*Victoria, Seychelles: *Seychelles’ opposition coalition, which holds amajority in parliament, said Tuesday it would not ratify a deal signed withIndia to build a military base on one of the archipelago’s outlying islands.
The deal would see India invest $550 million dollars in building the baseon Assumption island to help it ensure the safety of its vessels in thesouthern Indian Ocean.
Indian soldiers would be deployed on the island which lies 1,135 kilometressouthwest from the capital Victoria, and help train Seychelles’ troops.
However, the deal has faced some resistance from locals, and WavelRamkalawan, head of the opposition Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (SeychellesDemocratic Union in Creole) said the coalition “will not ratify theAssumption deal. This deal is dead”.
The LDS had held a majority in parliament since its victory in 2016legislative elections.
On Monday, President Danny Faure said he would meet with Mr Ramkalawan onMarch 26 to discuss the deal, which was agreed in principle in 2015 andthen finalised in January this year.
The government says the base will help coastguards to patrol its 1.3million square kilometre exclusive economic zone for illegal fishing, drugtrafficking and piracy.
Currently, the remote coral island has a tin shack post office, an airstrip and almost no people. Less than seven kilometres long the island hasa high point just 30 metres above sea level and is covered in birdexcrement.
But its location lends it strategic importance for monitoring shipping inthe Mozambique Channel.
However, Indian presence in the Seychelles is a sensitive matter. Some fearan influx of Indian workers who, they say, might come to dominate theeconomy, while others consider a foreign power building a military base anaffront to sovereignty and national pride.
Opponents of the plan also cite Assumption’s relative proximity to Aldabraatoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to the world’s largestpopulation of giant tortoises. – APP/ AFP