A relative of passengers on board MH370 gives a statement to the media in Beijing on Jan 30, 2015.- EPA
BEIJING: The Malaysia Airlines MH370 compensation team arrived here to work closely with local authorities to ensure the compensation process is seamless.
The team of caregivers and lawyers was here to seek advice from the authorities on places convenient for the next-of-kin of passengers of the missing MH370 to undergo the compensation process, said MAS regional senior vice-president (China) Joshua Law Kok Hwa.
"The local authorities are very supportive. They are providing guidance and advice on suitable places convenient for the relatives to conduct the compensation process," he said, adding several centres would be set up in different provinces.
Asked if the team had begun to contact the relatives for the compensation, Law said the team would work on that after they finalised the decision on the locations of the centres to arrange the compensation.
"We will make sure the process is fast and smooth," he told Bernama.
Jiang Hui, whose mother was on board the ill-fated flight, told Bernama the families had yet to receive any call from MAS on the compensation matter, despite many of them being concerned more about the legal action, rather than the compensation.
He said the Chinese families committee was seeking legal assistance from a law professor on the issue as the families rejected the announcement that all 239 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft had died.
"Most of the families choose not to give up on the opportunity of filing the lawsuit over the missing flight in two years' time," he said in a calm voice.
The Department of Civil Aviation on Thursday announced Flight MH370 was officially declared an accident under international aviation rules and all 239 passengers and crew are presumed dead.
Under the Civil Aviation Organisation rules, next-of-kin are entitled to file a lawsuit within two years of expiry.
Jiang has not ruled out the possibility of the Chinese families flying to Malaysia in the near future over the accident.
"We did plan for that, it could be before or after the Chinese New Year, or before or on March 8," he said.
March 8 marks the first anniversary of the disappearance of MH370 since it went missing enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
The Boeing 777-200ER carrying 239 passengers, mostly Chinese, and crew, was scheduled to land in Beijing at 6.30am. Its flight path was believed to have ended in the southern Indian Ocean. - Bernama
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