More than 100 Chinese relatives of the lost passengers are requesting Malaysia take back their statement, according to posts in an online group they use. (File photo: Reuters)
SUBANG JAYA/BEIJING - Distraught relatives of passengers on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on Friday called for Malaysia to withdraw its declaration that all onboard had died in an accident.
About 20 - mostly Malaysian but with some from China and the United States - gathered in Subang Jaya despite a downpour to tell reporters that "almost all families are unanimous in our stand that we do not want to declare our loved ones dead, without a shred of evidence".
"We call on Malaysia to withdraw their statement. It lacks a basis in evidence," said Jiang Hui, whose mother was on the plane, calling on authorities to apologise.
"However, almost all families are unanimous in our stand that we do not want to declare our loved ones dead, without a shred of evidence!!"
“They gave up searching for survivors after 40 days.”
More than 100 Chinese relatives of the lost passengers are requesting Malaysia take back their statement, according to posts in an online group they use.
Family members, some of whom burst into tears as they spoke to reporters near a Buddhist temple in Beijing, said they had received little advance warning of the announcement, reported AFP.
“Malaysia ignored the right of relatives to know the news first,” Jiang added.
Furious accusations from Chinese relatives that Malaysia had covered-up information about the loss of the flight during the 10-month investigation drew Beijing into the fray, straining bilateral ties.
Malaysia’s official declaration that MH370 was an “accident,” opens the door for compensation payments -- but several relatives who spoke to AFP said they were not interested in compensation without further investigations.
“We don’t want money. We want the truth about what happened,” said Hu Xiufang, whose only child, daughter-in-law and grandson were on the plane.
Chinese media reported on Friday that the father of an MH370 passenger died suddenly at his home just three hours after hearing the plane was missing.
Mr Li Xiaohui, 60, whose son was onboard, had no known serious medical problems at the time of his death, a state-run outlet called The Paper reported.
The relatives in China have formed a loose-knit group to express their demands, but China is wary of any unofficial organisations and they have met with harassment from police.
Around a dozen policemen on Friday surrounded relatives of MH370 passengers outside the temple, telling them not to speak to reporters and ordering journalists to leave the scene.
“The police stop us from speaking out, and threaten us,” added Dai Shuqin, whose younger sister was on the plane. “They bully us, that’s what Chinese police are like.” - AFP
No comments:
Post a Comment