The Nepal Embassy in Malaysia is experiencing difficulty in opening a local bank account in the name of the Nepali prime minister's 'Disaster Relief Fund' to receive donations for the recent earthquake victims in the republic.

Nepali Ambassador to Malaysia Niranjan Man Singh Basnyat told Malaysiakini yesterday that there was too much red tape faced by the embassy to open a current account with a local bank to help the more than one million Nepalis affected by the disaster.

Basnyat ( left ) said: “We are shocked by the bureaucratic procedures and regulatory protocols aimed at assisting this humanitarian cause.

“We are facing problems in opening a current account with a bank in Kuala Lumpur. The money remitted by well-wishers and donors as well as Nepali workers here will be sent directly to the government of Nepal.

“Currently, the government of Nepal is shocked by this disastrous earthquake and has appealed to the international community to offer any kind of assistance for relief work and to aid in the resettling of millions of Nepalis.

“As this is an emergency, the nation is short of funds to provide food, clothing and shelter to those stranded in the aftermath of the quake.”

Aid collection centres established

Basnyat also appealed to all Malaysian companies employing Nepali workers to advance them a month's salary for them to remit to their affected families in Nepal.

“In the cases of those family members killed or injured in the quake, please allow the relative working in Malaysia to go on leave for a few days to attend to their affected next-of-kin in Nepal,” he pleaded.

He also announced that convenience store  KK Mart has been sanctioned by the embassy, nationwide, to act as collection centres for aid material such as tents, blankets, medicine, medical equipment, water purifiers, sanitation kits and other materials needed for the temporary accommodation of the quake victims.

According to the latest reports on the earthquake disaster, more than 4,000 people have died and another 8,000 injured in the calamity which struck near the capital, Kathmandu, on May 25.

International relief agencies say the death toll could climb to as high as 10,000, with eight million Nepalis displaced across the country.

Those who wish to provide assistance or require more information can call the embassy at 603-20201898.