Maldives hits back at EU criticism

"The statement the EU delegation was denied access to the detainees is incorrect and creates a false impression that the government of Maldives had not co-operated with the delegation," a government statement late Friday said.

It said an EU five-member fact finding team who preceded the top envoys' visit last week was allowed to meet the detainees detained last month after the Maldives instituted emergency rule.

The EU said in a statement Wednesday its envoys, accredited as ambassadors to the Maldives but resident in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, were denied access to pro-democracy activists held by Male.

The government of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Asia's longest serving leader, also said it was unhappy over an EU statement calling for an immediate end to emergency rule in the restive Indian Ocean archipelago.

"The government of Maldives deeply regrets the statements made in the (EU) declaration are not factual, and are not appreciative of the efforts being made by the government of Maldives to resolve the difficulties at hand."

The EU delegation expressed its concern about the detention without charge of members of parliament and urged the government to repeal the state of emergency right away.

The Maldivian statement said the emergency would be lifted soon but did not say when. A midnight-to-dawn curfew is in place in the capital and "does not entirely prohibit people getting out of their residences to attend to legitimate needs," the statement said.

The Maldivian government initially said it detained 185 people, but said Friday only 78 people remained in custody. Maldivian pro-democracy sources in Colombo said those still in detention included seven parliamentarians.