In a startling claim that has played out on Twitter, a Chinese female guest at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives has accused a hotel staff member of raping her in her villa.
Claim: Ritz-Carlton Maldives Butler Raped Female Guest, Then Hotel Tried To Cover It Up
A solo Chinese traveler has described in graphic detail a rape that she claims occurred on June 11, 2023 at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives by her butler:
- She arrived at the Ritz-Carlton on June 10, 2023
- A butler was assigned to her and escorted her to the room and showed her its features
- The following day she “splashed water” on her phone and it would not turn on
- After reaching out to the front desk, her butler was sent to the room
- Sitting in bed in her pajamas, she pulled the SIM card from her mobile phone and placed it in his, then used that to reach her parents
- During this time, the butler started to ask intimate questions and also revealed that he had been spying on her the night before when has asked her why she slept outside by the pool
- He left the room, but returned when her mother responded on WeChat
- The butler then put some chewing gum in his mouth and asked her if she wanted to kiss
- She used her computer and “translated it to him in case he didn’t understand.”
- He then leaned over and kissed her and told her that “sex is okay.”
- When she rebuffed his advance, he asked if she was homosexual
- He then forced his tongue into her mouth, “promised to be a gentleman,” pulled down his pants, and stuck his groin in her mouth
- Next, he groped her between the legs and attempted to penetrate her, but she was able to push him away
- He then asked if he could touch her breasts to “finish off”
- She refused and he ejaculated over her computer screen, then took a towel from the bathroom and wiped it off
- After he left, she called the front desk to report the incident
- The hotel sent two associates who took her computer and the towel
- She insisted the police be called and they did come, taking a DNA sample from her mouth and performing a medical examination
- The hotel then asked her to leave the property, claiming this was a matter between her and the butler
- The hotel also accused her of making this allegation to receive a free stay
She claims she has been forced to go public with these explosive allegations because the hotel did not take her seriously. Her chain of tweets has gone viral, with over 10 million views.
I was raped in the Maldives. I don’t know how many people this will reach to but help me get help. I arrived in the Maldives on the 6th. I was to return to China on the 10th but i extended mg stay and decided to stay at the @RCMaldives pic.twitter.com/Sw97N5j6qI
— XuYitong (@YolyYitong) June 18, 2023
Initially, the hotel denied that a rape took place. The hotel has now put out a statement explaining that it takes the matter seriously and is in communication with the guest:
We take such allegations seriously and this matter is currently with the police. The safety and well-being of our guests and associates are of the utmost importance. We continue to cooperate with the authorities, and are in regular communication with the guest.
However, Xu disputes this, claiming she has not heard from the hotel:
Not true. No communication nor an apology from the resort since the incident. It’s worrying that RC seems to be attempting to cover up the rape incident at their property. #RCMemories #VisitMaldives #Maldives #metoo@PoliceMv @M_Hameedh @IbuSolih @MoTmv @visitmaldives https://t.co/nzyX0mDJtJ
— XuYitong (@YolyYitong) June 20, 2023
I want to believe this woman, because of the specificity of her claim, the police report she has filed, the photos showing damage, and because of the high personal risk of making such serious accusations online. I’ll go so far as to say that I believe the penalty for violent rape should be capital punishment…yes, I do believe that such a violation is so heinous that a person forfeits his right to live among us when perpetrating such action.
There are a number of questions I have, though:
- Since when does “splashing water” on a phone render it dead? I have had my phone “splashed” many times and once even dunked in water and it continued to function
- She states, “I was concerned didn’t know how to contact my family,” (sic) yet she had her laptop computer with her. Does her family not use email or some other form of communication beyond a mobile phone?
- Why did the hotel accuse her of just seeking a free stay? How did she ask?
- To be clear, there is no way I would pay for a stay either under those circumstances
I am withholding judgment because we have seen many cases in which accusations are not always what they seem. We must take every matter seriously, but I have been wrong many times in the #metoo era and I will withhold final judgment as we wait for more facts to unfold. The accused should have a right to examine the evidence against him and cross-examine the witness in open court.
If he climaxed on the computer screen, there should be DNA present even if he and later the hotel wiped it off. That would be the sort of evidence that would strongly bolster her claim.
And yet I want to say that this looks really bad for the hotel. It appears they tried to cover it up and had I been in Xu’s position, I would not have waited for the hotel to kick me out, but departed the country very quickly.
There is no telling what might happen in a nation in which President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has shown a penchant for protecting government ministers accused of sexual harassment and issued many questionable pardons.
CONCLUSION
A Chinese national has raised harrowing allegations against a butler at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives, graphically detailing how he attempted to rape her.
As View From The Wing warned, “There are bad people everywhere. It’s easy to let your guard down when you’re in the care of an expensive hotel and in a beautiful surrounding,” yet we must not do that.
Let’s watch this case closely, insist upon justice, hold responsible parties accountable, and punish wrongdoers, but reserve final judgment at least until the DNA testing is complete.
image: Ritz-Carlton Maldives
Rape is a very serious issue. As much as we should always believe in the victims, I agree with what you’re saying in reserving judgement and withholding punishment until all the evidence is collected.
Just like you Matthew, I will await the findings as I’ve also been too quick to judge in the past. However, if the Butler was Maldivian rather than a foreign contract worker, I suspect we may not ever learn the reality. Nor does the Government want to risk jeopardizing the image of tourism there by admitting it may have a problem.
With that said, I will say again what I have preached over and over, NEVER be in the room with a hotel staff member alone. This is a steadfast rule I have anywhere in the world and I advise it to anyone of either gender. As well, hotels should work to implement procedures that their staff is never alone with a guest as well in a closed room. No, I am not at ALL insulating that “she asked for it.” On the contrary, if this is true, it is one of the most awful and disgusting acts I could ever imagine. Further, the response from the hotel is horrid.
Also one thing I found odd is it sounded like she stayed at the resort alone? All my friends who have gone to Maldives went either as a couple or with their friends/family. I rarely hear of people going there alone but am sure it occasionally happens. I agree rape allegation should be taken seriously but something seemed off.
@Joey – I went to the Maldives alone because I was going to Sri Lanka. It was a bit awkward I would say. You can only do so much on the overwater bungalow before you get bored. I can hear the couple in the next bungalow over having sex. Good thing they were courteous and finished in like 2 mins. Definitely no single people to chat with, unless I want to join some gay couples (hard pass)
Um, if they’re a couple, then they don’t quite count as singles…
I too went to the Maldives alone. I even met other solo travelers while I was there. The country has had an explosion in capacity over the past few years. You can fly in from South and Southeast Asia for peanuts. The new ferry system makes island hopping fairly easy and inexpensive. There’s a small, but visible, backpacker scene there.
I would love to give her a pearl necklace or creampie!
Bukake please!!!
Trolling?
Ya think?
“I’ll go so far as to say that I believe the penalty for violent rape should be capital punishment…yes, I do believe that such a violation is so heinous that a person forfeits his right to live among us when perpetrating such action.”
You’re a lawyer and should know better. What is the threshold for “violent” such that capital punishment is appropriate? How do you ensure uniformity across counties, let alone the country? The DP is arbitrarily applied to defendants convicted of murder. Expanding it to rape will render it even more arbitrary. Not to mention issues of race and class in addition to geography. We are more than the worst act we commit and killing another to punish killing, let alone killing another to punish rape, is a base instinct.
Issues of racial and economic bias aside (and not to be dismissed), I do think that a society derogates from justice and shows it ultimately does not value human life when it spares rapists and murderers from capital punishment. This is a very complex issue that I do not have time to get into here. I added that line because theoretically, I do believe that certain rape should carry capital punishment and wanted to show how serious I view this crime. However, the practical challenges of administering the death sentence make it all but impossible to utilize in real life. This is not the time or place for this discussion, but my views are very nuanced and cannot be reduced to a few sentences.
Let the DNA do the talking. It’s fool proof and unbiased. I have travelled to every continent except Antarctica over 45 years and this is truly a first.
It’s not absolutely foolproof, but pretty close.
As close to as you can possibly get.
do you really think that the maldives police will do it properly? the whole country depends on the tourism financially, so I am a bit skeptical about the police here. But i do hope they do a good job
This is absolutely horrible. I hope, if true, this guy gets what he deserves. Now, using the butler phone with her SIM card looks very very suspicious but …..
Looking further into this, google “rape culture in Maldives”. I hope the attention to this brings about true change to the area as well as justice for the victim.
i.e.
https://nuhahassan.medium.com/how-the-maldivian-society-deals-with-rape-victims-86d3280830d2