MARCH 31 — PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak made the announcement Monday night that MH370 had “ended” in the southern Indian Ocean. The announcement could have come more agonising, devastating and unacceptably cruel for the families of the 239 people onboard the ill-fated jetliner.

The relatives of some of the Chinese passengers in Beijing were completely battered, some passing out in utter grief while others swearing at the Malaysian government and MAS in near hysteria.

The following day, the families in Beijing organised themselves to march towards the Malaysian embassy to protest, demanding that MAS and the government to take full responsibility for the tragic incident.

The 21-day search has only rendered suspicious floating objects but no wreckage or victims’ bodies. There are simply too many unknowns in this most mysterious air crash in human aviation history. The aggressive reactions of the victims’s families are understandable, and we will do everything we can to help alleviate their pains and anguish.

We understand that there is no way we can stop the spread of online information, rumors, hearsay, speculations and accusations in this Internet age. Similarly there is no way for anyone to stop the foreign media from making all kinds of reports, analyses, criticism and allegations over this matter, but as the receiving side of information, we must always be reasonable and neutral, and stay calm before such information has been corroborated or verified instead of fanning the flame based on hearsay or taking part in online war of words, thus inflicting more harm to the victims’ families while jeopardizing the good relationship between nations.

Compared to those of other nationalities, the reactions of Chinese passengers’ families are indeed the most aggressive and excessive, which to some extent could be attributed to their culture. But a bigger factor could be because they have been impacted by the various fallacious conspiracy theories and unreal information resulting in their exaggerated distrust in the Malaysian government.

To be honest, it is perfectly normal and human for the Chinese relatives to behave this way under the tremendous stress of having to lose their loved ones, and there is no necessity for anyone to blow up this matter or overreact. The atrocious war of words in the cyberspace is anything but rational.

It is equally unbecoming for our home minister to hit out at the Chinese media for instigating and provoking the Chinese families as his remarks would not assuage their wrath but aggravate only their responses.

What we need most during such a heartbreaking moment is love and mutual trust, and how to allow the relatives to gain access to right counseling services. This remains, without a doubt, a vital task both MAS and the Malaysian government will have to encounter and address in the days to come.

Of course we are not going to stop the investigation works until the truth is found, and we will not close the file until the responsible individuals have been made accountable for their negligence. In the meantime, during this critical period of time, we all should exercise more prudence in the way we speak and act, and face whatever cruel reality that befalls us with composure, courage and firmness.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.