MFA reached out to nearly 100 Singaporeans, PRs in Nepal and Tibet after disaster: Vivian Balakrishnan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also providing consular assistance to the families of the nine Singaporeans who are still missing, said Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has reached out to nearly 100 Singaporeans and permanent residents in Nepal and Tibet to check on their safety and well-being following the devastating floods of Aug 26, said Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Thursday (Sep 10).

MFA is also providing consular assistance to the families of nine Singaporeans who are still missing, said Dr Balakrishnan in a written parliamentary reply.

Dr Balakrishnan was responding to questions from Member of Parliament Fadli Fawzi (WP-Aljunied GRC) on the number of Singaporeans who had sought and received assistance from MFA in relation to the flash floods in Nepal and Tibet.

Mr Fadli had also asked whether MFA has assessed the need to increase Singapore's network of consular missions overseas to enhance its ability to respond and assist Singaporeans when disasters hit.

CNA Games

Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time

Buzzword
Create words using the given letters

Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser

Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge

Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less

In his response, Dr Balakrishnan noted that Singapore currently has a diplomatic footprint of more than 50 overseas missions, supported by a network of non-resident ambassadors and honorary consuls-general.

Non-resident ambassadors have the full authority of a diplomatic mission and are meant to extend Singapore's representation overseas in countries where it does not have a resident mission.

Meanwhile, honorary consuls-general are foreign nationals appointed by the Singapore government to represent the country's interests abroad and render consular assistance to overseas Singaporeans. 

"When a crisis occurs in places where we do not have diplomatic representation, MFA works with foreign governments and other partners to provide consular assistance to Singaporeans in need," said Dr Balakrishnan.

Singapore may also deploy crisis response teams - as it did in the case of the Nepal and Tibet floods - for major incidents, he added.

"MFA regularly reviews our diplomatic footprint to balance the need for broader coverage against our resource constraints as a small country."

He noted that Singapore opened an embassy in Mexico City earlier this year, with upcoming embassies in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, as well as consulates in Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia.

The deadly flooding on Aug 26, triggered by a glacial mountain collapse, led to a tsunami-like surge of water, mud and debris which began on the China-Nepal border.

The disaster has killed more than 1,410 people and left 5,651 missing.

Newsletter

Morning Brief

Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief

An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.

Sign up for our newsletters

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Subscribe here

Get the CNA app

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Download here

Get WhatsApp alerts

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

Join here