Dozens of angry relatives of passengers on a lost Malaysian jetliner clashed with police in Beijing yesterday, accusing the Southeast Asian country of “delays and deception” a day after it confirmed the plane crashed in remote seas off Australia.
Twenty to 30 protesters threw water bottles at the Malaysian embassy and tried to storm the building, demanding to meet the ambassador, witnesses said.
Earlier, the relatives, many with tear-stained faces, had linked arms and chanted “Malaysian government has cheated us” and “Malaysia, return our relatives,” as they marched peacefully and held banners.
Photo: Reuters
The relatives’ grief and anger was unleashed on Monday after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished more than two weeks ago while flying to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, had crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
Citing satellite-data analysis by British firm Inmarsat, he said there was now no doubt that the Boeing jet came down in the ocean in one of the most remote places on Earth — an implicit admission that all 239 people on board had died.
Bad weather in the region far off Australia’s western coast yesterday forced the suspension of the search for any wreckage, just as a series of satellite images and other sightings of floating objects had raised hopes that debris from the plane would be found.
Malaysia’s confused initial response to the Boeing 777’s disappearance and a perception of poor communications has enraged many relatives of the more than 150 Chinese passengers and strained ties between Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.
After Najib’s announcement, Chinese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Xie Hangsheng (謝杭生) demanded that Malaysia hand over all relevant satellite analysis showing how Malaysia had reached its conclusion about the jet’s fate.
A group reportedly representing families issued a statement describing the Malaysian airline, government and military as “executioners” who constantly tried to delay and deceive them.
“We will take every possible means to pursue the unforgivable crimes and responsibility of all three,” the statement said on the Malaysia Airlines MH370 Family Committee microblog.
“We’ve waited for 18 days and still you make us wait. How long are we supposed to hang on?” a woman surnamed Zhang said.
The protest ended after a few hours, when police told protesters to get on buses and escorted them away.
Criticism of the Malaysian national carrier mounted after some relatives of those on board first received the news that the search for survivors was over in an SMS from the airline, which said: “We have to assume beyond all reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and none of those on board survived.”
At a news conference at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport yesterday, company officials defended the move, saying the text message had only been sent as a “last resort” to ensure that some relatives did not hear the news first from media.
“This is a time of extraordinary emotions and we fully understand,” Malaysia Airlines chairman Mohd Nur Yusof said. “In fact, we really feel for the next of kin. In terms of how they react, it’s emotional.”
Flight MH370 vanished from civilian radar screens less than an hour after taking off on March 8. No confirmed debris from the plane has been found since.
Investigators believe someone on the flight may have shut off the plane’s communications systems. Partial military radar tracking showed it turning west and recrossing the Malay Peninsula, apparently under the control of a skilled pilot.
An international air and sea search in the area on Monday spotted several floating objects that might be parts of the plane, and an Australian navy ship was close to finding possible debris, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said.
However, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said gale-force winds, heavy rain and low cloud meant planes could not fly safely to the zone yesterday, and waves of 6m or more forced the navy vessel from the area.
Malaysia Airlines said in a statement that it would make arrangements to fly relatives to Australia once it had approval from the investigating authorities.
Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said his department was working with the airline and Beijing to facilitate visas.
Relatives would be given tourist visas with the usual fees waived, he said.
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