Passport
of the Suvadives
The
Passport of the Suvadives issued by the People's Council of
Addu Atoll was the first passport issued in any part of what
is now the Maldives. This was valid for travel to Ceylon (Sri
Lanka) and was fully recognised by the Ceylon authorities.
From
1947 to 1965, Maldive citizens travelling to Ceylon carried
a "Pass" issued in Malé and endorsed with
an entry visa which was also issued in Malé
on behalf of the Ceylon immigration authorities.
Maldive
citizens travelling beyond Ceylon used British passports issued
by the British Representative in Malé
or the British High Commissioner in Colombo. Until 1947, this
was issued by the Governor of Ceylon. Until then Maldive citizens
did not require passports to travel to possessions and dependencies
of His Majesty the King or His Imperial Majesty the Emperor
of India.
The
first passport issued in Malé
by order of His Majesty the King of the Maldives came into
existence in 1965.
Bank
Cheque
The
People's Bank of Addu Atoll in the Suvadives was the first
bank in what is now the Maldives. The Malé
government caught up with the modern world in terms of banking
in 1974 when a branch of the State Bank of India was opened
in Malé.
The first Maldive owned bank - the Bank of Maldives - was
established in 1983 with Bangladeshi backing. This was well
over 20 years after Addu Atoll established its own bank. The
currency of the Suvadives was the Pound Sterling.
Coat
of Arms of the Suvadives
The
above is an official letter signed by His Excellency the President
of the Republic Abdullah Afif Didi. The letter is written
on a letterhead of the People's Council of Addu Atoll displaying
the Coat of Arms of the Suvadives.
Click
here to view a private letter from Afif Didi to an official
on Gan
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