Amid Maldives row, ‘don’t shoot’ appeal by cine workers’ body to filmmakers | Latest News India
The All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) has urged Indian filmmakers to not shoot any movies in the Maldives amid the ongoing row over anti-India remarks made by some Maldivian ministers. President of the Cine workers’ association body Suresh Shyamlal, in a video message, also appealed to the film industry to not go to the island country for their vacations and instead promote Indian islands. His request on Sunday comes a day the Maldives government asked India to withdraw Indian military personnel from its islands by March 15.
“The Maldives government has asked the Indian government to withdraw the Indian Army from their islands by March 15. Some days ago, some Maldives ministers used wrong words against our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After this, a trend of boycotting Maldives was started in India. As the president of the All India Cine Workers Association, I appeal to the Indian film industry to not shoot movies in the Maldives and no one should go to Maldives for their holidays,” Shyamlal said in the video.
He added, “Don’t put anything related to Maldives on your social media platforms…There are several islands in India, please promote them.”
“Whoever goes against the country, we will go against them. We can endure anything and everything but not something that goes against our country,” the AICWA president said.
A massive controversy erupted earlier this month after the deputy minister of Maldives, along with some other ministers, made racist remarks targeting India and mocked Modi’s attempt to promote Lakshadweep as a tourist destination. The comments triggered Indians on social media, with several people, including celebrities, joining the call to boycott the island nation.
As India strongly took up the issue with Male, the Maldivian government issued a statement distancing itself from the derogatory remarks made by the leaders and suspended three ministers – Mariyam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef, and Mahzoom Majid.
Meanwhile, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu on Sunday asked India to “withdraw all Indian military personnel” deployed in the Indian Ocean archipelago by March 15. This came even as senior officials of the two countries met in Male to discuss the issue.
Notably, there are around 70 Indian troops, along with Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft and two HAL Dhruv helicopters, stationed in the Maldives currently.
