🇧🇩 Monitoring India's Strategic Games in South Asia

[Saif]

Indian navy to open strategic base near Maldives​

Agence France-Presse . New Delhi, India | Published: 13:31, Mar 03,2024 | Updated: 22:20, Mar 03,2024


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The national flag of India.

India’s navy has said that it is bolstering forces on ‘strategically important’ islands close to the Maldives, with a new base set to open just days before Male starts sending home Indian forces.

Relations between India and the Maldives have soured since pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu won elections last year after promising to expel Indian forces.

India is suspicious of China’s growing presence in the archipelago nation, which straddles key east-west international shipping routes, and the new base will extend New Delhi’s ‘operational surveillance’ of the area, the navy said in a statement late Saturday.

Muizzu has asked India to withdraw 89 security personnel based in the Maldives to operate reconnaissance aircraft, with the first batch due to leave by March 10 and all to depart within two months.

The new base, opening March 6 on India’s Lakshadweep islands, will turn an existing small detachment into an ‘independent naval unit’, according to the navy’s statement.

India’s Lakshadweep islands lie about 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of the Maldives, with the new naval base on the island of Minicoy situated at their closest point.

India’s navy already has a base on the Lakshadweep island of Kavaratti, but the new base will be about 258 kilometres (160 miles) closer to the Maldives.

‘Minicoy is the southernmost island of Lakshadweep which straddles the vital sea lines of communications,’ the navy said.

It said the base will boost anti-piracy and anti-narcotic operations, and was part of a policy to ‘incrementally augment security infrastructure at the strategically important’ islands.​

 

[Bilal9]

India's incumbent administration and leadership are picking rivalries with nations the size of the Maldives because they cannot "handle" these relationships.

It is both sad and tragicomic to see a nation the size of India (one of the world's largest economies) being led by "small time" immature dehati moves of a leadership with a defiant yet immature foreign policy wholly undeserved by its citizens.

Not one of India's neighbors are in friendly terms with it nowadays - a sad and telling statement of the times which speaks volumes about the failure of its foreign policy.

 

[Saif]

India views itself as a net security provider of Maldives but the current Maldivian govt. sees India as an intruder. You are correct in your observation that the Indian govt. is unable to handle a country as small as Maldives because of its foreign policy ineptitude. We have to keep an eye on Maldives to understand the strategic moves by India and China to gain a foothold in this tiny South Asian country.

 

[Saif]

India opens new naval base near Maldives

Breaking News, International News & Multimedia

thedailynewnation.com

India opens new naval base near Maldives​

9 Mar 2024, 12:00 am0

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File photo: Sailors stand next to Anti-Submarine Indigenous Rocket Launchers of the INS IMPHAL, at the Naval Dockyard, in Mumbai, India on December 22, 2023.

India on Wednesday opened a new naval base on its Indian Ocean island close to the Maldives, as ties with Male remain tense and New Delhi jostles anew with China for influence in the region.

INS Jatayu, the new base on Minicoy Island, on India’s Lakshadweep archipelago, had been under construction for years, and is India’s most distant base on its western coast. The navy has had a small presence on the island for decades.

The opening comes just as the Maldives pushes India to start withdrawing its nearly 80 troops who have been stationed there to provide technical and medical assistance on three aircraft given to its southern neighbour nation by New Delhi earlier.

The Maldives, which have traditionally had close ties to India, is pivoting towards Beijing since new President Mohamed Muizzu was elected in October on a promise to end the country’s pro-India stance.

India’s new base on Minicoy is around 125km from the Maldives. The region is important to New Delhi for securing the passage of maritime traffic through the Indian Ocean, and the new base will help in its surveillance efforts in the region.

The Indian Navy said in a statement on Wednesday that the base will strengthen its “foothold in the Lakshadweep island while extending capacity building, operational reach and sustenance in the region.”

The navy also commissioned a new squadron of American MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopters in Kochi, also on India’s western coast. The squadron, it said, will “augment our maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.”​

 

[Saif]

Finally, India is withdrawing its military personnel stationed in Maldives.

 

[Saif]

India’s troops begin Maldives pullout after quit order

India has begun withdrawing military personnel operating surveillance aircraft in the Maldives after the new pro-China president ordered them to leave, defence authorities said on...

www.newagebd.net

India’s troops begin Maldives pullout after quit order
Agence France-Presse . Malé, Maldives | Published: 17:36, Mar 12,2024 | Updated: 00:18, Mar 13,2024



India has begun withdrawing military personnel operating surveillance aircraft in the Maldives after the new pro-China president ordered them to leave, defence authorities said on Tuesday.

An official of the Maldives National Defence Force said that 25 Indian troops deployed in the southernmost atoll of Addu had left the archipelago ahead of March 10, the official start of the withdrawal agreed by both sides.


‘We can confirm that the Indian troop withdrawal is underway,’ the MNDF said in a statement to AFP.

President Mohamed Muizzu came to power in September on a pledge to kick out Indian security personnel deployed in the Maldives to patrol its vast maritime border.

The two sides had agreed to complete a withdrawal of 89 Indian troops and their support staff in the Maldives by May 10.

Local officials said the three Indian aircraft -- two helicopters and one fixed-wing plane -- will be operated by Indian civilian staff, who have already arrived.

Last week, the Maldives signed a ‘military assistance’ deal with China as the Indians prepared to leave.

The Maldivian defence ministry said the deal was to foster ‘stronger bilateral ties’ and that China would train its staff under the pact.

‘We support the Maldives in safeguarding its territorial sovereignty,’ China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters in Beijing on Tuesday.

‘We also support the Maldives in developing friendly exchanges and cooperation with all parties on the basis of its independence and autonomy.’

India is suspicious of China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean and its influence in the Maldives as well as in neighbouring Sri Lanka.

The archipelago, better known for its white sand beaches and where tourism accounts for nearly a third of its economy, is also strategically placed halfway along key east-west international shipping routes.

Relations between Male and New Delhi have chilled since Muizzu took office.

New Delhi considers the Indian Ocean archipelago to be within its sphere of influence, but the Maldives has shifted into the orbit of China -- its largest external creditor.

Muizzu, who visited Beijing in January where he signed a raft of infrastructure, energy, marine and agricultural deals, has previously denied seeking to redraw the regional balance by bringing in Chinese forces to replace Indian troops.

The Maldives is set to hold parliamentary elections on April 21, the first national poll after Muizzu won the September presidential election on a promise to get rid of the Indians.


India last month said it was bolstering its naval forces on its ‘strategically important’ Lakshadweep islands, about 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of the Maldives.

The Indian naval unit based on the island of Minicoy will boost ‘operational surveillance’ of the area, the navy said.​

 

[Amata]

India views itself as a net security provider of Maldives but the current Maldivian govt. sees India as an intruder. You are correct in your observation that the Indian govt. is unable to handle a country as small as Maldives because of its foreign policy ineptitude. We have to keep an eye on Maldives to understand the strategic moves by India and China to gain a foothold in this tiny South Asian country.

Perceptions of India's role in Maldives vary between the governments and may reflect broader geopolitical tensions. Monitoring developments in Maldives is crucial to grasp regional power dynamics between India and China.nrega job card list

 

[Deleted due to Error (Muji Iqbal)]

Good thing Buddhist Sri Lanka is siding with China over India.

The Sri Lankans I heard do not like India.

 

[Old School]

Perceptions of India's role in Maldives vary between the governments and may reflect broader geopolitical tensions. Monitoring developments in Maldives is crucial to grasp regional power dynamics between India and China.nrega job card list

Right. It has more to do with the broader geopolitical spectrum involving China and other actors. India also wants to ensure the security of the strategic Malabar coast.

 

[Saif]

Perceptions of India's role in Maldives vary between the governments and may reflect broader geopolitical tensions. Monitoring developments in Maldives is crucial to grasp regional power dynamics between India and China.nrega job card list

It is my understanding that China has to enter into a long term strategic agreement with Maldives to thwart any Indian move to gain a foothold in the tiny South Asian Muslim country. An increased amount of naval cooperation between China and Maldives is expected as a China friendly govt. is in place in Maldives.

 

[Deleted due to Error (Muji Iqbal)]

It is my understanding that China has to enter into a long term strategic agreement with Maldives to thwart any Indian move to gain a foothold in the tiny South Asian Muslim country. An increased amount of naval cooperation between China and Maldives is expected as a China friendly govt. is in place in Maldives.

I heard the Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Nepalese do not like India. Or at least India dominating South Asia.

Only Bhutan appears to have good relations with India, lol.

 

[Saif]

I heard the Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Nepalese do not like India. Or at least India dominating South Asia.

Only Bhutan appears to have good relations with India, lol.

Even Bhutan is cozying up to China now a days.

 

[Deleted due to Error (Muji Iqbal)]

Even Bhutan is cozying up to China now a days.

Lets hope so. China is way ahead than India in many ways.

 

[Bilal9]

Lets hope so. China is way ahead than India in many ways.

Bangladeshis themselves do not have hate for Indians as a population group, which would be illogical.

However I believe the resentment mainly lies in :

a) Perceived Indian govt. interference in Bangladesh political matters as well as
b) The (not-perceived but rather real) extreme trade deficit, caused again - by Indian Customs unilateral imposition of non-tariff barriers on Bangladesh exports to India. The deficit right now is about $45 Billion of Indian exports to Bangladesh vs. $2 Billion of Bangladesh exports to India per year.
c) Border killing issues (shoot to kill orders by BSF).
d) Water-sharing issues for numerous rivers like the Padma and Teesta.

And a myriad other sundry smaller issues.

 

[Old School]

Bangladeshis themselves do not have hate for Indians as a population group, which would be illogical.

However I believe the resentment mainly lies in :

a) Perceived Indian govt. interference in Bangladesh political matters as well as
b) The (not-perceived but rather real) extreme trade deficit, caused again - by Indian Customs unilateral imposition of non-tariff barriers on Bangladesh exports to India. The deficit right now is about $45 Billion of Indian exports to Bangladesh vs. $2 Billion of Bangladesh exports to India per year.
c) Border killing issues (shoot to kill orders by BSF).
d) Water-sharing issues for numerous rivers like the Padma and Teesta.

And a myriad other sundry smaller issues.

One fact many people do not know is that despite political issues, there is a high degree of mutual respect between Pakistani and Indian military officers in general, with few exceptions. It has always been that way since 1947.

 

[Saif]

India completes Maldives troop withdrawal

India pulled out its last remaining soldiers stationed in the Maldives on Friday, meeting a deadline for their withdrawal that had strained ties between...

www.newagebd.net

India completes Maldives troop withdrawal
Agence France-Presse . Male 11 May, 2024, 01:11

India pulled out its last remaining soldiers stationed in the Maldives on Friday, meeting a deadline for their withdrawal that had strained ties between the two neighbours.

Pro-China president Mohamed Muizzu won office last year while campaigning on a promise to downgrade ties with India, and has since reoriented the strategically placed archipelago nation towards Beijing.

After coming to power, he demanded the withdrawal of Indian soldiers who had been stationed in the upscale beach holiday destination to assist with maritime patrols.

The third and final batch of 27 Indian troops left the archipelago on Friday, the official said, declining to be named as they were not authorised to speak to media.

Another 51 soldiers had left the atoll nation by Tuesday, according to Indian and Maldivian officials.

The foreign ministry official added that there was no public ceremony held to mark the end of the Indian military deployment.

The Indian troops were operating three reconnaissance aircraft that New Delhi had gifted the Maldives to patrol its vast maritime boundary.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday that the departing soldiers had been replaced by civilian 'technical personnel'.

The dispute over the garrison, and the Maldives' overtures to Beijing, have been viewed with consternation in New Delhi.

But both South Asian nations struck a conciliatory note in a meeting between their foreign ministers in the Indian capital a day before the withdrawal deadline.

Maldivian envoy Moosa Zameer said his trip to Delhi marked a 'new initiative of collaboration, symbolising enduring friendship and shared goals'.

His Indian counterpart S Jaishankar said both countries had a common interest in reaching 'an understanding on how best we take our relationship forward.'

The Maldives is a small nation of 1,192 tiny coral islets scattered 800 kilometres across the equator, but it strategically straddles key east-west international shipping routes.

India is suspicious of China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean and its influence in the Maldives as well as in neighbouring Sri Lanka.

Muizzu's government has entered several agreements with Beijing to boost bilateral relations and economic ties, sidelining India, which considers the tiny nation to be within its sphere of influence.

The Maldives signed a military assistance pact with China in March as the Indian garrison began leaving.

Its defence ministry said the deal was to foster 'stronger bilateral ties' and that China would train its staff under the pact.​