Vaavu atoll Rakeedhoo Council has informed President Dr Mohamed Muizzu that although a suggestion of the island's residents relocating to another island were raised during a meeting with him, no such proposal was submitted to, or discussed officially by the council. 

A meeting held with residents during President Muizzu's September 20 visit to Rakeedhoo saw multiple residents request relocation to an island closer to capital Male'. 

Of the 61 residents of Rakeedhoo, 41 are in favour of moving to Thulusdhoo, in Kaafu atoll. All except one resident is in favour of reclaiming land closer to Male' and moving there, some who attended the meeting informed the President. Only one resident refuses to leave Rakeedhoo, they said. 

Following this meeting, Rakeedhoo Council voiced a difference in opinion. A letter sent on Sunday, addressed to President Muizzu and signed by Council President Abdulla Rasheed, states that no official discussions have ever taken place regarding the relocation of residents. They emphasized that such a decision concerns the entire population of the island. 

"The council asserts that during your recent visit, any residents who voiced a desire to relocate were expressing personal opinions, not reflecting an official or collective stance," the letter reads. 

During the said meeting, the President responded to citizens' requests by stating that any decision would be guided by public consultation and the preferences of 80 percent of the island's population. 

One resident who attended the meeting voiced concerns that in the run up to various elections, many past presidents had promised to support relocation efforts, yet those pledges remained unfulfilled. He urged the President to not follow the same pattern. 

As Rakeedhoo has a burgeoning guesthouse industry, the President assured relocation would be arranged in a way that would not hinder the operation of these. 

Last week, the President stated that while the government supports relocation from smaller islands to larger ones with access to improved facilities, any such move should be voluntary and initiated by the residents themselves.