KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 ― Families of Chinese-nationals aboard Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 today demanded nothing less than proof that debris recovered on a French island was from the missing jetliner.
Saying they would not accept anything other than “100 per cent” certainty that the flaperon was from the missing Boeing 777, the group added that they were also more interested to learn the fate of the 239 people on board.
“We don't want to hear any officials guarantee it was 99 per cent for sure. Instead, we want 100 per cent for sure,” read the statement quoted by UK daily The Telegraph.
“We care more about where are our families, no matter where the wreckage is. Has the flight landed halfway? Or have all passengers gone aboard? Neither can be confirmed,” they said.
The families also questioned the progress of the criminal investigation into events that led to the plane going missing on March 8, 2014, namely the disabling of the communications system that led Malaysian authorities to believe that the diversion of the plane was deliberate.
The absence of such an investigation would prevent authorities from learning about what transpired on MH370, they added.
The statement also detailed the Chinese-nationals demand for Malaysian authorities to reinstate the support centre for next-of-kin in China, which includes “restoring the communication, psychological guidance, emergency payment and other functions.”
“Malaysian responsibility cannot be substituted by media report,” the group said.
Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi told newswire Reuters today that they were “almost certain” that the “flaperon”, a portion from a plane’s wing, originated from a Boeing-777.
Malaysia Airlines was operating a Boeing 777 on the ill-fated flight, which vanished without a trace in March last year while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history. The plane was carrying 239 passengers and crew.
Search efforts led by Australia have focused on a broad expanse of the southern Indian Ocean off Australia, roughly 3,700km (2,300 miles) from France's Reunion Island.
