Kuala lumpur: Solidariti Malaysia: Keluarga Dalam Harapan (MASFIH), a support group for families of victims in the Nepal flash flood tragedy, has appealed for certified Tamil-speaking counsellors to provide psychological support to affected relatives. MASFIH representative Dr R. Manivannan emphasized the urgency of this need, highlighting that most of the next of kin are elderly individuals who are only comfortable communicating in their mother tongue.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, while Wisma Putra and MERCY Malaysia have proactively offered free counselling services, the initiative has faced language barriers, as sessions are conducted in Malay and English. Dr. Manivannan pointed out that using third-party translators during therapy sessions is unsuitable, as it could disrupt the emotional connection families require during this difficult time.
"Translators may be available, but a third party's presence might make the families uncomfortable, and the counsellor's true intent or nuance might not get across to them," he said. He invited government or private counsellors fluent in Tamil to contact MASFIH to coordinate the screening process with MERCY Malaysia or Wisma Putra.
Dr. Manivannan also advised families to monitor the emotional state of their immediate relatives to ensure those experiencing trauma receive proper screening. "The families themselves must come forward. Other family members need to be attentive because everyone copes with trauma differently," he said.
Commenting on the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) expected to deploy to Nepal this Saturday, Dr. Manivannan welcomed the effort, stating it would ensure more accurate on-the-ground information. He expressed hope that the arrival of SMART would provide first-hand updates from Malaysian personnel, paving the way for victims' families to visit later.
Dr. Manivannan's younger sister, R. Komathi, 48, is among the Malaysians reported missing in the incident. In a related development, he expressed MASFIH's hope of arranging a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, allowing the victims' families to convey their grievances and the actual challenges they face following the tragedy in Nepal.
He stressed the importance of this meeting to ensure the families' voices are heard directly by the nation's top leadership, given the increasingly distressed emotional state of the relatives. "We hope to meet the Prime Minister as soon as possible to obtain the latest updates, as well as to express the feelings of the relatives who are growing increasingly anxious and distressed," he said.