One hundred and six Chinese passengers, who claimed their consumers' rights had been violated by Japan Airlines, have refused to accept the airlines' investigation report.
"The investigation, which was not based on an introspective attitude, violated our virtuous wishes again,'' the passengers claimed in a written statement.
The statement, signed in the name of "all the Chinese passengers of flight JL782,'' employed polite but strong words.
"We know there are many difficulties ahead, but as long as fairness and justice are still the principles of law, we will not give up the efforts to protect our rights.''
Japanese Airlines submitted the investigation report to the Chinese Consumers' Association and representatives of the 106 passengers on Tuesday.
The passengers took the Beijing-Tokyo flight JL782 on January 27, but were forced to divert to Osaka after the Tokyo airport was closed in snow.
The 106 Chinese mainland passengers claimed they were treated differently from other passengers after the plane landed at the Osaka airport.
According to Li Hao, one of the passengers, all the Chinese mainland passengers were forced to stay in the waiting hall overnight while other passengers were given hotels or transferred to Tokyo by train that evening.
Apart from a small sandwich at about 3 am, Li said they received no water or food the whole night.
"When they found two Westerners and four people from Taiwan were in our group, airport officials permitted them to leave, but ordered us to stay,'' Li said.
The preliminary airline report only involves the period before passengers left the plane. Japanese Airlines said the latter part of the report, which involves the period after passengers left the plane, would be released soon.
After the Beijing-based China Business Times reported the story in mid-February, the matter attracted the attention of other media in China. Although the airline apologized to passengers, it denies claims of "racial discrimination.''
"It has been 25 years since we came to the Chinese mainland market. It is one of our major objectives to attract more Chinese passengers. It is impossible that we would carry out any discriminative practices,'' said the company in the report.
(China Daily 03/08/2001)
