After three weeks of fruitless searching for clues to the ultimate fate of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, a mass Buddhist prayer will be held on April 6 in Malaysia in support of the deceased and their relatives. The ceremony, which is co-organized by the Malaysian Buddhist Association, and open to all interested, will be held at Dewan San, Wisma MCA in Jalan Ampang and commences at 10 am.
A Malaysian Airlines Boeing plane. Photo taken from The Guardian
More than 5,000 people are expected to attend and pray for the recovery of the missing plane and all who were on board. The Bernama (National News Agency of Malaysia) reports that the prayer will be held to find the missing plane. The agency further states that the prayer is also in support of the families and relatives who were affected by one of the most mysterious airline disappearances in modern memory.
The Bernama quoted the MCA secretary Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan as saying, “This effort is done as Malaysians also feel a loss because of the tragedy. We are equally concerned about this, not only for the Malaysian families but also for the foreign families. MCA will be happy if the ceremony is attended by families of passengers from China. We hope that they will come because this effort is proof that Malaysia is united in continuing to assist in whatever way possible.” Two thirds of the passengers were from China.
60 year old Subramaniam Gurusamy from Malaysia had his 34-year-old son Puspanathan Gurusamy on board. He had continued to hold out hope of his return throughout an agonizing period of more than 17 days. “I had the belief that my son would return home safely. But what can be done? This is fate. We must accept it,” he said, choking back tears.
“He died too young, I want my son back,” cried out one of the elderly Chinese women in a hotel where grieving relatives were waiting for news, before security escorted her into an elevator.
The ceremony comes in the wake of the Malaysian government’s conclusion that all 227 passengers and 12 crew members perished in the southern Indian Ocean. This was based on a multinational, collaborative investigation of the Boeing 777's path. Malaysia's government had previously held out increasingly dim hopes of finding survivors, reports FIVEaa.
There have already been several religious prayers and rituals held in support of finding the missing plane and all on board. However, experts and rescuers have still found no clue or trace of the plane, and fear that unless the black box is found, the enigmatic disappearance of MH370 will never be resolved.
Additional reporting by Jnan Nanda and Raymond Lam