President Dr Mohamed Muizzu presented a special commemorative shield to Former President Uz Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, recipient of the Grand Order of the Distinguished Rule of Ghaazee (GODRG), and commemorative shields to the families of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the 3 November 1988 attack, at a ceremony held this morning at the Social Centre to mark Victory Day.
The commemorative shields were presented to recognise, at a national level, the exemplary leadership of the former President during the armed aggression and to pay tribute to the soldiers and civilians who lost their lives in defence of the nation.
A total of eight soldiers and eleven civilians were martyred in the attack. They were:
Martyr Sergeant Kuda Adam Kuda Thu’thu
Martyr Lieutenant Kudanevi Thu’thu Maniku
Martyr Corporal Hussain Mohamed
Martyr Corporal Mohamed Ibrahim
Martyr Sergeant Adam Naseer
Martyr Corporal Abdulla Zuhair
Martyr Corporal Mohamed Hassan
Martyr Corporal Hussain Adam
Martyr Ismail Haleem
Martyr Ibrahim Hameez
Martyr Umar Ahmed
Martyr Ahmed Labeeb
Martyr Ibrahim Hussain
Martyr Abdul Sattar Adam
Martyr Abdul Rahman Adam
Martyr Ahmed Rasheed
Martyr Hassan Zareer
Martyr Jawadh Umar
Martyr Hussain Abdul Rahman (Dhonmanik)
During the ceremony, special video tributes were screened in honour of Martyr Corporal Hussain Adam, who displayed exceptional courage from the onset of the attack, and Martyr Corporal Abdulla, who was the first to be martyred. Additional tributes were dedicated to other soldiers who lost their lives while performing their duties.
In continued recognition of those who served the nation, a special allowance was introduced on 19 March this year for the families of soldiers martyred in the 3 November attack, as well as for recipients of the Medal for Exceptional Bravery and the Medal for Bravery.
President and Commander-in-Chief of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Dr Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed attended the Victory Day ceremony, where they were received by Defence Minister Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon. Vice President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef and senior Government officials were also in attendance.