Three weeks since the disappearance of flight MH370, and with the search effort remaining fruitless, China Daily has called for the relatives of Chinese passengers to stop blaming the Malaysian government for the disaster.
“Although the Malaysian government’s handling of the crisis has been quite clumsy, we need to understand that this is perhaps the most bizarre incident in Asia civil aviation history,” an editorial read.
“All the related parties can do is to continue to search for the wreckage, carry on negotiations with the Malaysian side for more information and prepare to make arrangements for funerals,” it continued. “But we should not let anger prevail over facts and rationality.”
The message is a reversal for China, which has previously attacked Malaysia's government for their handling of the issue. President Xi Jinping announced he would sent an envoy to Kuala Lumpur to investigate the country's claims that the plane almost certainly crashed into the southern Indian Ocean. Malaysia's public security minister even accused Chinese media of "stoking the anger" felt by families.
After angry demonstrations outside the Malaysian embassy in Beijing, several dozen relatives of the 157 Chinese passengers on board MH370 flew to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to further protest against the government. "We want evidence! We want the truth! We want our relatives!" was heard from the crowd, Shanghai Daily reported.
Jiang Hui, the relatives' designated representative, asked for a government apology for what the families deem to be a mishandling of the situation. They also called for more transparency and meetings between the plane's manufacturers, Malaysia Airlines and Inmarsat, the British satellite company who tracked the plane's final path.
[Image: People hold candles and flowers to pray for the passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 in Kuala Lumpur, March 30, 2014. Xinhua/Wang Shen]
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