KUALA LUMPUR: Hari Krismas adalah tarikh terakhir untuk melengkapkan pencarian pesawat MH370 di kawasan seluas 120,000km persegi di Arc 7 di selatan Lautan Hindi, barat daya Australia.

Dalam satu e-mel terbaharu daripada Biro Keselamatan Pengangkutan Australia (ATSB), cuaca buruk menyebabkan pencarian di baki 10,000km persegi terpaksa ditangguhkan.

Setakat ini, pencarian sudah meliputi 110,000km persegi, kata Pusat Penyelarasan Agensi Bersama dalam Kemas Kini Operasi Pencarian MH370 bertarikh hari ini.

Menurutnya, perkembangan utama minggu ini termasuk kapal Fugro Equator memasuki kawasan pencarian terbabit, manakala kapal Dong Hai Jiu 101 pula sedang berlabuh di luar Fremantle, bersiap sedia untuk misi seterusnya.

“Ia dijangkakan keadaan cuaca akan bertambah baik sekitar Oktober untuk membolehkan penggunaan kenderaan kawalan jauh (ROV) dari kapal itu.

“Peralatan itu juga akan menyiasat hubungan sonar,” menurut kemas kini daripada Pegawai Komunikasi Operasi Pencarian MH370, Daniel JT O’Malley.

ATSB juga bekerjasama dengan Organisasi Penyelidikan Industri dan Saintifik Komanwel (CSIRO) sejak 18 bulan lalu, bagi mencari lokasi serpihan MH370 hanyut.

Satu kajian intensif akan dijalankan tidak lama lagi.

Fasa pertama ialah melepaskan boya hanyut laut yang digunakan dalam Program Hanyut Global, bersama model flaperon dilengkapi pengesan satelit.

Model itu akan dikesan untuk mewujudkan kadar dan arah hayut berbanding boya hanyut di laut terbuka yang tertakluk kepada angin, arus dan ombak sama.

Program Hanyut Global sebenarnya selama 30 tahun akan digunakan untuk membentuk arah hanyut flaperon itu.

“Ia tidak akan dapat mengenal pasti lokasi pesawat itu secara tepat dengan sendirinya. Bagaimanapun, ia berharap dapat mengenal pasti lokasi spesifik pesawat itu berada, apabila ditambah dengan pengetahuan sedia ada dan sebarang pembelajaran masa depan.”

Pada Julai 2015, satu serpihan ditemui di La Réunion, Lautan Hindi berhampiran Madagascar. Ia kemudiannya dihantar ke Perancis.

Pada 3 September 2015, pihak berkuasa Perancis mengesahkan serpihan itu adalah bahagian sayap, satu flaperon daripada sebuah pesawat Boeing 777. Pengenal unik mengenal pasti serpihan berkenaan ialah sebahagian daripada pesawat MH370.

Flaperon itu amat penting. Ia adalah serpihan pertama MH370 yang dijumpai. Sumber

KULA LUMPUR: Malaysia menghormati keputusan Australia yang memutuskan untuk menamatkan misi pencarian pesawat Malaysia Airlines MH370 yang dilaporkan hilang sejak 8 Mac 2014.

Timbalan Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi berkata, keputusan menamatkan misi pencarian yang dibuat oleh Australia itu berikutan selepas merujuk nasihat daripada pakar yang terlibat.

“Keputusan Australia menerusi Biro Keselamatan Pengangkutan negara itu yang telah mengetuai misi pencarian pesawat tersebut selepas mendapatkan nasihat daripada pakar-pakar.

“Malaysia akan menghormati keputusan itu,” katanya kepada pemberita, hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian sebagai mengulas kenyataan Ketua Biro Keselamatan Pengangkutan Australia, Martin Dolan berhubung jangkaan kegagalan dalam misi pencarian pesawat MH370 itu.

Ini berikutan kata Martin, lebih daripada 105,000 kilometer persegi dasar laut di selatan Lautan Hindi telah diteroka sehingga 11 Mei lalu, bagaimanapun hanya tinggal 15,000 kilometer persegi sahaja lagi yang belum diteroka sebelum pencarian itu berakhir.

“Semasa kami memulakan pencarian ini, nasihat yang terbaik diterima daripada pakar adalah terdapat kemungkinan tinggi, tetapi, tidak pasti sama ada pesawat itu akan ditemui di kawasan ini,” kata Martin.

Sebelum ini, Biro Keselamatan Pengangkutan Australia memaklumkan dua kepingan yang ditemui secara berasingan pada Mac lalu di Afrika Selatan dan pulau Mauritius hampir pasti milik MH370.

Pesawat MH370 dilaporkan hilang dari radar etika dalam perjalanan ke Beijing dari Kuala Lumpur bersama-sama 239 orang penumpang dan krew.

Policemen carry a piece of debris from an unidentified aircraft found in the coastal area of Saint-Andre de la Reunion, in the east of the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on July 29. (Agence France-Presse)

A part number on aircraft wreckage recovered in the Indian Ocean confirms it came from a Boeing 777, a Malaysian official said Friday, expressing confidence that the mystery of flight MH370 was close to being solved.

"From the part number, it is confirmed that it is from a Boeing 777 aircraft. This information is from MAS (Malaysia Airlines). They have informed me," Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi told AFP.

The wing component found on the French island of La Reunion bears the part number "657 BB", according to photos of the debris.

AFP was not immediately available to reach Malaysia Airlines for comment.

Abdul Aziz's remarks are the latest by officials involved in the hunt for MH370 to indicate the increasingly likelihood that the piece of wreckage came from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight, a Boeing 777 aircraft.

Hopes are rising fast that the part can soon be conclusively identified to solve the mystery of MH370, which vanished 16 months ago with 239 people aboard.

The two-metre (six-foot) long piece of wreckage, known as a flaperon, has been sent to France for analysis.

Abdul Aziz said the most definitive confirmation of the part's origin would have to come from Boeing, saying the aircraft manufacturer performed modifications to the flaperon that would make it easy to identify.

The endeavour by Malaysia and the search team to widen the area of their search for Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean shows that they are not ready to give up.

It has almost been 400 days since the disappearance of the flight which was reported to have ended in the Indian Ocean, yet there has been no clue or lead to its actual location.

Three countries, Malaysia, Australia and China are involved in the search.

Yesterday, Malaysia through Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai announced that the search team would be widening the search area to the second phase covering an additional 60,000 km if the search in the current location did not yield results.

Airline experts interviewed by Bernama said the joint effort was a clear indicator that the search team was not trying to raise the hopes of those affected, but was a firm commitment to resolve the biggest mystery in the history of global aviation.

Captain Abdul Rahmat Omar Tun Mohd Haniff said the move was a normal procedure in every search and rescue operation but it was not an easy process.

"Nobody has conducted a search in such an isolated location. To look for an object which is 1,400 sq metres in size in an area which is 60,000 sq km by 6,000 million sq metres, at a depth of about 6,000 metres is not an easy task.

"Even now, the search in its first phase has not covered 60,000 sq km. What I can say is that the government is very generous for extending the search area if the MH370 is still not found after the end of the first phase," said the former Royal Malaysian Air Force officer.

He said despite the harsh conditions such as huge waves, and the valleys and hills on the seabed of the Indian Ocean, the operations should be continued to ensure that all parties were satisfied.

"In the case of Air France, debris was found, but even then, it took two years for the aircraft to be discovered.

"In the case of MH370, we are only guided by the Inmarsat calculations, which may not be very accurate. So if a search has been conducted in an area and the aircraft is still not found, then the area needs to be widened," he said.

The Air France flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in Brazillian waters while on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1, 2009 killing all 228 passengers and crew.

Meanwhile, Captain Datuk Nik Ahmad Huzlan Nik Hussain said it was appropriate for the first phase of the search operation concluding in May to continue with the second phase.

Asked about the condition of the aircraft if it indeed crashed or was last detected in the Indian Ocean, Nik Ahmad Huzlan clarified that it could still be intact and its interior free from water for the time being as the plane was still in its original condition.

"It could still be intact as the body metal of aircraft would not easily rust or disintegrate even in sea water.

"Look at the Titanic, despite being built of iron which was not as sophisticated as current aircrafts such as MH370 or Boeing 777-200ER, the structure was still strong after 100 years...its body is still there," said the former MAS chief pilot.

"An aircraft is made of aluminium composite which is far stronger," he said.

However, Dr Mohd Harridon Mohamed Suffian said an aircraft which had been in the ocean bed for 400 days, would deteriorate.

"The ocean pressure is very high and under continuous pressure, the aircraft structure would have crumbled and several components might have ripped apart from the fuselage.

"Salt water will corrode the aircraft, more so after such a long time," said the Universti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) Aircraft Research and Innovation head.

The first phase of the search mission which began in October last year is expected to end at the end of this month and phase two is expected to kick in till the end of the year.

The Boeing 777, flight MH370 carrying 12 crew members and 227 passengers including two babies disappeared from the radar while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, about one hour after departing Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 8 last year. It was scheduled to arrive in Beijing at 6.30 am on the same day.

BERNAMA

Malaysian Flight MH370 Has Been Located Through The Marciniak Theorem and Proof on the 9 month anniversary. The Arc Currently Being Searched and Strenuously Identified by Inmarsat 40 Degrees was only Part of the Much larger Equation. In Fact, Evidence Shows that Not only did MH370 send an alert through The Inmarsat Emergency System, The Signal was Transmitter through Every Satellite and GES Station of the Entire Eastern Hemisphere.

The Location of MH370 is N12.18 E94 next to7.4 Miles of the coast of Barren Island in the Adaman Sea.

Currently, Contact is attempting to be made to the SAR Team of this breakthrough and near completion of the modeling process of the Data.

Inmarsat, clearly did not understand what they had in their hands, and all measurements go into the Hyperbolic Method As part of the Marciniak Theorem matching each and Every measued point, and much more was needed, as each and every line of Data was need for computation of the Conversion as designed into a GPS Position as transmitted.

Additionally, The SDU {Satellite Data unit} Immediately Reconnected upon incident and Never Lost and time in transmission, and immediately was Transmitting on an Emergency signal with loads of Tracking information for GPS Conversion to Inmarsat 4f-1' 3F-1 and 3F-3 and all surrounding GES Stations.

The Position on the 40 degree Arc is Part of a much larger Dead Reckoning as part of the Required information for the FANS translation into GPS Coordinates. This same system could have been used in the AF447 flight in 2009 it has been part of our flight systems since 1969 embedded with the SDU Circuit Board.

There is much more to address as Marciniak and others are attempting to make contact with Malaysian and Authorities and The JACC.

Update will be provided upon progress and a portion of the Model under Construction as been posted o understand the process visually. Source: ireport

A handful of secret documents that contain confidential information and data regarding the investigation of the disappeared Malaysian flight MH370 have been hacked. The attack is reportedly a targeted phishing act and the perpetrators, who apparently are of Chinese origin, have gained access to a trove of secret material.

Around 30 computers got affected in this successful hacking attack. All the documents belong to the officials involved in the investigation of the Malaysian Airlines’ fateful flight, Civil Aviation dept., and the National Security Council.hackers-stole-secret-mh370-related-secret-data-from-investigators

Malaysian Newspaper The Star on Wednesday reported that the Malware acted as a PDF file attached to a new article, which was emailed on March 9 to the senior Malaysian officials. Seemingly, the attack was executed only a day after the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777, which was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Prior to the finding and closing of this breach by Malaysian CyberSecurity experts, the IP address was located to be funneled in China. The fact that the data was stolen by a malware which was sent via email alerted the Malaysian officials, reported CyberSecurity Chief Executive Amirudin Abdul Wahab. CyberSecurity is a governmental agency in Malaysia which falls within the Science, Technology and Innovation ministry.

Mr. Abdul Wahab stated in the newspaper that:

“Those email contained confidential data from the officials’ computer, including minutes of meetings and classified documents. Some of these were related to the MH370 investigation.”

According to the findings of the agency, the hack was directly related to the disappearance of MH370. It is understandable because 153 Chinese nationals were on board on that flight.

Cyber Security chief further asserts:

“At that time, there were some people accusing the government of not releasing crucial information,” and that the Malaysian government eventually had to release all the information it had about the incident.

It must be noted that the story is about the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared on March 8 while flying over the Indian Ocean. A high profile rescue operation, which so far is unprecedented both scope wise and cost wise, was launched by the government but even the debris from the plane could be found.

Lack of information over this incident sparked frustration among Chinese public and as a response occasional protests erupted. The Malaysian government was hugely criticized for offering insufficient efforts in finding their loved ones.

A number of conspiracy theories have also emerged regarding the disappearance of the plane. One claims that the plane was seized for a nefarious purpose by the government itself or by a highly-trained criminal group. The involvement of a dangerous perpetrator cannot also be overlooked.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 4. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has issued an open tender for conducting an intensified deep-water search of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 beginning August this year.

The bureau in a statement said the specialist company would engage as a prime contractor under ATSB's direction for the search which is expected to take up to 12 months depending on weather conditions.

"The company will provide the expertise, equipment and vessel(s) necessary to undertake an intensified underwater search for the missing Boeing 777 aircraft in the defined zone in the southern Indian Ocean," it said.

ATSB said the successful tenderer would be expected to search an area up to 60,000 square kilometres based on the 'seventh handshake' arc where the aircraft last communicated with the Inmarsat satellite.

It added that the precise search zone was currently being established by an international search strategy working group and would be finalised within two to three weeks.

"The successful tenderer will localise, positively identify and map the debris field of MH370 using specialist equipment such as towed and autonomous underwater vehicles with mounted sonar and/or optical imaging systems."

The successful tenderer will use the data from a bathymetric survey, which was already underway, to navigate the search zone that has water depth between 1000 and 6000 metres, it said.

ATSB notified that the search vessel(s) used by the prime contractor may also be coordinated with other vessels also undertaking search activities in the search zone on behalf of other countries.

A copy of the request for tender is available on the AusTender website at www.tenders.gov.au. and submissions are due by 5.30pm AEST (3.30 pm Malaysia time) on 30 June 2014.

The statement also said at the request of the Malaysian Government, the ATSB is leading the search for missing MH370 flight. NEW STRAITS TIMES

PETALING JAYA. May 18. After months of silence, the next of kin of crew members on board flight MH370 said Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has abandoned them after they sought legal advice from an American law firm.

About one and a half weeks ago the services of caregivers assigned to the families was abruptly stopped. However the official notice of termination only arrived last Friday.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 1. Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will shut down its MH370 Family Assistance Centres worldwide by May 7, as the company adjusts to the mode of services and support.

MAS Group Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said this was in line with the company's commitment to continue its support to the families of the passengers and crew of the missing MAS Flight MH370 aircraft.

"From past experience, we understand the continuing search and investigation will be a prolonged process.

"Instead of staying in hotels, the families of MH370 passengers are advised to receive information updates on the progress of the search and investigation and other support by MAS, within the comfort of their home, with the support and care of their families and friends," he said in a statement here today.

The MH370 Family Assistance Centres were established by MAS as the focal point for all activities which were planned for the families of the passengers and crew of Flight MH370, including briefings, religious activities and prayer services.

Ahmad Jauhari said MAS would keep in close touch with the families on news updates through telephone calls, messages, the internet and face-to-face meetings.

He said family support centres would be established in Kuala Lumpur and Beijing and the detailed plan of follow-up support and services would be relayed in person to the affected families.

He added, MAS would make advanced compensation payments at the soonest possible date to the nominated next-of-kin entitled to claim compesation, in order to meet their immediate economic needs.

He said the payment would not affect the rights of the next-of-kin to claim compesation, according to the law at a later stage and would be calculated as part of the final compensation.

"Immediately after the next-of-kin have returned home, our representatives will be in touch with them at the earliest opportunity to initiate the advanced compensation payment process."

The hunt for the missing Boeing 777-200ER aircraft has entered the second month since its disappearance on March 8.

The airliner carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew went missing while on its flight to Beijing about an hour after departing from the KL International Airport at 12.41am.

It was to have landed in Beijing at 6.30am the same day.

Seventeen days later, the flight path of MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean. The search for the aircraft continues.

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin, who is chairman of the next-of-kin committee, in a separate statement said on behalf of the Malaysian Government, he supported and reaffirmed MAS' decision.

He expressed confidence with MAS' commitment to continuing their support to the families of those on board Flight MH370.

He also reaffirmed that the Malaysian Government would ensure that MAS keep in close touch with the families through the airline's Family Support Centres, which would be established immediately in Kuala Lumpur and in Beijing.

Hamzah also said that after weeks of an intensive search, involving 26 countries scanning land, sea and air operations for the past 55 days, "we are still continuing with the search operation."

"This is an excruciating time for the families and friends of those on board MH370, and I empathise with the pain and suffering they are going through.

"I can assure that we have done everything in our capacity to ensure that the families' best interests are kept close to our hearts," he added. Bernama

1. I am very upset over MAS employees being held hostage in Beijing by the relatives of the passengers of MH 370. I am upset because they are blaming the wrong people. The loss of the plane is due to the makers Boeing.

2. How can Boeing produce a plane that is so easily disabled? Normally it is entirely possible for the crew, the pilots and co-pilots to communicate even with KLIA. Maybe the captain did not want to. But surely the co-pilot would want to inform ground stations that the plane was not flying according to the scheduled route.

3. The passengers may not notice but the co-pilot would. So would the cabin crew. They are all trained to deal with emergencies if not immediately, at least later.

4. But none of them seemed to have tried. It must be because the whole communication system has been disabled. It must take some effort if the pilot tried to disable the system. The co-pilot would notice and for his own life he would have tried to do something. Was he disabled? Were all the crew members and the passengers disabled?

5. The flight of all passenger planes can be tracked even on a personal mobile phone. I can do it on my phone. If the plane landed I can watch it landing and taxiing. I can even get information on any plane anywhere – what make and model, who it belongs to and where it is flying from and its destination.

6. I believe there are equipments on the plane which allows it to be tracked – probably by Global Positioning System.

7. Sophisticated cameras on the spy-satellites operated by some countries can actually photograph a man on the ground and even identify him. Surely the cameras can see and photograph a 63-metre aircraft.

8. But the aircraft disappeared completely. I think on everyone’s mobile it has disappeared. Some equipment on the aircraft must have been disabled. Even the backup must have been disabled

9. Boeing built this aircraft. Boeing must explain how all these means of tracking the plane can be disabled, can fail. Either Boeing technology is poor or it is not fail-safe. I would not like to fly in Boeing aircraft unless Boeing can explain how all its system can fail or be disabled.

10. Remote control technology is now very sophisticated and powerful. Is it true that Boeing has installed remote control equipment on the aircraft to prevent hijacking? If it did why did it not direct the aircraft to land safely? Is it possible for third parties to take control of the aircraft remotely?

11. When a plane crashes on land or sea there would be debris or oil slick. None has been found so far. Can it be that the plane remained intact on crashing and sank with no trace and no one launching the lifeboat doors as we are told all these aircrafts are equipped with?

12. Can one believe this plane quietly floated down into the raging sea and sank conveniently in the deepest part (7miles deep) of the Indian Ocean?

13. It is standard practice that when a plane crashes, a team of experts would arrive at the scene soonest so as to find the cause of the crash. Boeing and the authorities in the manufacturing country should be looking out for the plane. Maybe the plane type should be grounded. But Boeing has shown no interest and had said practically nothing.

14. MAS has been flying numerous kinds of aircrafts and has a good record. The pilots are well-trained. Even if the pilot wants to commit suicide the co-pilot and the cabin crew would not allow him to do so without trying something. But no one, not even the passengers did anything. Maybe it is because they have been somehow incapacitated.

15. Boeing must answer all these questions. Boeing must demonstrate possible ways for the communications system to be disabled. Boeing must accept responsibility for building an aircraft that can disappear in mid-air so completely.

16. MAS is not at fault, lax security or not. MAS flew a plane fully expecting it to perform the task. But the plane has somehow behaved differently. Who is responsible? Not MAS but certainly the makers of the plane – Boeing Aircraft Corporation.

Authorities decided to deploy an autonomous underwater vehicle, Bluefin-21.

Bluefin-21 AUV Deployed in Search for Missing Flight MH370
With the lack of further signal detections, the Authorities believe that the batteries on the black box recorders have expired, BBC reports.

The previously detected signals by the Australia Ocean Shield vessel helped in narrowing the search area in the Southern Indian Ocean.

As Reuters reports, officials are currently focusing on an area of approximately 600 sq km (230 sq miles).

The Bluefin-21, a highly modular autonomous underwater vehicle able to carry multiple sensors and payloads at once, will search the area relying on side-scan sonar and cameras to capture an acoustic image of the seafloor.

According to the report from CNN, the Ocean Shield found an oil slick that could relate to the missing jet, and samples of oil have been collected for the examination.

The Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 777 went missing on March 08 with 239 people on board. The jet was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Subsea World News

KUALA LUMPUR: The co-pilot of missing Malaysian airliner MH370 attempted to make a mid-flight call from his mobile phone just before the plane vanished from radar screens, a report said Saturday citing unnamed investigators.

The call ended abruptly possibly "because the aircraft was fast moving away from the (telecommunications) tower", a local English daily quoted a source as saying.

But it also quoted another source saying that while Fariq Abdul Hamid's "line was reattached", there was no certainty that a call was made from the Boeing 777 that vanished on March 8.

The report - titled a "desperate call for help" - did not say who he was trying to contact.

Fariq and Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah have come under intense scrutiny after the plane mysteriously vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

Investigators last month indicated that the flight was deliberately diverted and its communication systems manually switched off as it was leaving Malaysian airspace, triggering a criminal investigation by police that has revealed little so far.

The fate of flight MH370 has been shrouded in mystery, with a number of theories put forward including a hijacking or terrorist attack and a pilot gone rogue.

There have been unconfirmed previous reports in the Malaysian media of calls by the captain before or during the flight but no details have been released.

The local English daily report said that Flight 370 flew low enough near Penang island on Malaysia's west coast - after turning off course - for a telecommunications tower to pick up the co-pilot's phone signal.

The phone line was "reattached" between the time the plane veered off course and blipped off the radar, the government-controlled paper quoted the second source as saying.

"A 'reattachment' does not necessarily mean that a call was made. It can also be the result of the phone being switched on again."

Malaysia's transport ministry told AFP that it was examining the report and will issue a response.

The Malaysian government and media have repeatedly contradicted each other and themselves over details of the search and criminal investigation.  AFP

PERTH:  The Chief Coordinator of the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston (Ret’d), said an initial assessment of the possible signal detected by a RAAF AP-3C Orion aircraft yesterday afternoon has been determined as not related to an aircraft underwater locator beacon.

“The Australian Joint Acoustic Analysis Centre has analysed the acoustic data and confirmed that the signal reported in the vicinity of the Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield is unlikely to be related to the aircraft black boxes,” Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston (Ret’d), said.

Further analysis continues to be undertaken by Australian Joint Acoustic Analysis Centre.

Today Ocean Shield is continuing more focused sweeps with the Towed Pinger Locator to try and locate further signals that may be related to the aircraft’s black boxes. It is vital to glean as much information as possible while the batteries on the underwater locator beacons may still be active.

The AP-3C Orions continue their acoustic search, working in conjunction with Ocean Shield, with three more missions planned for today.

A decision as to when to deploy the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle will be made on advice from experts on board the Ocean Shield and could be some days away. Astro Awani

A letter was sent to Astro AWANI by Azrai Izet, husband to Fadzilah Abd. Rahim who was one of the passengers on MH370, expressing his dissatisfaction with the lack of responsibility taken by parties involved in the disappearance of MH370.

“Who should be responsible?” he asks.
He says that up till now he has not seen any party taking responsibility over the incident and that there has been a lot of denial by the parties involved.
Azrai points out that during press conferences, there have been a lot of denial of responsibility and liability and that there is deliberate concealing of information that would help to explain what happened to the missing flight MH370.

In his letter, Azrai lists out the denial of responsibility by the Malaysian military (ATM) for the safety of civil aircraft in our national airspace, why there was no cooperation between ATM and the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) when there was a turn-back, and how two individuals with fake passports boarded the plane.

“We have heard countless times that the government can’t disclose information as its ‘a matter of national security’ or that it might ‘jeopardise investigations’,” he says in his letter.
He writes that Malaysia has the right to know the absolute truth as to the details of what happened.
“If 239 lives of those on board and their families are not enough to get the truth, what is?” he says.
The letter also questions if there will be any new safety features introduced for aircraft and passengers, will there be reforms in safety for civil aviation in the country’s airspace, and what military assets cannot be used for public safety and what the action plan is if such a tragic incident were to happen again.

The original letter can be found here.

Search enters second month; M'sia prepares for difficult underwater search amid addressing tricky long-term legal issues involving missing passengers

As the hunt for Flight MH370 enters its second month, Malaysia is preparing for a difficult underwater search even as it addresses tricky long-term legal issues involving the missing passengers.

Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia's point man in the crisis, said he is deploying more assets soon to the search area after Australian and Chinese search operations failed to pick up new pulse signals after the weekend.

"Once we find the black box, we have to go down deeper. We're not talking about aeroplanes any more, we're not talking about ships any more. We're talking about submersibles," he said in an interview with Singaporean media yesterday.

As concerns mount that the batteries in the black box have exceeded their expected lifespan of 30 days, Hishammuddin said sonars may also be brought in to look for the wreckage.

Legal issues are also being looked at, he added, saying that the Attorney-General is looking into issues of claims by the families, autopsies, and jurisdiction over the study of the black box.

He said it did not matter to Kuala Lumpur whether the black box was kept for investigations in Australia or Malaysia as long as the data was recovered and analysed.

"Personally, I just want to find the truth. I want to know what happened to MH370. Doesn't matter how or who or where but at the end of the day, the world is not so simple and (there are) so many different countries involved."

Earlier yesterday, Angus Houston, head of the Australian agency coordinating the search, said the hunt for Flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean was at a critical stage, given that the batteries in the black box beacons have already reached the end of their 30-day expected life.

The plane, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished on March 8 and flew thousands of kilometres off its Kuala Lumpur- to-Beijing route.

On Friday and Saturday, China's Haixun 01 vessel detected several pings - electronic signals at the same frequency as a flight data recorder, or black box.

On Sunday, Australia's Ocean Shield resupply vessel carrying a US Navy-owned ping locator picked up signals some 555km from where the Haixun01 detected signals.

Hishammuddin, who is also defence minister, downplayed concerns over the cost of the search - expected to be hundreds of millions of dollars, according to experts quoted in a Reuters report. "Cost-wise, I don't see that as something that has been a hindrance until this moment."

The Reuters report yesterday estimated that US$44 million has been spent to deploy ships and aircraft by Australia, China, Vietnam and the United States. That is already nearly equal to the €32 million spent over several months to search for the Air France Flight 447 that crashed in the Atlantic in 2009.

This hunt also promises to bring about changes in Malaysia's aviation and military landscape, after its military was forced to reveal radar data to aid the search in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

"Everybody is now relooking their defence capabilities, their relationship between civilian aviation and military aviation," Hishammuddin said. The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR, April 7. Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein is hopeful that the detection of pulse signals in the southern Indian Ocean would lead to a positive development in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370.

Hishammuddin however urged all parties to give the authorities some time to verify the signals detected, while being optimistic that the investigation team would find concrete evidence on what actually happened to the plane.

"In line with Malaysia's consistent stand on verifying and corroborating evidence from day one of the search operation, I would strongly urge all parties concerned to treat this information responsibly and give time for the authorities to conduct further verification.

"Malaysia also concurred with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot that all parties must be cautious about unconfirmed findings and making conclusion," he said during a press conference on the updates of the missing flight MH370 here, Monday.

The Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre (JACC) chief co-ordinator Air Chief Marshal (Rtd) Angus Houston said this morning that an Australian vessel, Ocean Shield detected pulse signals twice Sunday night.

According to JACC in Perth, two separate signal detections had occurred 1,650 kilometres northwest of Perth within the northern part of the defined search area. The first detection was held for approximately two hours and 20 minutes, while the second was held approximately 13 minutes. BERNAMA

Berikut adalah kronologi insiden kehilangan MH370:

* 8 Mac - Pesawat MH370, jenis Boeing 777-200, membawa 239 penumpang dan anak kapal berlepas dari Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) pada 12.41 pagi dan dijadual mendarat di Beijing, China pada 6.30 pagi hari yang sama.

* 8 Mac - Pesawat MH370 dilaporkan hilang daripada radar awam Jabatan Penerbangan Awam Malaysia (DCA) pada 1.30 pagi 120 batu nautika di timur perairan Kota Baharu, Kelantan.

* 8 Mac - Operasi mencari dan menyelamat (SAR) digerak pada 5.30 pagi melibatkan 15 pesawat TUDM, termasuk empat Hercules C130, sebuah CN 235, empat EC 725, dua helikopter Augusta serta enam kapal Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) dan tiga kapal Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM).

* 8 Mac - Kenyataan media Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan MAS Ahmad Jauhari Yahya pada 7.30 pagi mengesahkan kehilangan pesawat itu dan kesemua keluarga penumpang dimaklumkan; pecahan kerakyatan penumpang MH370 iaitu 38 rakyat Malaysia, 153 rakyat China, Indonesia (12), Australia (7), Perancis (3), Amerika Syarikat (3), New Zealand (2), Ukraine (2), Kanada (2), Rusia (1), Itali (1), Taiwan (1), Belanda (1) dan Austria (1).

* 9 Mac - Panglima Angkatan Tentera Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin berkata kawasan pencarian diperluas di Laut China Selatan dan Selat Melaka.

* 9 Mac - Ketua Pengarah DCA Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman mengesahkan hanya dua penumpang yang menggunakan pasport palsu Itali dan Austria, menaiki pesawat MH370.

* 10 Mac - Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berikrar kerajaan akan melakukan yang terbaik dalam operasi mencari dan menyelamat MH370.

* 10 Mac - APMM menerima keputusan ujian sampel tompokan minyak yang ditemui di perairan Vietnam, yang negatif minyak pesawat dan disahkan sebagai minyak bagi kapal kargo.

* 11 Mac - Misteri dua penumpang terjawab apabila Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) dan ibu pejabat Interpol mendedahkan identiti mereka iaitu warga Iran yang dikenali sebagai Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad, 19, dan Delavar Seyed Mohammad Erza, 29. Kedua-dua mereka disahkan tidak mempunyai kaitan dengan kumpulan pengganas dan dipercayai cuba berhijrah ke Eropah.

* 12 Mac - Hishammuddin memperjelas beberapa isu termasuk ada sedikit kemungkinan MH370 melewati Selat Melaka, kerjasama dengan pakar penerbangan luar negara dan semua orang yang mendaftar dalam penerbangan MH370 menaiki pesawat.

Empat penumpang tidak muncul semasa mendaftar. Mereka diganti dengan penumpang daripada senarai menunggu. Penumpang berkenaan menaiki pesawat. Tiada bagasi yang tidak dimuatkan.

Dua lelaki rakyat Iran, yang memasuki dan meninggalkan Malaysia menaiki pesawat MH370, menggunakan pasport yang sama.

* 13 Mac - Hishammuddin menafikan dakwaan bahawa pesawat itu mungkin terbang kira-kira empat sejam selepas ia hilang dari skrin radar.

* 13 Mac - China menyatakan bahawa tiada bukti objek terapung yang dikesan satelit di Laut China Selatan pada Ahad mempunyai hubung kait dengan pesawat MAS yang hilang. Pihak berkuasa China juga berkata berlaku kesilapan ketika mengeluarkan imej itu.

* 14 Mac - Pencarian diperluas sehingga ke Lautan Hindi. Armada Ketujuh Tentera Laut Amerika Syarikat USS Kidd tiba di Selat Melaka untuk membantu pencarian.

* 14 Mac - Pihak berkuasa mengkaji empat hingga lima kemungkinan bagaimana transponder pesawat ditutup.

* 15 Mac - Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak tidak dapat mengesahkan laporan kemungkinan pesawat dirampas.

Najib berkata komunikasi terakhir pesawat dengan satelit dikesan di satu daripada dua koridor; koridor utara merentangi kawasan dari sempadan Kazakhstan dan Turkmenistan ke bahagian utara Thailand atau koridor selatan yang merentangi kawasan dari Indonesia ke bahagian selatan Lautan Hindi.

Najib berkata operasi mencari dan menyelamat di Laut China Selatan ditamatkan.

* 16 Mac - Hishammuddin berkata tiada sebarang tuntutan dibuat berhubung kehilangan pesawat.

* 16 Mac - Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar berkata insiden kehilangan MH370 disiasat mengikut Seksyen 130(C) Kanun Keseksaan bagi kesalahan merampas, keganasan dan sabotaj, Akta Kesalahan Keselamatan (Langkah-Langkah Khas) 2012 dan Akta Kesalahan Penerbangan 2003.

* 16 Mac - Polis mengambil simulator penerbangan dari rumah juruterbang MH370 Kapten Zaharie Ahmad Shah.

* 17 Mac - Hishammuddin berkata operasi pencarian multinasional membabitkan 26 negara di koridor utara dan selatan bermula.

* 18 Mac - Hishammuddin berkata tiga juta orang mungkin terbabit dalam usaha mencari pesawat itu dengan dibantu pengusaha satelit DigitalGlobe.

* 19 Mac - Hishammuddin menafikan laporan bahawa pesawat itu dilihat terbang rendah di ruang udara Maldives.

* 20 Mac - Perdana Menteri Australia Tony Abbot menghubungi Perdana Menteri Malaysia Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak pada 10 pagi untuk memaklumkan bahawa objek yang dikesan satelit negara itu mungkin ada kaitan dengan pesawat yang hilang

Satelit Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) mengesan imej dua objek di bahagian selatan Lautan Hindi terletak kira-kira 2,500 kilometer barat daya Perth.

Hishammuddin berkata operasi pencarian pesawat itu diteruskan dan objek yang dikesan di Australia akan ditentukan sama ada sebahagian daripada MH370.

* 21 Mac - Malaysia masih menunggu maklumat daripada pihak berkuasaAustralia sama ada objek yang dikesan di selatan Lautan Hindi pada Khamis ada kaitan dengan MH370.

Hishammuddin berkata agensi perisikan antarabangsa tidak menemui sebarang keganjilan berdasarkan manifes penumpang pesawat itu.

Hishammuddin berkata siasatan terhadap penumpang tunggal warga Ukraine yang dijalankan oleh pihak berkuasa negara itu juga mengesahkan latar belakang penumpang berkenaan bersih.

* 22 Mac - transkrip komunikasi yang didakwa antara pesawat MH370 dan pusat kawalan trafik udara pada malam pesawat dilapor hilang diklasifikasi sebagai tidak tepat dan tidak sah, kata DCA.

Hishammuddin berkata satelit China mencerap imej objek terapung berukuran 22.5 meter x 13 meter.

    

Hishammuddin berkata pihak berkuasa Australia tidak mengesan sebarang objek dalam pencarian di kawasan berkedudukan kira-kira 2,500 km dari barat daya Perth.

* 23 Mac - Hishammuddin berkata Malaysia menyerahkan imej baharu yang dicerap oleh satelit pihak berkuasa Perancis kepada pusat koordinasi menyelamat Australia.

Hishammuddin berkata setakat 2.30 petang waktu Malaysia, pihak Australia memaklumkan mereka tidak menemui sebarang petunjuk baharu berhubung MH370.

* 24 Mac - Hishammuddin berkata polis sudah mengambil keterangan lebih 100 orang termasuk keluarga juruterbang MH370.

Pada 10 malam, Najib mengumumkan kedudukan terakhir penerbangan MH370 dikesan di tengah-tengah Lautan Hindi, di barat Perth.

*  25 Mac - Pengerusi MAS berkata syarikat penerbangan itu mengisytiharkanpesawatnya bagi penerbangan MH370 bersama-sama 239 penumpang serta anak kapal 'hilang' berdasarkan bukti daripada Inmarsat dan AAIB

Najib berkata Perdana Menteri Australia Tony Abbot memberi jaminan negara itu akan meneruskan usaha mencari MH370.

- Hishammuddin berkata kedudukan terakhir MH370 akan dikenal pasti menerusi kaedah 'Kesan Doppler' oleh AAIB dan pencarian MH370 di koridor utara ditamatkan

- Muka depan akhbar arus perdana Malaysia dicetak hitam putih sebagai tanda media berkabung dengan berita tragedi yang menimpa pesawat malang MAS itu.

*  26 Mac - Najib berkata Malaysia dan China akan terus menjalin kerjasama rapat dalam pencarian MH370.

- Hishammuddin berkata imej satelit mengesan 122 objek berpotensi yangmungkin mempunyai kaitan dengan pesawat MH370, kira-kira 2,557 kilometer dari Perth, Australia.

*  27 Mac - Hishammuddin berkata Malaysia sedia menghantar satu pasukan ke Perth, Australia yang terdiri daripada DCA, MAS, TLDM dan TUDM.

- Satu satelit Thailand mengesan 300 objek terapung di selatan Lautan Hindi kira-kira 2,700 kilometer (1,680 batu) di barat daya Perth.

* 28 Mac - Hishammuddin berkata operasi pencarian bagi menjejaki pesawat MH370 memfokus kepada mendapatkan serpihan yang dikesan di selatan Lautan Hindi berikutan laporan beberapa negara.

- Pesuruhjaya Tinggi India di Malaysia T.S. Tirumurti berkata kerajaan India menzahirkan penghargaan kepada Malaysia berhubung cara ia mengendali tragedi pesawat MH370, yang disifatkannya sebagai "tugas amat penting."

* 29 Mac - Hishammuddin berkata wujud keperluan untuk Malaysia meningkatkan kekuatan aset ketenteraan bermula dengan sistem radar hinggalah kepada keupayaan teknologi.

- Hishammuddin menasihati media, terutama media antarabangsa, agar tidak menyebarkan maklumat palsu atau membuat spekulasi berhubung kehilangan MH370.

* 30 Mac - Lembaga Keselamatan Maritim Australia (AMSA) berkata beberapa objek yang diperoleh kapal HMAS Success dan Haixun 01 pada Sabtu, dipercayai tidak mempunyai kaitan dengan pesawat MH370 selepas diperiksa.

- Anggota keluarga penumpang dan anak kapal MH370 menggesa kerajaan menunjukkan bukti bahawa penerbangan pesawat itu berakhir di Lautan Hindi.

* 31 Mac - Naib Presiden MCA Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun dilantik sebagaipegawai khas Malaysia ke China bagi bertemu anggota keluarga penumpang pesawat MH370 yang hilang.

- Hishammuddin mengeluarkan transkrip perbualan terakhir antara pengawaltrafik udara dan kokpit pesawat  MH370 pada jam 0119 (waktu Malaysia) pada 8 Mac iaitu "Selamat malam pesawat Malaysia tiga tujuh kosong".

- PM Australia menyokong pandangan Najib bahawa penerbangan MH370 berakhir di Lautan Hindi yang terpencil.

* 1 April - Kementerian Pengangkutan mengeluarkan transkrip penuh perbualanradiotelefon antara juruterbang MH370 dan pengawal trafik udara, tanpa petunjuk terdapat sebarang perkara yang tidak normal.

- MAS berkata ia dimaklumkan bahawa satu petisyen yang difail bagi pihak seorang penumpang pesawat MH370 ditolak oleh sebuah mahkamah di Amerika Syarikat.

* 2 April - Sebuah kapal selam kelas Trafalgar, HMS Tireless, tiba di selatan Lautan Hindi tatkala misi mencari pesawat MH370 di kawasan itu masuk hari ke-26.

- Polis mendapati semua penumpang pesawat Malaysia yang hilang "bersih"daripada elemen rampas, sabotaj dan masalah psikologi dan peribadi namun masih menjalankan siasatan terhadap anak kapal termasuk juruterbang dan pembantu juruterbang.

- Pihak berkuasa mengendalikan penyiasatan dan pencarian pesawat MH370bertemu lebih 40 anggota keluarga penumpang di Hotel Bangi-Putrajaya, di mana mereka ditempatkan, kebanyakannya warga China.

- Perkataan "berakhir" di selatan Lautan Hindi yang dipilih Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak untuk menerangkan nasib pesawat Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Penerbangan MH370 adalah pilihan terbaik, kata Duta Besar China di Malaysia Dr Huang Huikang.

* 3 April - Operasi mencari pesawat Malaysia yang hilang masuk hari ke-27, dengan kawasan pencarian meliputi kira-kira 223,000 kilometer persegi kira-kira 1,680 kilometer di barat laut Perth, Australia.

- Operasi pusat media mengenai kehilangan pesawat Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH370 di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC) di sini akan dihentikan mulai 8 April.

- Najib berkata teknologi dron bawah air diperlukan untuk fasa seterusnyadalam operasi mencari dan mengesan di selatan Lautan Hindi memandangkan hayat pinger bateri kotak hitam akan kehabisan dalam tempoh empat hari.

- Malaysia dan Australia berikrar akan meneruskan usaha mencari pesawat MH370 tanpa garis masa.

- Pusat Koordinasi Agensi Bersama (JACC) menyatakan tiada sebarang objek dikesan di kawasan pencarian hari ini.

* 4 April - Setiausaha Agung Majlis Perundingan Melayu Datuk Dr Hasan Madmeminta media tempatan agar proaktif menangkis semua laporan negatif dan tidak tepat oleh media asing berhubung kehilangan pesawat Mh370 sejak 8 Mac lepas.

- Australia hari ini berkata pihaknya sedang merangka satu perjanjian komprehensif untuk berkhidmat sebagai 'wakil bertauliah' dalam penyiasatan mengenai kehilangan pesawat MAS.

Angus Houston, ketua penyelaras Pusat Penyelarasan Agensi Bersama (JACC) di sini, berkata perjanjian itu akan membolehkan Australia membantu Malaysia dalam menjalankan penyiasatan mengenai Penerbangan MH370 dengan berlandaskan undang-undang antarabangsa.

- Usaha menjejaki pesawat MH370 kini diperluas kepada pencarian di dalam air bagi mengesan kotak hitam yang dipercayai hilang di selatan Lautan Hindi itu.

* 5 April - Hishammuddin mengumumkan bahawa Malaysia akan melantik seorang 'Penyiasat Bertanggungjawab' yang bebas bagi mengetuai pasukan penyiasatan merangkumi kumpulan layak terbang, kumpulan operasi serta kumpulan perubatan dan faktor manusia bagi menyiasat kehilangan MH370.  

- Pasukan itu akan turut disertai negara bertauliah seperti Australia, China, Amerika Syarikat, United Kingdom dan Perancis.

- Kerajaan juga mewujudkan tiga jawatankuasa peringkat menteri iaitu Jawatankuasa Waris, Jawatankuasa Teknikal dan Jawatankuasa Penempatan Aset dalam usaha memperkemas serta memperkukuh usaha berterusan pencarian pesawat itu.

- Hishamuddin juga berkata penyiasatan ke atas anak kapal penerbangan MH370 masih berjalan dan tiada siapa telah dibersihkan.

- Alat pengesan kotak hitam yang digunakan kapal peronda China Haixun 01, mengesan isyarat detik di perairan selatan Lautan Hindi.

* 6 April - Pencarian MH370 dipertingkat di selatan Lautan Hindi membabitkan 112 pesawat dan 13 kapal meliputi kawasan seluas 134,000 batu persegi.

- Satu lagi isyarat detik dikesan di selatan Lautan Hindi oleh Kapal Pertahanan Australia (ADV) Ocean Shield kira-kira 300 batu nautika dari isyarat detik yang dikesan oleh Haixun 01

- Pusat Penyelerasan Agensi Bersama (JACC) bagaimanapun belum dapat mengesahkan sama ada isyarat detik yang dikesan oleh Haixun 01 dan Ocean Shield adalah dari pesawat MAS penerbangan MH370. - Bernama

PERTH, April 6. Another pulse signal was detected in the southern Indian Ocean Sunday by Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Ocean Shield while searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370.

Earlier a Chinese ship, Haixun 01, detected two short pulse signals also known as acoustic signal 36 hours ago on Friday and in the afternoon on Saturday.

Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) chief coordinator, Angus Houston said up till now there was no verification whether to discount or to confirm the finding as the investigation was ongoing.

"HMS Echo is on its way to Haixun 01 ship area while Ocean Shield is investigating the signal using underwater equipment," he told a press conference here today.

He said the location between Haixun 01 and Ocean Shield is about 300 nautical miles.

Houston described the Ocean Shield as the best ship for the task as it was equipped with towed pinger and remotely operated underwater vehicle.

He, however, cautioned the verification of the signals could take several days and pointed out that search could be painstaking as the depth of the ocean in the area was about 4.5 km as well as other challenges.

Beijing-bound MH370 with 239 people on board vanished mid-flight over the South China Sea, about an hour into its flight from Kuala Lumpur on March 8. Analysis of satellite data later pointed to the flight having ended in the southern Indian Ocean. BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR/PERTH. A Chinese patrol ship hunting for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner detected a pulse signal in the south Indian Ocean on Saturday, the state news agency Xinhua reported, in a possible indicator of the underwater beacon from a plane's "black box".

A black box detector deployed by the vessel Haixun 01 picked up the "ping" signal at around 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude, according to Xinhua.

It has not been established whether the ping is related to Flight MH370, which went missing four weeks ago with 239 people aboard shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing.

Xinhua further said a Chinese air force plane spotted a number of white floating objects in the search area.

PERTH. A massive hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane resumed on the 28th day on Saturday with newly mobilised underwater search effort, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

Up to 10 military planes, three civil jets and 11 ships will join the search for flight MH370, including Australian navy vessel Ocean Shield and British oceanographic vessel HMS Echo tasked with underwater operations.

An area of about 217,000 square kilometres, 1,700 kilometres northwest of Perth will be scanned with the aid of fair weather conditions, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.

Ocean Shield equipped with a U.S. towed pinger locator and HMS Echo will continue scouring a single 240 kilometre underwater track converging on each other.

The sub-surface search was launched on Friday in an attempt to recover the plane's black box that contains a pinger with a battery life of 30 days after a crash.

The towed pinger locator is capable of picking up emissions from the black box pinger up to 6,100 metres under sea surface while the Echo is fitted with an array of sensors and sidescan sonar for surveying the ocean floor.

MH370 with 239 people on board is believed to have crashed on March 8 in the southern Indian Ocean west of Perth, although no confirmed debris has been found from the plane.

"The underwater scan zone has been chosen based on analysis by the investigative team from five nations of the most likely aircraft track to where the aircraft might enter into the water," said Angus Houston, chief of Joint Agency Coordination Center (JACC) who leads the search.

Houstan said the visual search will go on as it may find wreckage on the surface that would result in the further narrowing down of the search area. Astro Awani