BY MAYURI MEI LIN
The Malay Mail Online
March 7, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — The government’s decision to release an interim report on the first-year anniversary of the missing Flight MH370 tomorrow has drawn flak from at least one family member of the ill-fated plane’s passengers.
Grace Subathirai Nathan, whose mother Anne Catherine Daisy was among the 239 passengers and crew who vanished on March 8 last year, said she was notified earlier today that the report would be released just before the families are to hold a remembrance function for their loved ones.
“We are in so much pain at this time that we still have no news of our loved ones,” the 26-year-old lawyer told Malay Mail Online in a text message through WhatsApp.
“What is the value of releasing this report on the 8th minutes before the official start time of our NOK event?” she asked, using the acronym meaning next-of-kin.
“Can’t they release it on the 9th?” she added.
Malay Mail Online understands that the Malaysian safety investigation team on MH370 under the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13 will be releasing its interim report and a factual statement tomorrow at 3pm.
Grace said the families had been informed that they would be able to access the documents in a special section for the next-of-kin on the MH370 official website from noon Malaysian time, a scant three-and-a-half hours before their Remembrance Day event at The Square at the Publika shopping complex here.
The event, which was a concerted effort spearheaded by Voice370 that represents the kith and kin of the people on board the jet, is scheduled to kick off from 3.30pm to 6.30pm and will include two live-link sessions to connect with those in Australia, New Zealand and France.
Grace raked over the federal government and the Malaysia Airlines management for allegedly failing to help the families commemorate the first-year anniversary of their loved ones going missing, on top of being callous about the feelings of the families involved.
“[They] did not even assist us with this event. Why are they making it worse for us? Why must they do this to us? Are we not distraught enough as it is?” she said in an emotion-laden statement.