Why Are Sri Lankans Being Targeted at Maldivian Airports?
From Nadeesh Perera to Velana Airport Arrests, a Pattern That Can No Longer Be Ignored
The arrest and remand of two Sri Lankan nationals following an altercation at Velana International Airport is not an isolated law-and-order incident. It is the latest episode in a disturbing and well-documented pattern of disproportionate enforcement, intimidation, and alleged abuse of power by sections of the Maldivian police and immigration apparatus against Sri Lankan citizens.
When viewed in isolation, the arrest of Thilak Somachandra Madethalave Kankanamalage, 43, and Priyantha Silva Devanithige, 46, may be presented as a routine response to a “brawl.” When placed in historical and institutional context, however, it raises deeper questions about systemic bias, selective enforcement, and the persistence of corrupt practices within Maldivian immigration and policing structures.
The Velana Airport Incident: What We Know
According to Maldivian police statements, the incident was first reported at 12.15 am on the 9th of this month. The two Sri Lankan nationals were initially questioned and released with a warning. Days later, under a court order, they were rearrested, produced before court, and remanded for 15 days.
What changed between the warning and the remand is not entirely clear from official disclosures. What is clear is that airport altercations involving foreign nationals are not uncommon in the Maldives, particularly in the high-pressure environment of immigration clearance, deportation processing, and labour disputes. Yet Sri Lankans appear to face a notably harsher trajectory once entangled in such incidents.
This raises a legitimate question: why do minor disputes involving Sri Lankans escalate so rapidly into arrests, detention, and public criminalisation?
The Nadeesh Perera Case: A Defining Precedent
To understand the present, one must revisit the case of Nadeesh Perera, which remains one of the most serious and controversial examples of alleged abuse against a Sri Lankan national by Maldivian authorities.
Perera, who was married to a Maldivian woman and had a daughter, was reportedly assaulted by Maldivian police and immigration officers during an attempt to deport him. The case provoked outrage not only because of the alleged physical violence, but because it appeared to disregard fundamental principles of due process, family unity, and proportionality.
At the centre of that controversy was the then Director General of Immigration, Shamaan Waheed. Serious allegations were made that Waheed had abused his authority, targeting Perera despite his family ties and legal presence. These allegations did not emerge in a vacuum. Waheed was subsequently removed from his position amid an ongoing investigation into corruption allegations, lending retrospective credibility to concerns that immigration powers were being exercised arbitrarily and, at times, vindictively.
The Nadeesh Perera case should have been a turning point. It should have prompted institutional reform, accountability, and safeguards against recurrence. Instead, recent events suggest that the underlying culture enabling such abuses has not been fully dismantled.
Sri Lankans as a Vulnerable Migrant Community
Sri Lankans form one of the largest expatriate and migrant worker communities in the Maldives. They work across sectors, from hospitality and construction to education, healthcare, and small business. Their contribution to the Maldivian economy is substantial, yet their legal and social position remains precarious.
Unlike some other expatriate groups, Sri Lankans often lack strong diplomatic backing or political leverage. This vulnerability makes them easier targets for overzealous enforcement, intimidation, or extortion by corrupt officials. Airport settings, where power is asymmetrically concentrated in the hands of immigration and police officers, are particularly prone to such abuse.
The recurring nature of incidents involving Sri Lankans at Velana International Airport suggests not random misconduct, but structural failure.
Discretion Without Accountability
Immigration and airport policing operate largely on discretionary authority. Officers decide who is questioned, detained, deported, or allowed to proceed. When such discretion is exercised without effective oversight, it creates fertile ground for abuse.
In the Maldives, repeated allegations indicate that some officials use immigration controls not merely to enforce the law, but to assert power, settle personal scores, or extract compliance through intimidation. The sacking of a Director General under corruption investigation demonstrates that this is not speculative paranoia, but a documented institutional risk.
The troubling aspect is continuity. The removal of one individual has not translated into a clear shift in behaviour on the ground.
Criminalisation After the Fact
The Velana Airport case highlights another worrying trend: escalation after initial resolution. The two Sri Lankan nationals were reportedly released with a warning, implying that police at the time did not consider the incident grave enough to warrant detention. The subsequent arrest under court order raises questions about external influence, retrospective criminalisation, or selective pressure.
In systems where corruption exists, delayed arrests are often used as tools of leverage rather than justice. Without transparency, such actions inevitably invite suspicion.
Diplomatic Silence and Its Consequences
One reason this pattern persists is the absence of robust diplomatic intervention. Sri Lanka has historically maintained a cautious approach towards the Maldives, prioritising bilateral harmony over citizen protection. While diplomacy requires restraint, silence in the face of repeated abuse sends the wrong signal.
When foreign authorities believe that mistreatment of a particular nationality will not trigger diplomatic consequences, misconduct becomes normalised.
A Rule-of-Law Problem, Not a Bilateral One
This issue should not be framed as anti-Maldivian sentiment. The Maldives is not the problem. Corruption, lack of accountability, and discretionary power without oversight are the problem.
Many Maldivian citizens, civil society actors, and even honest officers are themselves victims of the same structural deficiencies. Addressing abuses against Sri Lankans would strengthen, not weaken, Maldivian institutions.
What Needs to Change
First, there must be transparent investigations into allegations of police and immigration misconduct, including past cases like that of Nadeesh Perera.
Second, airport policing and immigration enforcement must be subjected to independent oversight, particularly in cases involving foreign nationals.
Third, Sri Lanka must adopt a more assertive consular protection policy, ensuring that its citizens are not treated as expendable simply because they lack political weight.
Finally, the Maldives must recognise that its international reputation as a rule-of-law respecting tourism hub cannot coexist with recurring allegations of abuse at its primary international gateway.
The arrest of two Sri Lankan nationals following an airport altercation is not merely a news item. It is a symptom of a deeper institutional malaise that has been allowed to persist for too long.
From the beating of Nadeesh Perera to the latest remand orders, the pattern is uncomfortably consistent. Until corruption is confronted, discretion is constrained, and accountability is enforced, Sri Lankans will continue to experience Maldivian airports not as gateways, but as sites of fear and humiliation.
That is a reality neither country can afford to ignore.