The official websites of the Maldivian president’s office, the foreign ministry and the tourism ministry were restored in the early hours of Sunday (Jan 7) after being down since last night in a suspected cyberattack.
The president’s office had taken to its social media handles to report the unexpected disruption to the official websites. It informed that the National Centre for Information Technology and other relevant entities were actively working to resolve the issue.
“Please note that the President’s Office website is currently facing an unexpected technical disruption. The National Centre for Information Technology (NCIT) and other relevant entities are actively working on resolving this promptly. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for your understanding and patience.”
Notably, the crashing of the government websites came hours after some Maldivian officials targeted India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ever since the Indian PM visited Lakshadweep – an archipelago consisting of 36 islands located in the Arabian Sea, there has been an online discourse about whether the picturesque region could be the next Maldives. The term was ‘googled’ by over 50,000 users on the second day of PM Modi’s Jan 2-3 visit to the territory.
However, the discourse did not go down well with certain Maldivian government officials as well as social media users who started foul-mouthing PM Modi as well as India.
Mariyam Shiuna, the deputy minister of youth empowerment, information and arts referred to PM Modi as a ‘clown’ and a ‘puppet of Israel’ after he posted images from his visit to the archipelago.
“What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr Narendra diver with a life jacket #VisitMaldives,” Shiuna posted on X.
Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) also targeted India by posting: “The move is great. However, the idea of competing with us is delusional. How can they provide the service we offer? How can they be so clean? The permanent smell in the rooms will be the biggest downfall.”
Maldives relies on heavily on Indian tourists to keep its industry buoyant, According to data, at the end of December 2023, as many as 209,198 Indian tourists arrived in Maldives for recreational purposes, making it the biggest demography to visit the island nation.
(With inputs from agencies)
