| Submit your comments on this article | ||||
| India-Pakistan | ||||
| Fourth man dies in Maldives festivities | ||||
| 2003-09-26 | ||||
A fourth prisoner has died after rioting in the Maldives as its president of 25 years settles in to a new term at the helm. Two prisoners died on Friday and Saturday while a third died Monday after admission to a hospital in Sri Lanka. The incident has resulted in the sacking of the police chief by President Aumoon Abd al-Gayoom, and the arrest of six more National Security Service (NSS) men, raising to 11 the total number of security personnel in detention over the killing of inmates at the Maafushi prison. Riots reportedly broke out after police tried to cover up the murder of an inmate by policemen at the prison. News of the inmate’s murder and secretive burial triggered unrest in the prison and protests in the capital city of Malé.
| ||||
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #4 Have to agree with OP here, it's one of the most isolated spots in the world. The only ones that match or exceed it for sheer "WAAAAY the f**k out there" quality are Easter Island, Clipperton Island, Kergulen Island (owned by the French, curiously enough), and Antactica. As OP noted, unless you're either a "I hate Civilization and want to get away from it all" type, or an Arthur C. Clarke type, you don't want to live there. (Arthur lives in Sri Lanka, but has enough money from his books and enough of a reputation with international literary circles, he was able to move there and build what amounts to a private enclave of high-tech civilization, importing whatever he might need. And he STILL gets to enjoy the "rural lifestyle", without giving up any luxuries, the lucky bastard. ^_^ ) Ed Becerra |
| Posted by: Ed Becerra 2003-9-26 2:31:13 PM |
| #3 Frank, Miles and miles of untainted Indian Ocean beaches, few people, few tourists, lots of scuba and free-diving, great fishing, no smog (very,very few vehicles), and a relaxed life. Of course, there's also little industry (other than tourism and fishing), goods are expensive, and even most foods westerners prefer have to be brought in by ship or aircraft. This is another former British colony that never did progress beyond the "native industries" stage. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a market for straw hats, straw mats, and (expensive) raw fish in the rest of the world. The big reason, however, that it's so expensive is that it's 1000 miles or more out in the Indian Ocean from ANYWHERE. It's not like it's on the way to somewhere else - it's the proverbial "end of the road". Great place to be if you want to give up civilization, otherwise it's just another dead backwater. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-9-26 1:18:43 PM |
| #2 "the most expensive tourist destination in the Indian Ocean"??? when they have to fly you to Sri Lanka for treatment and to get away from the violence, you know it's nasty. Why the F*&k would someone pay big money to go there? Masochist Tours©? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-9-26 11:35:56 AM |
| #1 Maldivian authorities have stressed the unrest was unrelated to the re-election bid of al-Gayoom It was, ummm....sunspots. Or swamp gas. Or bad conch chowder. Definitely the chowder. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2003-9-26 11:33:21 AM |