Families of Indonesians Aboard MH370 Doubt Crash Announcement

Jakarta (Antara) - Some families of Indonesians aboard the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 said they remained uneasy to believe in Prime Minister Najib Razak's announcement that the missing jetliner had crashed into the Indian Ocean with no survivors. Siswanto, a relative of Sugianto Lo and Vinny Chynthya Tio who were aboard the ill-fated aircraft with five other Indonesian nationals, said the accuracy of Najib's statement remained doubtful due to the absence of strong evidence, such as the plane's wreckage. Therefore, as quoted by Medan-based Waspada Online on Tuesday, Siswanto urged the Malaysian Airlines authority not to tell the passengers' relatives in a hurry if the evidence remained unavailable. An uncle of Firman Chandra Siregar, a passenger of the missing Boeing 777-200 ER passenger jet, also doubted the Malaysian government's statement on the aircraft's final fate. "We hope Chandra is alive because we watched on television that some credible persons have opined that the aircraft is likely safe," Chandra's uncle Firman R. Siregar said, as quoted by the Kompas daily on Tuesday. Besides Lo Sugianto, Chynthia Vinny and Firman Chandra Siregar, four other Indonesians aboard the aircraft are Ferry Indra Suadaya, Herry Indra Suadaya, Indra Suria Tanurisam and Willy Surijanto Wang. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had previously expressed his deep condolences to the Malaysian government and people as well as the families who lost their loved ones in the MH370 tragedy. "My deep condolences are to their families and my prayers are with those on MH370. May the soul of their loved ones rest in peace," President Yudhoyono said in a statement on his official twitter. (*)