Next of kin raise issue of financial assistance – Hamzah

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Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin

KUALA LUMPUR: The next of kin of passengers of the  Malaysia Airlines (MAS) plane Flight MH370, missing since March 8, have proposed  to the Next-of-Kin Committee the kind of financial assistance they would need soon.

Committee chairman Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin, who is also Deputy Foreign Minister, said the matter was among the main issues raised at a meeting between him and about 40 next of kin of Flight MH370 passengers at a hotel, here, yesterday.

Hamzah said their proposals would be brought to the meeting of the committee today for study and deliberation, and the government would try its best to help them go through this very trying time.

“We are working closely with them to ensure, like I’ve said before, that their best interest is looked into.

“We understand the desperate need for information (on the fate of the MH370 passengers) by the family members and those watching around the world,” he said at a news conference after the meeting with the next of kin, here, yesterday.

The closed-door meeting which took more two hours was also attended by the Department of Civil Aviation director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman and MAS chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya.

The Boeing 777-200 airliner carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew went missing on March 8 while on its flight to Beijing about one hour after departing from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 12.41am. It was to have landed in Beijing at 6.30am the same day.

Asked who would be responsible to provide the financial assistance, Hamzah said: “It will come from MAS and also from the government, if necessary.”

Hamzah stressed that the financial assistance was not only meant for the next-of-kin from Malaysia, but would also cover family members from China to prove that Malaysia was a responsible government.

He said the announcement on confirmation of the MH370 passengers’ status would only be made after the evidence found had been verified by the search experts responsible to avoid anything undesirable.
“We cannot go on like this for very long; there must be a time frame to make that confirmation. We will decide in the near future.

“Once we want to make that kind of announcement, we would like to  reconfirm certain issues, certain evidence and certain things. So we have to really understand the situation,” he said.

Asked on the MH370 passengers’ family members in China refusing to accept Malaysia’s explanation, Hamzah said this was unavoidable as the incident had raised various questions all over the world.

He said what was important was that Kuala Lumpur made a statement or explanation each time on the incident after the information received had been verified by the experts.

“It is understandable that this incident (aircraft missing without a trace)  is difficult to be believed as it is unprecedented in the world,” he added.

However, Hamzah stressed the need for the Chinese government to inform and explain to the Chinese people on the incident as they would understand better their own people’s situation and culture.

“This is importat so that the incident would not become a problem to the long-established good relations between Malaysia and China.

“So, all the miscommunication must be rectified and explained to the passengers’ next of kin by the Chinese government,” he said. — Bernama