Flag to be at half mast for three days in honor of Sobir

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has decided that the Maldivian flag will be set to half mast for three days starting tomorrow following the passing of Ambassador of the Republic of the Maldives to Japan Hassan Sobir.

Sobir is known to have served the state for quite some time. In recognition of his service, he awarded with The Most Honorable Order of the Distinguished Rule of Izzuddin at the Independence Day ceremony held yesterday.

Sobir, 73, passed while he was receiving treatment at Tree Top Hospital for a long-time illness.

As Sobir was unable to attend the ceremony yesterday due to health reasons, the award was received by his daughter on his behalf.

Sobir's funeral is set to be held with official honors with those mourning allowed to view him one last time at the Islamic Center. The funeral prayer will be held after Asru prayers, as stated by the President's Office.

Sobir has served the state for a long time in the economic field, with tourism and fisheries and agriculture being major parts. He has also made valuable contributions to the planning and implementation of development projects in Maldives, with his work in the foreign sector seeing results as well.

Sobir served as a lawyer to the Ministry of Planning and Development after it was formed, following the abolishment of the National Planning Agency in 1982, with him holding many senior positions in the ministry afterwards. He was also the Minister of Fisheries in 1993 and the Minister of Tourism in 1998 and 2003.

Maldives' famous motto, 'The Sunny Side of Life' was created when he was minister.

Sobir was also the first to establish the state-owned water company, Maldives Water and Sewerage Company Pvt Ltd (MWSC), and served as its chairman.

In 2004, Sobir served as Maldives' Ambassador to the United Kingdom. He also worked to seek foreign aid to help Maldives recover from the tsunami that struck that same year. Sobir has also served as the Maldives' ambassador to Singapore, the European Union and Japan.