Families of MH370 Victims Stage Protests Over Plans to End Search

Osaka, Japan - October 30 2014: Malaysia Airlines is a major airline operating flights from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to destinations throughout Asia

Chinese relatives of passengers who perished on the doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 protested in front of government offices in Beijing after officials announced plans to wind down the search for the missing plane.

A week ago, officials publicly admitted for the first time that the search for the wreckage of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 will soon come to an end in the absence of any substantial progress. The decision does not sit well with loved ones of the victims – about a dozen of whom staged a protest at the headquarters of China’s Foreign Ministry this week. The family members also presented a petition demanding a meeting with the Chinese government officials who took part in discussions to call an end to the search efforts.

“Since these people spent the money of Chinese tax payers to represent Chinese relatives to attend the meeting, they are obliged to see us,” Jiang Hui, son of an MH370 victim told The Washington Post. “We will continue to demand the meeting because we want to know the most accurate information of what was going on in that meeting.”

The protesters said that so far government officials have declined the request to meet with grieving family members or to explain the decision to abandon the search efforts. Family members, many picketing with hand-drawn signs, have vowed to continue to put pressure on authorities.

Searchers have reportedly come very close to completing an exhaustive search of the entire area where the plane is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean. Barring any new developments, the search efforts are expected to wrap up by the end of the year.

“The decision came not lightly,” Australia Transport Minister Darren Chester told CNN last week.” But in the absence of new credible evidence it is not possible to continue searching. Every effort has been made. We have used the most high tech and the best people for this search.”

[Photo: Getty Images]