Foreign minister: Nepal seeks legal amendments to expedite death certificates for 54 Malaysians

The Nepalese government is seeking to change laws to quickly issue death certificates for 54 Malaysians missing after floods in August, which usually requires a three-year wait.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the certificates are crucial for families to handle financial affairs and special arrangements may be made if legal amendments fail.

Additionally, Malaysia is considering aid for forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia, facing challenges of remote areas, thick haze, and safety concerns for deploying pilots.

MELAKA, Oct 18 — The Nepalese government is seeking to amend the country’s laws to expedite the issuance of death certificates for 54 Malaysians who remain uncontactable following floods and landslides that hit the country in August.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Nepal’s existing laws require a waiting period of up to three years before death certificates can be issued for individuals who remain unaccounted for after a disaster.

He said Nepalese Embassy representatives informed him of the matter during a visit to his office last week.

“The Nepalese government is pursuing the legal amendments and will table them to Parliament. Failing that, it will make special arrangements to ensure death certificates can be issued without delay for the 54 Malaysians who remain unreachable,” he told reporters after officiating the closing ceremony of the 10th National General Conference of the National Solidarity Association (PerSoNa) for the 2025 session here today.

He said the death certificates are necessary for the victims’ families to manage related affairs, including matters involving banks and insurance companies.

On Aug 26, flash floods and landslides hit Nepal’s Rasuwa district and the Nepal-Tibet border area after heavy rain, damaging infrastructure and communications and complicating search-and-rescue operations.

The Foreign Ministry had earlier reported that a Malaysian who could not be contacted after the disaster returned home safely on Oct 2, bringing the number of Malaysians still unaccounted for to 54.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said Malaysia is awaiting a decision by the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and the National Security Council (MKN) on aid that can be extended to tackle forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia.

He said the outcome of the discussions will be brought to the Cabinet for approval, while efforts to extinguish the fires remain challenging because they are burning in remote areas amid thick haze.

“Visibility is below 50 metres and the Air Pollutant Index in Kalimantan has reached 1,000,” he said, adding that Malaysia will assess the risks before deciding on air support and will not deploy pilots if conditions endanger their safety.

On the situation in Italy and France, Mohamad advised Malaysians travelling to the two countries to stay away from demonstrations and areas where rioters are congregating.

He said there are no travel restrictions for Italy or France at present, but Malaysians should remain cautious and comply with local authorities’ safety advice. — Bernama

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尼泊尔政府正寻求修改法律，以便尽快为8月份洪水后失踪的54名马来西亚人签发死亡证明，而通常情况下，这需要等待三年时间。

马来西亚外交部长拿督斯里莫哈末哈山表示，这些证明对于家庭处理财务事务至关重要，如果法律修正案失败，可能会做出特殊安排。

此外，马来西亚正在考虑向印度尼西亚苏门答腊岛和加里曼丹岛的森林火灾提供援助，但面临偏远地区、浓烟以及部署飞行员的安全问题等挑战。

马六甲，10 月 18 日——尼泊尔政府正寻求修改该国法律，以加快为 54 名在 8 月份该国遭受洪水和山体滑坡袭击后仍无法联系的马来西亚人签发死亡证明。

外交部长拿督斯里·穆罕默德·哈桑表示，尼泊尔现行法律规定，对于灾后下落不明的人，必须等待长达三年的时间才能签发死亡证明。

他说，尼泊尔大使馆代表上周到访他的办公室时向他通报了此事。

“尼泊尔政府正在推进法律修正案，并将提交议会审议。如果未能通过，政府将做出特别安排，确保能够尽快为54名失联的马来西亚人签发死亡证明。”他在今天于此地主持全国团结协会（PerSoNa）2025年第十届全国大会闭幕式后告诉记者。

他说，死亡证明对于受害者家属处理相关事务（包括涉及银行和保险公司的事务）是必要的。

8月26日，暴雨过后，尼泊尔拉苏瓦地区和尼泊尔-西藏边境地区遭遇山洪和山体滑坡，基础设施和通信遭到破坏，搜救行动也因此变得更加复杂。

外交部此前报告称，一名在灾难发生后失联的马来西亚公民于 10 月 2 日安全返回家园，使得下落不明的马来西亚公民人数达到 54 人。

与此同时，穆罕默德表示，马来西亚正在等待国家灾害管理机构（NADMA）和国家安全理事会（MKN）就援助能否扩展到应对印度尼西亚苏门答腊岛和加里曼丹岛的森林火灾做出决定。

他表示，讨论结果将提交内阁批准，同时由于火灾发生在偏远地区且烟雾弥漫，灭火工作仍然面临挑战。

“能见度低于 50 米，加里曼丹的空气污染指数已达到 1000，”他说道，并补充说，马来西亚将在决定是否提供空中支援之前评估风险，如果情况危及飞行员的安全，则不会部署飞行员。

针对意大利和法国的局势，穆罕默德建议前往这两个国家的马来西亚人远离示威活动和暴徒聚集的地区。

他表示，目前前往意大利或法国没有旅行限制，但马来西亚公民应保持警惕，并遵守当地政府的安全建议。——马新社

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