Trouble in Paradise Maldives
Indy producer: Paul Moorcraft; Cameraman: Irwin Armstrong
Maldives is often seen as a paradise for honeymooners, but it is also a dictatorship run by one man for 28 years. Now many Maldivians are trying to introduce democracy in the Islamic state.
BUILD UP
Monday morning...day one of a week of protests planned by the opposition...but already the police are clamping down...stopping a march to the Parliament in its tracks...silencing the opposition's calls to the President for change...
PROTESTOR SOT
"What did you do? I didn't do anything."
ARREST
The police tactics are very effective...picking off people they think might cause trouble...As groups gathered outside the headquarters of the opposition party, the MDP, the roads are blocked...all who've turned up to march are filmed...
WOMAN SOT
"all the parliament routes are blocked...the demo was supposed to be there to change the constitution...that's what the MDP wanted.
LEADERS
Then under the protection of peace monitors from the UK the opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed and his deputy try to leave for the Parliament building...
The police waded in...their orders were clear...as they pushed Nasheed down the street...the woman to his left, one of the party's senior activists, was dragged away...she's still in detention today on hunger strike...
OPPOSITION SOT 2624
"there was a lot of shoving and pepper spray but they are behaving rather well...perhaps it might have something to do with your camera...
By the end of the day it was clear the government had no intention of allowing the opposition to gather momentum...
GAYOOM ARCHIVE
President Maumoon Abdul Gayoon has been in power for 28 years...he's recently declared a commitment to democratic reform...his foreign minister says changes are already in motion.
FOREIGN MINISTER SOT 23/41/47
"things changed v fast...amnesty report 2 yrs old...momumental changes...no political parties...3 or 4 ...Very very active...
But the opposition is not convinced...they want immediate changes in the constitution to allow peaceful gatherings. Protests of more than three people are illegal here without prior permission.
HOUSE VID pix from Indy producer Matt Skene
This video shows a midnight raid on the home of a pro democracy activist...they dragged away his wife and two children for questioning...
STREETS VID
Such heavy handed tactics and stories of torture are common place here in Male...
EDITOR SOT 42:18 OPPOSITION LEADER ARRESTS
"I was in solitary confinement for 35 days...I didn't know when day turned to night and night turned to day.
AERIAL/HOLIDAY PIX
It's a far cry from the brochure pictures of this holiday paradise...from the honeymoon suites and scuba diving centres...a travel industry that accounts for a third of the islands' economy...improving the country's GDP and filling up the state's coffers
SLUMS
But most of the nation's 300,000 mostly Sunni Muslims who live in the island's crowded slum dwellings have seen non of the benefits...
DEMO
The next day...the second of their planned week of protest...the riot police are back in force...
LOUD HAILER UP SOT
Sweeping through the streets...moving everyone on...it leaves those people who believed change was about to happen, demoralised...
VOX POPS
1458 we want freedom...things we want right now...
They don't want people to demonstrate. They want to show the world that this country is peaceful.
DISPERSALS
The opposition today abandoned plans for a peaceful revolution...afraid it would end in bloodshed...but inspite of a promise to bring democracy to these islands, it's clear President Gayoom is far from ready to accept any protest against his regime...
WWW.ITN.CO.UK
Indy producer: Paul Moorcraft; Cameraman: Irwin Armstrong
Maldives is often seen as a paradise for honeymooners, but it is also a dictatorship run by one man for 28 years. Now many Maldivians are trying to introduce democracy in the Islamic state.
BUILD UP
Monday morning...day one of a week of protests planned by the opposition...but already the police are clamping down...stopping a march to the Parliament in its tracks...silencing the opposition's calls to the President for change...
PROTESTOR SOT
"What did you do? I didn't do anything."
ARREST
The police tactics are very effective...picking off people they think might cause trouble...As groups gathered outside the headquarters of the opposition party, the MDP, the roads are blocked...all who've turned up to march are filmed...
WOMAN SOT
"all the parliament routes are blocked...the demo was supposed to be there to change the constitution...that's what the MDP wanted.
LEADERS
Then under the protection of peace monitors from the UK the opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed and his deputy try to leave for the Parliament building...
The police waded in...their orders were clear...as they pushed Nasheed down the street...the woman to his left, one of the party's senior activists, was dragged away...she's still in detention today on hunger strike...
OPPOSITION SOT 2624
"there was a lot of shoving and pepper spray but they are behaving rather well...perhaps it might have something to do with your camera...
By the end of the day it was clear the government had no intention of allowing the opposition to gather momentum...
GAYOOM ARCHIVE
President Maumoon Abdul Gayoon has been in power for 28 years...he's recently declared a commitment to democratic reform...his foreign minister says changes are already in motion.
FOREIGN MINISTER SOT 23/41/47
"things changed v fast...amnesty report 2 yrs old...momumental changes...no political parties...3 or 4 ...Very very active...
But the opposition is not convinced...they want immediate changes in the constitution to allow peaceful gatherings. Protests of more than three people are illegal here without prior permission.
HOUSE VID pix from Indy producer Matt Skene
This video shows a midnight raid on the home of a pro democracy activist...they dragged away his wife and two children for questioning...
STREETS VID
Such heavy handed tactics and stories of torture are common place here in Male...
EDITOR SOT 42:18 OPPOSITION LEADER ARRESTS
"I was in solitary confinement for 35 days...I didn't know when day turned to night and night turned to day.
AERIAL/HOLIDAY PIX
It's a far cry from the brochure pictures of this holiday paradise...from the honeymoon suites and scuba diving centres...a travel industry that accounts for a third of the islands' economy...improving the country's GDP and filling up the state's coffers
SLUMS
But most of the nation's 300,000 mostly Sunni Muslims who live in the island's crowded slum dwellings have seen non of the benefits...
DEMO
The next day...the second of their planned week of protest...the riot police are back in force...
LOUD HAILER UP SOT
Sweeping through the streets...moving everyone on...it leaves those people who believed change was about to happen, demoralised...
VOX POPS
1458 we want freedom...things we want right now...
They don't want people to demonstrate. They want to show the world that this country is peaceful.
DISPERSALS
The opposition today abandoned plans for a peaceful revolution...afraid it would end in bloodshed...but inspite of a promise to bring democracy to these islands, it's clear President Gayoom is far from ready to accept any protest against his regime...
WWW.ITN.CO.UK