Frustration mounted in Malaysia, with the countrys active social media and some press outlets turning from sympathy for families of relatives to anger over the fruitless search. Twitter users took aim at contradictory reports, and confusion over whether the jet had deviated from its intended course. If the Malaysian military did not see MH370 turn toward the Malacca Strait, then why the search? Who decided to look there and why?, one comment said. I think Malaysia Airlines and the Malay government is trying to cover up or hide something about flight MH370, wrote another. The anger and embarrassment were compounded by a report aired in an Australian news programme of a past cockpit security breach involving the co-pilot on the missing jet. Malaysia Airlines said Tuesday it was shocked over the report that First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, along with a fellow pilot violated airline rules in 2011 by allowing two young South African women into their cockpit during a flight. The report included photos of the women in the cockpit, with one appearing to show them posing with a man resembling Fariq. Passengers have been prohibited from entering cockpit during flights after the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Analysts said pressure on Malaysian authorities could derail complicated search and rescue efforts. Public pressure may result in the command structure and unity of the search to crack. This is not what we want, said Gerry Soejatman, an independent aviation analyst based in Jakarta. Once that cracks, information and ability to verify becomes a problem and reckless speculation will overwhelm common sense. Malaysias air force reiterated on Wednesday it had not ruled out the possibility the Boeing 777 inexplicably changed course, but denied the report it had been detected in the Malacca Strait, far from its planned flight path. For the time being, it would not be appropriate... to issue any official conclusions as to the aircrafts flight path until a high amount of certainty and verification is achieved, Royal Malaysian Air Force chief General Rodzali Daud said in a statement. However, all ongoing search operations are at the moment being conducted to cover all possible areas where the aircraft could have gone down in order to ensure no possibility is overlooked. Authorities have so far revealed no details on radar data they said indicated a possible turn-back. The search zone shift is the latest twist in the mystery surrounding the plane. On Tuesday, Malaysian authorities said two men travelling on stolen passports appear to be Iranian illegal immigrants - easing fears of terrorism
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 12:22:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015