The 1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt was by a group of Sri Lankans and Maldivians led by businessman Abdullah Luthufee and assisted by armed mercenaries of a

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

secessionist organization from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, the People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), to overthrow the government in the island republic of

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

. The attempt was thwarted with Indian assistance in Operation Cactus.

Coup attempt

Whereas the 1980 and 1983 coup d'état attempts against

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ( ; born Abdulla Maumoon Khairi; 29 December 1937) is a Maldivian politician, statesman, diplomat and scholar who served as the 3rd president of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008. He previously served as the Minister of Tra ...

's presidency were not considered serious, the third coup d'état attempt in November 1988 alarmed the international community. About 80 armed PLOTE mercenaries landed in the capital

Malé Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 211,908 in 2022 within its administrative area and coterminous geographical area of , Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city i ...

before dawn aboard speedboats from a hijacked Sri Lankan freighter. Disguised as visitors, a similar number had already infiltrated Malé earlier. The mercenaries quickly gained control of the capital, including the major government buildings, airport, port, television and radio stations. The mercenaries then marched towards the

Presidential Palace A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...

where President Gayoom was residing with his family. But before they reached the Presidential Palace, President Gayoom was escorted by Maldivian National Security Advisor to the Defense Minister's home. The Defense Minister then escorted the President to a safe house. Meanwhile, the mercenaries had seized the Presidential Palace and managed to take the Maldivian Education Minister as hostage. President Gayoom requested military intervention from

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, but both denied any help, citing a lack of military capabilities. The president then requested

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

's intervention, but Singapore declined, citing the same reasons. After that, he contacted the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, but was told that it would take US forces 2–3 days to reach the Maldives from their nearest military base in

Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago. It has been used as a joint UK–U.S. military base since the 1970s, following the expulsion of the Chagossians by the UK government. The Chagos Islands are set to become a former B ...

, 1000 km away. The president then contacted the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, which advised them to seek assistance from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Following this, President Gayoom contacted the Indian government for assistance. India swiftly accepted their request and an emergency meeting was arranged at the Secretariat Building in New Delhi. Within 16 hours of the

SOS SOS is a Morse code distress signal (), used internationally, originally established for maritime use. In formal notation SOS is written with an overscore line (), to indicate that the Morse code equivalents for the individual letters of "SOS" a ...

, India was ready to commence their operation.

Operation Cactus

Rejaul Karim Laskar Rejaul Karim Laskar is an Indian politician and scholar of India's foreign policy. He is a former Congress ideologue and has written extensively on the policies of the United Progressive Alliance governments. He is also an eminent scholar of In ...

, a member of the then-ruling political party in India-

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

, stated that India's intervention in the attempted coup became necessary as in the absence of Indian intervention, external powers would have been tempted to intervene or even to establish bases in Maldives, which being in

's backyard would have been detrimental to India's

national interest The national interest is a sovereign state's goals and ambitions – be they economic, military, cultural, or otherwise – taken to be the aim of its government. Etymology The Italian phrase ''ragione degli stati'' was first used by Giovanni de ...

. India, therefore, intervened with "Operation Cactus". The operation started on the night of 3 November 1988. Two Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft of the Indian Air Force airlifted the Strike Force of the 50th Independent Parachute Brigade(India), commanded by Brigadier Farukh Bulsara and comprising the 6th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (India), A Company of 3 Para Battalion, 51 Battery of 17 Para Field Regiment, Field Platoon of 411Para Sappers, Airborne ADS of 60 Para Field Ambulance and the Signalers of 50(I) Para Brigade Signal Company in the First wave from Agra Air Force Station and flew them non-stop over 3707 kilometers to land them over the Malé International Airport on Hulhule Island and 7 Para Battalion in the Second wave of 50(I)Parchute Brigade on 4 Nov 1988 to Malé International Airport on Hulhule Island. The Indian Army paratroopers arrived on Hulhule in nine hours after the appeal from President Gayoom. The Indian paratroopers immediately secured the

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

, crossed over to Malé using commandeered boats and rescued President Gayoom. The paratroopers restored control of the capital to President Gayoom's government within hours. Some of the mercenaries fled toward Sri Lanka in a hijacked freighter. Those unable to reach the ship in time were quickly rounded up and handed over to the Maldives government. Nineteen people reportedly died in the fighting, most of them mercenaries. The dead included two hostages killed by the mercenaries. The

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

frigates ''

Godavari The Godavari (, �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga River and drains the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharash ...

'' and ''

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'' intercepted the freighter off the Sri Lankan coast, and captured the mercenaries. The swift intervention by the Indian military and accurate intelligence successfully quelled the attempted coup d'état in the island nation.

Reaction

India received international praise for the operation. United States President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

expressed his appreciation for India's action, calling it "a valuable contribution to regional stability". British Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

reportedly commented, "Thank God for India: President Gayoom's government has been saved". But the intervention nevertheless caused some disquiet among India's neighbors in South Asia.

Aftermath

In July 1989, India repatriated the mercenaries captured on board the hijacked freighter to

to stand trial. President Gayoom commuted the death sentences passed against them to life imprisonment under Indian pressure. The 1988 coup d'état had been headed by a once prominent Maldivian businessperson named Abdullah Luthufi, who was operating a farm in

. Former Maldivian President

Ibrahim Nasir Ibrahim Nasir Rannabandeyri Kilegefan (; ; 2 September 1926 – 22 November 2008), , commonly known as Ibrahim Nasir, was a Maldivians, Maldivian politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Maldives from 1957 to 1968 under the monarchy, a ...

was accused, but denied any involvement in the coup d'état. In fact, in July 1990, President Gayoom officially pardoned Nasir in absentia in recognition of his role in obtaining

' independence. The operation also strengthened Indo-Maldivian relations as a result of the successful restoration of the Gayoom government. Martyrs of the 1988 Maldives coup attempt list

Martyrs of the 1988 Maldives coup attempt list

Published accounts

Documentaries

''Operation Cactus: How India Averted Maldives Crisis in 1988'' (2018) is a TV documentary which premiered on Veer by Discovery Channel series, Battle Ops.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1988 Maldives Coup D'etat Conflicts in 1988 Maldives coup d'état, 1988 Maldives coup d'état, 1988

Maldives Coup, 1988 Attempted coups d'état in Asia Wars involving the Maldives India–Maldives relations Maldives coup d'état, 1988 Maldives coup d'état, 1988 November 1988 in Asia Terrorist incidents in the Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom