Maldives : Ex-First Lady Laila, children in Colombo

Perth, Australia (October 27, 2011) President

Mohamed Nasheed and First Lady Laila Ali met

with Maldivian families and students in Perth,

 Australia. Photo: President's Office

( February 09, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Former Maldivian First Lady Laila Ali and her two daughters have arrived in Sri Lanka this morning, Sri Lankan government sources confirmed.

The government sources further confirmed that the wife of former President Mohamed Nasheed, who resigned Tuesday following weeks of opposition-led protests and a police mutiny, are residing with close family friends of Nasheed.

Meanwhile, a senior Sri Lankan government minister, who spoke on grounds of anonymity, told media that Sri Lanka would not interfere in the current political crisis in Maldives because it is an internal matter.

“Sri Lankan government has always maintained a close and cordial relationship with the Maldives. We plan to maintain that relationship despite the changes in governance,” the minister said.

The minister, however, noted that the Sri Lankan government is monitoring the situation in Maldives. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa also called President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik soon after his appointment, he added.

Nasheed, the first democratically elected leader of Maldives, stepped down on Tuesday in the wake of a police mutiny and unrest on the streets after weeks of anti-government protests over the illegal military detention of the country’s chief criminal judge.

Nasheed and his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) described Tuesday’s incidents as a coup d'état – a claim denied by his successor Waheed and the security forces.

Meanwhile, the former president and thousands of his supporters took to the streets of capital Male yesterday in protest over the “unlawful” government but were teargased and beaten up by police and soldiers in riot gear.

Several police stations in the islands were set on fire and police officers were forced to abandon the stations.