Hearings set to take place in Male’ on depopulation of Thinadhoo postponed

Hearings scheduled to take place in Male’ City regarding the depopulation of GDh. Thinadhoo has been postponed.

The hearings scheduled by the Ombudsperson’s Office for Transitional Justice (OTJ) for next Sunday were postponed over the lack of sufficient individuals to give their testimonies, as per the Office.

Hearings in the case are being held publicly. Prior to this, hearings had been held in the case at Thinadhoo. The hearings which took place at Maldives National University’s Thinadhoo Campus were live-streamed via PSM.

The case of depopulation of Thinadhoo was submitted to OTJ by Thinadhoo Council.

Thinadhoo Council has asked for the residence of then-Prime Minister Ibrahim Nasir – which has been repossessed by the state – to be renamed from ‘Velaanage’ to ‘GDh. Thinadhoo Velaanaage’ as compensation. 

They have also demanded the issuance of a formal apology to Thinadhoo people by the state; to uphold the rights which have been violated and the seizure of 50 percent profits from the assets of all perpetrators, to be given to Thinadhoo people as compensation for life.

Thinadhoo was depopulated in 1962, at the order of then-Prime Minister Nasir, upon the announcement of a separatist movement. 55 years on since Thinadhoo was repopulated, the depopulation of the island is marked in history as one of the greatest atrocities of all time in Maldives.