HIRIMARADHOO — With a stroke of the pen, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu yesterday made Hirimaradhoo the latest Maldivian island to be officially marked for abandonment. All 293 residents are to be relocated to Hanimaadhoo. The number of inhabited islands in the Maldives falls to 189. It is a number that will keep falling. What makes Hirimaradhoo’s story worth understanding is not just that a small island is being emptied. It is what had to fail before 293 people agreed to leave. Every inhabited island in the Maldives, no matter how small, is a functioning state in miniature. Hirimaradhoo had its … Continue reading The Last Ferry Out of Hirimaradhoo