HE HAD bought travel insurance for peace of mind in case emergencies crop up during his overseas trips.

Mr Ronnie Lim, 66, a retiree, and his wife were supposed to have left Singapore last Thursday to visit their daughter, who works for a multi-national company in Virginia.

But when he had to make changes to his trip schedule because of the Japan earthquake and tsunami, his insurer told him they would not be reimbursing him for the costs incurred.

Mr Lim said his flight to Washington, DC, had a stopover in Tokyo and he was advised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) against landing in Japan because of the nuclear crisis.

He heeded the advice and cancelled his All Nippon Airways flight.

While he got a full refund from the airline, he could not get his money back for accommodation at a Washington hotel for the first two nights of his trip, March 25 and 26. Mr Lim paid US$180 (about S$227) for the hotel booking.

He thought his one-year travel insurance policy with NTUC Income would cover his loss.

But when he contacted it, he said he was told claims for earthquakes and natural disasters are covered under his travel insurance, but not those arising from a nuclear disaster.

He added: "My argument is that the nuclear crisis happened because of an earthquake and tsunami, and therefore, my claim should be honoured."

Mr Lim had booked his air tickets on Oct 29 last year.

But he was worried about explosions and radiation leaks at the Fukushima nuclear plant, which had been shut after being hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

He then called MFA.