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By AFP
September 30, 2007
Two people have been arrested for a bombing that injured 12 foreigners in the Maldives, officials said, as the president of the Indian Ocean archipelago blamed dissidents for the attack.
The bombing in an area of the capital Male popular with holiday-makers has damaged the nation's reputation as one of the world's safest destinations.
"This is the first time that we have suffered such a terrorist attack in the Maldives and in Male," said President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has ruled the islands since 1978 and is Asia's longest serving leader.
He blamed "very selfish and irresponsible... people who for political reasons have been calling for the boycott of the Maldives on the tourism front."
"They have been calling on tour operators to boycott the Maldives. They also have to share some responsibility for what happened today because they have been jeopardising the stability and peace of the country," he added.
Dissidents view Gayoom as a dictator, and political parties have only been legal on the Sunni Muslim-dominated 1,192 coral islands since 2005, when the president began a series of reforms in the face of pro-democracy protests.
Gayoom last month won a referendum to maintain the presidential system of government, although the opposition -- which has been pushing for a parliamentary system -- said the vote was rigged.
No group has claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack, which police said was a crude device activated by a mobile phone.
Officials said two Japanese and eight Chinese nationals who were hurt in the blast have been discharged, while a British honeymoon couple were still in hospital.
Officials said two Maldivians from a local blacksmith's shop had been arrested. They can be held for up three weeks before being presented to a judge.
Tourism Minister Mahamood Shougee meanwhile insisted the islands' resorts -- most of which are on outlying islands away from the capital Male -- were still perfectly safe.
"Only a few tourists visit Male for work, most of them spend their time on the resorts," he told AFP. "There could be some cancellations in the coming weeks, we have to accept it."
The 600,000 visitors who jet into the Maldives each year rarely see the congested capital Male. Once they clear the airport island, they are whisked off by speedboat or seaplane to resorts.
Tourism, a key driver of the Maldivian economy of just under a billion dollars, has helped make the tiny nations one of the richest in South Asia with a per capita income of 2,674 dollars.
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