An e-petition has been submitted to the parliament to stop tourists and foreigners from wearing bikinis in public places in local islands.

This is the first petition since the People's Majlis introduced the electronic system to submit petitions to the parliament without the involvement of MPs.

The petition, filed by Zamzam Farish yesterday (February 9), has so far received support from more than 400 people.

According to the ruling People's National Congress (PNC)'s amendment to the rules of procedure, a petition must be signed by 500 people.

The petition said that the presence of foreigners and tourists in bikinis in public areas of local islands is destroying Islamic morality and the noble culture.

“This creates serious obstacles to the upbringing of Maldivian children on Islamic morality,” the petition said.

It called for three measures to resolve the issue. These include strengthening enforcement of existing regulations, enacting additional laws on how to deal with violators, and establishing a mechanism to take strict legal action against those who violate the rules.

Under the new rules of the parliament, if the petitions submitted through the portal have the specified number of signatures, the Petitions Committee must review the matter.

Meanwhile, President Mohamed Muizzu said in January that the standards for tourist hotels and guesthouses operating in local islands will be tightened.