Nasheed may attempt to stay in Sri Lanka or India

Former Maldives President?Mohamed Nasheed says he may look at the option of staying in Sri Lanka or India before returning to the Maldives.

The AFP news agency quoted Nasheed as saying he had not yet decided whether to return to the Maldives.?He was speaking at a press conference Monday in London where he has travelled for medical treatment.

Flanked by his legal team including Amal Clooney, Nasheed said he would need to consult on his next move, quoting British punk band The Clash to explain his position.

“The regime would have a tendency to call me chicken (if I stayed away),” he said, impressively cheery for a man with such an uncertain future.?It is very important that we have a democratic Maldives and a stable country, that also brings stability to the Indian Ocean. Therefore it is important that I do whatever I can to see that we go back to democratic principles.?Would that be served best if I am inside or would that best be served if I am say, for instance, in Sri Lanka, or in India.?It?s a tough question. The Clash has answered it more eloquently, ‘Should I stay or should I go?” Huffington Post quoted Nasheed as saying.

Nasheed, 48, arrived in London on Thursday after being granted 30 days of leave from the Maldives for spinal cord surgery in a deal brokered by Sri Lanka, India and former colonial power Britain.

He and his lawyers visited 10 Downing Street on Saturday, where Prime Minister David Cameron pledged support, the AFP news agency reported.

Nasheed became the first democratically-elected president of the Maldives in 2008 and served for four years before he was toppled in what he called a coup backed by the military and police.

Last year, he was sentenced to 13 years in jail on terrorism charges.

Clooney, who is married to Hollywood film star George Clooney, argued for “urgent” targeted sanctions against figures in the Maldives government allegedly responsible for human rights abuses, including asset freezes in the European Union and US and travel bans. (Colombo Gazette)