Miadhu Daily;
President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom yesterday ordered the withdrawal of charges of high treason and charges of public disorder offences following the incident of August 12-13 this year. The announcement was made in the President’s message to the nation on the eve of the New Year.
In his message, the President said that the nation was approaching the New Year reeling from the tragic devastation caused by the tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean on Sunday. He said that the tsunami had claimed many lives and that many were still missing, and that it was time of national grief. Highlighting the extensive destruction caused on Sunday, the President said that it was the Government’s foremost priority to provide disaster relief by mobilizing domestic resources and utilizing foreign assistance.
The President said that the Government had always attached great importance to the provision of shelter and he assured those who had lost their homes that the Government would give top priority to provide them with housing. He said that the people had survived and thrived in these islands for several millennia, triumphing over all challenges that had ebbed and flowed. In all these endeavors, the greatest sources of strength for the people were their Islamic faith, the people’s tenacity, determination and the spirit of fraternity, compassion, patriotism and national unity that they drew from their Islamic faith. He said that the extensive physical devastation caused by the tsunami had thrown into sharp relief the true spirit of the people which had ensured the survival of the nation throughout the centuries. He said that amidst the ruins of the destruction rise the nation’s unity, the community spirit, the compassion, the brotherhood and the solidarity of the people. He pointed out that throughout the country people were finding solace and comfort in the community spirit and in national unity. He also said that reinforcement of these values was the urgent call of the nation and would be essential for the nation to recover from the destruction.
Stressing that he was committed to doing everything to promote and sustain that spirit, he said that he had ordered the withdrawal of charges of high treason and public disorder offences following the incident of 12 and 13 August 2004.
He said that his objective was to ensure that everybody could attend to the work of national reconstruction as the highest priority. He also said that it was his desire that everyone was able to contribute sincerely, in the true public spirit and with regard to law and order, to the reform programme that he initiated last year.