Maldivian riot police hold the line amid a cloud of teargas fired onto demonstrators in Male yesterday

Supporters of the ousted former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, clashed with police yesterday as they attempted to block the opening of parliament.
Riot police used teargas to disperse hundreds of protesters in the capital of Male, while lawmakers belonging to Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) shouted slogans inside the parliament chamber.
At least four security force personnel were injured and 18 MDP supporters were arrested, police said.
“Police used force as demonstrators were throwing stones, broken pieces of glass and were also damaging private and public property,” police spokesman Ahmed Shiyam told AFP.
Nasheed, the nation’s first elected president, says he was forced out of power by Mohamed Waheed in a military-led coup on February 7.
Waheed, the new president, was also prevented from opening parliament earlier this month by disturbances outside the assembly in the Indian Ocean nation, which is better known as a high-end holiday destination.
The Speaker Abdulla Shahid suspended proceedings after ordering the two MDP lawmakers to be evicted from the house.
Nasheed has been pushing for early elections, originally scheduled for October 2013, but Waheed’s government has yet to name a date. An early poll requires an amendment to the
constitution.
“This is the time for all of us to work together in one spirit, the time to bring political differences to the discussion table in order to formulate solutions,” Waheed told parliament.
He said riots in the capital of Male and the southern city of Addu cost the island nation 180mn rufiyaas ($11.8mn).
A fire was noticed at an auction store house in the southern part of the capital male, which is a VVIP area. The flames were close to the Male’s main powerhouse.
Commonwealth Secretary General’s special envoy Sir Donald Mckinnon met with leaders of the country to pave the way for a peaceful opening of the parliament. He met Waheed and former presidents Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, and Nasheed.
Last week, the 54-member Commonwealth voiced “disappointment and deep concern” over the failure of Maldivian parties to reach a political settlement that would pave the way for fresh polls.
Waheed, who served as vice-president under Nasheed, yesterday took to microblogging site Twitter to express his frustration, calling his former boss’s behaviour “anarchic”.
“(Nasheed) must take responsibility for the chaos as he is directing the chaos,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, the Inter Parliamentary Union Delegation which arrived in Male on Saturday also made efforts to let parliament to do business without any
hindrance. AFP