Raw footage of a Chinese woman whose son was on board the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 being dragged away from reporters on Wednesday.
As my colleague Chris Buckley reports, distraught family members of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 were forcibly dragged away from reporters on Wednesday after they unfurled a banner accusing the Malaysian government of “concealing the truth†and spoke of their grief.
Jonah Fisher, a BBC correspondent reporting from the hotel in Sepang, Malaysia, observed that Malaysian government officials “are not used to having their authority challenged like this,†and appeared unable to moderate their response to the protests from the relatives of Chinese passengers. “This was not a message the Malaysians want the world to hear,†Mr. Fisher said, “and they crudely stepped in and stepped in and dragged the women kicking and screaming out of the room.â€
Associated Press A Chinese woman who said her son was on board the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 held a banner critical of the Malaysian government before a briefing near the airport in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
At least three relatives managed to speak to reporters gathered for a news conference near the airport in Kuala Lumpur before being bundled away, and the scene was captured on video from several angles. Footage posted online by The Telegraph captured the anguished screams of one of the protesters, a woman who said her son was on board the flight, as she was pushed and then carried out of the briefing room, and some of her remarks moments earlier.
Video of a Chinese woman being dragged away from reporters after describing her anguish at the lack of information about her missing son.
Raw footage posted on YouTube by Malaysiakini, a local news site, and part of a video report from Malaysia’s Star Online, offered clear images of the woman being interrupted and pulled away by officials and uniformed officers.
A video report from Malaysia’s Star Online showed a Chinese woman whose son was on the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 being dragged away while speaking to reporters.
More video of the same woman, subtitled by The Guardian, showed her asking, “Where is my son? Why are you not giving me answers?â€
Raw footage posted online without subtitles by Sky News also showed two other Chinese women speaking to reporters and then being forced from the room.
Sky News footage of Chinese family members dragged away from reporters after protesting the Malaysian government’s handling of the missing jet.
At the subsequent news conference, Malaysia’s defense minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, was asked to comment on the protest by the relatives, and said that he could “fully understand†their grief. “It is heart-wrenching, even for me,†he said.
Video of Malaysia’s defense minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, telling reporters that he understood the anguish of the family members.
Later, Mr. Hishammuddin said in a statement that he regretted what had taken place in the press room and had ordered an investigation.
We regret the scenes at this afternoon’s press conference, involving some of the relatives of passengers on board MH370. One can only imagine the anguish they are going through. Malaysia is doing everything in its power to find MH370 and hopefully bring some degree of closure for those whose family members are missing. I have ordered an immediate inquiry into the events in the press room today.
Earlier this week, Chinese state television’s American channel reported on the anguish of family members of the missing who did not travel to Malaysia but have been waiting for news at the Lido Hotel in Beijing, where tempers have flared during daily briefings from Malaysian officials.
A video report on the grief of Chinese family members of the missing posted online Tuesday by Chinese state television’s English-language channel, CCTV America.
Follow Robert Mackey on Twitter @robertmackey.
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