A video shared on social media on Monday shows a Dornier aircraft flight with a two-year-old child in critical condition to Male' from the Gaaf Dhaal Thinadhoo regional hospital, the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) has said.
The flight was a medical evacuation, an MNDF media official told Adhadhu when asked about the photos and videos circulating on social media.
The Dornier aircraft flew from Hanimaadhoo to Kaadedhdhoo to Male' and has since returned to Hanimadhoo, he said.
"The flight this afternoon was to bring a child who was undergoing treatment at the Dr. Abdul Samad Memorial Hospital to Male' after the condition became serious," the military official said yesterday.
Social media posts alleged that the Dornier flew to Male' with soldiers said to be based in Hanimaadhoo. They were brought to be stationed in Hulhule' to mislead the public for the presidential election, it was alleged. But the MNDF denied the claims.
President's Office spokesman Miuvaan Mohamed also denied the allegations. He slammed the incitement of fear and hatred among the public through misleading media reports as contrary to journalistic principles.
The claims about the Dornier aircraft followed President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's defeat in the presidential election's first round on Saturday. The biggest challenge faced in the campaign was the failure to respond to lies spread by the opposition, Solih said after the vote, promising full disclosures and more effort to convince voters.
He was referring to claims made during the opposition's 'India Out' campaign such as the Maldives becoming an Indian state if Solih is re-elected. Such claims were repeated and spread enough for the public to believe them, he added.
"That was the biggest challenge in the first round. God willing, in this round we will disclose everything that we can to the public. [They will see] that those were lies and that we have not done anything that could cause the loss of the country's independence or part of territory," he told Raajje TV in a phone interview.
