tourism. According to the UN, even though a majority of resorts are now open to tourists, the Maldives will suffer the worst economic effects of all the nations struck by the Indian Ocean tsunami. This is partly due to its dependence on tourism and fishing and partly a consequence of the costs of reconstruction over such geographically spread-out islands.
Politics may prove an even bigger issue for the Maldives. In April 2005, the exiled opposition leader Mohammed Nasheed returned to the Maldives and was promptly arrested, along with 100 supporters, for alleged treason against the Gayoom regime. Independent journalists have reported summary raids on island communities by the security services, who are banned from reading independent newspapers and listening to independent radio stations by a Gayoom edict. With supporters of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party now being arrested at an unprecedented rate, many locals are asking whether the protectionist policies of the Maldivian government are just a ruse to keep the people living under a dictatorship.
all info taken from www.lonelyplanet.com