Nepal has agreed to expedite death certificates for 54 Malaysians missing after August floods, helping families settle insurance claims and banking matters.
KUALA LUMPUR: Nepal has agreed to introduce a special executive order to expedite the issuance of death certificates for 54 Malaysians who remain uncontactable following the Aug 26 floods, as their families face difficulties settling insurance claims, banking matters and other affairs.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Nepal’s prime minister had agreed to the proposed order following an appeal by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, although Malaysia was still awaiting details of its contents.
“All the agencies involved have expressed their willingness to assist. But the certificate confirming their missing status is essential.
“Without that certificate, it is difficult for the authorities here, insurance companies and other parties to process matters or deal with the next of kin,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Mohamad explained that Nepal’s existing procedures generally required families of missing persons to undergo lengthy legal processes before death certificates could be issued.
The proposed order would provide a special arrangement for those affected by the disaster, while Malaysian agencies were coordinating assistance through a one-stop approach.
The difficulties surrounding the search were also highlighted when Mohamad recalled offering to travel to Nepal personally, only to be discouraged by his Nepalese counterpart, Shisir Khanal.
“I wanted to go there, but my counterpart, the foreign minister of Nepal, told me, ‘My brother, if you are here, also nothing much you can do,’” he said.
Mohamad said Nepal had learnt from the devastating Kathmandu earthquake, during which authorities spent considerable time coordinating foreign rescue teams.
He described the floods as a mountain tsunami that swept mud and rocks across affected areas, making rescue operations extremely challenging.
“The torrent carried mud and rocks. Within three days, they hardened like cement,” he said.
Malaysia nevertheless secured approval to deploy its Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) from Sept 5 to 11, along with nine high-powered drones. However, the operation failed to locate the missing Malaysians.
“We checked the records at the trekking posts. Everything pointed to them being in the path of the flood, and the last signals from their phones were also from that location,” he said.
Nepal has since ended formal search operations, although Malaysian diplomatic officials continue to contact trekking posts and local authorities in an effort to obtain information about the missing citizens.
Mohamad was replying to Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi), who sought an update on the missing Malaysians and the assistance being provided to their relatives.
The disaster struck Nepal’s Rasuwa district near the Tibetan border on Aug 26, when torrents of water, mud and rocks swept through settlements and trekking routes following a major Himalayan glacier collapse.
Nepalese disaster authorities reported 1,451 deaths and 5,786 missing persons as of Sept 20. A Malaysian who had previously been uncontactable returned home in early October, leaving 54 cases unresolved.