track of the information that are gathered by the terrorist organization will be
regarded as useful global effort in countering terrorism. According to Michael (2016), the
international effort has also become very important because terrorism is regarded as transnational
problem34. The extremist also does not respect any borders or boundaries. People can also take
advantage of the weapons and the resources and this will help in increasing the free movement of
these goods. The drastic re-organization of the military in 2009 and the establishment of the four
areas of command to attend terrorist attack have been strengthened. On the other hand, mobile
technology and internet will make internal communication and the recruitment faster. The
developed countries are unable to prevent different types of attacks and it becomes difficult to
34Head, Michael. Crimes Against the State: From Treason to Terrorism. Routledge, 2016.

21RESEARCH PROPOSAL
criticize smaller nations such as Maldives whose resources are pale compared to other countries.
The government has formulated a national counter terrorism strategy and this will help in
developing a legislative framework on the various policies of national security and the
programmes for safeguarding the critical infrastructure and the tourism industry35. The National
Counter terrorism Center in collaboration with the Maldivian Defence Force is trying for the
protection of border, check immigration process and counterfeit the terrorism. The formation of
the alliance will help to protect the nation from the malice of the terror group. The co-ordination
of the military forces with the other international organizations has helped the military forces to
combat against terrorism. According to Neumayer et al.(2016), there are various measures which
are necessary to understand and address the social issues which are evolving from violent
terrorism and extremism. This will also help in the prevention of conceivable threats to national
security of the foreign nationals who are trying to enter Maldives36. The government has pledged
to conduct different kinds of baseline which will help in determining the scale and severity of the
extremism group of Maldives. There were also certain plans which includes different campaign
which are considered necessary for public awareness and conducting security assessments for
various types of infrastructure, seaports, airports and increasing the security of tourist and resort
establishments37. According to Samatha et al.(2016), the new anti-terror law which was passed
recently has criminalized the citizens who wanted to travel abroad with the intention of joining
35 SYRIA, IN. "FOREIGN FIGHTERS." (2014).
36Neumayer, Eric, and Thomas Plümper. "Spatial spill-overs from terrorism on tourism: Western victims in Islamic
destination countries." Public Choice 169, no. 3-4 (2016): 195-206.
37Bell, Sam R., K. Chad Clay, Amanda Murdie, and James Piazza. "Opening yourself up: The role of external and
internal transparency in terrorism attacks." Political Research Quarterly67, no. 3 (2014): 603-614.

22RESEARCH PROPOSAL
the extremist group or getting engaged in foreign war. The aims of the army personnels were to
protect the citizens of their country. The army personnels have made a firm commitment to
combat terrorism from Maldives38. They have promised to keep the citizens as well as the
visitors of the country safe and thus engage themselves in domestic security and border control.
The Maldivian army is also realizing the responsibility and trying to play a constructive role in
trying to keep the islanders safe and secured39.
38Ahram, Ariel I. "The role of state-sponsored militias in genocide." Terrorism and political violence 26, no. 3
(2014): 488-503
39Samatha, M. "Maldives Political Crisis: An Appraisal." (2016).

23RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendation
Thus, it is necessary to analyze the intelligence and information which are gathered by
the state bodies and reinforce the timeliness and efficiency of various types of counter measures.
Conclusion 1
Linking with objectives 1, it can be concluded that
 Thefuture terrorism, cybercrimes, cross border criminal activities and piracy are regarded
as the important challenge of the economy. As terrorism is a great concern for the people
of Maldives, great attention must be given to the various security apparatus which are
related to asymmetric threats. The unlawful threat and violence are intended to coerce
with the intimidate government or the society in the pursuit of different kinds of goals
which are politically, ideologically or religiously related to each other. These terrorist
depends on the public to create a strong base for support and this ideologies must be
thoroughly supported in order to understand the radicalization. The various operation
campaigns, Islamist terrorism and extremist groups are the growing concerns of the
country.
Conclusion 2
Linking with objective 2, it can be stated that
 Both the Muslims and the non-Muslims groups must try to fight against global terrorism. It is
necessary to pay more attention while receiving help from the foreign nationals when
countering terrorism in the country. Maldives must take a proactive role against this terrorism

24RESEARCH PROPOSAL
by employing various preventive measures such as de-radicalization and anti-radicalization
programs. The capability of the Maldives security forces to counter various terrorist attacks is
important to be taken care of. The weak military forces of Maldives is also an important
challenge which must be given due attention.
Conclusion 3
Linking with objective 3, it can be stated that
 Conducting various additional programmes in conjunction with other countries and
international bodies on violent terrorism and extremism must be taken care of and paid
due attention. The military forces are taking measures to address and understand the
social issues that are arising due to violent terrorism and extremism. A legislative
framework on national security is framed to take care of this issue.
Conclusion 4
Linking with objective 4, it has been found that
 The issues, which are related to terrorism and extremismts affecting the economy and the
people of Maldives on a large extent and thus it is also causing the international
community to help the people of Maldives easily. This will negatively affect the
Maldivians who are travelling abroad for education, business and other legitimate causes.
As global terrorism is an important issue for the people of 21st century, the country needs
to pull together and try to present a united front against the different types of terrorism
group. Maldives is fighting against this terrorism and thus it is creating damage to the

25RESEARCH PROPOSAL
economy and affecting the division and reality of international terrorism, which has zero
basis fact.
Recommendations
It is necessary for planning and conducting the various programs which are aimed at
safeguarding the travel industry and the tourist resorts. It is also important for planning and
conducting the security programs for airports, seaports and other major sectors of the
economy. It is important to conduct a baseline study on the various scales and severity of
terrorism and extremism in Maldives. It also requires strengthening and expanding the
activities which are conducted regionally, internationally, bilaterally to prevent terrorism and
extremism and also to ensure that Maldives takes a leading role. This is done further by
strengthening the measures so as to address the social and domestic issues which are caused
by violent extremist ideology. The mechanism which is related to information sharing and
gathering with the international community and facilitation of the timely remedial action. It is
also necessary to conduct and develop rehabilitation and de-radicalization programs. It is
necessary to enact and formulate the policies on national security programmes. It becomes
vital to assess the potential threats of national security which are posed by foreign nationals
who are trying to enter Maldives and taking various kinds of measures. The Government is
also trying to take care of the vital issues which are related to financing of terrorist activities
and thus assisting, financing and facilitating the issues who wants to travel abroad or
oversees to participate in the terrorist and conflict based activities. Therefore, it can be said
that threats from terrorism in Maldives should be addressed. It is also important to focus on
the actions taken by the military to control the situation and maintain peace and security
more efficiently.

26RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Future Scope
Since limited data is available on the various aspects of crimes in Maldives,
therefore a future researcher can take up further study to analyze the cause and take up
further research
Summing Up
The established alternative hypothesis is accepted and this is clear from the above-mentioned
point. Thus, it can be said that terrorism and extremism are affecting the people and the country
to a large extent and the government is taking adequate steps to control it. The military force
must take a proactive role against countering terrorism by employing various preventive
measures such as de-radicalization and anti-radicalization programs.
.

27RESEARCH PROPOSAL
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