Hundreds of relatives of the passengers and crew of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight are expected to travel to Perth in coming days if wreckage is found, a journey that is particularly significant for Chinese families with traditional spiritual beliefs.
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett said on Wednesday he expected ''several hundred'' grieving family members to arrive.
''My understanding is that particularly relatives of the Chinese passengers who presumably have lost their lives will want to come to Perth to be as close as possible to the final place,'' he told 6PR radio. Gary Sigley, a professor of Asian Studies at the University of Western Australia, said there was a traditional Chinese folk belief that those who die tragically in the wilderness, or whose bodies are not recovered, cannot find their way to the ancestral spirit realm.
''There is a special festival to placate these spirits called the 'hungry ghost festival','' he said. ''The living will want to make special offerings … and hopefully help them on their way.''
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He said many loved ones would simply want to be close to the accident site, as would be expected in any culture. ''The idea of being lost in a vast, wild and remote ocean is particularly disturbing,'' he said.
Sammy Yap, the president of the Chung Wah Association, which represents the Chinese community in Western Australia, said many more families would make the trip if bodies were recovered. ''Most will be Buddhist or Taoist, so we can organise for any religious practitioners to carry out the ceremonies which they may look for,'' he said.
Mr Yap said Chung Wah would work with more than 40 other Chinese associations in Perth to prepare for the arrival of relatives, with dozens of local Chinese people volunteering support.
Wednesday 26 March 2014
http://www.smh.com.au/national/chinese-relatives-of-those-on-missing-plane-to-make-spiritual-journey-to-perth-20140326-35ixl.html
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