Police say foreigners arrested from Baa Atoll Bodufinolhu after migrants working on the resort under construction rioted and held locals hostage would be remanded for 15 more days.
Police said the 19 foreigners were summoned to Baa Atoll Eydhafushi Magistrate court today and the court had ordered that the expatriates be remanded under custody for further 15 days.
Police said the court also decided to house the expatriates at a location designated by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Meanwhile, officials from Maldives Immigration, Economic Ministry, Labor Authority, and Public Interest Law Center PILC were seen on the island today.
Officials are interviewing the foreigners remaining on the island while PILC has said that it would be representing the migrant workers legally if the need arises.
Last Thursday around 200 expatriates working in the island rioted and held 13 locals working alongside them hostage for several hours. While one Maldivians swam his way to freedom after escaping his captors, Police officers from the neighboring Thulhadhoo approached the angry mob of workers but were attacked by the rioters with several officers injured in the scuffle.
Police also said that two of its top-ranked officers along with members of its Public Order Response Unit, Investigation Unit, and two officials from the Bangladeshi High Commission reached the island at dawn and rescued the 12 Maldivians held hostage on the site.
It was later revealed that the local construction who hired the migrant workers had failed to pay the workers 7 months worth of salary and cited the COVID-19 crisis along with payment delay from the developer.
