Nepal move to verify status brings hope, relief to missing Malaysians' families

Families of Malaysians missing in Nepal's mudslide disaster have received hope and relief from Nepal's decision to speed up the process of verifying the victims' status. Hani Othman, the wife of the missing Senior Fire Officer II Mohd Fakhrul Munir Mohd Isa, expressed her relief after waiting over a month for certainty about her husband's fate.

She acknowledged feeling a mix of emotions, hoping for her husband's discovery while understanding the need for certainty for other unaccounted families. As a Muslim, Hani accepted whatever Allah SWT had decreed, emphasizing the importance of knowing the status of the missing. She also hoped the search and rescue operation would continue if there was a chance to find her husband and the other victims, noting that no updates had been made on the search, such as recovering belongings or DNA test results.

Meanwhile, P.Sivan, 72, the father of missing Rajita Sivan, appreciated the decision and hoped the subsequent steps would proceed smoothly. He highlighted the lack of necessary certificates, including death certificates, which hindered processing insurance claims and compensation for the families. P.Sivan expressed the hope that the Nepali government would provide full cooperation to the Malaysian government for a quick resolution, allowing the victims' families to receive the assistance and compensation they deserved without further delay.

The Nepal government had previously agreed to expedite the process of verifying the status of 55 Malaysians missing in the disaster, following a conversation between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his Nepali counterpart Balendra Shah.