12 tourists wounded in first-ever Maldives blast

[oberliner]

Source: MSNBC

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - A bomb exploded at the entrance to a recreation park in the Maldives, wounding at least 12 foreign tourists Saturday, a government official said.

The homemade bomb exploded outside Sultan Park in the capital, Male, leaving 12 people, including two Britons, six Chinese and two Japanese, with burn injuries, government spokesman Mohamed Shareef said.

Shareef did not immediately know the nationalities of the other two wounded.

“The Maldives has never had something like this before. We are taking this very seriously because tourism is our life blood,” he said.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21046811/

[Solly Mack]

1. :(

[aquart]

2. Yikes.

Who's pissed off in the Maldives?

[oberliner]

4. The attack seemed to be aimed at tourists

As opposed to locals.

For what that is worth.

[aquart]

5. Who is interested in distroying the Maldives economy?

Seems to me I recall something about developers having discovered the magnificent white sand beaches which may mean the people who have lived there for centuries are being crowded out...and somebody is annoyed?

[razzleberry]

7. just about everybody there

a lot of people want to be dictator
of Gaza Strip - Indian Ocean annex

[ohio2007]

9. 'western' tourists drive the economy

seems some think the islands can flourish better without western influence.

[fujiyama]

3. It's supposed to be incredibly beautiful

I believe my cousin honeymooned there a few years ago.

Really awful that these attacks are happening in some great places, like Bali and this..and tourism is their lifeblood.

[aquart]

6. Google Maldives images. Breathtaking.

Once developers realize there's money to be made, the citizens get squeezed out. They are no longer the ones making the profit from the tourism. But I don't know if that's what's happening there. But I spent a day looking at luxury sites in the Maldives a while ago. All shiny and new.

[ohio2007]

8. Two Britons injured in Maldives bomb blast

Snip


The blast happened outside the main mosque in Male, the capital of the republic of islands in the Indian Ocean.

snip
The device exploded near a park and left the two Britons with burn injuries, according to a Maldives government spokesman.

snip

Local media reported the bomb was made from a washing machine motor attached to a gas cylinder.

It is thought the two British tourists were staying on Baros, just one of 87 designated tourist islands in the ocean chain.

The population of the state is Islamic, but the threat of terrorism is classed as "low" in the Foreign Office advice to tourists.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=484662&in_page_id=1811


interesting twist with more detals reported by the local media that a UK site picked up and ran.