Boys sue over father’s loss on missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370
Boys launch first lawsuit in Malaysia over the loss of their father on Flight MH370, accusing both the airline and government of negligence
Two Malaysian children sued Malaysia Airlines and the government yesterday over the loss of their father on Flight MH370, the first lawsuit filed in the country by relatives of those aboard the airliner that mysteriously disappeared eight months ago.
Jee Kinson, 13, and Jee Kinland, 11, accused the civil aviation department of negligence for failing to try to contact the plane within a reasonable time after it disappeared.
MH370 inexplicably disappeared on March 8 with 239 people - mostly Chinese nationals - aboard en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in what remains one of history's great aviation mysteries.
Malaysia's government believes the flight diverted to the far southern Indian Ocean, citing sketchy satellite data, but no trace has been found despite an extensive search. Australian coordinators have said the current search phase could take another year, without the guarantee of success.
Neither the Malaysian government nor the airline have revealed results of investigations and consistently stress that only recovery of the lost Boeing 777 aircraft will provide full answers.
The suit filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court alleges the airline was negligent and failed to take all due measures to ensure a safe flight. It also named the directors general of civil aviation and immigration, the country's air force chief and the government as respondents and alleged they committed gross neglect and breach of duty.
"We have waited for eight months. After speaking to various experts, we believe we have sufficient evidence for a strong case. A big plane missing in this age of technology is really unacceptable," their lawyer Arunan Selvaraj said.