Ian Dome Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 December 30, 2011 11:41 AM (AP) COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Maldives ordered hundreds of its luxury resorts to close their spas nearly a week after a protest led by opposition parties demanding a halt to "anti-Islamic" activities, the government said Friday. A statement from the president's office said "the government has decided to close massage parlors and spas in the Maldives, following an opposition-led religious protest last week calling for their closure." An official from the president's office said the tourism ministry notified the resorts Thursday but hasn't confirmed if the spas have been closed. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak on the matter. The Indian Ocean archipelago with 1,192 tiny coral islands is known for its exquisite resorts. Thousands at last week's protest called on the government to halt what they called "anti-Islamic" activities. Sunni Islam is the official religion in the Maldives and practicing any other faith is forbidden. Last week's protest was called by the opposition Adhaalat, or Justice, Party and several other groups that accuse President Mohammed Nasheed's government of compromising principles of Islam and want strict Islamic law. The protesters also want authorities to stop the sale of alcohol in the islands, shut down brothels operating in the guise of massage parlors and demolish monuments gifted by other countries marking a South Asian summit last month because they see them as idols. They also wanted to halt a plan to allow direct flights to Israel. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501712_162-57350223/maldives-closes-hundreds-of-luxury-resort-spas/ More happy news. Don't know if you've been - i never have, always wanted to - now it looks like another destination i can cross off the list.
taxman Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 Oh well. That's their tourist dollars down the pan. But no doubt their God will save them from the flooding brought on by global warming....so we'll call it a score draw.
Frank Sidney Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 We'll be sending aid when they've no income. You can say what you like about things like this. Get into debates about religion and politics but at the end of the day they're basically idiots.
mj.scuba Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 I'd wanted to go on a diving holiday to the Maldives for quite a while, but after reading some time ago about the religious intolerance over there and only one religion (Islam) being permitted, it's put me off going. I've no desire to visit places where I'll be seen by the hosts as a filthy infidel.
AJ sheffield Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 Arthur C Clarke will be turning in his grave.
Agent Orange Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 Oh well, with no tourist money, they will soon start begging.
mapleboy Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 So, Maldivan restaurants will be opening soon in the city then, as "refugees" start flying in? What's Maldivan food like, any good?
Rupert_Baehr Posted December 31, 2011 Posted December 31, 2011 They already have. At the Copenhagen conference in 2008 they were complaining that because they had been digging holes in their Islands to get building materials to build all the new hotels, spas, tourist resorts and roads they wanted, the sea was filling the holes they had made. This, of course, was the fault of the rest of the world and they should pay compensation.
Agent Orange Posted December 31, 2011 Posted December 31, 2011 With rising sea levels, they will have more than western attitudes to worry about. Keep on swimming!!
Rupert_Baehr Posted December 31, 2011 Posted December 31, 2011 "Global sea level patterns are not geographically uniform," says NCAR scientist Gerald Meehl, a co-author. "Sea level rise in some areas correlates with sea level fall in other areas." The present trend lack signs of a sea level rise. On the contrary, there is firm morphological evidence of a significant sea level fall in the last 30 years. This sea level fall is likely to be the effect of increased evaporation and an intensification of the NE-monsoon over the central Indian Ocean. Whether the sea level rises or the sea level falls (and in the Maldives, the sea level appears to be falling) digging quarries on small islands which are just above sea level doesn't seem to be a particularly good idea.
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