China has called on the Malaysian government to brief the families and next of kin of the victims aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, New Strait Times reports.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters in Kuala Lumpur Thursday that a detailed briefing should be given so families would know what had happened.
He said people should understand the feelings of family members of those aboard the flight, and the pain they were going through even though it had been a year since the tragedy.
“But of course, the search for the other or remaining debris of the jetliner must be continued by the authorities,” Wang said when he was asked to comment on the latest news on Flight MH370.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday that the Malaysian side should act on its commitment, continue the investigation into the cause of the accident, provide the families with necessary help and uphold their lawful rights and interests.
‘Everyone has been lying to us’
Chinese relatives of passengers aboard missing flight MH370 expressed anger and disbelief on Thursday, after Malaysia’s prime minister said wreckage found on a French Indian Ocean island was from the plane.
Most of the passengers aboard the flight were Chinese, and around a dozen gathered outside the Beijing offices of Malaysia Airlines, with emotions running high.
“I know my daughter is out there, but they won’t tell us the truth,”she told AFP
Bao Lanfang, whose grandson was also on the plane, told reporters, “Everyone has been lying to us”, before collapsing on the floor and crying.
“I will do anything to see him again,” the 63-year-old added through her tears. “Just tell me what I need to do, I’ll do it”.
French officials used more cautious language, saying only that there was a “very high probability” the wreckage came from MH370.
Many Chinese relatives of MH370 passengers have consistently expressed beliefs that their loved ones were alive, perhaps being held at an unknown location, despite mounting evidence of a fatal crash.
Several gathering on Thursday held signs with a picture of an aeroplane, reading: “It will surely return safely”.
On a social media group, other relatives expressed similar sentiments, saying: “Don’t believe them! They must have switched the debris! We do believe all our relatives will come back safe and sound!”
Elsewhere, Chinese people took to social media sites to express skepticism about Malaysia, whose reputation has taken a knock in China for its handling of the incident.
“Malaysia wanted to avoid the large amount of payment for the relatives so it announced that it found the debris in Reunion and that the airplane crashed accidentally. We don’t believe Malaysia,” one comment on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo read.