Malaysia decried as "murderers" by the Beijing protesters defended its decision to release new analysis of satellite data that determined the plane had plunged into the southern seas far off western Australia.
Gale-force winds and huge waves halted the ocean search for wreckage from the Malaysia Airlines plane, deferring relatives' quest to attain closure with definitive physical proof of the plane's destruction and the loss of its 239 passengers and crew.
[caption id="attachment_5038" align="aligncenter" width="540"]
Pic: AFP MH370 Beijing[/caption]Mark Binskin, vice chief of Australia's Defence Force, underscored the dangers from the weather -- as well as the enormous size of area under inspection by aircrews using a mix of high technology and binoculars to scan the waves.
"We're not trying to find a needle in a haystack, we're still trying to define where the haystack is," he told reporters.
The Boeing 777 went missing on March 8 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, dropping off air traffic control screens in what has become one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history. Ever since, relatives in China have accused Malaysia of being deceitful and callous.
Around 200 Chinese relatives, some in tears, linked arms and shouted slogans denouncing the handling of the slow-burning drama, a day after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced "with deep sadness and regret" that the plane had plunged into the ocean.
- 'Words can't ease pain' -
Scuffles broke out when uniformed security personnel tried to block some of the relatives from reaching reporters outside the Malaysian embassy in Beijing.
"Return our relatives," the family members shouted at the gates of the mission, which was protected by uniformed police and plainclothes security. Another slogan went: "The Malaysian government are murderers."
One of the most vocal campaigners against the Malaysian government, Wen Wancheng, burst out crying.
"My son, my son, return my son!" screamed the 63-year-old, as relatives behind him chanted slogans, raising their right fists. Behind him others bowed their heads and sobbed.
Chinese authorities normally keep a very tight rein on any protests in Beijing, but occasionally give license to people to vent their feelings, especially against foreign targets such as Japan.
At intersections along the way, police blocked traffic to allow the marchers through, while at the embassy scores of black-clad uniformed police officers kept the roads clear, their walkie-talkies abuzz.
Two-thirds of the passengers aboard the doomed flight were Chinese. China's government has demanded that Kuala Lumpur hand over the satellite data which lay behind Monday's sombre conclusion, provided by British company Inmarsat and verified by British air safety experts. AFP
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