Several dozen Chinese relatives of passengers on Flight 370 demanded on Sunday that Malaysia apologise for its handling of the search for the missing plane and for the Prime Minister’s statement saying it crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.
Holding up banners that read “We want evidence, truth, dignity” in Chinese, and “Hand us the murderer. Tell us the truth. Give us our relatives back” in English, the group staged a protest at a hotel near Kuala lumpur just hours after flying in from Beijing.
Two-thirds of the 227 passengers aboard the Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared March 8 en route to Beijing from Kuala lumpur were Chinese, and the plane's disappearance has sparked broad outrage in China, with celebrities joining in and travel agencies announcing boycotts.
Flight booking website elong said it was suspending Malaysia Airlines flight sales until the relatives are satisfied with the Government’s response. last Wednesday, Chinese touring agency CYTS said it would stop offering tours to Malaysia because of safety concerns.
Even popular actress Zhang Ziyi spoke out. “Malaysian Government, you have hurt the entire world. ... You have misjudged the persistence in seeking truth by the world’s people, including all the Chinese,” she wrote on her microblog.
The protesters Sunday repeatedly chanted slogans in Chinese: “We want evidence! We want the truth! We want our relatives!” Jiang Hui, the relatives’ designated representative, said they wanted a Government apology for what they see as missteps in the initial handling of the disaster as well as Prime Minister Najib Razak’s statement that indicated the plane had crashed with no survivors. Jiang said the relatives felt the conclusion was announced without sufficient evidence.