MH370: Chinese families hold protest against Malaysian Govt

Angry relatives of Chinese passengers aboard a Malaysia Airlines plane missing for more than a year clashed with police in Beijing on Friday as French officials extended the search for debris on remote Indian Ocean island beaches.

The increased activity was ordered by the French President and Prime Minister, the statement said, following the announcement by investigators that the Boeing 777 wing part found on a Reunion beach last week is very likely from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

“We don’t care about the flight wreckage, we want the people on the flight”, said Zhang Yongli, a 64-year-old Beijing native, whose daughter was onboard the flight.

Malaysia said on Thursday paint colour and a maintenance seal were matches for MH370, although French authorities have stopped short of declaring a definitive match.

Others pointed to discrepancies in information released by Malaysian and French authorities after the barnacle-covered piece of wing was flown to mainland France for investigation. They come to our houses and stop us from giving interviews.

Separately, local authorities where the first piece of debris was found said they would organise a thorough search starting Monday.

Numerous family members convening insisted they could not trust the Malaysian government, and the pressure from Beijing was necessary.

“These are all the experts from the technical side, from Malaysian team, and they train in these areas, so they will be able to identify whether it is aircraft material or whether it is cushion aircraft material”, he said in an interview.

France said yesterday that it was ramping up its search there with additional planes, helicopters and patrol boats after more debris, including a plane window and aluminium foil, were found. However, none of the new debris appeared to have come from MH370, said a spokesman for Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss.

Malaysia announced Wednesday that the debris was “conclusively” from MH370. Officials believe it crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, killing all aboard, but the wreckage and the cause remain elusive despite a vast ongoing search led by Australia.

Malaysian officials have said the plane’s movements were consistent with deliberate actions by someone on the plane, suggesting someone in the cockpit intentionally flew the aircraft off course.

The Reunion finding has sparked renewed effort and France has sent search teams to the island.

The wing section found on Reunion, known as a flaperon, is being examined in the French city of Toulouse by worldwide aviation experts.

“I would like to assure all those affected by this tragedy that the government of Malaysia is committed to do everything within our means to find out the truth of what happened”, he said.

Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tong Lai speaks during a press conference on the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in Putrajaya, Malaysia Thursday, August 6, 2015.