Flight MH370 China families meet wall of silence

BEIJING - Frustrated Chinese relatives of passengers onboard missing Flight MH370 yesterday visited the offices of Malaysia Airlines in Beijing to confront officials after regular briefings by the airline were halted.

The relatives had previously been given regular updates on the search for the plane by airline officials at a hotel in Beijing. But the briefings were cancelled last month, to the fury of many who say they no longer have any way of making their voices heard.

Relatives organised a visit to the Beijing office of the airline to "demand answers", a message posted on their official online account said, but were turned away and refused access to airline staff.

A heavy security presence blocked journalists from entering the building and reporters interviewing relatives outside were closely watched by police, as five marked police vans were parked nearby.

"I came here today to get answers but I am not allowed to see anyone," said Dai Shuqin, who added her younger sister was on the plane.

As relatives around her collapsed onto the floor, crying in each others arms, Dai then began shouting: "I only want to find foreign journalists. I have a lot things to say to them. I want the whole world to find out what we're encountering."

The visit to the airline's Beijing office was planned as Chinese families prepare to mark 100 days since the plane disappeared on June 16. In China, the mourning period for deceased loved ones commonly lasts for 100 days.

"Almost 100 days have gone and we continue to feel tortured, helpless, and angry, said Jiang Hui, a 41-year-old IT worker.

A woman answering the phone at the airline's Beijing office refused to comment when contacted by AFP.

Meanwhile, French businessman Ghyslain Wattrelos, whose wife and teenage son and daughter were on the plane, said in an interview with French Europe Radio 1 that he is convinced foul play was involved in the plane's disappearance.