Under pressure for answers ... Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Malaysian Minister of Defence and Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein during a regular daily briefing on MH370. Source: AFP
The search area for missing flight MH370 has been narrowed by officials.
Claims have emerged saying Malaysia Airlines Pilot, Captain Zaharie was a follower of jailed Malaysian opposition leader.
THE massive international search effort for MH370 yesterday enjoyed a brief respite from pounding weather as the diplomatic stoush between China and Malaysia deepened over the missing plane.
As Prime Minister Tony Abbott expressed his sadness for the passengers and crew aboard the Malaysia Air Boeing 777, the commitment of nations to work ceaselessly for a result yesterday was the only positive.
NEW DEBRIS: FRANCE SPOTS 122 OBJECTS IN INDIAN OCEAN
But even this small consolation will be tested over coming days as simmering tensions between China and Malaysia are set to be played out in the search zone in desolate waters more than 2000km southwest of Perth.
Australia has full control of the clockwork search effort but Malaysia will take carriage of the investigation into the disaster, which will further displease China, whose citizens made up most of the 239 passengers and crew aboard.
China has bitterly berated Malaysia for its handling of the disaster, and now has the majority of ships in the search area for the plane, which authorities say crashed in international waters north of Antarctica.
Demanding answers ... Chinese relatives of passengers on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 march to protest outside the Malaysian embassy in Beijing. Source: AFP
Malaysia, which is yet to have any boats or planes in the southern search zone, would take control of the analysis of any debris found. But Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered a special envoy Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui to Kuala Lumpur, demanding Malaysia surrender all information it holds on the crash.
There are fears China may be unwilling to surrender any debris it finds to Malaysia, regarding it as having been so far incompetent and misleading.
Chinese families holed up in a Kuala Lumpur hotel last night demanded that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak meet them personally as anger of the handling of the case boils over.
The 18 family members who are staying in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, were flown to Malaysia shortly after the plane went missing and say they want Mr Najib to explain what is going on and what evidence exists to show the plane actually crashed.
High-level talks are now underway in Kuala Lumpur in a bid to resolve the quickly escalating tensions and to decide if the Prime Minister doesn't meet the families, who should.
Inmarsat's Senior Vice-President Chris McLaughlin says the southern flight path of MH370 is 'inescapable' according to their data.
A special high-level envoy has flown from China to meet the Malaysian Government as a looming diplomatic crisis gains pace.
It comes after Monday night's announcement, by the Malaysian Prime Minister, that MH370 had ended in the Indian Ocean.
Angry and distraught Chinese families at the Everly Hotel shouted and demanded answers from the officials about what evidence existed that the plane had crashed and all on board were lost.
The wording of Mr Najib's statement that "flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean" was done delicately but in translation to Mandarin, which was more blunt about it having crashed with no survivors, the families became infuriated.
One official says that water bottles were thrown at officials before they managed to calm the situation.
Tony Abbott says the families of those on flight MH370 will be welcomed to Australia if they wish to visit.
The next day the Chinese relatives resolved to march on Prime Minister Najib's office on Tuesday to protest but were eventually talked out of it.
But they remain angry and are now demanding that Mr Najib meet them personally.
Taking advantage of better weather conditions yesterday, planes from six countries began to depart Perth at dawn, staggering their departures throughout the day as they worked shifts over the search area.
But bad weather is expected to move in on the area again today, potentially scattering the debris that was sighted both from US, Chinese and French satellites, and from visual sightings in search aircraft, further out of the search zone.
Grieving families of some victims, including Queensland couples Ian and Catherine Lawton and Rodney and Mary Burrows, sat in the public gallery of Parliament House yesterday as Mr Abbott moved a condolence motion, promising to stay with the search until they had peace.
"We mourn all those 239 passengers and crew," Mr Abbott said.
"We especially mourn the six Australian citizens and one Australian resident who must be presumed dead and we grieve with their families and loved ones."
Also on the plane were Sydney couple Yuan Li and Naijun Gu, who were returning home to China to be with their two young now-orphaned daughters, and New Zealander Paul Weeks, who was a Perth resident.
The US and China are sending more resources to the hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet.
The navy's specialist salvage ship, the Ocean Shield, will arrive in Albany on Friday to pick up vital US Navy electronic search equipment and possibly a remote underwater vehicle.
The ship will put to sea just a few hours later and make best time to the search area where she will arrive on Monday to search for the "pingers" from the black box aboard the 777.
The battery life of the pingers is due to expire on Monday week.
The US Navy pinger locators are already in Perth and will be transferred to Albany to meet the Ocean Shield.
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