Video - Flight MH370: a father's testimony

More than three months after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH-370, Mr. Wen and his wife, from Shandong, still living in a small hotel room in Beijing, continue in their seemingly never-ending search for the truth. Their son was one of 153 Chinese passengers on the fateful 'plane. What follows is an interview with Mr. Wen.

Is it correct that you're not originally from Beijing ?

Mr. Wen : No, I'm not from Beijing.

But you're staying here at the hotel in Beijing, why is that ?

Mr. Wen : Because until now I still have not received a clear answer concerning the disappearance of flight MH370. Here in Beijing its easier to monitor the progress of the investigation, and I am closer to the Chinese and Malaysian governments, the Malaysian Ministry of Transport, and Malaysia Airlines. I find it easier to obtain information here. But to be honest, I'm 63, I don't believe anything they say. I have more and more doubts about the truthfulness of the inquest such as the satellite data provided by Inmarsat.

Why can't they find an aircraft as large as that? If there had been a crash, it would be easy to find. Whatever the technical failures, it would be easy to find. It's only because they are hiding the data that the 'plane has become difficult to find.

It's like a bullfight. We are the bull. The bullfighter waves his red cloak and we follow. To summarize, they run rings around us until we are completely exhausted.

Concretely, what do you do every day?

Mr. Wen : Can you imagine that here in China we neither see or hear any information about the flight MH-370, neither on the Internet nor on television.

We can get some information on Weixin ( a social network ). We have created a group with the families of the Chinese and foreign missing passengers and information is collected and pooled to make an analysis.

Regarding the investigation, according to you, why are there so many conflicting avenues ?

Mr. Wen : On March 8th., I immediately understood that the aircraft had experienced no technical failure. In other words, concerning the disappearance, there must be some kind of conspiracy. Take for example, cell 'phones, which can be geolocated worldwide via satellite, how come we can't locate a 'plane? How can we believe that this 'plane has disappeared without leaving any trace ?

Are you saying that the plane was hijacked ?

Mr. Wen : Of course the 'plane was hijacked, but this was not an ordinary hijacking. It's not like those carried out by supporters of Bin Laden or the Somali pirates. This is not a typical sky-jacking, this could only have been an operation carried out by a major world power or some other incident on an international scale.

Who do you get your information from now ? Are there still press conferences ?

Mr. Wen : No, there are no press conferences. Now, we are left to ourselves. We have never received any financial support whatsoever. Malaysia Airlines has offered us 50,000 dollars as compensation.

Have you received this money?

Mr. Wen : We were aware of this proposition, but we, the families of the missing, we refused. Why? Because until now, there is no evidence that our loved ones are dead, injured or have come to any psychological harm. We must first find the 'plane and passengers before starting the damages process.

Who pays for the hotel where you are staying ?

Mr. Wen : I pay the hotel, my living expenses, the doctor, I pay for everything. My son was the only breadwinner for our family. Now I'm facing financial difficulties, I have to borrow money from anyone and everywhere around me. We are being unfairly treated. We went to find a Chinese lawyer to sue. The same evening about thirty police arrived. They beat us, they frightened us with the intention of making us afraid of daring to defend our rights.

We, the families of the missing, we are very angry. For a moment, no one dared to even go out. We are trying to obtain information and they beat us. They arrest us. We are shocked the by terror, we live continuously in terror.

What expectations do you have today ?

Mr. Wen : What expectations ? Malaysia Airlines, Boeing, the Malaysian government first of all, but also the U.S. government, Obama, all have a responsibility, a duty : that of finding the 'plane and our loved ones. This is my greatest demand as a father. My hope is that the international community, that all countries give the destitute and helpless families of the missing, technical assistance and financial support to enable us to resolve the great suffering that we face today.