KOTA BARU, March 14 — As frustration, sadness and anger mount over the seemingly elusive search for missing Flight MH370, members of the media tried to stay focused in Tok Bali, Pasir Puteh.
Local media, joined by several foreign peers, gathered at the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency’s (MMEA) district office ever since the Boeing 777-200 aircraft went missing with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board.
Even when there were no scheduled press conferences, the press would wait in front of the office, hoping to hop on the vessels once permission is granted.
Some even tried to sought help from local fishermen to bring them out to sea, only to be told that it would take at least 10 hours to reach the search area.
In between the press conferences, journalists tried to gather information from MMEA personnel returning from sea.
Most were tight-lipped as they did not have the authority to speak, although some would narrate the details of their operations out of courtesy to the media.
Huang Yuan, an online journalist from Tencent — touted as China’s largest and most used Internet service portal — was among the first few foreign journalist to arrive from Beijing to get a first-hand look at what’s happening on the ground.
“The local press asked why I come so far, saying it would be suffice to remain in Kuala Lumpur,” she said.
“It’s important I’m here to gather information to better understand what is happening.”
