FAMILIES of 54 Malaysians still missing after floods and landslides near the Nepal-China border are urging the government to formally confirm their relatives’ missing-person status to facilitate insurance claims and financial affairs.
Malaysia Solidarity Families in Hope (MASFIH) representative R. Manivannan said the request was among nine priorities in a 29-page proposal submitted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during a closed-door meeting at Parliament today.
He said Anwar had assured the group that its proposals for assisting the affected families would be brought to the Cabinet meeting on Friday.
The proposals also call for financial assistance, legal aid, better coordination of government support and diplomatic engagement with authorities in Nepal and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.
MASFIH has also proposed appointing a coordinating minister to ensure the families’ needs are addressed systematically.
Manivannan said letters issued by the Foreign Ministry so far stated only that the missing individuals could not be contacted, without formally confirming their status as missing persons.
“We want to obtain confirmation letters stating that our family members are missing.
“These documents do not mean that they have been declared dead. They are needed to help families manage related matters,” he said at a press conference after the meeting.
Floods and landslides near the Nepal-China border on Aug 26 left 55 Malaysians reportedly out of contact with their families.
One was later confirmed safe after turning up at the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu on Oct 1 and returning to Malaysia the following day, leaving 54 still unaccounted for. - October 20, 2026