The government is to hold the ‘national unity’ ceremony in Dhuvaafaru island of Raa atoll.

The ceremony is to be held there, given that the island is where residents of Kadholhudhoo island were relocated after their island was entirely destroyed in the 2004 tsunami.

Home Minister Imran Abdulla said that the island is therefore a symbol of unity amongst Maldivians. The ceremony is to be held on Wednesday evening, at the island’s state-run preschool.

A total of 82 deaths were recorded in the 2004 disaster, which swept through most of the Indian Ocean and 40 people were reported missing.

However, several people were displaced with no access to clean water, and 24 administrative atolls have no means of communication.