MH370: Subdue Songkran celebrations in respect to tragedy

The annual festival, celebrated between April 13-15 marks the start of the New Year in Thailand is also celebrated by the Siamese community in Malaysia.

Senator Datuk Boon Som Inong who represents the Siamese community in the country called everyone to mindful of the feelings of family members involved in the tragic incident.

“Malaysia and the global community are mourning for the loss of MH370. Let’s get through this together irrespective of our race and religion,” he said at a praying ceremony held for MH370 by the Malaysian Siamese Association and the Buddhist Monk of Siamese Descent Association of Malaysia in Jitra, Kedah.

“I urge that the Siamese community to celebrate Songkran moderately in light of the recent events,” he added.

Three hundred people from the Siamese community in Jitra joined twenty monks in the ceremony to pray for MH370 passengers and crew as well as the search and rescue operations.

Also present was the brother of Jee Jing Hong, 41, a passenger on the MH370. He said his family is still hopeful of the situation.

“We have not given up. We still have hope because nothing has been discovered so far,” said Jee Ying Seong.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced in a press conference on March 24, Monday that the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 aircraft went down in the southern Indian Ocean.

Based on satellite data, the last position of the aircraft was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, at a remote location ‘far from any possible landing sites’.