Families of missing Malaysians accept painful change to death declaration period

KUALA LUMPUR: Though painful, families of missing Malaysians are prepared to accept Nepal's proposal to shorten the period for declaring missing disaster victims dead.

Sivakumar Kalimuthu, 63, acknowledged he had to accept the proposal by the Nepali government to shorten the declaration period to 45 days from 12 years.

Sivakumar, whose wife, Kalai Mathe Karuppaiah, 57, is missing, said the Malaysian government has not issued any official notification regarding the proposal so far.

"We have to accept it because the incident has already happened and we have no direct line of communication with them to voice feedback to the Nepali government.

"We were previously told that death certificates are usually issued after seven years if victims remain missing, though in this case, the period was shortened to three years.

"Nepal's decision on the proposal may make it easier for us to transfer the victim's assets to other family members," he said when contacted today.

Sharing a similar sentiment, Hani Othman, wife of Senior Fire Officer II Mohd Fakhrul Munir Mohd Isa, admitted it was difficult to accept the decision since no alternatives were provided to next of kin.

"I have mixed feelings about accepting any decision regarding Nepal's proposal.

"However, as next of kin, we have to accept whatever the government decides.

"I only learned about this through social media and am still unsure of the exact decision regarding the proposal," she said.

Meanwhile, efforts to obtain a response from the Malaysian government regarding the proposal remain ongoing, with the Foreign Ministry reportedly reviewing the recommendation.

Yesterday, Nepal reportedly proposed shortening the current 12-year missing period for declaring victims dead to 45 days.

Kathmandu proposed this following devastating floods in Nepal that claimed numerous lives from various nations.

Nepal was struck on Aug 26 by a disaster described as a Himalayan Tsunami following rockfalls and snow avalanches, which killed more than 1,400 people and left over 6,000 untraceable.

Search, rescue, and recovery operations remain underway in several flood-affected areas following widespread destruction that left over 70,000 residents directly affected and displaced.

During the floods, settlements on high-altitude slopes near the Tibet border were severely impacted by swift floodwaters following a sudden glacial lake outburst.