Maklumat Rasmi KEHILANGAN MH370 [Hari ke X]

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Lessons from the MH370 tragedy

The saga of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has dominated international news coverage for the past few weeks. Monday night’s announcement by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak that the plane ended in the Indian Ocean will likely be only the latest twist in a continuing mystery.

The preceding 18 days of largely futile and frustrating search and recovery operations hold many lessons for crisis management.

LEADERSHIP AND COMPETENCY

Although Mr Najib made the announcement on the fate of the plane, he was largely missing from the public eye and in the media during the long days following the disappearance of the aircraft.

This was an international incident involving the national carrier. Not only were there passengers from several countries on board, but several countries committed major assets to assist in the search effort. These international dimensions required the visible leadership of the national leader and not only the scrambling efforts of lower-level officials. Mr Najib’s protracted absence reduced confidence in Malaysia’s response.

Amid the confusion of varying reports about the state of the search effort, an abiding impression was created of a lack of competence on the part of the Malaysian authorities.

Organisational leaders and operational managers must be selected on the basis of competency and not political suitability. It is too late to learn on the job during a crisis.

Contingency agencies must have a deep culture of competency. This requires meritocratic selection of talent, transparency of performance and accountability of responsibility. It is clear that these qualities are not strengths of the Malaysian system and the results were clear for all to see over the past three weeks.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

One of the remarkable things about the flight of MH370 is how it could cross Malaysian airspace in an unauthorised direction without triggering a response from the Malaysian Armed Forces. Malaysian military radar is responsible for ensuring the protection of the country’s airspace.

The fact that Flight MH370 could traverse the airspace is a damning commentary on the Malaysian state of military preparedness. As with the multiple breaches of border security at the Woodlands Checkpoint in Singapore, critical security systems have to be realistically tested to ensure that capabilities are proven. The time to find them wanting should not be during actual incidents.

The most telling lesson from MH370 is the unexpectedness of its final flight. Contingency agencies need to expect the unexpected. Rather than be limited by the paradigm of known scenarios and trapped by fixed standard operating procedures, agencies should be adaptable to new scenarios and be flexible in their responses.

This requires deep competency, confidence in operational leadership and adequate capabilities — all of which call for substantial commitment of resources to build, maintain, upgrade and train credible contingency capabilities. Taking short cuts can create critical performance gaps during actual crisis.

EFFECTIVE COORDINATION AND DIPLOMACY

The involvement of so many different platforms on air and sea from so many countries deployed in a wide and shifting area of operations required good coordination to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. The impression gained from the official reports from China, Australia, the United States and Malaysia suggests weak coordination, with these countries taking their own initiative in planning and deployment and following up on their own leads.

The Malaysians should be commended on maintaining regularity in their update communication, but confusion and contradiction also characterised much of the operation. This coordination deficit further exacerbated the frustration of anxious relatives.

The need for central coordination, inter-operability of platforms and operational familiarity between different services is essential for successful integrated crisis response. This underscores the need for good and frequent international exercises to build a framework for joint operations of various kinds. It also indicates that coordination capability and capacity have to have latency to scale up to deal with multinational responses if required.

When faced with a crisis on such a scale, countries depend on other nations to come to their aid. To date, about 25 countries have participated in some way in the response effort. This is a strong indication that it is vital to build and maintain good international relations with both neighbours and large strategic nations.

The fact that Malaysia was able to call upon such willing and generous assistance is testimony to its rich network of good relations. Building up the political capital in international relations is a long-term strategic commitment. Tragic episodes such as Flight MH370 demonstrate that other than perhaps the US, no country has adequate resources to undertake operations on a large extended scale on its own.

As the operation moves into what must be a difficult and technologically demanding recovery effort in deep waters, we should all pause and reflect on the fragility of human life. Modern technology and past performance are not guarantees against future shocks.

Our collective respect and sympathy are with the relatives of those lost on Flight MH370. The lessons learnt and applied from this tragedy are the best way to ensure that their loss was not in vain.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Devadas Krishnadas is Managing Director of Future-Moves, a boutique strategic risk consultancy based in Singapore.

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MH370: Optimumkan pencarian, ketahui kekurangan dan kelebihan yang ada


KUALA LUMPUR: Analisis baru yang dikeluarkan penyiasat-penyiasat di United Kingdom dan firma satelit Britain, INMARSAT mengatakan bahawa penerbangan pesawat MH370 berakhir di Selatan Lautan Hindi.

Titik akhir hasil siasatan INMARSAT ini menjadi titik mula pencarian pesawat MH370 yang hilang sejak 8 Mac lalu Lautan Hindi.

Menurut Timbalan Dekan Pengajian Kejuruteraan Elektrik dan Elektronik USM, Prof. Madya Dr. Mohd Rizal Arshad berdasarkan data-data yang dikeluarkan satelit INMARSAT, pihak Search And Rescue (SAR) tiada pilihan lain melainkan memulakan pencarian di dasar laut Lautan Hindi.

“Berita baik dalam misi pencarian di dasar laut ini ialah permukaan dasar Lautan Hindi lebih rata dan visual yang dihasilkan akan lebih jelas” Kata Mohd Rizal ketika menjadi tetamu Buletin AWANI Khas pada Selasa.

“Kita perlu menggunakan masa yang tinggal ini dengan sebaiknya dalam mengesan kotak hitam dengan menggunakan Pengesan Ping yang boleh mengesan julat bunyi yang besar” jelas Mohd Rizal.

Mohd Rizal turut mengambil contoh pencarian pesawat Air France yang mengambil masa lebih dua tahun, pihak pencari menggunakan tiga Pengesan Ping yang bergerak secara berkumpulan dalam mengesan rangka dan kotak hitam pesawat.

Namun begitu menurut Mohd Rizal, penggunaan Pengesan Ping punya kebaikan dan keburukannya yang perlu diberi perhatian oleh pihak SAR.

“Baiknya ialah,  ianya tidak terikat dengan kapal induk dan jika cuaca berubah ia masih boleh meneruskan pencarian, buruknya jika ia terdedah kepada arus yang kuat dari dasar laut dan memungkinkan Pengesan Ping akan hilang dan tidak dapat dikesan lagi.

“Pengesan Ping yang menggunakan kabel pula kebaikannya tidak akan terkesan dengan cuaca di dasar laut namun kapal induk pula akan bermasalah jika ia berdepan dengan cuaca buruk” katanya lagi.

Tambah Mohd Rizal, sekiranya kita menggunakan maklumat objek yang dicerap satelit sebelum ini, ia perlu mengambil kira keadaan cuaca, kadar kekuatan angin dan aliran arus.

Perkara tersebut dapat menganggarkan di mana titik pesawat MH370 jatuh ke atas permukaan laut.

“Walaupun kita ada titik di mana pesawat itu jatuh, ia tak semestinya jatuh di titik tersebut kerana ada risiko di bawa air.

“Oleh sebab itu, kita boleh memanfaatkan hari-hari yang ada untuk mengesan serpihan dan kotak hitam dengan menggunakan tiga fasa” terang Mohd Rizal.

Tiga fasa tersebut adalah dengan menentukan kedudukan sumber ping kotak hitam, mendapat semula serpihan atau kotak hitam dan pmenggunakan banyak Pengesan Ping.

“Apa yang penting adalah pencarian yang optimum” kata Mohd Rizal yang turut merasakan kerjasama dari banyak negara memberi peluang menyingkatkan masa pencarian.


Read more at: http://www.astroawani.com/news/s ... n-yang-ada-32542?cp

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Kenapa tragedi MH370 jauh lebih rumit dari Tanjung Kupang?

KUALA LUMPUR: Bekas Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Penerbangan Awam (DCA) Datuk Hamzah Abdul Majid mengakui bahawa insiden kehilangan pesawat Malaysia Airlines MH370 lebih rumit berbanding dengan tragedi MH653 milik MAS yang terhempas di Tanjung Kupang.

Mengimbas kembali insiden 4 Disember 1977 itu, Hamzah berkata antara tugas DCA ketika itu adalah untuk membuat siasatan dan membuat analisa supaya ia tidak berlaku lagi. Namun, situasi berbeza dengan insiden MH370 setelah misi SAR masuk ke-18 pada Selasa. Tanpa bangkai pesawat, rumusan tidak dapat dibuat.

"Peristiwa MH370 jauh kebih rumit berbanding peristiwa di Tanjung Kupang. Di Tanjung Kupang kita tahu di mana kapal terbang itu terhempas. Tetapi MH370 kita tidak tahu ia di mana,” katanya.

Tambah beliau, ketika kejadian di Tanjung Kupang, DCA terus menubuhkan pasukan siasatan, mengawal kawasan dimana pesawat terhempas dan menyelamantkan kotak hitam

“Tugas untuk mencari dan mengeluarkan kotak hitam itu adalah tugas DCA. Sebaik sahaja kita dapat keluarkan kotak hitam itu, kita terus hantar ia ke Amerika Syarikat,” kata beliau.


Walaupun tragedi MH653 dan MH370 akan mencatat memori pahit dalam industri penerbangan namun Hamzah berkata pengangkutan udara adalah paling selamat dan MAS adalah salah satu syarikat yang dihormati.
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Katanya, apa yang dipelajari dari insiden MH653 adalah bukan kesalahan teknikal tetapi berkaitan tentang keselamatan di lapangan terbang.

"Kita harus memperketatkan keselamatan di lapangan terbang. Bermula dari insiden itu, kita telah memperkenalkan beberapa langkah keselamatan," kata Hamzah.

Read more at: http://www.astroawani.com/news/s ... ung-kupang-32541?cp

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MH370: Pencarian serpihan, rangka dan objek ambil masa

KUALA LUMPUR: Selepas nasib pesawat MH370 milik Malaysia Airlines (MAS) diumum Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak kelmarin, usaha mencari kini tertumpu di bahagian selatan Lautan Hindi.

"Apa yang kita perlu lakukan pada minggu dan bulan akan datang ialah mencari segala serpihan, rangka serta objek-objek berkaitan pesawat MH370 supaya boleh kita mengesahkan tanpa ragu-ragu bahawa MH370 telah hilang di selatan Lautan Hindi," katanya.

Perdana Menteri mengumumkan bahawa penerbangan MH370 berakhir di selatan Lautan Hindi pada Ahad.

Ketika membentangkan usul khas di Dewan Rakyat pada Isnin, Najib merakamkan ucapan takziah kepada seluruh keluarga, rakan dan kenalan 227 penumpang serta 12 anak kapal penerbangan MH370.

Najib berkata walaupun jawapan berhubung misteri kehilangan pesawat itu hanya boleh dirungkai oleh rakaman perbualan kokpit dalam kotak hitam, siasatan terperinci perlu dilakukan secara profesional disertai dengan komitmen.

Susulan analisis data terbaharu, operasi mencari dan menyelamat di koridor utara dan bahagian utara koridor selatan dekat Indonesia, dihentikan.

Koridor utara menjangkau dari sempadan Kazakhstan dan Turkmenistan ke utara Thailand sementara koridor selatan, meliputi dari Indonesia ke selatan Lautan Hindi.

Pihak berkuasa Keselamatan Maritim Australia (AMSA), dalam kenyataan hari Selasa, menyebut usaha pencarian MH370 di Lautan Hindi ditangguh berikutan cuaca buruk dan laut bergelora.

Kenyataan itu menyebut kawasan berkenaan dijangka mengalami ombak setinggi 2 meter dan boleh mencecah empat meter selain diramal mengalami tiupan angin kencang sehingga 80 kilometer sejam beserta hujan lebat dan awan rendah dengan ketinggian antara 60 dan 150 meter.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Ahmad Jauhari Yahya pula berkata MAS memberi bantuan awal kewangan US$5,000 kepada anggota keluarga terdekat setiap penumpang MH370. Beliau juga berkata sejak penerbangan MH370 hilang pada 8 Mac, syarikat itu memfokus kepada keselesaan dan khidmat sokongan untuk anggota keluarga penumpang selain menyokong usaha pencarian.

Sementara itu, Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar berkata polis tidak akan mengumumkan hasil siasatan terhadap penumpang dan anak kapal pesawat Boeing 777 itu kerana ia akan menjejaskan siasatan ketika ini.

Beliau bagaimanapun berkata siasatan yang menjurus kepada empat elemen iaitu rampasan, sabotaj, masalah mental dan masalah peribadi, tidak berubah.


Read more at: http://www.astroawani.com/news/s ... ambil-masa-32556?cp

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Malaysia Airlines MH370 Flight Incident - Press Briefing by Hishammuddin Hussein, Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Transport

Introductory statement

As the search for MH370 continues, we remain focused on narrowing the search area.

With such strong co-operation from our international partners, the challenge is no longer diplomatic. It is now primarily technical and logistical. Because the scale of the investigation is now much more complex, the release of technical and logistical information will be handled differently. As you have seen today, this means that Malaysia Airlines will take the lead in communicating with the families.

As the search area has narrowed, new challenges have arisen, including managing resources in a remote search and rescue effort. We continue to work closely with our friends and partners as we seek to marshal more specific resources in support of the operations in that area.


1. New data

Last night the Prime Minister announced that according to new analysis of satellite data, Inmarsat and UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) have concluded that flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

Today I will provide further details of how the data was analysed, as provided to us the UK AAIB. This information is quite technical in nature. So although I will give you as much information as I can, I will not be in a position to answer questions about this data analysis today.

However, we will accept written questions which will be answered as soon as possible. We will be providing this information as a press release at the end of this press conference. This is the information provided to us by the AAIB. Click here for the document.


2. Further details

In recent days Inmarsat developed a second innovative technique which considers the velocity of the aircraft relative to the satellite. Depending on this relative movement, the frequency received and transmitted will differ from its normal value, in much the same way that the sound of a passing car changes as it approaches and passes by. This is called the Doppler effect. Click here for Doppler document.

The Inmarsat technique analyses the difference between the frequency that the ground station expects to receive and that actually measured. This difference is the result of the Doppler effect and is known as the Burst Frequency Offset.

The Burst Frequency Offset changes depending on the location of the aircraft on an arc of possible positions, its direction of travel, and its speed. In order to establish confidence in its theory, Inmarsat checked its predictions using information obtained from six other B777 aircraft flying on the same day in various directions. There was good agreement.

While on the ground at Kuala Lumpur airport, and during the early stage of the flight, MH370 transmitted several messages. At this stage the location of the aircraft and the satellite were known, so it was possible to calculate system characteristics for the aircraft, satellite, and ground station.

During the flight the ground station logged the transmitted and received pulse frequencies at each handshake. Knowing the system characteristics and position of the satellite it was possible, considering aircraft performance, to determine where on each arc the calculated burst frequency offset fit best.

The analysis showed poor correlation with the Northern corridor, but good correlation with the Southern corridor, and depending on the ground speed of the aircraft it was then possible to estimate positions at 0011 UTC, at which the last complete handshake took place. I must emphasise that this is not the final position of the aircraft.

There is evidence of a partial handshake between the aircraft and ground station at 0019 UTC. At this time this transmission is not understood and is subject to further ongoing work. No response was received from the aircraft at 0115 UTC, when the ground earth station sent the next log on / log off message. This indicates that the aircraft was no longer logged on to the network.

Therefore, sometime between 0011 UTC and 0115 UTC the aircraft was no longer able to communicate with the ground station. This is consistent with the maximum endurance of the aircraft.

This analysis by Inmarsat forms the basis for further study to attempt to determine the final position of the aircraft. Accordingly, the Malaysian investigation has set up an international working group, comprising agencies with expertise in satellite communications and aircraft performance, to take this work forward.


3. Technical background

The new analysis I have described above was convincing enough for the AAIB to brief the Prime Minister that MH370 flew along the southern corridor, and that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth. Within a few hours, the families had been informed, and the Prime Minister announced the new development to the world.

As the Prime Minister stated, this type of analysis has never been done in an investigation of this sort. There remains more work to be done, and we are grateful to Inmarsat, AAIB and the international investigations team, who are continuing to work with the Malaysian authorities. This is a developing situation, and as soon as we know more, we will share it.


4. Operational update

As a result of this new data analysis, the search and rescue operation in the northern corridor has been called off. We have also stopped the search and rescue operation in the northern part of the southern corridor, close to Indonesia.

All search efforts are now focused in the southern part of the southern corridor, in an area covering some 469,407 square nautical miles, as against the 2.24 million square nautical miles which we announced on 18th March.

We are currently working to further narrow down the search area, using the four methods I mentioned previously: gathering information from satellite surveillance, analysis of surveillance radar data, increasing air and surface assets, and increasing the number of technical and subject matter experts.

On the assets deployed, 2 Korean aircraft left Subang airport for Perth this morning, to help in the multinational search operation. No flights from Perth to the search area took place today, due to bad weather. 6 Chinese ships are currently in the search area. They are expected to arrive within the vicinity of MH370’s last known position by tomorrow morning. These ships include the ice breaker ‘Xue Long’.

HMAS Success is also currently in the search area.

The American Towed Pinger Locater – an instrument that can help find a black box - is currently en route to Perth and will arrive tomorrow. The system will be fitted onto the Australian ship Ocean Shield, which is due to dock in Perth on 28th March. The Ocean Shield, fitted with the Towed Pinger Locater, is due to arrive in the search area on 5 April.


5. Concluding remarks

The new analysis shared with the investigation by Inmarsat and the AAIB has focused our efforts on the southern part of the southern corridor.

Although yesterday’s news was incredibly hard for the family members, as our Prime Minister said, it was released out of a commitment to openness and respect for the relatives, two principles which have guided the investigation.

-ENDS

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MH370: Ganti rugi sudah pasti

KENAPA dan bagaimana pesawat Malaysia Airlines penerbangan MH370 melencong daripada laluan asalnya menuju ke Beijing dan sampai ke titik akhirnya di selatan Lautan Hindi setakat ini masih misteri — belum diketahui, tidak pasti dan belum terjawab.

Tetapi apa yang pasti: waris penumpang dan anak kapalnya yang hilang bersama pesawat Boeing 777-200 itu berhak menerima bayaran ganti rugi daripada syarikat penerbangan negara. Ini termaktub di bawah perjanjian antarabangsa yang dikenali sebagai Konvensyen Montreal dan merupakan amalan piawai setiap kali berlaku nahas seperti sebelum ini.

Peguam Mike Danko dari Amerika Syarikat berkata perjanjian itu meletakkan tanggungjawab kepada sesebuah syarikat penerbangan untuk membayar ganti rugi kepada waris apabila berlaku nahas kerana "kemalangan". Kemalangan ditakrifkan sebagai kejadian luar biasa atau luar jangkaan yang berlaku di luar kawalan penumpang.

"Sama ada nahas disebabkan oleh salah laku juruterbang yang sengaja, rampasan atau serangan pengganas — tidak kisah. Nahas itu dianggap sebagai satu kemalangan dan syarikat penerbangan bertanggungjawab," katanya dalam satu nota di laman web firmanya, Danko Meredith yang berpejabat di California, Amerika Syarikat.

Danko Meredith berpengalaman mengendalikan tindakan mahkamah waris mangsa nahas pesawat di Amerika Syarikat dan di beberapa negara lain.

Seorang lagi peguam yang berpengalaman dalam tuntutan seperti ini, Robert Hedrick berkata waris penumpang yang ingin membuat tuntutan tidak perlu menunggu siasatan selesai untuk membuktikan siapa yang bersalah sehingga menyebabkan nahas berlaku.

"Tuntutan itu boleh diteruskan kerana dibuat di bawah konvensyen," katanya dalam satu wawancara dengan Bloomberg Television.

Apa yang beliau maksudkan, dalam bahasa mudahnya ialah: bahawa sebuah nahas telah berlaku dan nahas itu menyebabkan mereka kehilangan seseorang; kehilangan itu pula dilindungi oleh undang-undang.

Apakah yang diperuntukkan oleh Konvensyen Montreal?

Artikel 17 konvensyen itu menyatakan sesebuah syarikat penerbangan bertanggungjawab terhadap kematian atau kecederaan penumpang akibat daripada kemalangan yang berlaku di atas pesawat.

Ganti rugi yang ditanggungnya pula adalah sekurang-kurangnya RM576,000 berdasarkan kepada hak pengeluaran khas (special drawing rights) yang ditetapkan oleh Tabung Kewangan Antarabangsa sebagai nilai tukaran mata wang dunia. Bagi tuntutan lebih daripada jumlah tersebut, syarikat penerbangan terlibat boleh membuktikan bahawa kemalangan yang terjadi bukan akibat kecuaiannya atau berpunca daripada kecuaian pihak lain.

Sejak kehilangannya pada awal pagi 8 Mac lalu, pelbagai teori dan spekulasi diketengahkan untuk mewaraskan kenapa dan bagaimana pesawat besar itu boleh ghaib — kononnya ia mungkin dirampas, kononnya ia mungkin terbakar, kononnya ada kemungkinan juruterbang berbuat khianat. Semua teori dan spekulasi itu, sekiranya terbukti, akan sangkut jadi tanggungjawab pihak yang tertentu.

Itu sebabnya ketika semua teori dan spekulasi itu berlegar dan beredar, MAS tidak memberikan sebarang jawapan yang konkrit — mengiyakan tidak, menafikan pun tidak. Kenapa?

Alasannya mudah. Apa saja jawapan daripada MAS ketika ini tentunya akan mengaitkan syarikat itu dengan tanggungjawabnya nanti. Ia tidak mahu mendedahkan diri kepada tindakan mahkamah bersabit dengan kenyataan-kenyataan itu. Selebihnya, belum ada sebarang bukti yang kukuh untuk merumuskan apa sebenarnya yang berlaku.

MAS setakat ini telah memberikan bantuan kewangan awal kepada waris iaitu sebanyak AS$5,000 bagi setiap penumpang. Ini bukan satu ganti rugi. Ini juga bukan satu pengakuan tanggungjawab. Ini bolehlah dianggap sebagai satu bayaran ihsan yang dinyatakan oleh MAS "untuk meringankan beban mereka yang terlibat".

"Kami sedia menawarkan bayaran tambahan ketika mana usaha mengesan ini diteruskan," kata Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif MAS, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya pada sidang media di KLIA pada Selasa.

Artikel 28 Konvensyen Montreal memperuntukkan bahawa jumlah pampasan awal yang dibayar oleh sesebuah syarikat penerbangan kepada waris penumpang dan anak kapal boleh ditolak daripada jumlah penuh ganti rugi akhir yang diputuskan nanti. Ini bukan ganti rugi akhir.

Sehingga kotak hitam dijumpai, apa saja spekulasi akan tetap jadi spekulasi; apa saja teori akan tinggal jadi teori. Tanpa kita mengetahui kandungan perakam data penerbangan dan perakam suara kokpit, selama itulah kita hanya akan berteka-teki tentang apa sebenarnya yang terjadi.

Tetapi satu perkara yang pasti: setiap waris yang kehilangan akan mendapat ganti rugi.

Read more at: http://www.astroawani.com/news/s ... udah-pasti-32524?cp

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MH370: Pencarian di perairan Australia Barat bersambung

MELBOURNE: Misi pencarian objek yang dipercayai ada kaitan dengan penerbangan MH370 di perairan Australia Barat bersambung pagi Rabu selepas ditangguh semalam akibat cuaca buruk.

Pihak berkuasa Australia yakin keadaan cuaca hari ini dapat membantu operasi yang juga bertujuan mengutip objek-objek berkenaan.

"Keadaan cuaca di kawasan pencarian di selatan Lautan Hindi dijangka bertambah baik dengan keadaan angin dan laut yang bergelora semakin reda manakala hujan pula diramal berlaku secara terpencil," kata pegawai meteorologi kanan Biro Meteorologi Australia, Adam Conroy yang dipetik oleh ANC News.

Sebanyak 12 pesawat dan beberapa kapal dijangka terlibat dalam operasi hari ini. Misi kini membabitkan enam negara iaitu Australia, New Zealand, Amerika Syarikat, Jepun, China dan Korea Selatan. India dilapor turut menawarkan bantuan.

Empat kapal China dijangka tiba di kawasan pencarian hari ini.

Sementara itu, Perdana Menteri Australia Tony Abbott berkata beliau telah bercakap dengan rakan sejawatannya Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dan memberi jaminan bahawa Australia akan terus membantu Malaysia mengesan pesawat itu.

Beliau berkata pencarian tidak akan dilakukan untuk selama-lamanya namun Australia akan melakukan segala yang mampu sehingga tiada lagi harapan untuk menemui apa-apa.

"Kami lakukannya untuk keluarga. Kami lakukannya untuk dunia yang sedang menunggu...kami akan lakukan apa yang mampu untuk menyelesaikan teka-teki luar biasa penerbangan malang ini," beliau memberitahu TV Nine Network.

Beliau berkata Australia akan mengalu-alukan kedatangan anggota keluarga dan waris mangsa MH370 serta memberi bantuan sewajarnya sewaktu mereka berada di negara itu.

Read more at: http://www.astroawani.com/news/s ... bersambung-32566?cp

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MAS, Boeing berdepan kes saman

Syarikat penerbangan Malaysia Airlines dan pengeluar pesawat Boeing 777 yang digunakan untuk penerbangan MH370 kini berdepan dengan tindakan mahkamah.

Laporan Reuters menyebut, bapa kepada salah seorang penumpang penerbangan tersebut memfailkan petisyen untuk mendapatkan bahan bukti dalam kes kemalangan tersebut.

Firma Ribbeck Law dari Chicago, Amerika Syarikat dalam satu kenyataan menyebut, petisyen untuk memperoleh bukti berkenaan difailkan ke atas Boeing Co dan Malaysia Airlines yang mengendali penerbangan itu.

Firma itu mewakili Januari Siregar, bapa kepada Firman Chandra Siregar – salah seorang daripada tujuh warga Indonesia yang menaiki penerbangan tersebut.

Menurut firma tersebut, petisyen yang difailkan di Cook County, Illinoie Circuit Court itu bertujuan untuk memperoleh bukti berhubung kemungkinan kecacatan rekaan dan pembuatan yang mungkin menyumbang kepada kemalangan itu, lapor Reuters.

Peguam yang mengetuai kes tersebut, Monica Kelly dalam laporan itu menyebut, pemfailan berkenaan adalah permulaan kepada saman berjumlah berjuta dolar oleh keluarga penumpang terbabit ke atas MAS dan Boeing.

“Kita percaya kedua-dua defendan yang dinamakan bertanggungjawab ke atas bencana yang menimpa penerbangan MH370,” katanya.

Pesawat Boeing 777 gagal dikesan tidak lama selepas dari Kuala Lumpur ke Beijing pada 8 Mac lalu.

Perdana Menteri Malaysia Datuk Seri Najib Razak pada hari Isnin lalu menyimpulkan, penerbangan pesawat berkenaan berakhir di tengah perairan selatan Lautan Hindi, di kawasan terpencil yang jauh dari sebarang daratan.

Pihak berkuasa MAS turut mengumumkan bahawa kesemua 239 orang dalam penerbangan tersebut dipercayai telah meninggal dunia.

[Baca berita penuh] di http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/258216

BelovedTaeyeon

Sultan Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar hari ini menitahkan semua bangunan kerajaan negeri di Johor mengibarkan bendera negeri separuh tiang. Ia bagi menghormati semua penumpang dan anak kapal pesawat MH370.

budak_gemuk91

TUDM sangka MH370 diarah patah balik
Kementerian Pertahanan menjelaskan, pasukan tentera tidak memintas pesawat misteri yang dikesan melalui ruang udara Selat Melaka kerana menyangka ia diarah berpatah balik oleh menara kawalan.

Timbalan Menteri Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri berkata, Tentera Udara Dirajay Malaysia mengesahkan bahawa pesawat itu tidak memberi ancaman, ketika ia dikesan oleh radar tentera pada jam 2.40 pagi.

Bagaimanapun, TUDM pada masa itu tidak memastikan bahawa pesawat berkenaan merupakan penerbangan MH370, yang kemudiannya gagal dikesan, katanya di Dewan Rakyat hari ini.

"(Pergerakan patah balik) itu dikesan di dalam radar kita.

"Cuma kita menganggap bahawa pergerakan patah balik itu dilakukan oleh pesawat Malaysia Airlines dan dilakukan pesawat yang tidak memberi ancaman dan pesawat pihak kita.

"Jadi kita menganggapnya satu arahan daripada menara kawalan, mungkin ia boleh membuat lencongan," katanya sewaktu ucapan penggulungan titah diraja bagi Kementerian Pertahanan di Parlimen, petang ini.

Bagaimanapun, tegas Abdul Rahim, jawapan muktamad hanya akan diketahui apabila serpihan pesawat itu ditemui kelak.

"Kami rasakan ia akan berakhir dan menuju ke Selat Melaka atau Laut Andaman.

"Jadi apabila kita perasaan ada patah balik, hari berikutnya kita maklumkan pasukan yang bertanggungjawab dalam SAR (mencari dan menyelamat) kerana kalau kita tak maklumkan, sebagai pemilik radar utama kita tidak bertanggungjawab," katanya.

Menurutnya lagi, mendedahkan maklumat sedemikian kepada orang awam juga melibatkan "keselamatan nasional".

Beliau berkata demikian sewaktu menjawab soalan daripada laksamana Pertama (B) Mohamad Imran Abdul Hamid (PKR-Lumut).

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/258273

perang_sivil

1. Objek yg dijumpai oleh penduduk Maldives hari ini 25 March (disangka bom)

http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/54153



An object which looks like an explosive had on Monday washed up on the beach of Baarah in Haa Alif Atoll.

A police media official said that the islanders had found the object, washed up on the beach sometime early in the evening. He also reported that police had responded immediately by arriving at the scene and in turn reporting to Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF). The official informed that they do not known what it was, and that MNDF would determine its origins and whereabouts.

"MNDF is now at the island and preparing its extraction", the official said.

The MNDF spokesperson major Hussein Ali reported that they are now looking into this "unknown" object that had washed up onto Baarah Island. He did not give details.

While some of the islanders speculate this unknown object to be a sea mine, others imagine it as another form of an explosive.

2. B777 cargo extinguisher

perang_sivil

Berita terkini pesawat MAS MH370 hilang pada rabu 26 Mac 2014. Setelah MH370 disahkan penerbangan berakhir di Lautan Hindi, misi pencarian kotak hitam dan bangkai pesawat baru sahaja bermula. Pencarian kotak hitam mahupun bangkai pesawat mungkin memakan masa berminggu atau berbulan kerana faktor kedalaman lautan dan lautan yang bergelora. Penjelasan Kenapa Pesawat MH370 Disahkan Berakhir Di Lautan Hindi Para jurutera syarikat satelit United Kingdom, Inmarsat Plc telah mengenalpasti titik terakhir laluan sebenar pesawat Penerbangan Malaysia MH370. Dalam kes unik ini, MH370 telah menghantar ‘ping’ sebanyak enam kali kepada satelit Inmarsat dalam tempoh enam jam ketika ia sedang terbang tanpa dikesan di atas Lautan Hindi dengan transponder di dalam pesawat itu tertutup. Gelombang bunyi ‘ping’ itu – yang ditermakan sebagai tanda menjabat tangan – dihantar menerusi antena Boeing 777 tersebut kepada salah sebuah daripada 10 satelit Inmarsat. Sebagai respon, satelit yang menerima isyarat gelombang bunyi tersebut terus menghantar isyarat semula kepada pesawat MH370 setiap jam selagi ia masih berfungsi dan bergerak sebagai ‘tanda isyarat diterima.’ Isyarat ‘ping’ tersebut terhenti selepas jam yang keenam – menandakan yang pesawat berkenaan tidak lagi berfungsi dan mengeluarkan gelombang isyarat.

kak_sue

New satellite images from France show 122 objects possibly linked to MH370



KUALA LUMPUR -
New satellite images from France have shown 122 objects possibly linked to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, said Malaysia's Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

"Yesterday, on 25 March, the Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency (MRSA) received new satellite images from Airbus Defence and Space, which is based in France. The images were taken on 23 March.

"MRSA analysed the images and - in one area of the ocean measuring some 400 sq km - were able to identify 122 potential objects. Some objects were a metre in length; others were as much as 23m in length," Mr Hishammuddinhe told a daily press briefing on Wednesday.

He said some of the objects appeared to be bright, possibly indicating solid materials. The objects were located approximately 2,557km from Perth.

"It must be emphasised that we cannot tell whether the potential objects are from MH370.

"Nevertheless, this is another new lead that will help direct the search operation. We have now had four separate satellite leads, from Australia, China and France, showing possible debris.

"It is now imperative that we link the debris to MH370. This will enable us to further reduce the search area, and locate more debris from the plane,'' he added.

Malaysia announced on Monday night that based on data analysis by UK firm Inmarsat, the last position of MH370 was in a remote area in the southern Indian Ocean. The plane disappeared on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew members on board.

Mr Hishammuddin said Malaysia continues to play a coordinating role in search efforts.

"Today the weather has improved, and twelve planes will travel to the search area - six in the East sector and six in the West,'' he said.

In response to questions regarding scathing Chinese criticisms against Malaysia's handling of the crisis, Mr Hishammuddin said: "History will judge us well."

"We have done an admirable job. Not many countries can get 26 countries to work together," he said.

The minister went on to appeal to Chinese families to understand that Malaysians also lost their loved ones in the tragedy.

He added that he has seen reactions from affected Australian families in the media, and was thankful that they were "very rational", and not blaming Malaysia for the unprecedented air travel crisis.

Based on new information provided by British satellite telecommunication firm Inmarsat, an international working group has been set up to refine the data to find out the exact last position of the plane in the southern Indian Ocean, Mr Hishammuddin said.

Head of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), Mr Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, added that the search is on for the plane's black box so that full investigations can be concluded as quickly as possible.

kak_sue

Crash of MH370: Full transcript of Hishammuddin's press briefing on March 26

Malaysia's Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein delivered a press briefing on the progress of the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Below is the full transcript of the press briefing.

Introductory statement

The search for MH370 continues. Our efforts are now focused in the southern Indian Ocean, where a multi-national team, led by Australia, is combing the waters trying to find debris from the flight.

Our determination to find MH370 remains steadfast. As we have said all along, we will never give up trying to find the plane - in order to bring closure for the families, and to establish exactly what happened to MH370.

New satellite images

Australia, China and France have already released satellite images, showing objects that may be related to MH370.

Yesterday, on 25 March, the Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency (MRSA) received new satellite images from Airbus Defence and Space, which is based in France. The images were taken on 23 March.

MRSA analysed the images and - in one area of the ocean measuring some 400 square kilometres - were able to identify 122 potential objects. Some objects were a metre in length; others were as much as 23 metres in length. Some of the objects appeared to be bright, possibly indicating solid materials.

The objects were located approximately 2,557 kilometres from Perth.

We will issue handouts relating to this new information, after this press conference.

MRSA's findings were immediately forwarded to the Australian Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Perth yesterday.

It must be emphasized that we cannot tell whether the potential objects are from MH370. Nevertheless, this is another new lead that
will help direct the search operation.

We have now had four separate satellite leads, from Australia, China and France, showing possible debris. It is now imperative that we link the debris to MH370. This will enable us to further reduce the search area, and locate more debris from the plane.

Operational update

Australia is leading the search effort in the southern Indian Ocean, based out of Perth. Malaysia continues to play a co-ordinating role.

All countries involved are displaying unprecedented levels of co-operation; that has not changed.

Australia has divided the search area into two sectors, East and West. Today the weather has improved, and twelve planes will travel to the search area - six in the East sector and six in the West.

In the East sector, searches will be conducted by:
•one Australian P3 Orion, and three Australian civilian aircraft.
•one Chinese Ilyushin IL-76.
•one New Zealand P3 Orion.




In the West sector, searches will be conducted by:
•one US P8 Poseidon.
•one Korean P3 Orion.
•one Japanese P3 Orion.
•two Australian P3 Orions, and one civilian aircraft.

Two ships will also join the search operations.

Yesterday 'HMAS Success' was redeployed to the south of the search area due to bad weather. Today the ship has returned and will support the search operation in the West sector.

Meanwhile, the Chinese ship 'Xue Long' has today been deployed to the East sector.

A Japanese Coast Guard gulfstream aircraft left Subang this morning for Perth, to join the search operation.

As I mentioned yesterday, the search operations in the northern corridor, and in the northern part of the southern corridor, have been called off. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent diplomatic notes to all relevant countries to formally inform them of this change.

Before I continue, I would like to convey our appreciation to the Australian authorities, and in particular to Prime Minister Tony
Abbot, for making such an extraordinary contribution to the search operation.

Chinese Special Envoy

Today, the Prime Minister met with His Excellency Zhang Yesui, the Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy of the Government of China. I also met with His Excellency this afternoon.

During our conversation His Excellency conveyed China's commitment to continue and intensify the search operation in any way possible, and to deploy any assets that may be required.

Malaysia has provided his His Excellency and his delegation with a full update on the latest information from Inmarsat.

His Excellency and his delegation also received a comprehensive briefing from the international technical team.

International Working Group

As I mentioned yesterday, based on the new information provided by Inmarsat, we have established an international working group. The agencies involved in this working group include: Inmarsat, AAIB, the Chinese CAAC and AAID, NTSB, FAA, Boeing and Rolls Royce, as well as the relevant Malaysian authorities.

The role of the working group is to help try and refine the Inmarsat data and, if possible, more accurately determine the final position of MH370.

Further information

I should like to note that the CEO of Malindo Airlines, Chandran Rama Murthy, has joined me on stage today, and will be able to answer any questions that you might have.

As I announced yesterday, MAS is now taking a lead in communicating with the families and is conducting their own press conferences. MAS will hold another press conference tomorrow.

Concluding remarks

New satellite images continue to provide clues in the search for MH370. And with improved weather conditions, aircraft are now able to investigate objects of interest.

I would like to thank once again our international partners for their continued support and assistance. The search for MH370, and the investigation into what happened on board the flight, is now a truly international effort.

noor2

perkhabaran indian ocean yang mencecah 8000m...

saja nak share info mengenai laut dalam...

Chesire_Epilog

MH370: MRSA kesan 122 objek baru - Hishammuddin

KUALA LUMPUR: Sebanyak 122 objek dikenal pasti oleh Agensi Remote Sensing Malaysia (MRSA) di kawasan pencarian Australia, kira-kira 2,557 kilometer dari Perth.

Menurut Pemangku Menteri Pengangkutan Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, MRSA telah menerima imej satelit baru itu dari Agensi Pertahanan dan Angkasa Airbus yang berpengkalan di Perancis.

Katanya imej-imej yang berkemungkinan ada kaitan dengan pesawat MH370 itu diambil pada 23 Mac, di mana Australia, China dan Perancis telah pun mengedarkannya.

"MRSA telah menganalisa imej-imej tersebut di kawasan lautan berukuran 400 kilometer persegi, dan telah kenal pasti 122 objek-objek berpotensi.

"Ada objek yang berukuran satu meter panjang... yang lain-lainya berukuran 23 meter. Ada juga objek yang kelihatan terang, yang berkemungkinan terdiri daripada bahan pejal," kata Hishammuddin pada sidang media harian MH370 di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC) hari ini.

Katanya penemuan terbaru MRSA itu telah diserahkan segera kepada Pusat Koordinasi Menyelamat Australia di Perth, semalam (Selasa).

Jelas Hishammuddin, pihaknya masih tidak dapat memaklumkan sama ada objek-objek itu ada kaitan dengan pesawat MH370 milik Malaysia Airlines yang hilang sejak 8 Mac itu.


Walau bagaimanapun, katanya ini adalah penunjuk baru yang boleh membantu dalam operasi yang sedang giat dijalankan melibatkan 26 buah negara.

"Kami kini telah mempunyai empat petunjuk satelit berasingan, iaitu dari Australia, China dan Perancis, yang menunjukkan serpihan pesawat.

"Ia penting bagi kami untuk mengaitkan serpihan dengan MH370. Ini akan membolehkan kami untuk mengurangkan lagi kawasan carian, dan mencari lebih serpihan pesawat," kata Hishammuddin.

Sementara itu, dalam perkembangan operasi, Australia sedang mengetuai usaha pencarian di selatan Lautan Hindi di mana Malaysia masih terus memainkan peranan sebagai penyelaras operasi.

Kata Hishammuddin, semua negara sedang mempamerkan tahap kerjasama yang luar biasa dalam usaha ini.

Menurutnya, Australia telah membahagikan kawasan pencarian kepada dua sektor iaitu Timur dan Barat, di mana enam pesawat akan dikerahkan ke sektor Timur dan enam pesawat akan ke sektor Barat.

Di sektor Timur, operasi pencarian akan melibatkan sebuah P3 Orion milik Australia, tiga pesawat awam Australia, sebuah pesawat Ilyushin IL-76 milik China dan sebuah lagi P3 Orion milik New Zealand.

Di sektor Barat pula, pesawat-pesawat yang terlibat ialah sebuah P8 Poseidon milik Amerika Syarikat, empat buah P3 Orion yang masing-masing milik Korea, Jepun dan Australia, dan sebuah pesawat awam.


Read more at: http://www.astroawani.com/news/s ... shammuddin-32591?cp

biggirlduncry

MH370 tragedy casts pall over Malaysian GP

Malaysia will host the most sombre race in its 15-year Formula One history this weekend as the mystifying MH370 plane tragedy overshadows an incident-packed start to the season.
With aggrieved champions Red Bull this week issuing a veiled threat to quit, and new rules prompting an immediate shift in the pecking order, Formula One has rarely been so eventful.
But the initial focus will be off the track as Malaysia mourns the 239 people aboard ill-fated Flight MH370, with planes and ships scouring the treacherous Indian Ocean for wreckage.
The Sepang racetrack is geographically close to Kuala Lumpur's international airport, where the Malaysia Airlines flight took off on March 8 and vanished from radar screens shortly afterwards.
And its proximity to the unfolding drama was illustrated when more than 30 relatives of missing passengers had to shift to other hotels to make way for F1-related bookings made in advance.
A major F1-related concert featuring Christina Aguilera at Kuala Lumpur's Twin Towers has been cancelled as a mark of respect, and organisers may also call off an air show at the track.
Sepang CEO Razlan Razali told AFP that despite the tragedy, attendance numbers looked set to be on track, with about 30 percent of race-day tickets already sold.
But Ram Sithambaram, owner of an F1 outlet at the airport, said sales of tickets and merchandise had been poor for the race, first staged in 1999.
"In the past one week we sold only about 50 tickets. In comparison last year around the same period we sold about 1,000 tickets," he said.
"We are paying a high price for the MH370 tragedy... we hope for a miracle that ticket sales will surge in the next few days."
Drivers will pay their own tributes, with Mercedes' early championship leader Nico Rosberg tweeting: "all my prayers go to friends & families of the passengers on ".
- F1 teams struggle with changes -
But mostly their thoughts will remain on the tough job at hand as all teams absorb widespread changes involving hybrid power, fuel limits and the new, and controversially quiet, turbocharged V6 engines.
Red Bull were incensed after a wipe-out in the opening race in Australia when four-time defending world champion Sebastian Vettel retired early and Daniel Ricciardo was stripped of second place over the new fuel rules.
Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz told an Austrian newspaper "there is a clear limit to what we can accept" when asked under what circumstances Red Bull would quit F1.
The quiet new engines, criticised by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone among many others, will hardly lift the mood at the track as a sedate hum compared to vacuum cleaners replaces the previous deafening shriek.
Rosberg's Mercedes made all the running in Melbourne but his team-mate Lewis Hamilton, starting from pole position, lasted just a few laps, underlining the unpredictability of the new cars.
McLaren were one of the big winners in Australia. Denmark's Kevin Magnussen finished second in his first F1 race and Jenson Button was third, putting the team on top of the constructors standings.
But Vettel, seeking to emulate the stricken Michael Schumacher's five consecutive world championships, will want to recover quickly from his forgettable outing.
"We still have a lot of work to do with the car but it was encouraging to see that our pace was better than expected in Australia," said the 26-year-old German.
"Hopefully we can build on that and start collecting some strong points in the next two races."

biggirlduncry

Planes, ships race to beat bad weather in search for Malaysian jet

SYDNEY/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Aircraft and ships scouring the southern Indian Ocean for wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 were racing to beat bad weather on Thursday and reach an area where new satellite images showed what could be a debris field.
The international search team has been bolstered to 11 military and civilian aircraft and five ships that will criss-cross the remote search site with weather conditions forecast to deteriorate later in the day.
New satellite images have revealed more than 100 objects that could be debris from the Boeing 777 , which is thought to have crashed on March 8 with the loss of all 239 people aboard after flying thousands of miles off course.
"We have now had four separate satellite leads, from Australia, China and France, showing possible debris," Malaysian Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur late Wednesday. "It is now imperative that we link the debris to MH370."
The latest images were captured by France-based Airbus Defence & Space on Monday and showed 122 potential objects in 400 sq km (155 sq mile) area of ocean, Hishammuddin said. The objects varied in size from one metre to 23 metres (75 ft) in length, he said.
Flight MH370 vanished from civilian radar screens less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing, and investigators believe someone on the flight may have shut off the plane's communications systems. Theories range from a hijacking to sabotage or a possible suicide by one of the pilots, but investigators have not ruled out technical problems.
Partial military radar tracking showed the plane turning west off its scheduled course over the South China Sea and then recrossing the Malay Peninsula, apparently under the control of a skilled pilot.
The logistical difficulties of the search have been highlighted by the failure so far to get a lock on possible debris despite the now numerous satellite images and direct visuals from aircraft and ships.
The search area some 2,500 km (1,550 miles) southwest of Perth has some of the deepest and roughest waters in the world, roiled by the "Roaring Forties" winds that cut across the sea.
The winds are named for the area between latitude 40 degrees and 50 degrees where there is no land mass to slow down gusts which create waves higher than six metres.
The search was called off for a full day this week because conditions were too dangerous for the search crews, which come from Australia, the United States, New Zealand, China, Japan and South Korea. Meteorologists say the current break in the stormy weather will be short.
"This is only going to be a narrow window of opportunity by the looks of things, because another weather system is moving in for Thursday, which looks like that will bring an increase in winds again and also lead to a reduction in visibility through the rain associated with the cold front," said Neil Bennett, a spokesman for Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.
PASSENGERS' RELATIVES DISTRAUGHT
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak this week confirmed Flight MH370 had crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, citing satellite-data analysis by British firm Inmarsat .
Recovery of wreckage could unlock clues about why and how the plane had diverted so far off course in one of aviation's most puzzling mysteries.
The United States has sent an undersea Navy drone and a high-tech black box detector which will be fitted to an Australian ship due in Perth in the coming days.
The so-called black boxes - the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder - record what happens during flight, but time is running out to pick up their locator beacons, which stop about a month after a crash due to limited battery life.
Malaysia said on Tuesday that the U.S. "Towed Pinger Locator" would not arrive in the search area until April 5, which would give it only a few days to find the black box before the beacon battery would be expected to run out.
The prolonged and so far fruitless search and investigation have taken a toll, with dozens of distraught relatives of Chinese passengers clashing with police in Beijing on Tuesday, accusing Malaysia of "delays and deception".
Malaysia's confused initial response to the plane's disappearance and a perception of poor communications have enraged many relatives of the more than 150 Chinese passengers and have strained ties between Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.

biggirlduncry

Will China play Flight 370 card in future?[/b

LET'S acknowledge what's obvious: The way Malaysia has handled the loss of Flight MH370 has been pathetic. What's less obvious is China's role in this sorry spectacle.

The biggest aviation mystery since Amelia Earhart disappeared isn't over for Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, and it may never be.

Not with the families of the 154 Chinese passengers (out of 239 people) on board the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) jet accusing his government of a cover-up.

Not with puzzled observers around the world wondering how a government of a reasonably developed nation could be so inept.

And not with Malaysians looking at a ruling elite that's turned crisis management into a management crisis.

The biggest reason the fallout from Flight MH370 may not be over for a long time might be because of China.

Maybe the government of Asia's most important economy really is livid at Malaysia's handling of this tragedy.

It's hard not to think there are also ulterior motives at work.

Yes, Malaysia deserves plenty of blame, dragging out this painful human tragedy for too long.

It took 16 days for its leaders to admit what most of the rest of the world figured out long ago: There would be no survivors of a plane crash somewhere far out in the Indian Ocean.

In the interim, tales of stolen passports, confused and contradictory statements, fantastic theories about which political party the pilot supported, obfuscation about the Boeing 777's cargo and daily press briefings by Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein - a man who should never again be allowed near a microphone - have tarnished Malaysia's global brand for years to come.

MAS telling some families that Flight MH370 had "ended" was an added insult.

Yet China is doing its best to foster a sense of aggrievement, as if it has been intentionally wronged by this tragic accident.

This is part of a broader pattern of exploiting international incidents for domestic gain.

Think back to 1999, when North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces accidentally bombed China's embassy in Belgrade, or 2001, when a Chinese fighter jet and United States spy plane collided: China displayed a remarkable tolerance for public protests.

Again, in 2012, police stood by as protesters surrounded the car of then US ambassador Gary Locke. Or take the giant anti-Japanese demonstrations of recent years.

Small wonder that Japan's tourists now head to Taiwan and Hong Kong, rather than Shanghai or Beijing.

China, of course, is a nation with little tolerance for civil disobedience or protests, particularly in central Beijing.

Anyone who has strolled through Tiananmen Square could be excused for wondering if they had been transported to North Korea's desolate capital, Pyongyang.

For the Communist Party, pointing fingers at foreigners supposedly doing China harm is an ideal way to deflect attention from corruption scandals, income inequality and toxic pollution.

It doesn't take much to suspect that this is what is driving much of the outcry over the loss of Flight MH370.

It's certainly not as if the control freaks who run China would have been more transparent than Malaysia's leaders.

More competent and efficient, perhaps.

But more forthcoming or doing anything that might risk giving any clues about its military-reconnaissance capabilities? Not a chance.

What is China's endgame here? Are Chinese leaders really supporting the interests of the mourning families? Perhaps, but something else might be at play.

Tolerating protests where demonstrators bellow wildly and irresponsible chants like "the Malaysian government are murderers" suggest that China senses an opportunity to claim the high ground from a rival for territorial claims in the South China Sea.

China has proven quite adept at getting and keeping such moral trump cards in its back pocket.

Don't be surprised if the country's leaders make a big deal of their Flight MH370 grievance the next time they find themselves in a dispute with Malaysia.

myp@sph.com.sg

atira

Musings

Published: Thursday March 27, 2014 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Thursday March 27, 2014 MYT 7:04:06 AM

A watershed moment

BY MARINA MAHATHIR

   

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MH370 has thrown up a huge mirror upon which we can see much that is wrong with us, as well as some that is right.

THE news we had been dreading came on Monday night. MH370 is gone. The grief of the families is unbearable.

The pain is no less so for the very many of us who have followed the story every step of the way, and who have tried to provide hope and support to the families either directly or indirectly through our prayers.

I extend my deepest condolences to all the mothers, fathers, children, other relatives, friends and colleagues of those who were lost.

May the souls of the passengers and crew of MH370 rest in peace.

The writer Tash Aw, in an op-ed for the New York Times, described this incident as a watershed moment for Malaysia.

While not all our reasons synchronise, I do agree that MH370 has thrown up a huge mirror upon which we can see much that is wrong with us, as well as some that is right.

I think this moment changed some things here in Malaysia and hopefully will also lead to some more changes.

The initial handling of the crisis was bumbling and inept but we can see that this changed very quickly.

Airline disasters cannot be confined to just domestic news.

By its nature, it is instantly international news and therefore the world’s focus is immediately on us.

There could not be a worse way to get our name known. But we have a crisis and we need to handle it in the full glare of international media.

This necessitates a totally different way of working than our officials are used to. For one thing, it throws up the dire need for our officials to be able to speak English clearly and precisely and to not get defensive when faced with tougher questions than they are used to.

For another it also shows up the quality of our media compared to the foreign media (except for that French reporter). Couldn’t the reporter from the Islamic TV channel have looked at a map first before asking the minister if there was any city nearer to the search site in the southern Indian Ocean than Perth?

Why do vernacular media send reporters who do not speak English and then complain that they did not understand what was said? Is this our flip-flop education policy on English coming to roost?

Coming to roost also is a certain complacency that has resulted in what one overseas academic’s observation (before this happened) that there is a “reduction in capacity” among Malaysian officials.

It is a lowering of standards which leads to a slowness in grasping a situation and then responding, which in this case, may have led to fatal results. It is the same with everything here; we don’t react until something bad happens.

Then we make a lot of noise about changing systems but don’t actually implement them.

We can never be considered serious about this complacency if we never hold anyone responsible for mistakes and missteps.

This points also to a lack of empathy on the part of some people for the suffering of those closest to the tragedy.

Although thousands of Malaysians have shown their sympathy and kind-ness to the families by writing their messages on the Walls of Hope around the country, some saw fit by defacing them by writing unrelated slogans.

Their issue may well have its merits but this act displays a lack of sensitivity to the families in terrible pain right now. Not a great way to win over people to your cause.

Disgusting is the only word for the insensitive tweet sent to the daughter of one of the MH370 cabin crew harshly telling her to accept the loss of her father.

Many have done little more than condemn every single action done by MAS almost as if this tragedy is something it welcomed.

I’ve had many complaints about MAS before but who would want to be in their shoes right now and say they can do a better job at handling this? They are also a bereaved party after all. Certainly there is no lack of opportunists taking advantage of MH370 for their own ends.

That would include some of the foreign media who seem intent on painting our government as completely inept. Certainly they are deficient in many aspects but I don’t think they were wrong to be cautious with information. One reporter actually saw fit to ask the MAS chairman if they had been heartless. Did they expect an affirmative answer?

For now, there is not a lot we laypersons can do other than to pray and hope that MH370 will reveal it-self soon and that its discovery will provide us with some answers. Then we would know how to move on to the next phase of this watershed moment.

That next phase has to involve much introspection and self-critical analysis. We need to reflect very deeply on what we want for our country now that this incident has reminded us that we are part of the world, and not some isolated opaque inward-looking nation.