Police Break Up Anti-government Protest in the Maldives

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Opposition activists held anti-government protest demanding the president to step down in the Indian Ocean nation of the Maldives. Poilce used tear gas and batons to break up the protest when the protesters clashed with them.

On Sunday, Maldives police used tear gas and batons to break up a protest by opposition activists. The activists are demanding that President Mohammad Nasheed step down over the nation's worsening economic plight.

Media reports say dozens of people were injured in the clashes that erupted after crowds gathered in Male, on Saturday.

Police detained some people on charges of alleged damage to public property.

Police say they were attacked by protesters when they tried to break up the protest, and had to use tear gas and batons in self-defense.

Nasheed was elected president in the country's first multi-party election in 2008. That ended 30-years of one-party rule, but the country has recently struggled with soaring food prices and unemployment.

The opposition movement accuses the government of wasteful spending and financial mismanagement.

The Maldives is a nation of 1,200 islands scattered in the Indian Ocean, and is famous as a luxury holiday destination. It is also home to 330-thousand Sunni Muslims, many of who live in poverty.

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