Jakarta Globe – AFP, Feb 12, 2015
 |
| A Chinese relative of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 passengers sits outside a Malaysia Airlines complex in Subang, Selangor, Malaysia on Feb. 12, 2015. (EPA Photo/Azhar Rahim) |
Kuala
Lumpur. Chinese relatives of those on board missing Malaysia Airlines flight
MH370 protested outside the carrier’s office on Thursday, demanding Malaysia
withdraw a statement declaring all the passengers dead.
The
Malaysian government last month officially listed the disappearance of
Malaysian Airline flight MH370 as an accident and said all 239 people on board
had perished in a move it said would pave the way for compensation claims.
However,
the announcement immediately sparked outrage among distraught family members who
have shunned offers of compensation as some cling to hope that their loved ones
may still be alive.
About 15
people gathered outside the airline’s gates under a hot sun on Thursday wearing
white caps and red T-shirts bearing the words: “Pray for MH370.”
They held
placards in English reading: “Who can tell us what happened”, “Come back MH370”
and “Today it is us, Tomorrow it could be you.”
“My husband
was on the flight. We want the Malaysia government to cancel the declaration
that they made,” Kelly Wen, wife of a Chinese passenger who was only identified
as Li, told AFP.
“My
daughter is still alive!” cried 56-year-old Zhang Hui Jun, while being
comforted by another woman from the group.
Malaysia
Airlines officials then transported the protesters to the nearby Subang Airport
and gave them lunch.
Reject
declaration
Later,
three representatives of the Chinese group were ushered away in a van to meet
Malaysia Airlines group chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya.
One of the
representatives, 63-year-old Wen Wan Shen, whose only son Yung Sheng was on the
plane, told reporters that the meeting lasted for 30 minutes.
Wen said
they handed a letter to Ahmad Jauhari demanding that the declaration of
accident be overturned as there is no credible evidence.
Wen said
Malaysia Airlines should pay the families who are struggling with their
livelihoods after losing their loved ones, and that they will escalate their
demands to other officials including prime minister Najib Razak.
The Chinese
families have also demanded for more regular details on search operations.
Malaysia
Airlines said it will respond to the relatives’ demands within the next few
days.
But the
airline said “it is in no position to provide any further clarification or
technical information on the fate of MH370 other than what is already available
in the public domain”.
The
protestors said they are here for the long haul and will stay as long as
possible.
More
Chinese families of MH370 victims are expected to arrive in Malaysia this week
ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations.
MH370
disappeared on March 8, 2014 after inexplicably diverting from its Kuala
Lumpur-Beijing course.
The
airliner is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean off western
Australia but no trace has been found. Australia has been spearheading the hunt
for the plane.
Chinese
passengers accounted for about two-thirds of the 239 people who were aboard the
Boeing 777.
Agence France-Presse
Related Article:
No comments:
Post a Comment