GOMBAK, Aug 29 — The support group for families of flash flood victims on the Nepal-Tibet border, Malaysia Solidarity: Families in Hope (MASFIH), has urged Wisma Putra to provide regular updates on the search and rescue (SAR) operation for 49 Malaysians who are still missing following the disaster.
MASFIH representative Ts Dr. Manivannan Rethinam said the group requested for a special liaison officer to be appointed to channel official information directly and consistently to the heirs.
He said the demand was made after more than 72 hours had passed since the disaster, but the fate of the 49 Malaysians involved was still unknown.
"We are not looking for a meeting. We are looking for answers, coordination and action. Although there are no new developments, the families have the right to know that the search efforts are continuing and that their loved ones have not been forgotten," he said at a MASFIH press conference here, today.
Manivannan said the update should include the status of the victims, the search area, the progress of the SAR operation and the number of individuals found or rescued based on information from the Nepalese and Chinese authorities.
He said the appointment of a liaison officer was important to create a communication channel between Wisma Putra, the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu and Beijing with family representatives, thus reducing the pressure on the next of kin who had to obtain information from various agencies separately.
Meanwhile, MASFIH raised confusion regarding the list of missing Malaysians when nine individuals from a travel group were allegedly not listed in certain records of the Nepalese tourism authorities.
In this regard, the group wanted the list of victims to be cross-checked and coordinated between Wisma Putra, the Malaysian embassy and the Nepalese and Chinese authorities to ensure that information on the missing individuals was accurate.
"We have sent a list with the names of the passengers, passport numbers and copies of their passports.
"That is why we have asked a liaison officer to confirm this list so that the same list can be coordinated with the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu and the Nepalese side," he said.
MASFIH also explained that based on information received by the families so far, none of the 49 Malaysians on their list have been confirmed to have been found or rescued.
The clarification was made following reports of 36 Malaysians who were rescued, which MASFIH said were a different group and were believed to not be in the main areas affected by the flash floods.
Previously, it was reported that there were no Malaysians on the list of 771 people rescued in the SAR operation in Rasuwa, Nepal, as of Friday.
According to Wisma Putra, 55 Malaysians have remained uncontactable, while two others have been reached.
The Foreign Ministry's Operations Room in Putrajaya has also been operating 24 hours since August 27 to coordinate information and assist Malaysians in the affected areas and their family members.
The ministry also informed that 72 Malaysians in Darchen, Tibet, China, have been confirmed to be safe and in good health.
At the same time, MASFIH urged the Malaysian government to use all diplomatic channels with Nepal and China to expand SAR efforts in the Nepal-Tibet border area based on the last known location of the victims.
Manivannan also added that the families have information on the communications and last known location of several victims which is believed to help authorities focus the search area.
"Our aim is simple, which is to find the missing and bring them home safely," he stressed.
