Almost a decade after the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, a hearing on compensation payments to Chinese families opened in Beijing on Monday, demanding a resumption of the search.
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On March 8, 2014, the plane flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared. Although some apparent debris was later recovered in the Indian Ocean, no trace of the 239 people on board, mostly Chinese, was found.
This most important marine research in history was stopped in January 2017. The causes of this disappearance – the greatest mystery of modern civil aviation – are the subject of much speculation.
According to Chinese state television CCTV, more than 40 families of the missing have filed a complaint against Malaysia Airlines, the manufacturer of the aircraft (Boeing), the engine manufacturer (Rolls-Royce) and the insurance company Allianz.
A lawyer Zhang Qihuai, quoted by CCTV, said the complaints are about damages and seeking explanations in the case.
On the sidelines of the first hearings, relatives of Chinese victims published an open letter to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday calling for further investigations.
“The families hope to be able to search for flight MH370 on their own” and are prepared to “invest their own money or work with competent people and companies,” the text emphasizes.
They suggest that all costs remain their responsibility until nothing is found. The same method was used in a 2018 agreement between Malaysia and the private American company Ocean Infinity.
The latter had unsuccessfully continued the search for MH370 in a new area of around 25,000 square kilometers.
The tragedy also left four French victims.
“The truth”
Near the Chaoyang District Court, where the first hearing was held on Monday, several tearful relatives held sheets of paper with the words “Continue the Search” written on them.
71-year-old Bao Lanfang had her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter on the plane. Her husband died this year.
“I don’t care about financial compensation. “What I want is the truth from Malaysia Airlines,” she told the press. “I want them to resume their research, investigations and face-to-face meetings with families.”
When contacted by AFP, the Malaysian Transport Ministry and Malaysia Airlines declined to comment at the opening of the hearing in Beijing.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, said on Monday that Beijing “attaches great importance to the follow-up to the MH370 case” and “hopes that all parties continue to maintain close communication on this issue.”
Each family is seeking between 10 and 80 million yuan (1.3 million to 10.2 million euros) and damages for moral injury of 30 to 40 million yuan (3.8 to 5.1 million euros), CCTV said.
According to the same source, the families of more than 110 other passengers have already reached an agreement with the defense and have obtained a total of between 2.5 and 3 million yuan (320,000 to 380,000 euros).
“Do not die”
“After ten years, the hearing is finally opening in court. For us, it is very comforting and a turning point,” Jiang Hui, whose mother was on board flight MH370, told the press.
It highlights “the deteriorating living conditions” of many families who are deprived of economic support for the missing person.
According to Mr. Jiang, the hearings in Beijing are expected to last until mid-December.
Hu Xiufang, whose three relatives were on board the plane, said he “did not want to compromise” with Malaysian authorities.
“Sometimes living is worse than dying. But I can’t die. I have to bring my loved ones home. This is my mission,” she said, crying.
Various theories – pilot suicide, accident at sea or missile launch – have been put forward over the years to explain the disappearance of MH370, which was described as “almost unimaginable” by Australian investigators who coordinated the initial search operations.
Many victims’ relatives accuse Malaysia Airlines and Malaysia of hiding information, something those involved deny.