Why weren’t authorities told of Malaysian found in Nepal, says group

A group representing families of missing Malaysians affected by the Nepal floods has raised concerns over the handling of information regarding a man identified as Low, who was found safe nine days after the disaster. In a statement, R Manivannan, spokesman for the families' solidarity group, questioned why the foreign ministry and police were not promptly informed about Low's confirmed safety on September 3, despite his contact with his family on the same day.

The group learned about Low's situation after meeting him, but expressed confusion as to why DNA samples were still collected from his family after his safe confirmation. Manivannan noted that Low's case differed from the 54 Malaysians still unaccounted for, who were last reported near the flood-affected areas. The families of the missing are still awaiting answers, and the group urged authorities to expedite recovery and identification efforts, including DNA matching, even as Nepal concluded its search-and-rescue operations on September 30.

The group also called for clarification on Nepal's decision to shorten the waiting period to declare missing persons dead in disaster-related cases from 12 years to 45 days. The families' support group plans to meet Bank Negara Malaysia to discuss the financial challenges faced by the missing families, while they await a response to their request for meetings with the Attorney-General's Chambers and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Over 6,000 people remain missing after the glacier collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border in late August, which triggered landslides and a flash flood that devastated downstream valleys.