MDP files complaint with HRCM, says Hirimaradhoo residents left in limbo after island declared uninhabited

The opposition MDP has filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) saying residents of Hirimaradhoo have been deprived of their rights and left in obscurity after the island was declared uninhabited without providing land or housing in Hanimaadhoo.

Hirimaradhoo was declared an uninhabited island by a presidential resolution issued last December. Under the resolution, the remaining population of the island is to be administered by the Hanimaadhoo Council. However, the MDP says this is not happening in practice and has asked the commission to treat the matter with urgency.

MDP Decentralization Committee Chairman Ali Niyaz said the committee conducted fact-finding work to assess the situation of Hirimaradhoo residents and shared its findings with HRCM.

“We asked to take this as a very serious issue. More than 300 people are still living there. However, although the Hanimaadhoo Council resolution states that it is the parent council, it is not functioning that way,” Niyaz said.

During his visit to HDh. Atoll last August, the President pledged to provide housing for Hirimaradhoo residents within 18 months. However, Housing Minister Dr. Abdullah Muthalib later told Parliament that the Hanimaadhoo Council was not cooperating with the project.

The Hanimaadhoo Council has also filed a complaint with the police regarding land allocated for Hirimaradhoo residents.

The MDP says the government should cancel the resolution declaring Hirimaradhoo uninhabited if it does not intend to provide housing for residents elsewhere. The party also called for the resolution to be repealed and for a council to be re-elected in Hirimaradhoo.

Niyaz said it is now clear that the housing units will not be completed within the promised 18-month period.

Hirimaradhoo is the least populated island in the atoll, with a registered population of 589, though many have migrated. The island currently has around 200 residents. According to the latest census, Hanimaadhoo has a population of 2,645.