2 May 2014 MH370 PRESS STATEMENT BY HISHAMMUDDIN HUSSEIN MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND ACTING MINISTER OF TRANSPORT Introduction It has now been 56 days since MH370 went missing. The fact that MH370 is still not found after more than seven weeks of searching on land, air and sea, indeed highlights the complexity of this entire mission. Nevertheless, we are resolute in our commitment to find MH370 and will continue to intensify the search efforts. On that note, as promised by the Prime Minister last week, we have released the Preliminary Report that was sent to ICAO along with additional information. This is consistent with our stand that in the interests of openness and transparency‐ all information which does not jeopardize the investigation or the search operation; should be made public. It must be stressed that the report made public yesterday, is a preliminary report. Nevertheless, as I have repeatedly stressed since the beginning, we have nothing to hide. Meeting with Angus Houston and Jean Paul Troadec Earlier today I met with Retired Air Marshall Angus Houston‐ who has been leading the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) in Perth, coordinating the search of MH370 in the Southern Indian Ocean and Mr Jean Paul Troadec, the Head of the French Investigation Team for Air France Flight 447 and the former Head of the Aviation Accident Investigation Bureau. The presence of these two individuals in Kuala Lumpur is to discuss the new phase we are entering in the search operation. The meeting was a testament to Malaysia’s inclusiveness in coordinating the next phase of this “unprecedented” search effort and it reaffirms our relentless commitment as well as that of the international community in searching for MH370. Sub Committee Progress The three sub committees led by the three deputy ministers have been meeting and efforts have been intensified to prepare ourselves for the next phase. Let me now update you on their progress. I) Technical Committee The International Investigation Team which is led by Dato Kok Soo Chon ‐ the former Director General of the DCA and a former permanent representative to the ICAO Council in Montreal ‐ has commenced investigations on the incident as stipulated by the Terms of Reference laid out by ICAO. The investigation team has convened 5 times so far and progress will be reported in due course. II) Next of Kin Committee Yesterday, Malaysia Airlines had announced it will make advanced compensation payments as soon as possible to the nominated next‐of‐kin who are entitled to claim compensation. The compensation package is aimed to meet the immediate economic needs of the families. I would like to reaffirm the government’s stand as iterated yesterday by Hamzah Zainuddin, the Deputy Foreign Minister who heads the next of kin subcommittee, that we are confident in Malaysia Airlines’ commitment in assisting and supporting the families of those on board MH370. On that note, I would also like to record our sincerest appreciations to the Chinese Government for their strong support on this matter. I strongly urge that Malaysia Airlines continue to engage the families of the passengers as we enter this new phase. It is imperative for MAS to maintain and improve the communication platforms and channels which have been established between the airline and the families in the past eight weeks. The designated family members of the passengers, wherever they are, must be kept informed consistently and timely on significant developments relating to the search. We owe it to the families to keep them abreast with the progress and to get to the bottom of this incident. III) Asset Deployment Committee On the asset deployment front, we have had detailed discussions with several Malaysian companies namely Petronas, DEFTECH, Boustead and Sapura Kencana in the past few days on deploying specialized assets. These highly specialised underwater systems and platforms include the Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles (AUVs), Deep‐water towed side scan sonars, Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), and support vessels to deploy these assets to join in the new phase of this search mission. It is important for all the Malaysian entities involved in this effort to be on the same page‐ working as one team, flying the Malaysian flag to find MH370. Trip to Canberra Next week, I will lead a delegation to Canberra to attend the Trilateral Ministerial Meeting which will be hosted by our Australian counterparts on 5 May 2014. The meeting will be chaired by Hon Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and the Minister of Infrastructure and Industry. I will be accompanied by the heads of three sub committees, the Deputy Minister of Defence, Deputy Minister of Transport and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs along with Dato Azharuddin from the DCA, Ahmad Jauhari from MAS and other relevant representatives from the respective Ministries. In addition, a Chinese delegation will also be joining us for the meeting led by the Transport Minister, HE Yang Chuantang, and accompanied by the Vice Minister of Transport, HE He Jianzhong and the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Xie Hangsheng and other senior government officials. Bay of Bengal Allegation On the Bay of Bengal allegation, we agree with Angus Houston’s statement that this claim is highly unlikely. Many leads in the past have proven to be negative and this is similar to what we have done before. There is nothing new but we have informed the littoral states to verify this claim. Currently, there are 3 naval ships from Bangladesh including a survey ship in the search area. To date, nothing has been found. Concluding Remarks As we enter the new phase of this search, we are grateful for the continuous support that we have received from the international community as well as stakeholders domestically. We are also heartened by the new support from countries who have come forward but were not in the initial phase of the SAR operation. We will strive to overcome the new challenges facing the search operations in this new phase which requires expensive, sophisticated and complex underwater assets. As always, our thoughts and prayers remain with those on board MH370 and their families and the search goes on. ‐ENDS‐
Posted on: Fri, 02 May 2014 11:06:40 +0000
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