Diplomatic row leads Maldivian storm spread to travel, trade, celebland

Flight bookings were suspended or cancelled. Trade organisations called for a boycott of business deals. An envoy was summoned. Celebrities took to social media to give the thumbs down to a neighbouring archipelago, instead making a case for idyllic Indian islands.

The ripples caused by disparaging social media posts on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Lakshadweep visit by three since-suspended Maldivian deputy ministers escalated into a full-blown storm on Monday. And it swirled beyond diplomatic corridors, with businesses joining in to act on the fury. As #BoycottMaldives trended, a travel technology (traveltech) firm decided to indefinitely suspend all flight bookings to