Nasheed to take political fight to parliament

Ousted Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed on Tuesday vowed to take his fight with the new regime to the country's parliament and even threatened to launch a civil disobedience movement.

Speaking to reporters at his house, Nasheed said he will take the fight to the parliament, which is scheduled to start its session on February 23.

He also said a civil disobedience movement could be started but stressed that it would be last resort.

Meanwhile, in a major show of strength, his Maldivian Democratic Party hosted a rally at the artificial beach area in Male on Monday night. MDP, Maldives Police Service along with Nasheed addressed the crowd. The protest rally was attended by around 5,000 supporters holding placards and banners against the police and the current regime headed by President Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

Though initially, the crowd numbered only about 1,000 the strength grew as time passed.

All together Male has an approximate population of 120,000 including 22,000 Indians besides other foreigners.

The MDP had set up giant screens relaying pictures and videos of police crackdown. The rally was organised a day after MDP supporters laid siege to the street outside People's Majlis. The protests were held outside the Majlis against the current regime for violence against their MDP member of parliament.

Maldives' first democratically-elected president had said that he was forced to resign last Tuesday as gun-wielding military men threatened that they would resort to using arms if he did not.

The MDP has planned a large rally on February 17, the day when a Commonwealth ministerial mission is scheduled to arrive to "ascertain the facts surrounding the transfer of power."