Kin urge resumption of hunt for Malaysia jet

CANBERRA, Australia -- Relatives of those who were aboard a Malaysian airliner that disappeared in 2014 plan to present the Malaysian transport minister with letters urging that the search resume.

Sheryl Keen, a supporter of the international victims' advocacy group Voice370, said today that she plans to personally hand to Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai dozens of letters when Liow visits Australia this week to meet with his counterpart Darren Chester.

Last week, Malaysia, Australia and China announced that the deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 had been suspended, perhaps forever, after a sonar scan of 46,000 square miles of the Indian Ocean west of Australia failed to find any trace of the Boeing 777. The plane vanished on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board during a trip from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing.

Keen, who leads her own support organization, Aircrash Support Group of Australia, said she had yet to hear from the Malaysian Consulate in Perth, Australia, on whether she would be allowed a one-minute meeting with Liow today or Monday.

"The general content is urging him to continue the search," Keen said. "I do believe some of them are quite heartfelt and others are quite brief."

Chester said he would hold an informal meeting with Liow today. The Australian said the decision to suspend the search "was not taken lightly."

"I understand the disappointment and frustration felt by the families," he said. "Not knowing the final resting place of their loved ones only adds to the tragedy of the situation."

A Section on 01/22/2017

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