Chinese relatives of MH370 passengers stage protest on second anniversary of plane's disappearance

Record ID: 111397

  • Title: Chinese relatives of MH370 passengers stage protest on second anniversary of plane's disappearance
  • Date: 8th March 2016
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (MARCH 8, 2016) (REUTERS) FAMILY MEMBERS OF MH370 PASSENGERS CHANTING IN FRONT OF ENTRANCE TO LAMA TEMPLE, CHANTING (Mandarin): "RESTART THE INVESTIGATION, RESTART THE SEARCH!" FAMILY MEMBERS OF MH370 PASSENGERS CHANTING (Mandarin): "MALAYSIA, FIND OUR PEOPLE!" FAMILY MEMBERS OF MH370 PASSENGERS CHANTING (Mandarin): "MALAYSIA, GIVE US BACK OUR FAMILY!" FAMILY MEMBERS OF MH370 PASSENGERS CHANTING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) FAMILY MEMBER OF FIVE MH370 PASSENGERS, DAI SHUQIN, SAYING: "We don't know if they're alive or dead. We don't know if they're good or bad. We're incredibly worried. We all have psychological anxiety, some sort of phobia, and depression. So our purpose of coming here is to pray for them. If they're alive, and whatever place they're in, we hope to pray for they're safety." FATHER OF MH370 PASSENGER, ZHANG YONGLI, HOLDING UP PLACARDS WITH OTHER FAMILY MEMBER ZHANG HOLDING PLACARDS, READING (Chinese): "THERE MUST BE NEWS OF OUR RELATIVES! (THEY) MUST RETURN SAFELY!" (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) FATHER OF MH370 PASSENGER, ZHANG YONGLI, SAYING: "So we believe that MH370 is safe. And our MH370 passengers are safe. So we've always persistently pursued Malaysia Airlines over these past two years, demanding they quickly return our passengers to us." POLICE IN FRONT OF ENTRANCE TO TEMPLE (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) FATHER OF MH370 PASSENGER, WEN WANCHENG, SAYING: "So there is no conclusion. It's all just speculation. You can't speculate for one, two, or three years, because this thing has been solved. There's no end to it. So there's no way to look back at it. What is looking back? Only if there is a conclusion, and this thing has ended, then we can look back at it." DAI AND FAMILY MEMBER HOLDING PLACARDS FAMILY MEMBER HOLDING PLACARD READING (Chinese): "(THEY) MUST RETURN SAFELY!"
  • Embargoed: 23rd March 2016 05:05
  • Keywords: MH370 Malaysia China families victims protest temple
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA
  • City: BEIJING, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Air Accidents,Disaster/Accidents
  • Reuters ID: LVA001482IHQF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: PLEASE REFER TO 7002-MALAYSIA-AIRLINES/MH370-FILE SENT ON MARCH 6 FOR FILE MATERIAL
    Around 40 Chinese family members of Malaysia Airlines MH370 passengers staged a small protest in Beijing on Tuesday (March 8), the second anniversary of the flight's disappearance.
    The family members held placards and shouted slogans outside a landmark Buddhist temple on Tuesday morning, demanding Malaysia safely return their relatives.
    "Restart the investigation, restart the search," they chanted.
    Dai Shuqin, whose sister and family was aboard the plane, said that she and the other relatives plan to pray at the temple for the safe return of their loved ones.
    "We don't know if they're alive or dead. We don't know if they're good or bad. We're incredibly worried. We all have psychological anxiety, some sort of phobia, and depression. So our purpose of coming here is to pray for them. If they're alive, and whatever place they're in, we hope to pray for they're safety," she said.
    The plane disappeared on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board, most of them Chinese, in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.
    Zhang Yongli, whose daughter was aboard the plane, still believes that after two years, the passengers are alive.
    So far, only a piece of wing, known as a flaperon, discovered in July last year has been confirmed by authorities to belong to the missing Boeing.
    "So we believe that MH370 is safe. And our MH370 passengers are safe. So we've always persistently pursued Malaysia Airlines over these past two years, demanding they quickly return our passengers to us," he said.
    After two years, only a piece of wing, known as a flaperon, discovered in July last year has been confirmed by authorities to belong to the missing Boeing.
    Recently, an American adventurer found a piece of debris on a beach on the African east coast nation of Mozambique. Officials will send that item to Australia for examination.
    Wen Wancheng, whose son was aboard the flight, said that the two year search, for him, has produced no results.
    "So there is no conclusion. It's all just speculation. You can't speculate for one, two, or three years, because this thing has been solved. There's no end to it. So there's no way to look back at it. What is looking back? Only if there is a conclusion, and this thing has ended, then we can look back at it," he said.
    Wen recently filed a lawsuit against Malaysia Airlines at a Beijing court to find the cause of the plane's disappearance and "those responsible".
    Several of the family members said they plan to visit the Malaysia Airlines office in Beijing later on Tuesday to demand more information from the airliner company.
    An interim report is slated to be released by the MH370 investigation team later on Tuesday.
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