Japan grants ¥500 mil to Maldives for counterterrorism

apanese Ambassador Keiko Yanai and Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid signed the agreement recently in Male for the provision of police vehicles, liquid inspection devices and X-ray equipment, among other items, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

"Aid?" The money is not going there directly, they are not going to be finding suppliers for these materials, Japanese corporations will be providing them, so in effect it's our tax money being used to "gift" these materials to them!

Terrorists in the Maldives?

500 million yen?

That will be used for new Yamaha outboards and 4wds!

And terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka should mean that any foreign funds should be sent to .....the Maldives?

I wouldn't give a penny to a country that systematically kills atheists.

Wait? 710 million for all Japan and typhoon and 500 for another country? Seriously Japan needs to spend money better

Good move, needs more of this. If the west doesn't show leadership China and Russia will, but with extra spy tech to collect info on every one.

Tourism is a significant vector for extremism, as the west has discovered in Bali (x2), Uk, France, Italy, Bangladesh, India.....

China has been copying up to Maldives for some time now, so a good strategic move.

Accepting aid from Japan is much better than doing it from China, at least they don't end up in leasing out their country to China for the next 100 years.

why I have to pay for this??? the road front of me is in unusable condition.

an other bribe?

Please give me the option to instead just throw my tax yen in a sewer please.

Please give me the option to instead just throw my tax yen in a sewer please.

Even better to be able to designate where your tax money goes. No chance of that though.

Those whining over their taxes should understand that Maldives is a popular tourist destination for the Japanese. So the money is to keep the Japanese safe.

Seems like a fair use of their 'taxes'

@ulysses Travel to the Maldives is a luxury for those with money to throw around. Meanwhile, we are now paying 10 percent tax on food...unless we invest ridiculous effort to get a 2 percent rebate. Food is a necessity and I and many Japanese too, cannot afford a trip to the Maldives. Anyone who goes there should be on their own. I am happy to share in the socialism of caring for society. I am not happy at all with most like vain attempts to make someone's unnecessary foreign trips a bit safer.

@Norman Goodman

Your argument is pointless in the schemes of things other than to illustrate the politics of envy. Food tax vs foreign aid? Not even close, no correlation, unless you can provide a source on this...pointless argument.

Pragmatic policies are based on first order principles, cost vs benefits, and identified needs. There are trade relationships, Japanese nationals living in the Maldives, Maldevians living in Japan, people and goods that travel through the Maldives, strategic forward base. Japan is a global player, how much resource is required to maintain participation? These are the first order principle the government of Japan entertains.

@ulysses Travel to the Maldives is a luxury for those with money to throw around. 

Anyone who goes there should be on their own. 

A lot of people who travel overseas are the ones who save money to go to places they could not afford earlier, so your argument only rich people travel to such locations is wrong.

However is your suggestion that if someone is reasonably well off, the government is not responsible for them????