1988 Maldives coup attempt
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1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt | |||||||
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Part of Sri Lankan civil war | |||||||
Indian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 planes like this one were used in Cactus. (This image was taken at an unrelated location in Hawaii, United States decades after 1988.) | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
India Maldives |
People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam Maldivian rebels | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
R. Venkataraman Rajiv Gandhi Vice-Admiral S.V.V. Gopalachari Brigadier Farouk Bulsara Colonel Subhash Joshi Maumoon Abdul Gayoom |
Uma Maheswaran Wasanti † Abdullah Luthufi (POW) Sagaru Ahmed Nasir (POW) Ahmed Ismail Manik Sikka (POW) | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
500 Indian paratroopers Maldivian National Security Service | 80–100 gunmen | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
19 killed (8 NSS), 39 injured (18 NSS). 4 hostage killed, 3 hostage unaccounted for | Several mercenaries were killed and some were captured. 27 hostage taken, 20 were retrieved. 4 killed and the other 3 unknown. |
The 1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt was by a group of
Coup attempt
Whereas the 1980 and 1983 coup d'état attempts against
Operation Cactus
Rejaul Karim Laskar, a member of the then-ruling political party in India- Indian National Congress, stated that India's intervention in the attempted coup became necessary as in the absence of Indian intervention, external powers would have been tempted to intervene or even to establish bases in Maldives, which being in India's backyard would have been detrimental to India's national interest.[3] India, therefore, intervened with "Operation Cactus".
The operation started on the night of 3 November 1988, when
The Indian paratroopers immediately secured the
Reaction
India received international praise for the operation. United States President Ronald Reagan expressed his appreciation for India's action, calling it "a valuable contribution to regional stability". British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher reportedly commented, "Thank God for India: President Gayoom's government has been saved". But the intervention nevertheless caused some disquiet among India's neighbours in South Asia.[7]
Aftermath
In July 1989, India repatriated the mercenaries captured on board the hijacked freighter to Maldives to stand trial. President Gayoom commuted the death sentences passed against them to life imprisonment under Indian pressure.[8]
The 1988 coup d'état had been headed by a once prominent Maldivian businessperson named Abdullah Luthufi, who was operating a farm in Sri Lanka. Former Maldivian President Ibrahim Nasir was accused, but denied any involvement in the coup d'état. In fact, in July 1990, President Gayoom officially pardoned Nasir in absentia in recognition of his role in obtaining Maldives' independence.[6]
The operation also strengthened
Published accounts
Documentaries
Operation Cactus: How India Averted Maldives Crisis in 1988 (2018) is a
See also
- Parachute Regiment (India)
- Mohamed Zahir
- Moosa Ali Jaleel
- Indian Peace Keeping Force
- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
References
- ISBN 978-9386369390.)
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: CS1 maint: date and year (link - ^ Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies Archived 2 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Laskar, Rejaul (September 2014). "Rajiv Gandhi's Diplomacy: Historic Significance and Contemporary Relevance". Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist. 2 (9): 47. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- ^ Chordia, AK (n.d.). "Operation Cactus". Bharat-Rakshak.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
- ISBN 978-81-7755-257-7.
- ^ a b "Operation CACTUS : India's airlift into the Maldives". The Bharat Rakshak Blog. Archived from the original on 11 October 2010.
- ^ Brewster, David (18 April 2014). "Operation Cactus: India's 1988 intervention in the Maldives". Pragati. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
- ^ "Madagascar Security Concerns". Photius. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2007.
- ^ Alexander, Deepa (25 January 2018). "This R-Day, get ready for Discovery channel's 'Battle Ops'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.