Umar Naseer slams use of sonic weapon in densely populated Male’ neighborhood

Former Home Minister Umar Naseer has criticized the use Long-Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs) to disperse protestors during last weekend’s anti-government rally – saying that the sonic weapon should not have been used in such a densely populated neighborhood in Male’.

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s ‘Lootuvaifi’ anti-corruption rally kicked off with hundreds of protestors at 09:00 pm Friday from the Artificial Beach in the Henveiru district of Male’. But as the protestors attempted to march along the Majeedhee Magu, the police accused them of diverting from the pre-approved route and blocked their path. Clashes ensued as protestors attempted to force their way through, with the police using pepper spray and sound cannons to control the crowd. Eight protestors were taken into custody, while one suffered a heart attack after reportedly getting pepper-sprayed at close range.

The use of LRADs for crowd control has sparked public backlash, with protesters, people living in the neighborhood, as well as journalists covering the protest reporting ear pain, headaches, and dizziness.

It is now the subject of an investigation by the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM).

In an interview to Channel 13 on Monday night, Umar, known for his hardline stand on crime, said that the police should have weapons at their disposal, including sonic weapons.

He said that the police had LRADs in their arsenal for years, but neither the PPM administration nor the MDP administration had ever used it.

“This might be the first or second time for a sonic weapon to be used in the Maldives,” he said.

While Umar believes the police should have sonic weapons in their arsenal, he does not believe it should have been used in such a densely populated neighborhood.

He said that such devices are meant to be used in open areas.

No one would have taken issue if it were used in a location such as the bridge, the Raalhugandu area, or the Usfasgandu area, he said.

“The point is, where is a sonic weapon actually used? This is the question we need to ask,” he said.

“Now, no one would be talking about it if the weapon were used on the bridge. That is an open area. Sonic weapons are used across the world in open spaces. A sonic weapon cannot be used in a densely packed space such as Male’ with buildings all around.”

Umar said that using a sonic weapon in such a crowded city could result in serious health issues, especially for the elderly.

He said that while protestors can be presumed to be perfectly healthy, there will also be sickly people residing in a neighborhood where a protest is taking place.

Therefore, a sonic weapon must absolutely not be used in the middle of buildings, he said.

Following criticism over the use of a sonic weapon on protestors, Home Minister Ali Ihusan said that the police had been using LRADs for years. However, it’s previous use had been limited to communicating with protestors. The crackdown on Friday’s rally had marked the first time for police to use it not for communication, but for crowd control.