Maldives apologises to British woman over bikini spat

MALI: The Maldives´ speaker of parliament on Monday apologised to a British tourist after footage of her arrest by several policemen triggered a social media storm.

Tourism is a major earner for the Maldives, a tropical island paradise in the Indian Ocean popular with honeymooners and celebrities.

Police said the bikini-clad woman, who was walking on a main road, was "inappropriately" dressed and allegedly unruly and drunk when she was detained after refusing to comply with requests to cover up on Thursday.

The Maldives previously confined tourists to resort islets separate from the local Muslim population, but in recent years has allowed foreigners to stay on inhabited islands. Tourists can wear swimwear such as bikinis in the resorts but are subject to local dress codes elsewhere.

Videos shared on social media showed three men trying to detain the traveller, while a fourth person tried to cover her with a towel. The woman was heard shouting "you´re sexually assaulting me" during the incident.