Muddled message

Few of our state officials seem to have internalised the need for good crisis-time communication.

The importance of good communication cannot be overemphasised during times of crisis. Swift and reliable communication can save lives and forestall a lot of anguish for countless people. But when you get the communication wrong, bad situations often get worse. Late on Saturday, news began to trickle in of an armed attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas. Initial reports suggested that some Nepali students living near the Israel-Palestine border might have been caught in the attack. When the air started clearing from the Saturday incident, it transpired that at least 10 Nepali students had been killed, with a few more injured or missing. Days after the attack, some Nepali students who were holed up in safety bunkers in Israel took to the social media to implore their government back home to arrange for their prompt rescue. In response, Nepal’s foreign ministry issued a rather generic statement on the whole episode, without a word of comfort for the bereaved families or support for the stranded students.