President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has presented November 3 Shields to five individuals at the official Victory Day ceremony held last night.

President Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed were welcomed at Republic Square by Defence and National Service Minister Hassan Rasheed and Chief of Defence Force Major General Ibrahim Hilmy.

The ceremony began with the raising of the Presidential Standard.

The recipients are the surviving members of the reconnaissance patrol team deployed during the attempted coup on 3 November 1988. They are Sergeant First Class (Retd) Ibrahim Shareef, Staff Sergeant (Retd) Hussain Ali, Sergeant (Retd) Hussain Manik, Corporal (Retd) Abdullah Naseem and Lance Corporal (Retd) Abdullah Mufeed.

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) staged a military performance titled Leyge Jihaad, commemorating the events of 3 November 1988.

President Muizzu also launched an album of patriotic songs produced by the MNDF and delivered an address to the nation.

The ceremony was attended by Parliament Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla, Chief Justice Abdul Ghanee Mohamed, Cabinet ministers, senior government officials and other dignitaries.