Malaysia Air;ines B777-200ER tail no. 9M-MRO designated MH370 gone missing on 8 March 2014 with 239 souls onboard
The experience of the missing Malaysia Airlines B777-200ER with tail no. 9M-MRO designated MH370 that disappeared from radar screen on 8 March 2014 on scheduled flight from KUL to PEK opened a fresh perspective for Malaysia to seriously review its formal, informal and commercial relationship and status with China.
Regardless how information and hospitality that have been offered formally and informally to the Chinese, be it by official briefings and statements issued by the Prime Minister, Acting Minister of Transport, Minister of Foreign Affairs, GCEO of Malaysia Airlines or any of the government and military agencies involved, it is never enough.
BBC story:
30 March 2014 Last updated at 15:09
Malaysia flight MH370: Chinese families vent anger
The BBC’s Jennifer Pak: “Family members have come here for answers”
Continue reading the main story
MH370 mystery
10 questions
Black-box answers
What we know
Mourning the missing
Relatives of Chinese passengers from the missing Malaysian plane have vented their anger at government officials, after arriving in Kuala Lumpur.
Chanting “Tell us the truth”, they said they wanted the Malaysian prime minister to apologise for what they regard as misleading statements.
Eight ships and nine planes searched around 252,000 sq km (97,000 sq miles) of ocean for debris on Sunday.
The Beijing-bound plane disappeared on 8 March with 239 people on board.
International investigators have concluded that, based on satellite data, the missing Boeing 777 crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean.
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At the scene
Lucy Williamson
BBC News, Kuala Lumpur
The new arrivals are being carefully guarded. Blue-shirted volunteers chaperone them to and from meetings. There are security guards dotted around their hotel, and at the airport this morning a welcoming party, including a local politician, was left standing as the families were whisked away from a hidden exit.
But the message these families have brought won’t be so easy to manage. At a brief press conference, they unfurled a banner which accused the Malaysian government of speculation and “trampling on innocent lives”.
Many relatives accuse the Malaysian authorities of misinformation and secrecy. With no sign of flight MH370 or its passengers, their worn faces have become the most visible symbols of this mystery. And their frustration won’t be easy for the government to deal with.
The search zone shifted on Friday after further analysis. But while aircraft continue to spot debris in the water, nothing recovered by ships has so far been verified as being from the plane.
The search sites
Some relatives of the 153 Chinese passengers on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have refused to accept the Malaysian account of events and blame the authorities.
On Sunday, several dozen family members travelled from Beijing.
After landing in Kuala Lumpur they held a news conference at a hotel holding up banners that read “We want evidence, truth, dignity” in Chinese, and “Hand us the murderer. Give us our relatives,” in English.
Their designated representative, Jiang Hui, said they wanted the Malaysian government to apologise for the initial handling of the disaster, as well as for Prime Minister Najib Razak’s earlier statement that indicated the plane had crashed with no survivors.
He said the conclusion had been announced “without direct evidence or a sense of responsibility”.
He said the group wanted to meet airline and government officials face to face – although he stopped short of saying that these included Mr Najib, as some relatives had earlier suggested.
None of the objects retrieved by Haixun 01 or HMAS Success is thought to be from the missing plane
Before the relatives travelled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the search for survivors would continue.
“The hardest part of my job is to see the families,” he said. “I’ve always said we are hoping against hope that we will find survivors.”
On Sunday, Malaysian officials cancelled their daily update on the search for a second day.
The objects recovered by Australian naval ship HMAS Success and China’s Haixun 01 on Saturday had been examined and were thought to be fishing equipment and other flotsam, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) said in a statement.
The BBC’s Jon Donnison explains how a “towed pinger locator” is used
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MH370 – Facts at a glance
8 March – Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight carrying 239 people disappears
Plane’s transponder, which gives out location data, was switched off as it left Malaysian airspace
Satellite ‘pings’ indicate plane was still flying seven hours after satellite contact was lost
24 March – Based on new calculations, Malaysian PM says “beyond reasonable doubt” that plane crashed in southern Indian Ocean with no survivors
What we know
The search for flight MH370
An Australian vessel carrying a US device known as a “towed pinger locator” is due to join the search in the coming days.
The device is designed to detect any ultrasonic signals – “pings” – from flight recorders and can operate up to a depth of about 6,000m.
But the search area is huge – covering some 319,000 sq km (123,000 sq miles) – and time is running short. The flight recorders’ batteries are expected to run out in about a week’s time.
The current search area is about 1,100km (700 miles) north-east of the previous zone.
Officials said the focus changed after radar data showed the plane had been travelling faster than previously thought, thus burning more fuel and reducing the distance the aircraft could have travelled.
Various theories about what went wrong have been suggested – including the captain hijacking his own plane.
The speculation was fuelled by reports that files had been deleted on the pilot’s home flight simulator.
However on Saturday Malaysia’s transport minister said investigators had found “nothing sinister” from the simulator.
Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 vanished less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.
The airliner diverted off course and lost contact with air traffic controllers between Malaysian and Vietnamese air-traffic control areas.
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The fact is that, the search for the doomed aircraft had been an international activity since day one. Vietnamese Air Force and Navy has been actively searching on areas in the South China Sea between their southern most tip to the IGARI waypoint, where the Mike Romeo Oscar aircraft made the last transmission before disappearing from civil aviation authorities radar screen.
The two possible arches of maximum range of the B777-200, corresponding to INMARSAT’s last ‘ping’ on 0811hrs (Malaysian time) on 8March 2014
There on, Singaporean armed forces joined the search. So did Chinese PLAN and US Navy. Eventually, at its peak the search involved armed forces and transport and security agencies from 26 countries were involved. High value and very delicate and sensitive assets such as the P8 Poseidon and P3 Orion maritime patrol/anti-submrine warfare aircrafts and Arleigh Burke Class destroyers were committed to the multi-national operations.
Last Monday, Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak announced that they are convinced the doomed Mike Romeo Oscar made a left turn and flew south on the Indian Ocean.
24 March 2014| last updated at 11:31PM
MH370 Lost in Indian Ocean: PM Najib Razak’s full statement
This evening I was briefed by representatives from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
They informed me that Inmarsat, the UK company thatprovided the satellite data which indicated the northern and southern corridors, has been performing further calculations on the data.
Using a type of analysis never before used in an investigation of this sort, they have been able to shed more light on MH370’s flight path.
Based on their new analysis, Inmarsat and the AAIB have concluded that MH370 flew along the southern corridor, and that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth.
This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites.
It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.
We will be holding a press conference tomorrow with further details.
In the meantime, we wanted to inform you of this new development at the earliest opportunity.
We share this information out of a commitment to openness and respect for the families, two principles which have guided this investigation.
Malaysia Airlines have already spoken to the families of the passengers and crew to inform them of this development.
For them, the past few weeks have been heartbreaking; I know this news must be harder still.
I urge the media to respect their privacy, and to allow them the space they need at this difficult time.
Read more: MH370 Lost in Indian Ocean: PM Najib Razak’s full statement – Latest – New Straits Times
There on, the search went on only with the active participation of armed forces and transport agencies of Austrialia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom, China, South Korea, Japan and France. Despite the search getting narrower, the search had produced nothing.
At the moment, there are 12 aircrafts and 8 vessels searching the designated area which they believed were the B777-200 might have went down, based on the ‘handshake pings’ recorded by the INMARSAT statelite and trajectory based on speed and fuel available in the 220 tonnes MTOW aircraft.
BBC story
29 March 2014 Last updated at 14:36
Flight MH370: Chinese and Australian ships draw blank
Black-box answers
What we know
Mourning the missing
A Chinese and an Australian ship have failed to identify remains from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight after their first day in a new search area.
The two ships retrieved objects from the Indian Ocean but none was confirmed to be from missing flight MH370, Australia’s maritime authority said.
Chinese aircraft also flew over the area, north-east of the previous zone, and have spotted more objects.
The airliner disappeared on 8 March with 239 people on board.
Chinese patrol ship Haixun 01 and Australia’s HMAS Success “reported they have retrieved a number of objects from the ocean but so far no objects confirmed to be related to MH370 have been recovered”, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) said late on Saturday.
The BBC’s Jon Donnison spent Friday with Australian air crews looking for the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370,
Eight aircraft also took part in the operation. One Chinese plane reported spotting spotted three orange, white and red objects floating in the sea.
Some of the objects seen in the area have been very small, and officials cautioned that they may be sea junk.
Amsa said that “at least one distinctive fishing object has been identified”.
Continue reading the main story
Did previous photos show plane debris?
Satellite images so far could show anything from lost shipping containers or drifting garbage to fragments of Flight MH370
Among ocean experts, opinion differs over how much non-plane debris is in the area
Southern Indian Ocean is one of world’s least researched areas
In absence of better data, retrieving floating debris can help narrow search for “black box” recorders
But shortage of live satellite data, turbulence and passage of time since flight’s disappearance hamper search for debris
Aircraft debris – or a load of rubbish?
On Friday five search planes spotted multiple objects of various colours in the same area – about 1,100km (700 miles) north-east of the previous search zone.
Bad weather has hampered the search efforts in recent days.
Meanwhile Malaysia’s acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says he has reassured the families of the missing passengers that the search for any survivors will continue.
Some relatives of the flight’s 153 Chinese passengers have refused to accept the Malaysian account of events and have accused officials of withholding information.
Acting Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein: “If there is any lead or information that involves survivors, that has been our priority”
“No matter how remote the search, I am always hoping against hope that we will find survivors,” Mr Hishammuddin told the latest news conference following a meeting with the families on Saturday.
Burning more fuel
The Australian and Malaysian governments said on Friday the search area had been changed following further analysis of radar data that showed the plane had been travelling faster, thus burning more fuel.
This would reduce the possible distance the aircraft travelled south into the Indian Ocean, officials said.
Search efforts had until Friday morning focused on an area some 2,500km (1,550 miles) to the south-west of the Australian city of Perth.
Some of the items spotted were “sea junk”, as Andy Moore reports
The Chinese patrol ship Haixun 01 has started searching the new area
Relatives of Chinese passengers have been anxiously waiting for news of their loved ones
Malaysian officials have concluded that, based on satellite data, the missing plane flew into the sea somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean. So far no trace of it has been found.
Continue reading the main story
MH370 – Facts at a glance
8 March – Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight carrying 239 people disappears
Plane’s transponder, which gives out location data, was switched off as it left Malaysian airspace
Satellite ‘pings’ indicate plane was still flying seven hours after satellite contact was lost
24 March – Based on new calculations, Malaysian PM says “beyond reasonable doubt” that plane crashed in southern Indian Ocean with no survivors
What we know
The search for flight MH370
Various theories about what went wrong have been suggested – including the captain hijacking his own plane.
The speculation was fuelled by reports that files had been deleted on the pilot’s home flight simulator.
However Mr Hishammuddin said investigators who had looked at the equipment had turned up no new information.
“There is nothing sinister from the simulators but of course that will have to be confirmed by the chief of police,” he said.
Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 vanished less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.
The airliner diverted off course and lost contact with air traffic controllers between Malaysian and Vietnamese air-traffic control areas.
The vast expanse of ocean has turned the search into a major challenge.
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Whatever information that the acting Transport Minister, DG of DCA, GCEO of Malaysia Airlines, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief of Defense Forces, Chief of the RMAF, Inspector General of Police offered that the time it was issued in the daily media conferences were valid, based on the availability and corroborated at that particular moment.
Example is the INMARSAT information about their complex analysis of trajectory of the Mike Romeo Oscar based on the ‘handshakes’ their computers recorded from the pings received from the geo-static satellite, was only offered by AAIB UK to the acting Minister of Transport four days later.
The path of the missing Mike Romeo Oscar designated MH370, on 8 March 2014 before completely not detected by radar
So are other information that is deemed ‘sensitive’ such as the recording of Mike Romeo Oscar’s movement from IGARI to IGREX, as per observed by the Royal Thai Air force Air Defense radar.
Eventually when all these information are offered to the Malaysia authorities and corroborated, then only they are offered to the Malaysian and international media in the same conference. Both Malaysian and international media have equal chance to do Q & A whenever new information is offered.
The manifest of nationals. of the 239 souls onboard MH370 on 8 March 2014
In many instances, the international media repeated questions which have previously addressed in many of earlier media conferences. An example is the identities of the two Iranians who travelled on stolen Austrian and Italian passports, and the relevance and connection to known terrorism groups.
There are 14 different nationals amongst the 239 souls onboard the missing airliner. All grieved almost the same tone and intensity with the exception of the families and loved ones from China. They have been very loud and combative, in their expression of shock and grieve.
Probably the mainland Chinese are not used to the concept of ‘transparency’ and how a democratically elected government which is practicing the usual international standards of sharing information. Or their are not wise in the usual practice of democracy of ‘freedom of expression’, especially when they blatantly accuse the Malaysian Government, military and Malaysia Airlines as “Murderers!”.
What is also wrong if the Chinese Government to echo what the families of the passengers of the missing flight is shouting about.
The Malaysian Government has been very transparent to the Chinese Government, pertaining to any available information of the B777-200 carrying 239 souls which include 153 of the communist state nationals. Even to the point Prime Minister Najib meeting the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs website:
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak Meets with Special Envoy of the Chinese Government Zhang Yesui
2014/03/26
Prime Minister Najib meeting Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhang Yesui
On March 26, 2014, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak met in Kuala Lumpur with Zhang Yesui, Special Envoy of the Chinese government and Vice Foreign Minister.
Zhang Yesui said that the Chinese leaders have been highly concerned about the updates of the incident and worried about the safety of all the passengers including 154 Chinese citizens aboard the flight all the time since the Malaysia Airlines flight lost contact. They have instructed the Chinese departments concerned to work closely with the Malaysian side to well organize the search, rescue and investigation. Nineteen days have passed since the flight went missing, and the search and rescue operations remain the top priority now, which cannot be stopped and cannot be slacked. China will further step up search efforts. We hope the Malaysian side could strengthen information communications with the Chinese side, provide China with comprehensive and accurate information and evidence related to the flight’s “ending” in the South Indian Ocean, do its utmost coordinating all the countries concerned to continue their search efforts, and well console the families of the passengers.
Prime Minister Najib Razak welcomed and thanked China for the assistance and help to the Malaysian side in handling the incident of the loss of contact of the flight. He said that Malaysia would try its best to offer timely and accurate information, and intensify efforts for the search in relevant waters in South Indian Ocean, and will go all out to well organize relevant work including consoling the families.
On the same day, Zhang Yesui also met with Malaysian Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Transport Hishammuddin Hussein, and Malaysia Airlines Chairman Mohammed Nor Mohammed Yusof and CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya.
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A high powered team led by RMAF Air Operations Commander Lt. Jen. Dato’ Seri Ackbal Abdul Samad TUDM was despatched to Beijing and conduct the neccesary briefings to the affected family members of the MH370 passengers.The information offered is no different from what have been offered to the Malaysian and international media, in the daily media briefings and conferences.
Yet, the Chinese family cannot accept. It was said that they wanted more and walked out from the briefing.
Now they have come to Kuala Lumpur, hoping to get different information from already offered. This where the Chinese Government should come in and intervene. The should pacify their own nationals based on the information already offered by the Malaysian Government and the Chief of the RMAF to Vice Minister Zhang in Kuala Lumpur five days ago, about the movement, tracked and status of the multinational search for flight MH370.
The Chinese Government should appreciate, especially if there demands for the People’s Liberation Army to openly reveal sensitive information pertaining to the Air Defense System and inadvertently compromise the defense of the China.
However, they did not. Probably the Chinese Government secretly ‘allowed’ if not ‘advocated’ some of their citizens to make these outrageous demands and cries about “Malaysian Government, Malaysian military and Malaysia Airlines are murderers!”.
More interestingly is that PLA is not willing to share whatever information they have pertaining to the missing flight MH370 to Chinese Government and public, since all these drama and negative attention towards Malaysia snowballing in the closed Chinese media and social media networks serve as a perfect cover for their clandestine operation the South China Sea.
ASEAN EEZ Vs China’s claims over South China Sea with the imaginary Nine-Dash-Line
Regardless, Malaysia should wise up about its formal and informal relationship with China. If China is Malaysia’s ‘friend’, then they should do more to correct the negative if not the destructive perception by their own nationals in an information eco-system where the Chinese Government have near absolute control.
After all being ‘friends’ only should mean that China would want if not do more to advocate her nationals to be more ‘friendly’ towards Malaysia. That is not happening as how Chinese nationals been hurling their feelings towards Malaysia, we are not friends at all.
Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Hj Abdul Razak Hussein historic call on Chairman Mao Zedong
Probably Prime Minister Najib should postpone his planned visit to China in May, to commemorate his father Tun Hj Abdul Razak Hussein’s historic visit to China and meeting Chairman Mao Zedong forty years ago.
His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Yang DiPertuan Agong XIV’s planned visit to China in November too, should be postponed. After all, the Malaysian Government is His Majesty’s Government and His Majesty is the Commander in Chief and Field Marshall of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
If Malaysians especially the business community is worried how the slight shift of formal relationship and ‘friendship’ status would affect trade, then they should reflect on how Taiwan which is ‘at war’ with China and how trade and services between the two ‘non existence nations’ bloomed through the years.
Bitchy-mouth celebrity chef Dato’ Redzuan “Chef Wan” Ismail has done it again. His instragram earlier this afternoon distastefully mocked the desperate search for the missing B777-200 9M-MRO designated MH370 which gone missing on 8 March 2014 enroute KUL-PEK and the anxiety of so many people in this mystery.
Celebrity chef Datuk Chef Wan today ridiculed the discovery of two objects by Australia which could be related to the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 through his Instagram account @chefwan58.In his latest post, Chef Wan was posing with a piece of object which he said is part of the missing MH370 aircraft which disappeared on March 8.
In a distasteful joking manner, Chef Wan said the object was part of a toilet door from a house on the beach in Morib.
The entry has since been deleted after receiving 701 likes and much criticism from his Instagram followers.
Chef Wan’s distasteful comes at a time when tensions are running high among family members of the 239 passengers and crew on the missing plane after 14 days it had disappeared.
Chef Wan is highly regarded among his peers locally and around the world.
He is also also the Tourism Ambassador Icon and Malaysian Culinary Ambassador.
The search and rescue operations for the missing aircraft enters its 14th day today where it is now focused in the southern Indian Ocean, southwest of Perth.
It is utter distasteful and demonstration of sordid pure bitch-like behaviour to make fun on a massive international exercise to determine what Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott disclosed yesterday in Canberra was a piece from the perished 200 tonnes airliners.
Malaysians should teach errant individuals who abuse and misuse the borderless social media platform as the opportunity to trot on other people’s anxiety, confusion and misery and gain attention.
This sick joke is no different from when Tian Chua lied about the Lahad Datu Incident as an “UMNO drama” of the recent PKR President Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s speech in the current N25 Kajang by-election.
In the anxiety and deep dismay for the search and fate of B777-200 with registration number 9M-MRO designated MH370 from KUL-PEK which went missing since 0230hrs on 8 March 2014, it necessary everyone to remain calm and level headed. Especially, as the operation is getting more complicated.
As the search and rescue mission already into the 12th day with 25 countries confirmed participation in the largest in the recent times, a lot of negativity are coming from China. Be it the officials, media or family members of the missing 154 Chinese nationals.
They literally shout out aloud words like “Lie”, “Cover ups” and refuse to accept any latest information offered.
The fact is that the Malaysia Airlines representatives in Beijing to deal with this crisis are fed with information no more that what have been offered to the international media in their daily briefs at Sama Sama Hotel in KLIA, usually at 1730hrs.
These information share by almost daily Acting Transport Minister Dato’ Seri Hishamuddin Hussein, DG of DCA Dato’ Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, GCEO of Malaysia Airlines Ahmad Jauhari Yahya and occasionally joined by IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, Chief of Defense Forces Jen. Tan Sri Zulkifli Md. Zin and Chief of the RMAF Jen. Tan Sri Rodzali Daud TUDM.
It is after careful deliberation of what ever latest information available on the table, which has been corroborated with relevant corresponding agencies from abroad such as FAA, NTSB, FBI and others.
However, in the essence of a society which had been under repression and ‘closed’ for so long and today information flow is still not transparent as other places in the globe, the mainland Chinese in Beijing have the audacity to charge that Malaysian authorities are “Lying” and “Not telling the truth” about details of the missing flight MH370.
That is totally unfair.
Then again, it was rationalized that the mainland Chinese have to compete for survival and resort to “Take forcefully” whenever they want something or they want to be heard. “Otherwise, they feel that they would just be ignored and their needs would not be served”.
What is shocking, is their uncanny behaviour bordering beastly like animals. On the second day after the missing flight MH370 was confimred, Malaysia Airlines decide to organise their Ops Centre in a hotel in Beijing, to cater for any work need to attend queries and facilitate any requirement for the affected family of passengers.
First, as they are being assembled, they demanded that they be briefed every 15 minustes about the latest. The Malaysia Airlines representatives find it pointless to do that since they would not have anything new, if they require to do it four times hourly. But the Chinese were very adamant.
Then, after a few days when the Malaysia Airlines representative had no fresh information offered, whenever they do briefings they were pelted with bottled water and shouted at.
Then there is bit of taking opportunity for the hospitality provided. Malaysia Airlines provide food and lodging for the affected families, which was part of their service to attend to the next of kin of the passengers.
At one of point of time last week, it is believed that meals for 8,000-9,000 persons were have to be prepared to cater the number of people congregated at the hotel. Considering there is only 154 of them onboard, it literally means that there are 60 persons grieving congregated at the hotel or every passengers.
When Malaysia Airlines open the registry to collect information for next of kin for passengers in case they need and want to be flown to Kuala Lumpur or any other destination pertaining to the missing plane, names were collected. Usually, it would be immediate families. Some even list cousins and employees.
This evening, three women believed to be Chinese nationals tried to smuggle into the media briefing hall at Sama Sama Hotel as the daily media briefing by Transport Minister and DG of DCA about to start.
SEPANG: Three women believed to be relatives of passengers onboard the missing MH370 flight, tried to enter the auditorium of Sama-Sama Hotel where a Press conference is scheduled to be held.
This led to a commotion when police tried to prevent them from entering the room and the Pressmen started coming near to get a glimpse of the incident.
A shoving match then ensued as Press photographers refused to leave the auditorium. The women was later led out by police and situation returned to normal five minutes later.
Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein is slated to hold a Press conference at the auditorium at 5.30pm.
The chaotic situation at the Sama-Sama Hotel’s auditorium. Pix by Yazit Razali
The fact is that Transport Minister Hishamuddin announced a high level team lead by Air Operations Commander Lt. Jen. Ackbal Abdul Samad TUDM which include a a senior director of DCA, senior officer of PM’s Office and senior B777-200 Captain to be desptached to Beijing immediately to meet the next of kin of the passengers, is the demonstration the seriousness of the Malaysian Government’s commitment to resolve this mystery.
Yesterday afternoon, Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak gave the media conference about “Transponder and ACARS are switched of and hijacked” and “Inmarsat picked up ‘pings’ as of 0811hrs”, which summed up the latest development of the missing B777-200 with tail no. 9M-MRO designated as MH370 KUL-PEK on 8 March 2014.
Highlights of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s statement on MH370
It is confirmed that the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was disabled just before the aircraft reached the East coast of peninsular Malaysia.
Later, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off near the border between Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic control.
The aircraft shown in Royal Malaysian Air Force primary radar previously is confirmed as flight MH370. This is based on raw satellite data that was obtained from the satellite data service provider.
MH370 did indeed turn back. It then flew in a westerly direction back over peninsular Malaysia before turning northwest.
The last confirmed communication between the plane and the satellite was at 8:11AM Malaysian time on Saturday, March 8.
Up until the point at which it left military primary radar coverage, these movements are consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane.
The investigations team is making further calculations which will indicate how far the aircraft may have flown after this last point of contact to refine the search.
The plane’s last communication with the satellite was in one of two possible corridors: a northern corridor stretching approximately from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, or a southern corridor stretching approximately from Indonesia to the southern Indian ocean.
Authorities have refocused investigation into the crew and passengers on board.
Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, authorities would still investigate all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path.
Malaysia ends operations in the South China Sea and reassessing the redeployment of assets.
Authorities are working with the relevant countries to request all information relevant to the search, including radar data.
As the two new corridors involve many countries, the relevant foreign embassies have been invited to a briefing on the new information today by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry and the technical experts.
The Foreign Ministry has been instructed to provide a full briefing to foreign governments which had passengers on the plane.
Malaysia Airlines has been informing the families of the passengers and crew of these new developments since this morning.
14 countries, 43 ships and 58 aircraft involved in the search to date
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) are part of the investigation team together with relevant Malaysian authorities.
The whole week, there has been a roller coaster ride of what seemingly to many as ‘Contradicting points and statements’, which added to the anxiety, confusion and compounding the complication to the flow of information to the public at large. Worse still, to the international community.
The actual fact is that media, especially internationally based, are playing up stories based on unconfirmed reports and their counterparts attending the daily media conferences by either Transport Minister Dato’ Seri Hishamuddin Hussein, DG of DCA Dato’ Azharuddin Abdul Rahman or Armed Forces Chief Jen Tan Sri Zulkifli Md Zain or RMAF Chief Jen. Tan Sri Rodzali Daud TUDM and they are pushing their stories as the truth.
Example is the satellite report from China story, as reported by the Malay Mail:
Hishammuddin: China says satellite imagery released ‘by mistake’
BY ZURAIRI ARMARCH 13, 2014UPDATED: MARCH 13, 2014 07:44 PM
DCA chief Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and MAS CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya at a press conference on MH370 today at KLIA in Sepang, on March 13, 2014. — Picture by Choo Choy May
]
SEPANG, March 13 — China has confirmed that the publication of the satellite image allegedly showing possible signs of MH370 in the sea had been sent by accident, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today.
The Defence and acting Transport Minister told a press conference here that Putrajaya had received a note on the matter from China’s Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Huang Huikang.
“We have contacted the Chinese embassy who notified us this afternoon that the images were released by mistake, and did not show any debris from MH370,” Hishammuddin said.
He later read out from Huang’s note, which said that the Chinese government “neither authorises nor endorses this behaviour, which is now under investigation.”
Late yesterday, China’s State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) released three pictures showing large floating objects in the South China Sea, which was suspected to be from the missing MH370 aircraft.
According to a report on SASTIND’s website, the images showed pieces as large as 24 metres by 22 metres, and were taken on March 9, a day after the Boeing 777 aircraft fell off the radar.
Hishammuddin said a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) surveillance plane was dispatched this morning to investigate the potential debris but “found nothing”.
He slammed the media today for reporting China’s satellite image, which he said had slowed down search efforts.
The media frenzy over the satellite images was the latest in a series of false signals given to the multi-national search team that has been combing 93,000 square kilometres, an area the size of Hungary, for the Boeing 777-200ER.
IN THE GALLERY
Police officers with a dog walk past passengers at Beijing International Airport days after the Beijing-bound Malaysian jetliner MH 370 went missing, March 13, 2014. ― Reuters pic
Search area is seen on an iPad of a military officer onboard a Vietnam Air Force AN-26 aircraft, during a mission to find the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, off Con Dao island, March 13, 2014. ― Reuters pic
Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff Senior Colonel Do Duc Minh sits in the cockpit of a Vietnam Air Force Casa 212 before take-off on a mission to find the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, at a military airport in Ho Chi Minh city March 13, 2014. ― Reuters pic
Malaysia’s acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein (C) speaks during a news conference about the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport March 13, 2014. — Picture by Choo Choo May
A military officer works on a map onboard a Royal Malaysian Air Force CN235 aircraft during a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation to find the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, in the Straits of Malacca March 13, 2014. — Reuters pic
A helicopter at Phu Quoc airport, where Vietnamese search and rescue operations are located. — Picture by Choo Choo May
Military ships at the naval base in Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam. — Picture by Choo Choo May
A helicopter at Phu Quoc airport, where Vietnamese search and rescue operations are located. — Picture by Choo Choo May
A plane at Phu Quoc airport, where Vietnamese search and rescue operations are located. — Picture by Choo Choo May
The air traffic control tower at Phu Quoc airport, where the Vietnamese authorities hold press conferences twice a day. — Picture by Choo Choo May
A crew member from the Royal Malaysian Air Force looks through the window of a Malaysian Air Force CN235 aircraft during a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation to find the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, in the Straits of Malacca March 13, 2014. — Reuters pic
Crew members from the Royal Malaysian Air Force prepare a Malaysian Air Force CN235 aircraft for a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation to find the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, in the Straits of Malacca March 13, 2014. — Reuters pic
Two girls writing their message at the viewing gallery in KLIA. — Picture by Choo Choo May
A woman writing her message at the viewing gallery in KLIA. — Picture by Choo Choo May
Muslim perform their maghrib prayers and Yasin recitation for MH370 at KLIA airport. — Picture by Choo Choo May
Muslim perform their maghrib prayers and Yasin recitation for MH370 at KLIA airport. — Picture by Choo Choo May
A child stands alongside other Muslims to perform their maghrib prayers and Yasin recitation for MH370 at KLIA airport. — Picture by Choo Choo May
Muslim perform their maghrib prayers and Yasin recitation for MH370 at KLIA airport. — Picture by Choo Choo May
Images from Chinese satellite on March 9 shows an object that might be possibly debris from MH370. China’s Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Huang Huikang today confirmed that these images had been sent by accident and did not show any debris. — Today pic
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This report by Chinese media based on photocs obtained by a Chinese satellite is an example how information which was not processed by the co-ordinating agency which is the Malaysian DCA, could provide false hope to many of the families of the 239 souls onboard.
Everyday, the media conferences provide the latest information which has been corroborated with the relevant Malaysian and international agencies and these updates supersede previously released information or statements, made which were thought the best available information at the point of time.
The fact is that the Transport Minister, DG of DCA, CEO of Malaysia Airlines, Chief of the Armed Forces, Chief of the Air Force, Chief of the MMEA and other relevant agency heads meet and communicate very regularly. They also consult domestic and international security and intelligence agencies and transport authorities such as FAA, NTSB and corporations like Boeing and Rolls Royce on the latest available information.
Then, they would processed whats the latest available and share it with their now globally famous daily media conferences.
If these statements and information are taken piece-meal, they may look incongruent and not in-synced and probably some contradict each Heads of agency’s information. However, if they are plotted into the big picture it would make more sense.
Example is when the IGP and DG of Immigration met the media a few days ago. Both of them talk about their different area of operations but some of it over lapped, which was about the two Iranians who used stolen European passport to get into Europe via China. Neither is believed to be members of terrorist organisations.
The Guardian UK, summing up the week long statements and information:
What we know for certain – and what’s still speculation
Why this particular flight, why no earlier searches, and more questions in this aviation mystery
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, centre, with Minister for Transport Hishamuddin Hussein, left, and civil aviaition director Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, delivering a statement to the media this weekend. Photograph: Wong Maye-E/AP
Why did it take so long before anyone realised the plane was missing?
It didn’t. Malaysia’s acting transport minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, has confirmed that the plane ceased communicating with ground control about 40 minutes into its flight to Beijing, but this information was not made public for many hours. Malaysia has faced accusations of not sharing all of its information or suspicions about the plane’s final movements. It, however, says it would be irresponsible to narrow the focus of the search until there is firm evidence of the plane’s flight path. Malaysia’s reluctance to go public with the news that one of its planes had vanished is perhaps understandable. The disappearance of the Boeing 777 – one of the safest commercial jets in service – is one of the most baffling in aviation history. It is extremely rare for a modern passenger aircraft to disappear once it has reached cruising altitude.
Why did no one see the plane veering so far off course?
They did. The New York Times, quoting American officials and others close to the investigation, said radar signals recorded by the Malaysian military appeared to show the airliner climbing to 45,000ft, higher than a Boeing 777’s approved limit, soon after its disappearance from civilian radar, then making a sharp turn to the west. The radar tracking then shows the plane descending unevenly to 23,000ft, below normal cruising levels, before climbing again and flying north-west towards the Indian Ocean. What the military did with this information is not known.
Why this flight?
Here we enter the realm of wild speculation: the internet is awash with theories. It could be that Malaysia was geographically convenient. Some suggest that, if it is a hijack, it is probably the work of Uighur separatists in Xinjiang, western China, or Islamic terrorists. On 1 March attackers armed with knives killed at least 29 people and injured more than 100 in Kunming station in southern China. Chinese authorities and state media were quick to describe this as a terror attack by Uighurs in their “jihad”. Hijacking a plane would be by far their most spectacular achievement. The plane had fuel to get as far north as Kazakhstan, according to some experts, which means it could have been flown to Pakistan or Afghanistan. However, given that the jet was not detected by these two militarised countries, this seems unlikely. Some say a flight from Malaysia to China was a softer target than, say, a transatlantic flight, but there is little evidence for this. There are, say pilots, many softer targets.
Why are the pilots’ homes being searched only now?
This does raise questions about Malaysia’s handling of the situation. The lengthy delay appears to bolster criticism that Malaysia has been ineffective in this crisis. Numerous false sightings of wreckage may have convinced the authorities that they were dealing with a disaster, not terrorism, which could explain why they did not immediately search the men’s homes.
Why did Vietnam not raise the alarm?
Once an aircraft is more than 150 miles out to sea, radar coverage fades and crews keep in touch with air traffic control and other aircraft by high-frequency radio. About 40 minutes in, the flight was still the “property” of Malaysian air traffic control, which we know made contact with the plane just minutes before it disappeared. All seemed fine as the pilot reported “all right, good night”. This last verbal communication came at the boundary between Malaysian and Vietnamese airspace. Malaysian air traffic control told the pilots the flight was being passed to Ho Chi Minh control. The Vietnamese authorities may never have assumed responsibility for the plane as it never entered their airspace. This would be consistent with where the search has now moved to.
How do investigators know the communications systems were shut off and did not just go wrong?
This is based on information from the Malaysian authorities who, admittedly, have given contradictory reports. The prime minister, Najib Razak, said investigators now had a “high degree of certainty” that one of the plane’s communications systems, the aircraft and communications addressing and reporting system (Acars), was disabled before the aircraft reached the east coast of Malaysia. Shortly afterwards, someone on board switched off the aircraft’s transponder, which communicates with civilian air traffic control.
How do we know the plane flew on after the transponder was switched off?
Routine, automated signals from the aircraft – known as electronic handshakes or pings – registered on the Inmarsat satellite network. MH370’s last ping suggested it was in one of two flight corridors: one between Thailand and Kazakhstan, and another between Indonesia and the southern Indian Ocean. The last confirmed communication was made at 08:11, which would indicate that the Boeing continued flying for nearly seven hours after contact was lost. As a result, its location will be extremely difficult to pinpoint quickly. Without further radar/satellite/eye-witness testimony, say experts, it is very much like looking for a needle in a haystack. A source familiar with US assessments of the Inmarsat satellite pings said it appeared the plane turned south over the Indian Ocean, where it would presumably have run out of fuel and crashed into the sea.
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Yesterday, Transport Minister Hishamuddin almost snarled at the foreign media about ‘Speculating on unconfirmed reports’, especially at their end.
It is a very stressful situation and circumstance to handle, but so far the information made available daily to the public via all of the media conferences shed a bit of light and rather systematic, considering that the search for the missing B777-200, 239 souls onboard and what actually happened spirally deeper from ‘looking for a needle in the haystack’ to literally ‘looking for a drop of colour in the ocean’.
Prime Minister Najib’s media conference confirmed that Inmarsat picked up pings transmitted by one of the redundant communication system onboard the B777-200 9M-MRO at 0811hrs on 8 March 2014, six hours after the last time the RMAF Air Defence Radar tracked the 260MTOW jetliner 200 nautical miles north west of Pulau Perak.
The Inmarsat arch of the probable route of the missing B777-200
It means that there is a high possibility the aircraft was still on air, maximising the what is left on the tanks of B777-200 which was designed to reach Western Europe from KUL.
What ever the information that arise from this new revelation is no different on how it was shared to the public via the media corp, camped at the Sama Sama Hotel in KLIA. Transport Minister Hishamuddin, DG of DCA Azharuddin and the services Chiefs would update on their latest available information, after deliberation amongst themselves and corroborated with the corresponding international agencies.
Deputy DG of MMEA, GCEO of MAS, DG of DCA, Chief of MAF and Panglima for Air Defence Corp in an MH370 media conference
It is believed that an International Crisis Management Team has been formed since a few days ago. American consultants now sit inside what originally was a Crisis Management Team comprises of Chiefs if not very senior officials from MOT, DCA, MAF, RMAF, RMN, RMP, MMEA, MKN and MAS.
The roles and objective of these American consultants are not clear. Whether they are sophisticated public relation specialists or intelligent services agents disguised as PR consultants, have not been ascertained nor their presence in these daily meetings have been confirmed.
What is certain is that if there are foreigners present in these meetings which discuss in details of the operation to search for the missing B777-200 and they have access to classified information and documents, then some sensitive information on operations, procedures, control, protocol and even command of Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and related services and agencies are or have been compromised.
This is must be unacceptable, in so many counts and at so many angles.
If there is any truth in this, then the Malaysian public would want to know which idiot or bunch of idiots made this decision to include and authorise these ‘American consultants’ to be part of the Crisis Management Team.
Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak confirmed the transponder and ACARS on the missing B777-200 with tail number 9M-MRO designated MH370KUL-PEK was “Deliberately turned off by someone on the plane’.
Below is the full text of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s full statement of the missing MAS MH370 flight.
Seven days ago Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared. We realise this is an excruciating time for the families of those on board. No words can describe the pain they must be going through. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them.
I have been appraised of the on-going search operation round the clock. At the beginning of the operation, I ordered the search area to be broadened; I instructed the Malaysian authorities to share all relevant information freely and transparently with the wider investigation team; and I requested that our friends and allies join the operation. As of today, 14 countries, 43 ships and 58 aircraft are involved in the search. I wish to thank all the governments for their help at such a crucial time.
Since day one, the Malaysian authorities have worked hand-in-hand with our international partners – including neighbouring countries, the aviation authorities and a multinational search force – many of whom have been here on the ground since Sunday.
We have shared information in real time with authorities who have the necessary experience to interpret the data. We have been working nonstop to assist the investigation. And we have put our national security second to the search for the missing plane.
It is widely understood that this has been a situation without precedent.
We have conducted search operations over land, in the South China Sea, the Straits of Malacca, the Andaman Sea and the Indian Ocean. At every stage, we acted on the basis of verified information, and we followed every credible lead. Sometimes these leads have led nowhere.
There has been intense speculation. We understand the desperate need for information on behalf of the families and those watching around the world. But we have a responsibility to the investigation and the families to only release information that has been corroborated. And our primary motivation has always been to find the plane.
In the first phase of the search operation, we searched near MH370’s last known position, in the South China Sea. At the same time, it was brought to our attention by the Royal Malaysian Air Force that, based on their primary radar, an aircraft – the identity of which could not be confirmed – made a turn back. The primary radar data showed the aircraft proceeding on a flight path which took it to an area north of the Straits of Malacca.
Given this credible data, which was subsequently corroborated with the relevant international authorities, we expanded the area of search to include the Straits of Malacca and, later, to the Andaman Sea.
Early this morning I was briefed by the investigation team – which includes the FAA, NTSB, the AAIB, the Malaysian authorities and the Acting Minister of Transport – on new information that sheds further light on what happened to MH370.
Based on new satellite information, we can say with a high degree of certainty that the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was disabled just before the aircraft reached the East coast of peninsular Malaysia. Shortly afterwards, near the border between Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic control, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off.
From this point onwards, the Royal Malaysian Air Force primary radar showed that an aircraft which was believed – but not confirmed – to be MH370 did indeed turn back. It then flew in a westerly direction back over peninsular Malaysia before turning northwest. Up until the point at which it left military primary radar coverage, these movements are consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane.
Today, based on raw satellite data that was obtained from the satellite data service provider, we can confirm that the aircraft shown in the primary radar data was flight MH370. After much forensic work and deliberation, the FAA, NTSB, AAIB and the Malaysian authorities, working separately on the same data, concur.
According to the new data, the last confirmed communication between the plane and the satellite was at 8:11AM Malaysian time on Saturday 8th March. The investigations team is making further calculations which will indicate how far the aircraft may have flown after this last point of contact. This will help us to refine the search.
Due to the type of satellite data, we are unable to confirm the precise location of the plane when it last made contact with the satellite.
However, based on this new data, the aviation authorities of Malaysia and their international counterparts have determined that the plane’s last communication with the satellite was in one of two possible corridors: a northern corridor stretching approximately from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, or a southern corridor stretching approximately from Indonesia to the southern Indian ocean. The investigation team is working to further refine the information.
In view of this latest development the Malaysian authorities have refocused their investigation into the crew and passengers on board. Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, I wish to be very clear: we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path.
This new satellite information has a significant impact on the nature and scope of the search operation. We are ending our operations in the South China Sea and reassessing the redeployment of our assets. We are working with the relevant countries to request all information relevant to the search, including radar data.
As the two new corridors involve many countries, the relevant foreign embassies have been invited to a briefing on the new information today by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry and the technical experts. I have also instructed the Foreign Ministry to provide a full briefing to foreign governments which had passengers on the plane. This morning, Malaysia Airlines has been informing the families of the passengers and crew of these new developments.
Clearly, the search for MH370 has entered a new phase. Over the last seven days, we have followed every lead and looked into every possibility. For the families and friends of those involved, we hope this new information brings us one step closer to finding the plane.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak delivers his statement on the Flight MH370 during the press conference held at Sama-Sama Hotel in Sepang, KLIA today. Accompanying him are Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein (left) and Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman (right). Pix by Mohd Fadli Hamzah
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Although the primary exercise is to locate the missing B777-200 and the 239 souls onboard, the investigation has now centered on the crew and passengers onboard the flight. Particularly the technical crew, who were trained and skilled to operate the aircraft.
Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah has been described as a ‘Political Fanatic’
The Sunday Mail UK story:
Doomed airliner pilot was political fanatic:
Hours before taking control of flight MH370 he attended trial of jailed opposition leader as FBI reveal passengers could be at a secret location
Police investigate data from home flight simulator of captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53
Investigators speak of his ‘obsessive’ support for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim
Police officers fear Ibrahim being jailed could have left Shah profoundly upset
Flight MH370 disappeared more than a week ago with 239 people on board
Despite a huge multinational search effort, no signs of the plane or a crash have been found
Malaysian Prime Minister said yesterday that the plane was deliberately steered off course
PUBLISHED: 22:08 GMT, 15 March 2014 | UPDATED: 22:51 GMT, 15 March 2014
Police are investigating the possibility that the pilot of missing Flight MH370 hijacked his own aircraft in a bizarre political protest.
The Mail on Sunday has learned that Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was an ‘obsessive’ supporter of Malaysia’s opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim. And hours before the doomed flight left Kuala Lumpur it is understood 53-year-old Shah attended a controversial trial in which Ibrahim was jailed for five years.
Campaigners say the politician, the key challenger to Malaysia’s ruling party, was the victim of a long-running smear campaign and had faced trumped-up charges.
Police sources have confirmed that Shah was a vocal political activist – and fear that the court decision left him profoundly upset. It was against this background that, seven hours later, he took control of a Boeing 777-200 bound for Beijing and carrying 238 passengers and crew.
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Sudden ascent and dive points to cockpit takeover
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The final picture: The missing jet is pictured her in February this year above Polish airspace
Yesterday, Malaysian police searched his house in the upmarket Kuala Lumpur suburb of Shah Alam, where he had installed a home-made flight simulator. But this newspaper can reveal that investigators had already spent much of last week examining two laptops removed from Shah’s home. One is believed to contain data from the simulator
Confirming rising fears, Malaysia’s prime minister Najib Razak announced yesterday that MH370 was deliberately steered off course after its communication system was switched off. He said it headed west over the Malaysian seaboard and could have flown for another seven hours on its fuel reserves.
It is not yet clear where the plane was taken, however Mr Razak said the most recent satellite data suggests the plane could have been making for one of two possible flight corridors. The search, involving 43 ships and 58 aircraft from 15 countries, switched from the South China Sea to the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean.
US investigators say faint ‘pings’ were being transmitted for several hours after the flight lost contact with the ground.
Meanwhile, military radar showed the jet climbed to 45,000ft – above its service limit – which could have been a deliberate attempt to knock out the passengers and crew.
Anwar Ibrahim is a broadly popular democracy icon and former deputy prime minister whose prosecution on a charge of sodomy is seen by many Malaysians as political persecution.
The raids on Captain Shah’s home appeared stage-managed as a display of intent after the Prime Minister said the focus of the investigation was now on ‘crew and passengers’ as a result of the latest leads.
But investigators have told the Mail on Sunday inquiries into the background of the pilot actually began days earlier.
Malaysian police, helped by FBI agents from the US, are looking into the political and religious backgrounds of both Zaharie and his co-pilot. Zaharie’s home was sealed off yesterday as police spent an hour inside.
However, a senior investigation source said two laptops were taken from the property in low-key visits by police early last week despite a series of denials by officials that his home had been searched or raided.
One laptop taken away is thought to contain data from the flight simulator while a second contained little information. Zaharie’s personal laptop was not found, and is thought to have been with him in the cockpit of the plane, the source said.
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Investigation: Pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah, left, was a political activist who attended a tense trial on the day of the flight, investigators believe. He was flying service MH370 alongside Fariq Abdul Hamid, right, from whom investigators have been keen to deflect suspicion
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Hunt: Investigators have riaded the houses of both pilots. Pictured is where co-pilot Hamid lives in an upmarket Kuala Lumpur suburb
Zaharie’s co-workers have told investigators the veteran pilot was a social activist who was vocal and fervent in his support of Ibrahim.
‘Colleagues made it clear to us that he was someone who held strong political beliefs and was strident in his support for Anwar Ibrahim,’ another investigation source said. ‘We were told by one colleague he was obsessed with politics.’
JAILED FOR FIVE YEARS: MALAYSIA’S OPPOSITION LEADER
Anwar Ibrahim is a broadly popular democracy icon and former deputy prime minister whose prosecution on a charge of sodomy is seen by many Malaysians as political persecution.
Campaigners say the politician, the key challenger to Malaysia’s ruling party, was the victim of a long-running smear campaign and had faced trumped-up charges.
Captain Shah, who is thought to have attended the trial in Putrajaya hours before flying, is thought to be incensed by the verdict.
Co-workers have told investigators the veteran pilot was a social activist who was vocal and fervent in his support of Ibrahim.
Investigators said: ‘We are looking into the theory that Zaharie’s political beliefs may be a factor. There are huge sensitivities surrounding this but we cannot afford not to pursue any angle brought to our attention.’
In their interviews, colleagues said Zaharie told them he planned to attend the court case involving Anwar on March 7, just hours before the Beijing flight, but investigators had not yet been able to confirm if he was among the crowd of Anwar supporters at court.
Zaharie is believed to be separated or divorced from his wife although they share the same house, close to Kuala Lumpur’s international airport. They have three children, but no family members were at home yesterday: only the maid has remained there.
In the days after Flight MH370 disappeared, Zaharie was affectionately described as a good neighbour and an eccentric ‘geek’ who had a flight simulator at home simply because he loved his work so much.
Malaysian officials initially appeared keen not to direct any suspicion towards Zaharie or his co-pilot, 27-year-old Fariq Abdul Hamid, who was last week revealed to have invited two women passengers into the cockpit and smoked on an earlier flight to Phuket.
But evidence of the way the plane’s transponder and communication systems were disabled and the way the plane was expertly flown over the Indian Ocean apparently using navigational waypoints meant only a skilled aviator could have been at the controls. Investigators were also baffled by why, if hijackers took over the plane, there was no Mayday call or signal from the two pilots to say the cockpit had been breached.
At yesterday’s press conference, the suspicion over the pilot’s involvement mounted as prime minister Najib Razak said that investigators had found ‘deliberate action’ on board the plane resulted in it changing course and losing contact with ground crews.
As a result of the new information, Malaysian authorities had ‘refocused their investigation on crew and passengers aboard’, he said. Police sealed off the area surrounding Zaharie’s home and searched the house shortly after the press conference.
Mr Razak said the new satellite evidence shows ‘with a high degree of certainty’ that the one of the jet’s communications devices – the Aircraft and Communications Addressing and Reporting System was disabled just before it had reached the east coast of Malaysia. ACARS is a service that allows computers aboard the plane to relay in-flight information about the health of its systems back to the ground.
Shortly afterwards, near the cross-over point between Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic controllers, the plane’s transponder, which emits an identifying signal, was switched off or, less likely, failed.
According to a military radar, the aircraft then turned and flew back over Malaysia before heading in a north-west direction.
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Search: Investigators from countries around the world have been scouring the oceans
A satellite was able to pick up a ‘ping’ from the plane until 08:11 local time, more than seven hours after it lost radar contact, although it was unable to give a precise location. Mr Razak went on to say that based on this new data, investigators ‘have determined the plane’s last communication with a satellite was in one of two possible corridors – north from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan through to northern Thailand, and south from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean.
If as suspected the plane was diverted into the Indian Ocean, the task of the search teams becomes more difficult, as there are hundreds of uninhabited islands and the water reaches depths of around 23,000ft.
Countries in the plane’s potential flightpath have now joined a huge effort to locate the missing passengers, but China described the revelation as ‘painfully belated’. And FBI investigators say the disappearance of MH370 may have been ‘an act of piracy’ and that the possibility that its hundreds of passengers are being held at an unknown location has not been ruled out.
Meanwhile, leading aviation lawyer James Healy–Pratt, who is helping relatives, said Malaysian Airlines had declined to buy Boeing’s Airplane Health Management system, which monitors systems in real time and could have alerted it to any potential problems, rather than having to recover a black box.
‘If the transponder was manually disabled then one can only hope that the black boxes were not also manually disabled,’ he said. ‘Otherwise, the truth will never be known.’
The revelations about Zaharie’s political affiliations are highly sensitive in a country where political dirty tricks are widespread.
One of the investigation sources said: ‘We are looking into the theory that Zaharie’s political beliefs may be a factor. There are huge sensitivities surrounding this but we cannot afford not to pursue any angle brought to our attention.’
Separately, a police source told the Mail on Sunday: ‘I can confirm our investigations include the political and religious leanings of both pilots.’
Zaharie joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981. He became a captain about ten years later and has clocked up 18,360 hours of flying experience.
Additional reporting: Ian Gallagher
I GOUGED HIJACKER’S EYE AND SAVED 398 – BY BA PILOT WHO RESCUED HIS PLANE 14 YEARS AGO
By CAPTAIN BILL HAGAN
A British Airways pilot who tackled a maniac on his packed jet reveals how the threat of hijack can spring from anywhere – and tells how the fate of Flight MH370 has brought details of his horrific encounter flooding back to him…
I was asleep in my bunk when I was jolted awake by the sudden lurching of the plane, British Airways flight BA 2069 from Gatwick to Kenya.
I knew there was something seriously wrong but I thought maybe the aircraft had been damaged. It was only when I heard my co-pilot shouting for help and opened the door that I saw there was an intruder. He looked like a terrorist.
I knew we were all in grave danger as he had seized the controls and we were plummeting at full speed towards the ground. If I had considered it necessary to kill him to save everyone else on board, I would have. My wife and two of my children were on the flight, as were singer Bryan Ferry and five
members of the Goldsmith family.
I didn’t speak – I just punched the man hard and managed to pull his body back just enough to make the plane pitch up from its dive. The week before I had been speaking to my young son about how to survive a shark attack, by sticking your finger in its eye, and that gave me the inspiration to do that to the intruder.
After I had gouged his eye he came away from the controls to fight me, allowing the co-pilot to stabilise the aircraft. I shouted loudly for help and three
male passengers rushed to my aid. They grabbed the hijacker – who I later learned was a 27-year-old mentally ill Kenyan student called
Paul Kefa Mukonyi – and dragged him to the back of the plane and tied him up.
If he had been at the controls for just a few extra seconds we could all have died. The plane stalled three times, nearly went upside down and
was plummeting to the ground.
While I was still catching my breath I made an announcement to reassure the 398 passengers on board that it was over. I forgot about any rule book and just said: ‘A bad man has tried to kill us all, but everything is fine now.’
The plight of the Malaysia Airlines flight has brought the horror of that day, December 29, 2000, flooding back to me.
If there was an explosion, debris would have been spotted by now. I believe this must have been a deliberate and planned act. Pilots are encouraged to secure the safest outcome, which may well mean you comply with the demands of the hijackers.
On long-haul flights a pilot will notify air traffic control of the aircraft’s exact location every 30 minutes. I would be asking the Malaysian authorities to check the voice of whoever made the last call from the plane to see if it was the pilot.
I just hope there are answers soon, for the families who are facing this awful wait.
The Co-ordinator for the MH370 SAR Director General of Dept of Civil Aviation Dato’ Azharuddin Abdul Rahman presenting the ‘expanded area of operation’
The combined efforts of 12 countries’ armed forces and maritime and security agencies co-ordinated by DG of Department of Civil Aviation Dato Azharuddin Abdul Rahman has been described as “Well organised and very professional”.
NST story:
Missing MH370: Malaysian SAR Efforts ‘Exceptional’, Says US Navy Commander
12 Mac 2014
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Government is doing an exceptional job organising the search-and-rescue (SAR) effort to find the missing Malaysia Airline airplane, says the United States Navy Seventh Fleet.
“I give them a lot of credit. They have done what I would call an exceptional job,” said spokesperson Commander William Marks, in a recent interview with Sinosphere, the China blog of the New York Times.
He credit to the Malaysian Government for a ‘well-organised’ plan in coordinating the SAR effort.
“They coordinate both the water-space and the airspace management. It’s like a big chessboard out there. It’s really like moving chess pieces around, and that’s 3-D. You have three dimensions, you have the water-space and the airspace.
“If you don’t do a good job of it, there is a very real possibility of an accident. They track all these assets coming in from all these countries, they make assignments, and they’re very efficient, very professional,” Marks said.
Two US Navy guided-missile destroyers, the Pickney and Kidd, are among the dozens of ships searching for the MAS plane that disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing last Saturday.
Marks said the SAR effort was a ‘very difficult, very challenging puzzle’ as the search box that started closer to Vietnam got bigger with each hour that passed, particularly with the latest report that claimed the plane may have turned around.
“So we are now looking at this area in the northern part of the Straits of Malacca, in case it turned around.
“This is a very large area. We are talking hundreds of square kilometres. The good news is it’s an international effort – there are a lot of assets down there. The country of Malaysia is in the lead. They’re the lead organisation, and they’re doing a terrific job of organising all this. The last information I had, had about 40 different ships here, and over 30 aircraft,” Marks said.
To a question on how much longer the search could last, Marks said the first 72 hours was considered as a search mission for the survivors.
“After that, it’s at the decision of the Malaysian Government what they want us to do, and where they want us to be,” he said.
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This is a validation on the steps taken, decisions made and careful expansion of the area of operation.
In the same breadth, it is also a statement which is a totally opposite contrast against Opposition Leaders’ statement these past few nights, in their sordid zest to retain the N25 Kajang DUN seat in the current by-election campaign.
It is very low for them to take cheap potshots against the Federal Government and agencies for the missing B777-200 with tail number 9M-MRO MH370 KUL-PEK with 239 souls onboard since last Saturday.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines said Tuesday it was “shocked” by allegations aired in an Australian news programme of a past cockpit security breach involving the co-pilot on its missing passenger jet.
Malaysia Airlines MH370 vanished early Saturday on an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard. No trace of the plane or evidence of its fate has been found.
Among those aboard were First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, who along with a fellow pilot violated airline rules in 2011 by allowing two young South African women into their cockpit during a flight, one of the women told Sydney-based Nine Network.
The report included photos of the women in the cockpit, with one appearing to show them posing with a man resembling Fariq. Passengers have been prohibited from entering the cockpit during a flight after the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
The encounter took place during the one-hour flight from the Thai beach resort of Phuket to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, the report said.
“Malaysia Airlines has become aware of the allegations being made against First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid which we take very seriously. We are shocked by these allegations,” a statement by the airline said.
“We have not been able to confirm the validity of the pictures and videos of the alleged incident. As you are aware, we are in the midst of a crisis, and we do not want our attention to be diverted,” the airline said.
Malaysia Airlines has come under intense pressure from enraged relatives of the 227 missing passengers, who are demanding answers to the plane’s perplexing disappearance.
The plane also had 12 crew.
Despite a search by several nations over a wide swathe of sea in Southeast Asia using dozens of aircraft and ships, the airline and Malaysian authorities say they still have no idea what happened to the plane.
“We also urge the media and general public to respect the privacy of the families of our colleagues and passengers. It has been a difficult time for them,” the airline said.
“The welfare of both the crew and passengers’ families remain our focus. At the same time, the security and safety of our passengers is of the utmost importance to us.”
The lack of information on the plane’s fate has sparked intense speculation, with theories including a possible terror attack, mid-air explosion, structural failure, or crash into the sea.
There has been no evidence backing any of the theories.
Malaysia Airlines has said Fariq joined the airline in 2007.–AFP
Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, the first officer, joined the airlines in 2007 and had a total flying hours of 2,763 hours. NSTP Photo
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The visit into the cockpit, which is a very restrictive part in any flight, still yet to be confirmed whether or not it was done during flight.
A travelblog’s photo, being in the cockpit during flight
Pilot smoking in the cockpit isn’t something strange too.
In their zest of selling their newspapers, international media shouldn’t be trampling on the misery and anxiety of so many people which include the family and loved ones of the 239 souls onboard MH370.
The Co-ordinator for the MH370 SAR Director General of Dept of Civil Aviation Dato’ Azharuddin Abdul Rahman presenting the ‘expanded area of operation’
The mystery looming in the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines B777-200 flight MH370 KUL-PEK on early Saturday spiral deeper. The area of operations for search and rescue has grown wider and now expanded to North East Indian Ocean, well beyond west of Langkawi.
Three days ago Chief of Air Force Jen. Tan Sri Rodzali Daud TUDM mentioned about the Air Defence Radar picking up trails suggesting that the 260 tonnes MTW widebody airline did “An air turn”.
The Guardian story:
The Malaysian military believes the missing plane flew for more than an hour after vanishing from air traffic control screens, changing course and travelling west over the Strait of Malacca, a senior military source told Reuters.
Malaysian authorities have previously said flight MH370 disappeared about an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for the Chinese capital Beijing.
At the time it was roughly midway between Malaysia’s east coast town of Kota Bharu and the southern tip of Vietnam, flying at 35,000 ft.
“It changed course after Kota Bharu and took a lower altitude. It made it into the Malacca Strait,” the military official, who has been briefed on investigations, told Reuters.
The Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest shipping channels, runs along Malaysia’s west coast.
Earlier on Tuesday, Malaysia’s Berita Harian newspaper quoted air force chief Rodzali Daud as saying the Malaysia Airlines plane was last detected by military radar at 2:40 a.m. on Saturday, near the island of Pulau Perak at the northern end of the Strait of Malacca. It was flying at a height of about 9,000 metres (29,500 ft), he was quoted as saying.
A non-military source familiar with the investigations said the report was being checked.
“This report is being investigated by the DCA (Department of Civil Aviation) and the search and rescue team,” the source said. “There are a lot of such reports.”
The time given by Rodzali was an hour and 10 minutes after the plane vanished from air traffic control screens over Igari waypoint, midway between Malaysia and Vietnam.
There was no word on what happened to the plane thereafter.
If the reports from the military are verified, it would mean the plane was able to maintain a cruising altitude and flew for about 500 km (350 miles) with its transponder and other tracking systems apparently switched off.
Malaysia has extended the massive search operation for the plane to the Malacca Strait after initially focusing on the South China Sea.
An Indonesia air force officer shows a map of Malacca Straits during a briefing prior to a search operation for the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777. Photograph: Binsar Bakkara/AP*****************
So did Riong Kali dot com:
Malaysian air force confirms signal of MH370 turning back on Saturday
BY MOHD FARHAN DARWISMARCH 11, 2014
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Butterworth received a signal that the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 turned back in South China Sea airspace on Saturday.
Malay-language daily Berita Harian reported that RMAF chief General Tan Sri Rodzali Daud as confirming that the Butterworth base had received the plane’s signal.
It quoted Rodzali as saying that the signal received indicated that the plane followed its original route before it entered the airspace above the northern east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
“The last time the plane could be traced by an air control tower was near Pulau Perak, which is on the Straits of Malacca at 2.40am.
“After that, the signal from the plane was lost,” he said.
It was also reported that a Singaporean air traffic surveillance and control unit also picked up the signal that MH370 “made a turn back before it was reported to have climbed 1,000 metres from its original altitude at 10,000 metres”.
The plane, which was carrying 239 passengers of 14 nationalities and an all-Malaysian cabin crew, left the Kuala Lumpur International Airport for Beijing at 12.40am on Saturday.
It was widely reported that the plane, a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, went missing at around 1.30am while flying above the South China Sea between the Malaysian east coast and the southern coast of Vietnam.
The plane reported went off radar and its last known location was 065515 North (longitude) and 1033443 East (latitude).
This is also supported with police reports made by some east coast residents, who claimed that they have seen huge lights and a plane flying at some 1000 metres above sea level off Kota Baru, Kelantan.
However, search and rescue (SAR) authorities have failed to find any sign of the plane in the waters of the South China Sea.
Indications that MH370 might have turned back have since led the SAR operations to be expanded to the Straits of Malacca and the Andaman Sea.
The operations to find the missing plane involve armed forces and authorities from Australia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines and the United States, apart from Malaysia.
The SAR operations are in its fourth day.
MAS has ruled out technical issues as the cause of MH370’s mysterious disappearance. The 11-year-old plane was last serviced 10 days before the incident on Saturday.
MAS group chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya reportedly said that the plane was in good condition and like other MAS aircrafts, was equipped with the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, which sends out data automatically.
However, the plane did not send out any distress signals before it went off radar, he said. – March 11, 2014.
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Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak was absolutely right at his media conference on Saturday evening. The situation and mystery is “Very perplexing”. If the search is west of Pulau Perak, it means the aircraft would have flown the same distance or more from its last known position of 065515 North (longitude) and 1033443 East (latitude).
The mystery now is, why is the B777-200 9M-MRO MH370 is thought to be so far west, even over and across Peninsular Malaysia?
NST last story yesterday, about the search for MH370:
11 March 2014| last updated at 09:11PM
MISSING MH370: Najib attends briefing on search ops
PETALING JAYA : Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today attended a briefing on the search-and-rescue operation mounted to locate a missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aircraft.
The briefing, for about 90 minutes, was given by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman at the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre at the DCA Air Traffic Control Centre in Subang near here.
Chief of Defence Forces Gen Tan Sri Zulkifli Mohd Zin and MAS Group chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya also attended the briefing.
MAS Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing about an hour after taking off from the KL International Airport at 12.41 am Saturday.
It should have landed in Beijing at 6.30 am on the same day.– BERNAMA
Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak with the director- general of the Civil Aviation Department (DCA) Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman and the head of the search and rescue operation Noor Izhar Bahrin at the DCA office in Subang listening to the operation briefs.Pix by NSTP/ Mohd Yusni Ariffin
Notice, the map is actually focused on the Straits of Melaka and Andaman Sea, north of Sumatra. It is a strong indication that a lot of emphasis on on the expanded area to the west of Langkawi, from the initial search and rescue operation which included the Straits of Melaka.
Adding to more food for thoughts in this growing puzzle, in his media conference yesterday Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar announced that the Police investigation covers four areas:
1. Sabotage
2. Hijack/terrorism
3. Psychological issues
4. Personal issues
It is very interesting why the Police investigation is looking into the last two aspect. Probably there are clues suggesting them.
Never the less, our prayers are with families and loved ones of the 239 souls onboard of MH370 and the dedicated men and women of the forces and agencies of nine countries in the search and rescue operation for find the missing B777-200 with the tail number of 9M-MRO.
In the combination of anxiety and distraught of the missing B777-200 MH370 enroute from KUL-PEK which dissappeared from cvil aviation radar on 8 March 0241hrs, saw the nation came together in support and prayers. Even His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Yang DiPertuan Agong expressed his condolences to the family and loved ones of passengers and crew of the ill fated airliner.
However, at the height of DUN N25 Kajang by-election, Opposition leaders manipulating the tragedy to a point of contentious slander against the Federal Government, realising the ‘Politics of Hatred’ strategy.
In this ceramah in Kajang, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad lied to the audience about the “Chinese government is upset with Malaysian government”. Clear it is not true because China is providing full co-operation in the effort to search for the missing B777-200 and managing and consoling the families and loved ones of 159 Chinese national passengers, Beijing side.
This is nothing new. It is a repeat of the Lahad Datu tragedy last year, where PKR Vice President Tian Chua lied about the “Kg Tanduo incursion was something staged by UMNO”.
Malaysia Airlines B777-200 with Rolls Royce Trent 892 engines, acquired from 1997
Malaysia Airlines B777-200 MH 370 bound for Beijing from KLIA is believed to be missing after two hours flight. The flight is carrying 2 flight crew, 10 cabin crew and 227 passengers went off the radar screen without any distress call.
Exact location has not been determined but the aircraft is believed to be off the coast of Semenanjung Malaysia and somewhere over the South China Sea closer to Vietnam.
It took off from KUL at 0041hrs and was expected to land in PEK at 0630hrs, which is an hour ago. All communications to contact MH370 failed. HKG air traffic controllers confirmed at 0530hrs that MH370 did not enter Hong Kong airspace. The air traffic controller in Subang delacred code red at 0530hrs. Search and rescue has been activated, to locate the missing aircraft believed in the South China Sea.
The commander of the missing aircraft with tail number 9M-MRO is believed to be Captain Zahari Ahmad Shah, 53. He is an experienced aviator.
*Updated 0900hrs
NST story:
08 March 2014| last updated at 08:54AM
Malaysia Airlines ‘lost contact’ with plane carrying 239 people: carrier
KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH370 flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing has lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am, today.
The plane was carrying a total number of 227 passengers including two infants and twelve crew members.
Malaysia Airlines said in a statement that the B777-200 aircraft had departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am today and was expected to land in Beijing at 6.30am the same day.
“Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft,” the statement said.
The airline said they will provide regular updates on the situation.
Meanwhile, the public may contact +603 7884 1234 for more information
Malaysia Airlines GCEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya’s media conference
This was AJ’s PC 40 mins ago;
MH370 Incident
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are deeply saddened this morning with the news on MH370.
Malaysia Airlines confirms that flight MH370 had lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am, today.
There has been speculation that the aircraft has landed at Nanming.
We are working to verify the authenticity of the report and others.
Flight MH370 was operated on a Boeing 777-200 aircraft.
It departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 amearlier this morning bound for Beijing.
The aircraft was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time.
The flight was carrying a total number of 239 passengers and crew – comprising 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members.
The passengers were of 14 different nationalities – citizens from:-
1. China – 152 plus 1 infant
2. Malaysia – 38
3. Indonesia – 12
4. Australia – 7
5. France – 3
6. United States of America – 3 pax plus 1 infant
7. New Zealand – 2
8. Ukraine – 2
9. Canada – 2
10. Russia – 1
11. Italy – 1
12. Taiwan – 1
13. Netherlands – 1
14. Austria – 1
This flight was a code share with China Southern Airlines.
We are working with authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft.
Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew.
The flight was piloted by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a Malaysian aged 53. He has a total flying hours of 18,365hours. He joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981.
First officer, Fariq Ab.Hamid, a Malaysian, is aged 27. He has a total flying hours of 2,763 hours. He joined Malaysia Airlines in 2007.
Our focus now is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilize its full support.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members.
The airline will provide regular updates on the situation.
The public may contact +603 7884 1234.
For media queries, kindly contact +603 8777 5698/ +603 8787 1276.
Please also log on towww.malaysiaairlines.com for updates.
Next-of-kin may head to the Support Facility Building at KLIA’s South Support Zone. For directions, call 03 8787 1269
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*Updated 1430hrs
Transport Minister Dato’ Seri Hishamuddin Hussein giving a media conference at the media centre in Sama Sama. Together with him are Malaysia Airlines GCEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, DG DCA Dato’ Azaharuddin Abdul Rahman and Security of National Security Council Dato’ Mohd. Thajudden Abdul Wahab
In his media conference at 1430hrs Minister of Transport Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Hussein confirmed these points:
1. After consulting Chief of Defense Forces, Chief of the Navy and Chief of the Air Force this morning, Malaysian Armed Forces would be deployed in the area where the aircraft at the last known position which is 065515N, 103443E
2. Operation Command Centre headed by DCA Chief Dato Azharuddin Abdul Rahman would co-ordinate all search and rescue operations. OCC would update the media every two hourly.
3. The OCC and all Malaysian Government agencies involved in the operation are working very closely with relevant agencies and governments of Vietnam, The Phillipines and China, through their embassies and foreign offices on the operation to locate, search and rescue of the missing aircraft and if there are any survivors
4. Confirmed that the earlier stories about the ‘Landing at Nanming’ and ‘Debris at an island off the coast of Vietnam’ are not true and cannot be validated
The Minister also added the since the DCA and National Security Council denied the report about debris seen nearer to the Vietnam coast, he has asked the Chief of Navy to work closely with the Vietnamese Navy of the search and rescue.
“Our C130s and EC725s already started the search and rescue operations. All RMN vessels in the vicinity have also joined the operation”.
He also reminded that public shouldn’t be reckless and over-eager in spreading unconfirmed reports or stories as it would complicate the situation further.
“We will be transparent with this operation. Please liaise with the OCC, which would update the media every two hourly”.
Malaysia Airlines GCEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, Head of Engineering Azahari Mohd. Dahlan, DG of DCA Dato’ Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, National Security Council Secretary Dato’ Mohd. Thajuddeen Abdul Wahab and Malaysia Airports Bhd. Director of Operations for KL Dato’ Azmi Murad were present at the Transport Minister’s Press Conference.
“Our sympathies are with the families of passengers and crew of the missing MH370. We would do our best to help them”.
Ahmad Jauhari said an emergency respond team has been activated and the moment are engaging all the family members. Most affected families have been contacted and they have started to come to Main Terminal Building KLIA.
“We would send an aircraft with some of these team very soon, to faciliate all necessary efforts in the operations”.
The chaotic situation at the Sama-Sama Hotel’s auditorium. Pix by Yazit Razali
DCA chief Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and MAS CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya at a press conference on MH370 today at KLIA in Sepang, on March 13, 2014. — Picture by Choo Choy May
Images from Chinese satellite on March 9 shows an object that might be possibly debris from MH370. China’s Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Huang Huikang today confirmed that these images had been sent by accident and did not show any debris. — Today pic
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak delivers his statement on the Flight MH370 during the press conference held at Sama-Sama Hotel in Sepang, KLIA today. Accompanying him are Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein (left) and Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman (right). Pix by Mohd Fadli Hamzah
Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, the first officer, joined the airlines in 2007 and had a total flying hours of 2,763 hours. NSTP Photo
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Butterworth received a signal that the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 turned back in South China Sea airspace on Saturday.
The "thirteen million plus Ringgit" guy rambles.... 
MH370: A fresh lesson about relationship with China
Malaysia Air;ines B777-200ER tail no. 9M-MRO designated MH370 gone missing on 8 March 2014 with 239 souls onboard
The experience of the missing Malaysia Airlines B777-200ER with tail no. 9M-MRO designated MH370 that disappeared from radar screen on 8 March 2014 on scheduled flight from KUL to PEK opened a fresh perspective for Malaysia to seriously review its formal, informal and commercial relationship and status with China.
Regardless how information and hospitality that have been offered formally and informally to the Chinese, be it by official briefings and statements issued by the Prime Minister, Acting Minister of Transport, Minister of Foreign Affairs, GCEO of Malaysia Airlines or any of the government and military agencies involved, it is never enough.
BBC story:
The fact is that, the search for the doomed aircraft had been an international activity since day one. Vietnamese Air Force and Navy has been actively searching on areas in the South China Sea between their southern most tip to the IGARI waypoint, where the Mike Romeo Oscar aircraft made the last transmission before disappearing from civil aviation authorities radar screen.
The two possible arches of maximum range of the B777-200, corresponding to INMARSAT’s last ‘ping’ on 0811hrs (Malaysian time) on 8March 2014
There on, Singaporean armed forces joined the search. So did Chinese PLAN and US Navy. Eventually, at its peak the search involved armed forces and transport and security agencies from 26 countries were involved. High value and very delicate and sensitive assets such as the P8 Poseidon and P3 Orion maritime patrol/anti-submrine warfare aircrafts and Arleigh Burke Class destroyers were committed to the multi-national operations.
Last Monday, Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak announced that they are convinced the doomed Mike Romeo Oscar made a left turn and flew south on the Indian Ocean.
There on, the search went on only with the active participation of armed forces and transport agencies of Austrialia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom, China, South Korea, Japan and France. Despite the search getting narrower, the search had produced nothing.
At the moment, there are 12 aircrafts and 8 vessels searching the designated area which they believed were the B777-200 might have went down, based on the ‘handshake pings’ recorded by the INMARSAT statelite and trajectory based on speed and fuel available in the 220 tonnes MTOW aircraft.
BBC story
Whatever information that the acting Transport Minister, DG of DCA, GCEO of Malaysia Airlines, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief of Defense Forces, Chief of the RMAF, Inspector General of Police offered that the time it was issued in the daily media conferences were valid, based on the availability and corroborated at that particular moment.
Example is the INMARSAT information about their complex analysis of trajectory of the Mike Romeo Oscar based on the ‘handshakes’ their computers recorded from the pings received from the geo-static satellite, was only offered by AAIB UK to the acting Minister of Transport four days later.
The path of the missing Mike Romeo Oscar designated MH370, on 8 March 2014 before completely not detected by radar
So are other information that is deemed ‘sensitive’ such as the recording of Mike Romeo Oscar’s movement from IGARI to IGREX, as per observed by the Royal Thai Air force Air Defense radar.
Eventually when all these information are offered to the Malaysia authorities and corroborated, then only they are offered to the Malaysian and international media in the same conference. Both Malaysian and international media have equal chance to do Q & A whenever new information is offered.
The manifest of nationals. of the 239 souls onboard MH370 on 8 March 2014
In many instances, the international media repeated questions which have previously addressed in many of earlier media conferences. An example is the identities of the two Iranians who travelled on stolen Austrian and Italian passports, and the relevance and connection to known terrorism groups.
There are 14 different nationals amongst the 239 souls onboard the missing airliner. All grieved almost the same tone and intensity with the exception of the families and loved ones from China. They have been very loud and combative, in their expression of shock and grieve.
Probably the mainland Chinese are not used to the concept of ‘transparency’ and how a democratically elected government which is practicing the usual international standards of sharing information. Or their are not wise in the usual practice of democracy of ‘freedom of expression’, especially when they blatantly accuse the Malaysian Government, military and Malaysia Airlines as “Murderers!”.
What is also wrong if the Chinese Government to echo what the families of the passengers of the missing flight is shouting about.
The Malaysian Government has been very transparent to the Chinese Government, pertaining to any available information of the B777-200 carrying 239 souls which include 153 of the communist state nationals. Even to the point Prime Minister Najib meeting the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs website:
A high powered team led by RMAF Air Operations Commander Lt. Jen. Dato’ Seri Ackbal Abdul Samad TUDM was despatched to Beijing and conduct the neccesary briefings to the affected family members of the MH370 passengers.The information offered is no different from what have been offered to the Malaysian and international media, in the daily media briefings and conferences.
Yet, the Chinese family cannot accept. It was said that they wanted more and walked out from the briefing.
Now they have come to Kuala Lumpur, hoping to get different information from already offered. This where the Chinese Government should come in and intervene. The should pacify their own nationals based on the information already offered by the Malaysian Government and the Chief of the RMAF to Vice Minister Zhang in Kuala Lumpur five days ago, about the movement, tracked and status of the multinational search for flight MH370.
The Chinese Government should appreciate, especially if there demands for the People’s Liberation Army to openly reveal sensitive information pertaining to the Air Defense System and inadvertently compromise the defense of the China.
However, they did not. Probably the Chinese Government secretly ‘allowed’ if not ‘advocated’ some of their citizens to make these outrageous demands and cries about “Malaysian Government, Malaysian military and Malaysia Airlines are murderers!”.
More interestingly is that PLA is not willing to share whatever information they have pertaining to the missing flight MH370 to Chinese Government and public, since all these drama and negative attention towards Malaysia snowballing in the closed Chinese media and social media networks serve as a perfect cover for their clandestine operation the South China Sea.
ASEAN EEZ Vs China’s claims over South China Sea with the imaginary Nine-Dash-Line
Particularly, China’s gross disrespect of nation’s around the region with the imaginary and unsubstantiated claims of the ‘Nine Dash Line’, which is incurring deep into the EEZ of countries as per putlined by the United Nations Convention Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).
Regardless, Malaysia should wise up about its formal and informal relationship with China. If China is Malaysia’s ‘friend’, then they should do more to correct the negative if not the destructive perception by their own nationals in an information eco-system where the Chinese Government have near absolute control.
After all being ‘friends’ only should mean that China would want if not do more to advocate her nationals to be more ‘friendly’ towards Malaysia. That is not happening as how Chinese nationals been hurling their feelings towards Malaysia, we are not friends at all.
Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Hj Abdul Razak Hussein historic call on Chairman Mao Zedong
Probably Prime Minister Najib should postpone his planned visit to China in May, to commemorate his father Tun Hj Abdul Razak Hussein’s historic visit to China and meeting Chairman Mao Zedong forty years ago.
His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Yang DiPertuan Agong XIV’s planned visit to China in November too, should be postponed. After all, the Malaysian Government is His Majesty’s Government and His Majesty is the Commander in Chief and Field Marshall of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
If Malaysians especially the business community is worried how the slight shift of formal relationship and ‘friendship’ status would affect trade, then they should reflect on how Taiwan which is ‘at war’ with China and how trade and services between the two ‘non existence nations’ bloomed through the years.
- Commentary
on March 31, 2014 at 02:00 Comments (33)