President apologises on behalf of state to people of Thinadhoo

President Mohamed Nasheed has apologised to the people of Gaaf Dhaal Thinadhoo for "injus tices resulting from measures taken by the gov ernment of the day" to end a short-lived seces sion of three southern atolls from 1959 to 1963.

Speaking at a working session of the cabinet held in Thinadhoo yesterday, President Nasheed said that the Thinadhoo Island Council had re quested the apology and acknowledged that the central government in Male' had "acted un justly" towards the people of Thinadhoo in the suppression of the separatist movement.

Havaru Thinadhoo, historical capital of Hu vadhu atoll, was attacked and depopulated on the orders of Prime Minister Ibrahim Nasir in February 1962.

Following Tuesday's official apology at the cabi net meeting - held outside Male' for only the sec ond time - Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik noted that his grandfather was among those forcibly expelled and stressed the importance of documenting the events in official Maldivian history.

Dr Waheed told state broadcaster MNBC One that "today the President who is the highest offi cial of state has asked the forgiveness of the peo ple on behalf of the state."

"As someone who hails from Thinadhoo, I am very happy and grateful for [the apology]. I rest assured that everyone will accept the apology by the state," he said.

The cabinet meanwhile discussed a request by the island council to revert the island's name to 'Havaru Thenadhoo' and decided to hold a pub lic referendum on the proposal.

The working session of the cabinet in Thinadhoo was attended by state and deputy ministers, is land councillors and directors of regional corpo rations and featured a presentation on planned development projects.

At a ceremony after the cabinet meeting, Presi dent Nasheed inaugurated the Thinadhoo Devel opment Corporation to develop the reclaimed area of the island and handed over the com pleted stadium of the Upper South Province to the island council.