Mubarak holed up in luxurious Sharm el Sheik
SHARM EL SHEIK, Egypt -- A large sign greets tourists flying into this sparkling resort town, welcoming them to the "City of Peace," but with the face of Hosni Mubarak hastily scratched out beneath.
The beachside town, made famous for its world-class diving and its five-star resorts, has perhaps become the final retreat of the ousted 82-year-old president.
It was Mubarak who championed the building of Sharm el Sheik, a once sleepy fishing village on the Red Sea at the tip of Sinai peninsula which Israel returned to Egypt under a 1979 peace treaty.
He used it as a showcase of the "New Egypt," and held peace talks and business summits at the palatial villa and conference center he keeps here.
Sharm is also where Mubarak is believed to have stored much of his wealth. He owns several homes in the area, but is believed by residents to be staying on the outskirts of the Maritim Jolie Ville Golf & Resort.
While Egyptians ranging from Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq to local military officers manning checkpoints said they're sure that Mubarak is in Sharm, he's yet to be sighted. On other occasions, he was seen arriving, leaving and driving about.
The owner of the golf course is thought to be a close friend of the Mubarak family, and though the resort claimed to be fully functioning, only a few guests were out on the golf course Sunday.
Hotel workers nervously bustled around the nearly empty grounds. Several said they're sure of Mubarak's presence but they had been warned not to discuss it.
"We are not sure if he is in prison there, or on vacation," said a kitchen worker, who wouldn't give her name for fear of losing her job. However, she noted the arrival of Swiss chocolates and other gourmet foods of the sort kept on hand when Mubarak is in Sharm.
It was unclear how long Mubarak's stay in Sharm will last. Mubarak also frequents the German spa town of Baden-Baden, and some think he'll go there in the coming weeks.
Mubarak's luxurious lifestyle in Sharm represents much of what protesters rallied against in the streets of Egypt. The town's resorts boast water parks, and menus heavy on French and Japanese cuisine.
"This is the Egypt Mubarak wanted the world to see," said Fares Amin, a tour guide who said he saw Mubarak's presidential plane at the Sharm el Sheik airport on Friday.
But to the 40 percent of Egyptians who live on less than $2 a day, Sharm el Sheik represented the extent of the Mubarak family's corruption and wealth.
"Mubarak did not care that the average Egyptian working in Sharm was still not making enough to support his family or ever dream of a vacation of his own. Mubarak cared that he and his friends make money in Sharm," Amin said.
With more than 3 million visitors last year, Sharm accounted for almost half of Egypt's tourist income.
Sharm has nearly 100 hotels, with an occupancy rate of 70 percent to 90 percent. This week, however, the hotels reported less than 30 percent occupancy.
"How will Sharm survive if people are afraid to come?" said Mohammad Baden, a shopkeeper with a stall in the old city market. "Having Mubarak may just scare away more people than ever."
The few tourists still milling around the resorts in Sharm said they're intimidated by the police presence, and preferred to stay in the bubble of their resorts.
"I'm not going to let it cut short the holiday, but I also won't take any chances," said Susan Meyers, a 33-year-old tourist from Dublin, Ireland.
(Frenkel is a McClatchy special correspondent.)
Read More ...
0 comments:
Post a Comment