The 1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt was an attempt by a group of Sri Lankans and Maldivians led by businessman Abdullah Luthufee and assisted by armed mercenaries of a Tamil secessionist organization from Sri Lanka, the People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), to overthrow the government of the Republic of Maldives. The attempt was thwarted with Indian assistance in Operation Cactus.[3][4][5]

Coup attempt

Whereas the 1980 and 1983 coup d'état attempts against Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's presidency were not considered serious, the third coup d'état attempt in November 1988 alarmed the international community.[6]

On 3rd November 1988, 100 to 200[7][8] PLOTE mercenaries arrived by sea in Malé, and attempted to capture the NSS headquarters, the radio and television center, and the presidential palace. They may also have captured the airport.[9][7]

President Gayoom went into hiding and requested for help from the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore for assistance.[7]

When he contacted the United States,he was told that it would take US forces 2–3 days to reach the Maldives from their nearest military base in Diego Garcia, 1,000 km away.[10] The president then contacted the United Kingdom, which advised them to seek assistance from India.[7][failed verification]

Following this, 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 by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi alongside Commanders of the Indian Armed Forces. Within 16 hours of the SOS, India was ready to commence their operation.[citation needed]

Operation Cactus

Rejaul Karim Laskar, a member of the then-ruling political party in India, Indian National Congress, 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 India's backyard would have been detrimental to India's national interest.[11] 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, escorted by six Mirage 2000s 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 November 1988 to Malé International Airport on Hulhule Island. The Indian Army paratroopers arrived on Hulhule in nine hours after the appeal from President Gayoom.[12][13]

The Indian paratroopers immediately secured the airfield, 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 named MV Progress Light. 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 following day, Indian Naval Air Arm Il-38s and Tu-142s found the ship sailing towars Sri Lanka. The Indian Navy frigates INS Godavari and INS Betwa, aided by their embarked Sea Kings along with the training vessel INS Tir intercepted the freighter off the Sri Lankan coast. When two hostages were killed by LTTE, the ships opened fire, with Godavari using her AA guns and Betwa her 4.5inch guns. A Breguet Alize flying from INS Garuda dropped two depth charges in a show of force prior to ship being boarded by MARCOS who captured the mercenaries. The swift intervention by the Indian military and accurate intelligence successfully quelled the attempted coup d'état in the island nation.[14][15][16][17]

Reaction

India received international praise for the operation. United States President Ronald Reagan expressed his appreciation for India's action, calling it "a valuable contribution to regional stability". British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher 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.[18]

Aftermath

In July 1989, India repatriated the mercenaries captured on board the hijacked freighter to Maldives to stand trial. Gayoom commuted the death sentences passed against them to life imprisonment under Indian pressure.[19]

The 1988 coup d'état had been headed by a once prominent Maldivian businessperson named Abdullah Luthufi, who was operating a farm in Sri Lanka. Former Maldivian President Ibrahim Nasir was accused, but denied any involvement in the coup d'état. In July 1990, Gayoom officially pardoned Nasir in absentia in recognition of his role in obtaining Maldives' independence.[14]

The operation also strengthened Indo-Maldivian relations as a result of the successful restoration of the Gayoom government.

List of Martyrs of the coup attempt

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.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Operation Cactus: How India helped Maldives thwart coup bid backed by Lankan militants". Indian Express. 7 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Where Paras Dare: The Untold Story of Operation Cactus". India Sentinels. 1 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Brigadier SC Joshi (December 2017). "Operation Cactus Maldives". Centre for Joint Warfare Studies Occasional Papers. 3. CENJOWS: Centre for Joint Warfare Studies.
  4. ↑ Sentinels, India. "Where Paras Dare: The untold story of Operation Cactus". www.indiasentinels.com. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  5. ↑ "Operation Cactus: How India helped Maldives thwart coup bid backed by Lankan militants". The Indian Express. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  6. ↑ Pandey, Hemant Kumar; Singh, Manish Raj (2017). India's Major Military & Rescue Operations. Horizon Books (A Division of Ignited Minds Edutech P Ltd). p. 180. ISBN 978-9386369390.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Maldives". Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies. Archived from the original on 2 October 2006.
  8. ↑ Sharma, Rishabh (12 January 2024). "Operation Cactus: When India deployed all three forces to protect Maldives". India Today. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "vnews - 1988 Maldives Coup D'état: The November 3rd Massacre". Vnews.mv. Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Foreign Mercenaries Fail in Coup Effort in Maldives, Flee as Indian Troops Arrive". Los Angeles Times. 4 November 1988. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  11. ↑ Laskar, Rejaul (September 2014). "Rajiv Gandhi's Diplomacy: Historic Significance and Contemporary Relevance". Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist. 2 (9): 47. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  12. ↑ Chordia, AK (n.d.). "Operation Cactus". Bharat-Rakshak.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  13. ↑ Kapoor, Subodh (2002). The Indian Encyclopaedia. Cosmo Publications. pp. 5310–11. ISBN 978-81-7755-257-7.
  14. 1 2 "Operation CACTUS : India's airlift into the Maldives". The Bharat Rakshak Blog. Archived from the original on 11 October 2010.
  15. ↑ I, Webmaster. "Bharat Rakshak :: Land Forces Site - Crocodiles of Wullar". bharat-rakshak.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  16. ↑ "Operation Cactus – Indian Army". Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  17. ↑ Gupta, Shekhar (9 February 2012). "How India averted Maldives coup in 1988". India Today. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  18. ↑ Brewster, David (18 April 2014). "Operation Cactus: India's 1988 intervention in the Maldives". Pragati. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "Madagascar Security Concerns". Photius. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2007.
  20. ↑ Alexander, Deepa (25 January 2018). "This R-Day, get ready for Discovery channel's 'Battle Ops'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Maldives_coup_attempt