Police deport three Thai women on suspicion of prostitution

Three woman from Thailand have been arrested for alleged prostitution and deported from the Maldives.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the three women were arrested on August 17, during the holy month of Ramadan, following a special operation by police.

“We discovered enough evidence for us to believe they were prostitutes,’’ Shiyam said. “They were working at a beauty parlour in Male’.”

Shiyam declined to reveal the ages of the three women, the name of the beauty parlour or the nature of the evidence uncovered, “as the case is still under investigation.”

“So far we have not linked the case to any Maldivians,” he added.

Last year, the Health Ministry warned of the spread of AIDS in the Maldives after an expatriate prostitute tested positive for HIV.

Senior public health officer at the Centre for Community Health and Disease Control (CCHDC) Abdul Hameed last year said prostitutes were keen to work in the Maldives because there was “high demand” for their services.

He said the practice was dangerous and carried a high risk of HIV transmission, and advised all Maldivians “to stay away from prostitutes who come to the Maldives.”

There were an estimated 34 HIV positive people in the country, “although records show 14,” he said.