Exiled Maldives leader Nasheed accuses China of 'land grab'

Colombo: Exiled Maldives opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed on Monday accused China of seizing land in the politically-troubled Indian Ocean archipelago and undermining its sovereignty. Nasheed said Chinese interests had leased at least 16 islets among the 1,192 scattered coral islands and were building ports and other infrastructure there. The 50-year-old former president said the increased Chinese presence could threaten the Muslim-majority nation of 340,000 and the wider Indian Ocean region. During a visit to Colombo, where his Maldivian Democratic Party activists are based, Nasheed called the Chinese action a"land grab."(AFP)