President Muizzu urges to preserve fraternal bonds at all costs

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, on Tuesday night, underscoring Maldivian citizens fostered unity through the shared Islamic faith, has urged the preservation of these fraternal bonds at all costs.

He made the call while speaking at the official ceremony held at Dharubaaruge to mark National Unity Day 2023.

During his remarks, President Muizzu said that the primary message derived from the observance of National Unity Day is to reinforce our allegiance to Islam. In this trajectory, he highlighted the auspicious circumstances of Maldivians, who are united through common ideals such as shared religious beliefs and a common language and stressed the significance of such unity.

In his remarks, he also described the unity of Maldivians by highlighting the symphony in the shared letters of the Dhivehi language, the safety construed from the shared culture, the unbroken chain formed by the lineage, and the harmonious landscape painted by the beauty of the similar islands. 

He emphasized that the aforesaid elements intricately weave us into a tapestry of unity, distinguishing us as a unique nation.

A massive undersea earthquake off the western coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, unleashed a series of colossal tsunamis on December 26, 2004, that devastated communities along the surrounding coasts of the Indian Ocean, and killed an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries.

The day is marked in the Maldives as the National Day of Solidarity.

The 2004 tsunami is in one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.

In Maldives, the tsunami wreaked havoc on multiple islands, especially those in outlying low-level atolls.

82 people were killed, and 24 reported missing and presumed dead.

The disaster resulted in an estimated USD 460 million in damages.