People did come out in 2015. I guess you missed the news then. At that time too the army and police cracked down hard. I guess the new admin at South Block was still not ready to act then as they were trying chummy up with Yameen.
Only person who is missing something is you. The point you are missing is If people had come out, Yameen would have been toppled. I can not repeat myself again and again.
Going through all your post I can see you are trying to create a caricature that I am acquitting Yameen for all his faults when I am only trying to explain the power tussle that is happening in Maldives and why India should restrain.
Yameen is surviving with all its misuse of power because he has support of people army and police force. He is the go guy for India and India restored its relationship and invited him for bilateral for the same reasons. This is called realpolitik and it is full of Grey including Whites and blacks.
Also South block doesn't work on being run by new or old dispensation. The strategic outlook for Nasheed was not favourable then not favourable now. He is a hot Potato, I repeat.
Now, don't try to build a narrative unsupported by facts to keep a lane clear for the Govt in case it is proved that India is after all a chicken.
And you are privy to all the facts on why GOI is behaving in certain way.
Also you are calling me apologist of this government's inaction after previously accusing me on another thread as an outsider. Looks like you are bad judge of people and worldly affairs; ready to jump to conclusion.
I let you go because you are not aware of my consistent stand on various issue where I pledged India to militarily intervene. I debated 'For' interventions in Afghanistan, Burma North Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal when this forum used to be visited by actual analysts and watchers.
The Yameen guy that received about 24% of the votes in first round of the election, suddenly received 54% vote in 2nd round, when Nasheed was reduced to 36% from 45%. The 2nd round was declared invalid by the Supreme court of Maldives in 2013 itself.
And what is your 'Panchayaat" in all this ? It is their internal matter.
As for being popular. A popular president who enjoys the support of the only Armed groups of men in a tiny island doesn't have anything to fear from the opposition. He would not have any problem in releasing the opposition leaders. Instead he shut down the parliament and arrested the judges. Does it look like a move a democratic popular leader would make or does it look like a move of a man who knows that he would be ousted in the next round of election if he lets it happen in even a relative fair
So you are saying he is all powerful to rig everything to his favour. Do you even read your own analysis?
This suggests he has support of the whole establishment and people are not ready to ditch him. You expect India to forcefully intervene and start a war in Maldives.
How tough is it to rig an election where, again, the only Armed group of men are from your camp? The supreme court of Male had already once called the very election that saw Yameen become the President to be invali
ness?
Rigging election is not an adequate abrasion that warrants military intervention by India.
You are again twisting history. The LTTE was already in war with IPKF by the time Op Cactus underwent. If you have not forgotten, it was LTTE that betrayed India, not the other way around. LTTE might have been Hindu group, but they were not pro India. There would not have been any national interests to be served by having a hostile mercenary group helping change a regime under one's nose if that could be prevented. Btw, the Hindu LTTE was to help in the coup to change the regime. The regime would have remained under a Muslim president or general or whatever whoever took over the power. 98% Muslim population doesn't I give any other alternative. The PLOTE, that had originated from LTTE, was acting as mercenary group merely. It was already in conflict with both LTTE as well as India.
I only commented on paradoxes Indians are afflicted with. The twisting is done by you to make it paper on history.
PLOTE and LTTE were at loggerhead and violently clashing with each other.
Rajiv Gandhi was an asshole who brought humiliation to India and Indian forces and allowed Sri Lanka to backstab us. His wife's government made sure every Tamil Hindu is killed by Sinhalese.
What would have been the fate Male and Sri Lanka if POLTE ad LTTE had acquired the power respectively vis a vis our influence and relationship with them is anyone's wild imagination. So do not run deep into imagination that Male would have remained same as many Indian posters accuse it being a Jihadi paradise today. Even being a Muslim Majority but under dictatorship of Tamil Hindu leadership or even at continuous civil strive its population had remained subdued unlike today who calls India and Modi a Hindu extremist.
Now, as for saving Tamil Hindus in the Tamil - Sinhalese war of Sri Lanka. What could India have done since the Tamil side had not only rejected Indian intervention decades back, but was led by a man who took credit for killing an ex-PM of India and had already once betrayed India killing thousands of IPKF soldiers? And don't forget, it all happened during the numbspined MMS era. India had burnt it's bridges to Sri Lanka long ago as did Tamils under LTTE.
Such a shame that you are giving lame excuses and have no grudges for genocide committed by Sinhalese of Tamil Hindus.
AND You were accusing me a couple of paragraphs back as apologist of the government.
You are all gun blazing to Militarily to support .................................?? some imaginary entity in Maldives but sees no rational to help support Tamil hindus who were spilling their blood for their rights.
Now, as for showing alacrity for Op Cactus. It was a very good move to show the muscle and get the recognition. Had India failed to rise up to the occasion, after the already poor show of IPKF muddle in Sri Lanka, India could hardly have called any shots in future in IOR.
Yea to save a muslim President running a muslim majority nation ?
When operation Cactus was done it was to neutralize 90 PLOTE men plus 90 more who were already inside Maldives. It was desperate call from an elected president that India responded. The situation today is not even close to what happened then where state machinery helped us provide intel and people's support.
Since we did that operation in 1988 our intent to use our capabilities was shown.
Now our capabilities have increased manifolds and every power that is finding an expression in this current situation and IOR knows it. There is no need to prove something that has been already proved, especially when things can be done better diplomatically.
What is transpiring behind the diplomatic channels is not known to us but one visible fact that he is all powerful and enjoys the support of people is one hell of a factor that can not be missed.
Who wants Chinese tourists anywhere? 
