Anwar proposes legal, financial support mechanism for families of missing Malaysians
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has proposed establishing a formal mechanism to assist the families of 55 Malaysians who remain missing in Nepal if ongoing search efforts fail to determine their whereabouts.
Anwar said the mechanism would help affected families deal with legal, financial and administrative matters should the victims remain unaccounted for after search operations conclude.
In a statement today, he said he raised the matter during a telephone conversation with Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah before departing for China this morning.
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“I also raised the need to establish an official mechanism should the victims not be found and the search process fail to provide certainty,” he said.
Anwar said the proposal was important to address the concerns of families still waiting for confirmation about the fate of their loved ones.
He said Shah had assured him that search efforts would continue to the fullest extent possible, although conditions at the scene remained increasingly challenging.
According to Anwar, Shah described the scale of the disaster and destruction as being comparable to a tsunami.
“I conveyed the concerns and hopes of the families of the 55 Malaysians who are still waiting for certainty regarding the fate of their loved ones,” he said.
Anwar also expressed Malaysia’s condolences to the Nepalese government and people over the disaster, while commending Nepalese authorities and rescue teams for their efforts to locate victims, including the missing Malaysians.
He said he would send an official letter to Shah outlining Malaysia’s proposal for the formal mechanism.
Meanwhile, Anwar said the two leaders also discussed the recruitment of Nepalese workers to Malaysia, particularly the role of agents in the process.
He said both sides agreed that the recruitment system must be free from exploitation and unreasonable charges that benefited certain parties.
“The worker recruitment system must be transparent and competitive while protecting the rights and welfare of workers,” he said.
Anwar added that Malaysia’s Human Resources Minister and his Nepalese counterpart would hold discussions soon to seek the best solution to recruitment issues between the two countries.
