Nepal floods: 'My wife is too distressed to handle any of this'

KUALA LUMPUR: Only two immediate family members of the Malaysians missing in the Nepal floods were allowed to attend a briefing at Wisma Putra today.

They said elderly parents were not allowed to be accompanied by a family member who could help explain the information and keep them calm.

"These are elderly people who are already traumatised and still struggling to cope with the incident. How do you expect them to react to whatever is being spoken or shared in the briefing?" said M. Subramaniam.

He is the son-in-law of Krishnan, 74, one of the 55 Malaysians still unaccounted for in the Nepal disaster.

"We are grateful for all the efforts and SAR action taken, but as family members, it is disappointing that only two immediate family members were allowed to join the meeting.

"My wife is too distressed to handle any of this and needs someone with her," he said.

Earlier, Subramaniam had a misunderstanding with one of the Wisma Putra officials after they refused to allow his wife's brother to join the briefing.

However, after lengthy discussions among the officials, they finally allowed him to attend the meeting, which started at 10.15am.

S. Punitha, the aunt of missing Malaysian Suguna Balan, 33, said although the parents were physically present, she doubted they would be able to fully digest or understand the information shared during the briefing.

The families also called for elderly next-of-kin, particularly those aged 60 and above, to be allowed an accompanying person and for family members to be permitted to record future briefings on their mobile phones.

They said recordings would allow family members to explain the information in detail and clarify any discrepancies, and that procedures such as signing attendance through a Google Form could also be difficult for elderly family members.

Other family members who could not gain access to the building were seen waiting patiently outside the Wisma Putra compound.

The meeting follows the families' call for clarity over the search for the 55 Malaysians, particularly developments on the China-Tibet side and the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border area, where some of the missing were believed to have been last seen.

SMART's 11-member team was deployed to Nepal on Sept 5 and returned on Sept 14 after conducting ground searches and drone surveillance in areas approved and deemed safe by the Nepalese authorities.