Maldives close luxury resort spas under Islamist pressure

Not unless you bring that woman with you. Simple as that. You will not find that woman on a resort island. The only women you have there are the tourists that usually come as couples (there are very few islands known for a few more single travelers, e.g., the ones where the flight crews stay for a few days) and the hotel employees who are under very strict rules. There are simply no other people on the small resort islands.

(Also $ 20k will not last you as long as you might think on the nicer islands.)

 

I didn't try, but I would consider it unlikely, given the possible grave consequences of such action. That's a zero tolerance place. Not like Dubai or so...

Also, contrary to what some posters have said here, I don't see it happening (except for very isolated incidents) anywhere around the world in a Hyatt, Hilton or Starwood hotel either. Maybe in some very run-down and badly controlled Hiltons in South East Asia, but even there, I would consider it unlikely. There are plenty of places AROUND those hotels in those countries, and whoever works in the hotel as an employee will not risk the job there.

 

Where? What kind of hotel?

 

Good luck with that. Until very recently, the only way to reach, e.g., the Conrad Maldives, was by seaplane from Male. Cost: about $ 500.

 

The claims were spurious, and it is not reasonable at all (as they themselves quickly figured out). I assume you didn't read the thread.

 

As I said, if this happens, it happens in Male, the main island - which is what the State Department report says as well. (And by the way, sad state of affairs for such a country of supposedly high morals...seems to have that in common with some countries in the Arab region with supposedly high morals.)

 

What you believe is of little significance, as you have already stated that you have no idea about the place. But don't let that stop you from making up absurd scenarios in a desperate attempt to save face.

 

You have already stated that you have no idea about the place. That doesn't stop you from repeating your unfounded drivel, of course.

 

So the Islamist cancer has been spreading to the Maldives.

Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed resigns amid unrest

Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed has resigned after weeks of demonstrations and a mutiny by some police officers.

In an address on state TV, he said it would be "better for the country in the current situation" if he stood down.

Vice-President Waheed Hassan has been sworn in as president after Mr Nasheed stepped down.

Tensions escalated after the Maldives army arrested a senior judge last month, prompting bitter street protests in the Indian Ocean island chain.

A source close to the president described Tuesday's developments as a "coup by the former regime".

But the army and the vice-president have denied a coup has taken place.

Mr Hassan's office denied widespread reports the military pressured Mr Nasheed to resign, the AP news agency reports.

"It was not a coup at all, it was the wish of the people,'' said Ahmed Thoufeeg, Mr Hassan's secretary.

'Iron fist'
Mr Nasheed announced his resignation during a televised news conference.

"It will be better for the country in the current situation if I resign. I don't want to run the country with an iron fist. I am resigning," Mr Nasheed said.


Over the past two days, scores of policemen have joined the protesters and clashed with the military

Last month the army arrested a senior criminal court judge, Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

The government alleged that the judge's rulings - such as the release of an opposition activist detained without a warrant - were politically motivated.

It claimed the dispute with the judge was not an isolated incident, but indicative of a more deep-rooted problem with the Maldives judicial system and the checks and balances it has to ensure it stays independent.

Human rights groups added their voices to calls for the judge to be released - and, as matters grew increasingly heated, there were demands for the United Nations to be brought in to resolve the dispute.


Mr Nasheed was elected in 2008, in the first multi-party poll.

Since then, correspondents say, the country has been gripped by constitutional gridlock - because parties opposed to the president dominate parliament.

Mr Nasheed, a former human rights campaigner, beat long-time ruler Mr Gayoom, who had been in power for 30 years and was widely seen as autocratic, in the country's first multiparty election.

A one-time political prisoner, Mr Nasheed became a vocal figure in office on issues relating to the environment and climate change.

But he has faced constant opposition - from those loyal to former President Gayoom and from religious conservatives who accuse him of being anti-Islamic, says the BBC's South Asia analyst Jill McGivering.

That pressure has intensified with the prospect of fresh elections, scheduled for next year. Opposition parties are jockeying for power as they try to extend their influence.

The wider question is how this crisis will affect the forthcoming elections - and what it says about the transition in the Maldives to mature democracy, our correspondent says.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16922570