President faces relocation pleas on Raiymandhoo visit

The inhabitants of Raiymandhoo, in Meemu Atoll, made an emotional appeal to the President on Monday, expressing their desire to be relocated from their current island.

This plea comes a year after approximately 114 registered residents of Raiymandhoo signed a petition to the local council, indicating their wish to move to another island.

Raiymandhoo Council’s president Ismail Nahid stated that many of the petitioners had not been residing on the island for an extended period, attributing their request to the critical lack of essential services in Raiymandhoo.

During his recent tour of the atolls, the President visited Raiymandhoo and met with the local population on Monday. As he was preparing to depart from the island, he was surrounded by several islanders who seized the opportunity to voice their concerns. They highlighted the inability to access basic services on the island and earnestly pleaded with the President for relocation.

"I'm begging you. Please do this for us. I'm pleading with you," one man was quoted as saying to the President, emphasizing his willingness to abandon all his possessions on the island for the sake of his children if it meant leaving.

In response, the President assured them that he would consider their plight and pledged to find a viable solution.

ރައީސުލްޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ، މ. ރަތްމަންދޫއަށް ވަޑައިގަތުން#RayyithunGaathah #VMFThVisit pic.twitter.com/FZ2zz9RAqZ

— The President's Office (@presidencymv) September 22, 2025

It is noteworthy that the petition previously submitted to the council specifically requested relocation to Rasmale'. Nahid also indicated that while the majority of islanders expressed a desire to move, a segment of the population preferred to remain on Raiymandhoo.

Currently, Raiymandhoo has 240 people registered, though only around 100 individuals are reported to be actively residing on the island.