Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014. AFP file photo.
PUTRAJAYA: The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has been directed to study thoroughly the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s (ATSB) final search report to seek for any more credible evidence on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said Malaysia would require new credible leads before embarking on new search efforts for the ill-fated flight, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew.
He said a few seabed exploration firms such as Ocean Infinity (United States) and Fugro (Dutch) had offered to help for the search of the MH370 after scouring of a 46,000 square-mile remote seabed in the southern Indian Ocean suspended in January this year.
“We will also look into the companies’ offer but the basic criteria for the search is to have credible evidence.
“We cannot continue the search for the sake of continuing and giving false hope to the families and next-of-kin. We must be responsible towards our actions,” Liow told reporters when met after attending the weekly cabinet meeting here today.
Commenting on the ATSB’s final report released on Tuesday, which reported that the reasons for the loss of MH370 could not be established with certainty until the aircraft was found, Liow said the committed tripartite countries involved in the search namely Australia, Malaysia and China would meet and discuss for further actions if new credible evidence emerged.
Thanking ATSB for their effort in helping Malaysia to look for the MH370, Liow however said the 440-page report, which was sent to him, was not the final report related to the MH370 search, but merely a search report from the Australian search team.
Malaysia’s final report should be completed and released in a year from the suspension announcement by the safety investigating team led by Datuk Kok Soo Chon, he said.
“We will look into all details possible to find any more new clue for us to look for the plane. We haven’t and will never give up because as of now, we are still looking for additional credible evidence for us to move into the search,” he explained.
Liow said his ministry was also in the midst of preparing a Cabinet paper, detailing the whole search operation and way forward on what Malaysia could do to find the missing MH370 and present it to the Cabinet for deliberation.
Asked on when it would be presented to the Cabinet, he said: “That will depend on when the study is completed. We also need to look into and study the ATSB search report which has been sent to us. I think Australia has given all the tripatite countries a report each, and we are definitely looking into all details.
“We understand the feeling of the next-of-kin and our thoughts and prayers are always with them. We are committed to search for credible evidence and looking for closure if possible.”
To-date, Liow said Malaysia had spent nearly RM500 million for the MH370 search over the past three years.
Asked if Australia, Malaysia and China would meet soon, he said there was no definite date of the meeting since there was no credible evidence to the case. – Bernama