KUALA LUMPUR: After a series of missteps in the weeks after MH370 went missing last year Malaysian authorities continue to make confusing statements about the tragedy.
Malaysia's Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told journalists in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday night that aircraft seat cushions and window panes had been found on the remote Indian island of Reunion, in addition to the barnacle-encrusted wing part Malaysia earlier confirmed as coming from the plane.
"We also found other debris such as window panes, aluminium foil and seat cushions," he said, adding the items had been sent to France for testing.
"I can only ascertain that it's plane debris," Mr Liow said.
"I cannot confirm that it's from MH370."
But Associated Press reports form France that the Paris prosecutor's office, which is spearheading a French legal inquiry into the crash, denied that investigators had any new debris.
Multiple French officials involved in the investigation in Reunion and France said they were also unaware of a new discovery, Associated Press reports.
Only hours before Mr Liow made the comments some relatives of the 239 people on board the Boeing 777 that disappeared early on March 8 last year said they were infuriated about differing statements from Malaysia and France about the wing part, known as a flaperon.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said the part was "conclusively" from MH370.
But in France authorities stopped short of full confirmation, saying a verifying process would continue.
Australia's Transport Minister Warren Truss said Australia respected Malaysia's right to make the call, given it is in charge of the investigation.
"Of course, there is still some i's not dotted and t's not crossed. There is still a very small element of doubt," he said.
This isn't the first moment of confusion surrounding the handling of updates about the fate of MH370. A few key points since the plane first went missing in March 2014:
1) From the beginning of the tragedy relatives of the missing passengers and crew complained of a lack of information and transparency from Malaysia, a country where the local media is tightly government controlled.
2) Angry relatives accused authorities of deliberate search delays and cover-ups as speculation and conspiracy theories swirled around unchallenged the tragedy. Briefings about the search efforts and what was known were chaotic.
3) Although Malaysian military radar had captured signatures of MH370 they were not immediately noticed as a massive search was mounted in wrong areas in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand.
4) Oversights in communication between air traffic controllers and Malaysia Airlines on the morning the flight disappeared kept officials from realising the plane had veered hundreds of kilometres off course.
5) One senior air traffic controller slept for hours on the job as the drama unfolded.
6) China complained bitterly in the days after the disappearance that Malaysia was not sharing all the information it had about the efforts to trace their citizens who were on board.
7) Sixteen days after the disappearance victims' families received a text message from Malaysia Airlines telling them the plane was believed lost in the southern Indian Ocean and that "none of those on board" appeared to have survived.
8) Within days Malaysia's acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters that he had not entirely given up hope of finding survivors.
The renewed focus on the mystery of what happened to MH370 following discovery of the wing part comes as Malaysia's government is struggling to deal with a scandal involving a state investment fund headed by Mr Najib.
It also came as the country hosted a high-level diplomatic summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Meanwhile, Malaysia has announced that a meeting between Malaysia, Australia and China will be held soon to discuss whether a designated search area in the southern Indian Ocean should be changed in light of the wing-part discovery on Reunion last week.
Foreign ministers from the countries would obtain expert advice about wind and sea currents across the Indian Ocean before making a decision, Mr Liow said.
Under current plans the search of a 60,000 square kilometre area is due to be completed early next year.
Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has said Australia is confident the search is being conducted in the right area.
Malaysia's Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told journalists in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday night that aircraft seat cushions and window panes had been found on the remote Indian island of Reunion, in addition to the barnacle-encrusted wing part Malaysia earlier confirmed as coming from the plane.
"We also found other debris such as window panes, aluminium foil and seat cushions," he said, adding the items had been sent to France for testing.
"I can only ascertain that it's plane debris," Mr Liow said.
"I cannot confirm that it's from MH370."
But Associated Press reports form France that the Paris prosecutor's office, which is spearheading a French legal inquiry into the crash, denied that investigators had any new debris.
Multiple French officials involved in the investigation in Reunion and France said they were also unaware of a new discovery, Associated Press reports.
Only hours before Mr Liow made the comments some relatives of the 239 people on board the Boeing 777 that disappeared early on March 8 last year said they were infuriated about differing statements from Malaysia and France about the wing part, known as a flaperon.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said the part was "conclusively" from MH370.
But in France authorities stopped short of full confirmation, saying a verifying process would continue.
Australia's Transport Minister Warren Truss said Australia respected Malaysia's right to make the call, given it is in charge of the investigation.
"Of course, there is still some i's not dotted and t's not crossed. There is still a very small element of doubt," he said.
This isn't the first moment of confusion surrounding the handling of updates about the fate of MH370. A few key points since the plane first went missing in March 2014:
1) From the beginning of the tragedy relatives of the missing passengers and crew complained of a lack of information and transparency from Malaysia, a country where the local media is tightly government controlled.
2) Angry relatives accused authorities of deliberate search delays and cover-ups as speculation and conspiracy theories swirled around unchallenged the tragedy. Briefings about the search efforts and what was known were chaotic.
3) Although Malaysian military radar had captured signatures of MH370 they were not immediately noticed as a massive search was mounted in wrong areas in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand.
4) Oversights in communication between air traffic controllers and Malaysia Airlines on the morning the flight disappeared kept officials from realising the plane had veered hundreds of kilometres off course.
5) One senior air traffic controller slept for hours on the job as the drama unfolded.
6) China complained bitterly in the days after the disappearance that Malaysia was not sharing all the information it had about the efforts to trace their citizens who were on board.
7) Sixteen days after the disappearance victims' families received a text message from Malaysia Airlines telling them the plane was believed lost in the southern Indian Ocean and that "none of those on board" appeared to have survived.
8) Within days Malaysia's acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters that he had not entirely given up hope of finding survivors.
The renewed focus on the mystery of what happened to MH370 following discovery of the wing part comes as Malaysia's government is struggling to deal with a scandal involving a state investment fund headed by Mr Najib.
It also came as the country hosted a high-level diplomatic summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Meanwhile, Malaysia has announced that a meeting between Malaysia, Australia and China will be held soon to discuss whether a designated search area in the southern Indian Ocean should be changed in light of the wing-part discovery on Reunion last week.
Foreign ministers from the countries would obtain expert advice about wind and sea currents across the Indian Ocean before making a decision, Mr Liow said.
Under current plans the search of a 60,000 square kilometre area is due to be completed early next year.
Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has said Australia is confident the search is being conducted in the right area.
Still bet the Prime Minister is glad the pieces have turned up now taken some focus away from his unexplained 700 million donation into his bank account
Posted by Michael on August 7, 2015 16:19