PUTRAJAYA, March 29 — No news can sometimes be good news.

While it has been a frustrating three weeks waiting for any news of the fate of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370, the fact that no debris has yet been found has given the families of its 38 Malaysian passengers a spark of hope that their loved ones may yet be alive.

While the families in Beijing have quit attending meetings with Malaysian officials, Malaysian relatives here have so far faithfully turned up for their briefings by acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and airline officials, each drawing strength from the other.

“Hishammuddin said they will not give up hope. The prime minister also never said that the plane crashed. I still believe that my son is alive,” Selamat Omar, whose son was among those on board the plane, told reporters after attending today’s closed-door briefing that lasted over three hours.

The minister echoed similar sentiments at a news conference later, sharing that the families had shown “hope in their eyes”, which he said gave him “strength” to continue the search-and-rescue operation.

The plane has been missing for 21 days now and MAS had told family members that in all probability no one has survived.

But Hishammuddin, in a repeat of his previous statement, said he still hopes to find survivors no matter how remote the idea might be.

“Miracles can happen,” he said.

Chinese family members, however, have been less optimistic with frustrations culminating in a violent protest against the Malaysian government at its embassy in Beijing.

The Chinese made up two-thirds of the 239 people on board the jetliner.

An international operation has seen searchers scour a new area of the Indian Ocean about 1,000km to the northwest of previous search sites after satellite images showed more objects floating in the waters closer to Perth.

Fresh data has also indicated the MH370 passenger plane was flying faster than first thought before it disappeared on March 8.

Authorities, however, stressed that the items sighted could not be verified as coming from MH370 until they were physically examined and ships from China and Australia have been tasked with finding them.