United Suvadive Republic
Encyclopedia
The United Suvadive Republic (Dhivehi: އެކުވެރި ސުވައިދީބު ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ) or Suvadive Islands was a short-lived breakaway nation in the remote Southern Atolls of the Maldive Islands, namely Addu Atoll
Addu Atoll
Addu City is a city in Maldives consisting of the inhabited islands of the southernmost atoll of the archipelago....

, Huvadhu Atoll and Fuvahmulah that geographically make up the Suvadive archipelago.

The name of this nation was originally an ancient name for the three southernmost atolls of the Maldives. Suvadive (Dhivehi: ސުވައިދީބު) is based on the ancient name for Huvadhu Atoll, which is by far the largest in the small southern atoll group if fact Huvadhu\Suvadive atoll is the second largest atoll formation. Huvadhu Atoll was also called Suadou by Pyrard
François Pyrard de Laval
François Pyrard de Laval was a French navigator who is remembered for a personal written account of his adventures in the Maldives Islands from 1602 to 1607, which was part of a ten-year sojourn in South Asia, et al...

. Huvadhu atoll was marked as 'Suvadina' in Dutch colonial era Maps.

The Suvadive secession occurred within in the context of the struggle of the Maldives emerging as a modern nation, but still shackled by feudal and autocratic power structures. The alleged causes were the centralistic policies of the government in Malé and the recent independence of both neighboring countries, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and Ceylon
Dominion of Ceylon
The Dominion of Ceylon, known today as Sri Lanka, was a dominion, in the British Empire between 1948 and 1972. In 1948, British Ceylon was granted independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. In 1972, the Dominion of Ceylon became a republic within the Commonwealth, and its name was changed to Sri Lanka...

.
At that time the Maldives had remained a British protectorate.

The Suvadives declared independence on January 3, 1959. They capitulated, rejoining the rest of the nation on September 23, 1963.

Lack of government-promoted communication

Since ancient times there was a lack of communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...

 between the administrative capital Malé
Malé
Malé , is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. It is located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll . It is also one of the Administrative divisions of the Maldives. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where...

 and the most distant atolls (North and South) of the Maldive chain. The government of the Maldive Islands never had a scheduled shipping line that could have provided regular communication with the distant Southern Atolls. Forgotten by the capital, there was not even a regular mail service to this remote end of the country.

The result was a chronic lack of elementary needs in the distant Atolls, such as certain essential food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...

 items and clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...

 and, in case of epidemics, even the medical assistance and medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

s urgently required.

In the face of the capital's inability to provide these basic services, the people in the Southern Atolls were left to fend for themselves.

Traditionally, the void left by this lack of necessary trade and communication was filled by affluent merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...

 families from the three Southern Atolls. Using special large sailships (odi
ODI
ODI has various meanings, including:* Office for Disability Issues - UK public body* One Day International cricket match* Overseas Development Institute - UK think tank on international development....

 or vedi
Vedi
Vedi is a city located in the Ararat Province of Armenia. It's situated along the Vedi River. It is where one of Armenia's major wine and alcohol factory is located, and it is called VEDIALCO; this factory is most known for its semi-sweet wine called Vernashen.- References :* –...

), they conducted direct external trade with neighboring countries. Thus they used to make a yearly trip to a harbour in Ceylon or South India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 without involving the capital.

It was certainly easier for the heavy trading ships of Southern Maldives to sail straight across the open ocean to India or Ceylon, where British rule provided a safeguard and a common sense of belonging, than to make difficult navigation northwards through the treacherous reefs of the long atoll chain to sail to the capital. Malé was after all a small trading post compared to harbors like Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...

, Cochin
Kingdom of Cochin
Kingdom of Cochin was a late medieval Hindu kingdom and later Princely State on the Malabar Coast, South India...

 or Tuticorin.

However, in practice this meant that the central government had little control over the import trade conducted within the country. There was no conflict as long as all the countries involved were under the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 and so this status quo was maintained until after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Imposition of trade restrictions

When the British initiated the process of decolonization in South Asia the situation changed drastically. In 1947 the Maldive government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...

, while still a British protectorate, took the first steps towards independence backed by disgruntled Malé merchants, who wished for a privileged share of the trade with the Southerners. Thus the Maldive Government, with the co-operation of the British authorities
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

, imposed the requirement to carry passports and visas
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...

 to travel to Sri Lanka and India on the captains and crews of the Southern trading ships, at the time that the British administration was leaving those newly independent former British colonies.

The new travel documents for the Southern Maldivian traders and sailors were to be issued in Malé. However, the government and the traders of the capital aimed to attain control and revenue from this lucrative trade without consulting with a representation of the concerned Southern traders. This unilateral action proved detrimental to the harmony of existing traditions concerning autonomous trade, and it was perceived as contempt in the South.

Insurrection

British troops were stationed in the islands of Gan
Gan (Seenu Atoll)
Gan is the southernmost island of Addu Atoll, as well as the southernmost island of the Maldives. It is relatively large by Maldive standards....

 and Hithadhoo
Hithadhoo (Seenu Atoll)
Hithaadhoo is a district of Addu City, in the Maldives. Hithadhoo is the main administrative district of Addu City, with many of the administrative buildings in this district. The town is situated on the island of the same name, the westernmost of Seenu...

 in Addu atoll
Addu Atoll
Addu City is a city in Maldives consisting of the inhabited islands of the southernmost atoll of the archipelago....

 since the time of the Second World War. However, the Maldive central government denied the neighboring islanders any chance of bartering with them. Furthermore, after the introduction of the harsh new measures to control the import and export trade, the central government went on to stipulate other measures of control such as poll and land tax.

In addition, the government of the Maldive Islands posted its own militiamen in the atoll to ensure that absolutely no trade was carried out without the government’s knowledge. The arrest and physical assault of a son of a wealthy family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...

 (possibly for a breach of one of the new restrictions) by one of these militiamen led to the first revolt in which a mob rose against him. He was given sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...

 by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 until the situation calmed down and when the government prosecuted the alleged conspirators
Conspiracy (political)
In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....

 vouching the militiaman's account of events. The men were convicted and reportedly subjected to humiliating forms of punishment
Punishment
Punishment is the authoritative imposition of something negative or unpleasant on a person or animal in response to behavior deemed wrong by an individual or group....

 such as public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...

 flogging.

The Maldivian Government was delaying the ratification of a 100-year lease of the islands Gan
Gan (Seenu Atoll)
Gan is the southernmost island of Addu Atoll, as well as the southernmost island of the Maldives. It is relatively large by Maldive standards....

 and Maamendoo, which greatly distressed the British. Sometime later, under a new agreement with the government, the Addu people were allowed to seek employment in the British facilities, enabling them to obtain a rewarding incomes and lavish goods while relishing the idea of less dependence. In 1957, the sultan appointed Ibrahim Nasir
Ibrahim Nasir
Ibrahim Nasir Rannabandeyri Kilegefan , KCMG, NGIV was a Maldivian politician who served as Prime Minister of the Maldives under Sultan Muhammad Fareed Didi from 1957 to 1968 and succeeded him to become the first President of the Second Republic from...

 as the prime minister of the sultanate; Nasir ordered the British to cease all construction undertakings in Addu. Local rumour in Male' suggested that this possibly led an already infuriated civilian British contractor posted there to suggest to the unhappy islanders the idea of independence from the central government. However, this is not supported by historical documents.

Secession of the Suvadives

Among those who were involved in the uprising
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...

 against the militiamen of the central government was a young, educated and well-respected individual known as Abdullah Afeef
Abdullah Afeef
Abdullah Afeef was the President of the United Suvadive Republic from 1959 to 1963. Born in Hithadhoo, Addu Atoll, Afeef was an educated and well-respected individual from a family of notables....

, who served as a translator to the British during their post. His local name was Elha Didige Ali Didige Afifu. The new prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

 appointed him as the liaison officer between the British and the locals. Shortly afterward, in December 1958, the government announced plans for a new tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...

 on boats. This caused riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...

s throughout the atoll, leading to several attacks on government buildings. Once again, the officials of the Government of the Maldive Islands were forced to retreat to the safety of the British barracks. The fact is that they owed their lives to Afeef, who warned them of the impending unrest
Unrest
Unrest is a sociological phenomenon, for instance:* Industrial unrest* Labor unrest* Rebellion* Riot-Notable historical unrests:* 19th century Luddites* 1978–79 Winter of Discontent...

.

Four days later, on January 3, 1959 a delegation of the Addu people arrived on Gan
Gan (Seenu Atoll)
Gan is the southernmost island of Addu Atoll, as well as the southernmost island of the Maldives. It is relatively large by Maldive standards....

 and declared their independence to the British. The delegation also insisted that Afeef be their leader. Afeef was chosen to lead the nascent Suvadive government because of British insistence that a trustworthy leader whom they were familiar with be chosen, as a precondition for them being able to back the secession.
It is said that Afeef initially refused, and that he accepted the role of becoming the executive head of the new state only under heavy pressure.

The newly formed republic was born in southernmost Addu Atoll with high expectations. Soon, hoping to share in their neighbor's newly found independence, the atolls of Huvadhu and Fuvahmulah joined Addu to form the United Suvadive Republic. However, the Maldive government reacted by sending a fully armed gunboat to Huvadhu, commanded by prime minister Ibrahim Nasir himself, and threatened the secessionist leaders and the notables of various islands in that large atoll. Finally, the initial separatist movement in that atoll was suppressed by June 1959.

However, the other two small atolls were spared the Maldive government's reaction. Addu Atoll was protected by British intervention, with the deployment a regiment from Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia , also known as West Malaysia , is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula. Its area is . It shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra...

. Lacking a harbor, Fuvahmulah was inaccessible to the attacks of the Maldive government gunboat.

Parliament of the United Suvadives Republic

The following is a list of the Addu Atoll members of the Parliament of the United Suvadive Islands Republic. Due to military action by the Malè government, elections could not be held in the other two constituent Atolls of the Republic- Huvadhu and Fuvahmulah. Democratic elections were held in Addu Atoll and the votes each member polled are given beside his name.

Hithadhoo - 17 members
Votes
851 Moosa Ali Didi
843 Ahmed Salih Ali Didi
840 Moosa Ahmed Didi
761 Ibrahim Abdul Hameed Didi
750 Ali Famy Didi
734 Kalhaage Ali Manikaa
596 Moosa Musthafaa
589 Mohamed Saeed
589 Abdulla Habeeb
579 Mohamed Ibrahim Didi
524 Hussein Ahmed
523 Ali Muruthalaa
506 Abdul Majeed Saleem
487 Abdulla Moosa Didi
483 Abdulla Azeez
457 Abdulla Ali
422 Abbeyyaage Ibrahim Didi

Meedhoo - 7 members
Votes
187 Mohamed Naseem
186 Abdullah Nafiz
185 Ibrahim Fahmy Didi
182 Abdulla Bagir
157 Mohamed Waheed
144 Mudhin Didige Mohamed Didi
90 Kadhaa Didige Abdulla Didi

Hulhudhoo - 8 members
Votes
192 Mudhin Thakhaanu
174 Mohamed Thaafeeq
173 Mohamed Ibrahim
172 Thakhaanuge Ali Thakhaan
171 Rekididige Waheed
170 Thakhaanuge Mohamed Thakhaan
170 Gaumaathage Mohamed Thakurufan
151 Ali Manikfan Kudhufokolhuge

Gan Feydhoo - 10 members
Votes
362 Dhonrahaa Khatheeb
350 Abdullah Manikfan Khatheeb
350 Dhonthuththu Khatheeb
344 Hussein Manikfan Khatheeb
343 Eedugaluge Ibrahim Manikfan
336 Eedugaluge Ahmed Manikfan
298 Beyruge Ahmed Manikfan
295 Eedugaluge Ali Manikfan
198 Zakariya Mohamed
187 Hussein Manikfan Moosa Rahaage

Maradhoo Feydhoo - 3 members
Votes
135 Ahmed Zahir Khatheeb
85 Ahmed Moosa
70 Ahmed Wafir Khatheeb

Maradhoo - 6 members
Votes
218 Moosa Khatheeb
205 Mohamed Waheed Khatheeb
189 Hassan Saeed
169 Abdullah Saeed
140 Vakarugey Dhonrahaa
121 Moosa Wajdee

Appointed by the President of the Republic
Mohamed Ibrahim Didi

Abandoned by Britain

A year later, in 1960, due to the Maldive prime minister's tireless international campaigns, a new accord between the British and Maldivian governments was approved and the former soon announced the termination of their so-called support to the Suvadive separatists. The British, who despite contrary claims made by the Government in Male, had been consistently lukewarm at best in their support of the Suvadives (and who had never formally recognized the country), now fully abandoned the fledgling atoll country to its fate. By special instructions from the British Government, the Suvadive trading ships in Indian and Ceylonese harbors were seized and not allowed to leave port.

However, the withdrawal of British support did not deter the Suvadive republic. In 1961, Huvadu Atoll seceded again and rejoined the Suvadives in a move locally known as the 'Second Revolt'. This reversion was met with yet again another personal appeal by the Maldive prime minister who, failing to convince the Huvadhu islanders this time, reacted ruthlessly and ferociously.

This led to an attack on the capital island of Huvadhu Atoll because of its 'Second Revolt'. This time another gunboat, named 'Elizabeth Boyer', leased from the Ceylon Navy by prime minister Ibrahim Nasir, anchored off Havaru Thinadhoo on February 4, 1962. Without any attempt at talks, the disembarking soldiers engaged in the systematic and complete destruction of all the houses in Havaru Thinadhoo
Thinadhoo (Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll)
Thinadhoo is the capital of Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll and the proposed capital for the Mathi-Dhekunu Province of the Maldives. It has its own dialect of Dhivehi which is considerably different from northern and mid-Maldivian speech...

 and the dispersion of all its inhabitants. Most of the rebel leaders were then imprisoned and badly mistreated. Some of them, notables from Huvadhu, died later owing to the injuries they sustained.

The same gunboat with soldiers from Male' sent by the central government went further south to Fua Mulaku and tried to disembark unsuccessfully at Rasgefanno in 1962. But the island people gathered at the beach and threw stones to the soldiers. The soldiers opened fire killing one man.

Without the support of the British, the Suvadive republic was on the brink of collapse.

Capitulation

The United Suvadive Republic was dismantled by the British authorities without ceremony. On September 22, 1963, a British political agent dictated an ultimatum
Ultimatum
An ultimatum is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series of requests...

 to the citizens of Maradhoo
Maradhoo (Seenu Atoll)
Maradhoo is one of the inhabited islands of the Seenu Atoll.- Overview :Maradhoo is located in the middle of the island chain on the Western side of Addu Atoll. To the North are Hankede followed by Hithadhoo's Gaukendi, Rujjehera, Abuhera, RAF, Maamendhoo and Mainland Hithadhoo. To the South are...

, for the immediate removal of the Suvadive flag, and to hoist that of the Maldives. This was done the next day, September 23, 1963.

Abdullah Afeef
Abdullah Afeef
Abdullah Afeef was the President of the United Suvadive Republic from 1959 to 1963. Born in Hithadhoo, Addu Atoll, Afeef was an educated and well-respected individual from a family of notables....

 was forced to resign as president of the Suvadive government and was sent into exile to the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....

 with his immediate family aboard the British warship "HMS Loch Lomond".

The British then announced that they would only employ citizens of the sovereign sultanate of the Maldive Islands as workers at the airbase.

The local Fua Mulaku leaders received the news only two days later. Then the Suvadive flag was taken down from the mast at Ravverige. This flag, a wooden board with a painted Coat-of-Arms, documents and other representative items of the defunct republic were taken to a lonely spot in the Northeast of the island. There a pit was dug at a place above the waterline close to the beach and all items were buried. The spot of the burial was similar to the place that would be chosen for a person having died from a dreaded disease, like leprosy or cholera.

Summary

The Suvadive secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...

 began in the southernmost atoll of Addu in 1959, but the idea of independence was spread to the communities of Fua'mulah and Huvadhu and resulted in their joining the fledgling nation.
The situation ended in 1963 with the Suvadive Islands' government being completely dismantled and the exile of its leader Abdullah Afeef, who was granted asylum in the Seychelles. The atolls participating in the secession were duly restored as a region of the Maldive Islands.

The controversy around the Suvadive still endures and touches sensitive fibres of many Maldivians. Ill feelings towards the British persist for some, as on one hand the British gave hopes to the trusting Suvadive islanders, legitimally afflicted by centralism and neglect. But on the other hand the same British made a separate agreement with the government of the Maldive Islands.

Economy

During the Second World War the British base in Addu Atoll had acted as a temporary trading point for the Maldives, enabling the Maldivian government to obtain fuel and other necessities throughout the shortages of the war.

After the short-lived independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....

 from the central government, the British presence in Addu gave a measure of prosperity
Prosperity
Prosperity is the state of flourishing, thriving, good fortune and/or successful social status. Prosperity often encompasses wealth but also includes others factors which are independent of wealth to varying degrees, such as happiness and health....

 to the Suvadivians. They were provided with employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...

, health facilities
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

and supplies which helped to alleviate the trade boycott imposed by the government of the Maldive Islands, Ceylon and India on this small breakaway nation.

During the years of the secession, the Suvadive trading boats which had reached the customary harbours in India and Ceylon in their yearly trip, were impounded by the local harbour authorities and their captains and crew were detained. Much needed supplies failed to reach the Suvadive atolls in those years and local islanders remember them as a time of penury, when boats were expected and horizons were scanned in vain.

External links

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