The Baarah Council has appealed to the public not to board unknown vessels entering Maldivian territorial waters, and to report any such sightings to the relevant authorities.
In an announcement published yesterday, the council stated that recently, Maldivian fishing vessels have been boarding and detaining unknown foreign vessels entering Maldivian waters. Furthermore, the Ministry of Cities, Local Government and Public Works has informed that the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has noted that dangerous criminals are sometimes present on such unknown vessels.
The council stated that if such vessels are spotted in Maldivian territorial waters, instead of boarding them, the Atoll Council has instructed to immediately share the information with the Coast Guard (phone number 3395981) or the Coast Guard hotline 191, or relevant government authorities. Therefore, the Baarah Council requested fishermen and travelers to be attentive to this matter.
