MH370: Widow rejects MAS compensation offer of RM163,000

The wife of Australian mechanical engineer Paul Weeks, who was onboard the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370, turned down the airline's compensation offer of US$50,000 (RM163,000), the New Zealand Herald reported.

The report quoted Danica Weeks as saying that the money was offered to her on the condition she fills up a questionnaire.

She decided to reject the offer after taking up legal advice.

Voice370, a group set up for the families of the victims, told the paper that finding out what happened to the flight was more important than compensation.

"We are left asking 'is any life worth so little? No sum of money, no matter how great, can compensate the families for our losses. No amount of money can ever take the pain away. True justice cannot be measured by money," the group was quoted as saying.

"Malaysia Airlines cannot undo this tragedy. However, a fair and adequate compensation for all would reflect the magnitude of the effect this tragedy has had on our lives and should be commensurate to this being the worst air tragedy the industry has ever seen," the group added.

Weeks was one of the 239 onboard the MH370 which went missing on March 8 while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Authorities said the flight ended its journey in the southern Indian Ocean, based on satellite data.

Meanwhile, a MAS official reportedly told the paper that the compensation was offered in good faith with no strings attached.

The official said some of the victims' families had accepted the offer.

"An Advance Compensation Payment of US$50,000 has been offered to the families of each passenger on board MH370 to alleviate any immediate financial hardship they may be facing," the spokesman told the paper via email.

"The families are at liberty to either accept or reject the offer and the families have been fully advised of this when the offer was made. The families were also advised that they can accept the payment later if they so wish."