President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced that a nationwide operation will begin on Sunday to identify and shut down unlicensed businesses, with a particular focus on those operated by expatriates. The initiative will also target undocumented expatriates for deportation.
Speaking to residents of Faafu Nilandhoo, the President said the operation is aimed at ensuring all economic activity in the Maldives is conducted in line with the law. He noted that while irregular migration has been a persistent issue for years, earlier administrations had taken few concrete steps to address it.
According to the President, recent efforts under ‘Operation Kurangi’ have collected biometric data on 178,982 expatriates, a large proportion of whom are undocumented. He added that more than 8,000 undocumented expatriates have been deported in recent months as part of ongoing enforcement measures.
The President also highlighted other challenges, naming drug abuse and gang-related crime as longstanding issues that his administration intends to tackle through transparent processes without interference in the judiciary. He referred to the recent enactment of the Prevention of Gang and Other Serious Offences Act and confirmed that amendments to the Drug Act are being drafted for submission to Parliament.
The announcement comes just weeks after the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology said it was preparing to launch a mass regularisation programme for undocumented expatriates. No details have yet been released by the Ministry or Maldives Immigration regarding how the new crackdown on unlicensed businesses will be implemented.
