Missing MH370: Najib's full statement
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Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's statement which was read out at a press conference on Mar 15, 2014.
"Seven days ago Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared. We realise this is an excruciating time for the families of those on board. No words can describe the pain they must be going through. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them.
I have been appraised of the on-going search operation round the clock. At the beginning of the operation, I ordered the search area to be broadened; I instructed the Malaysian authorities to share all relevant information freely and transparently with the wider investigation team; and I requested that our friends and allies join the operation. As of today, 14 countries, 43 ships and 58 aircraft are involved in the search. I wish to thank all the governments for their help at such a crucial time.
Since day one, the Malaysian authorities have worked hand-in-hand with our international partners – including neighbouring countries, the aviation authorities and a multinational search force – many of whom have been here on the ground since Sunday.
We have shared information in real time with authorities who have the necessary experience to interpret the data. We have been working nonstop to assist the investigation. And we have put our national security second to the search for the missing plane.
It is widely understood that this has been a situation without precedent.
We have conducted search operations over land, in the South China Sea, the Straits of Malacca, the Andaman Sea and the Indian Ocean. At every stage, we acted on the basis of verified information, and we followed every credible lead. Sometimes these leads have led nowhere.
There has been intense speculation. We understand the desperate need for information on behalf of the families and those watching around the world. But we have a responsibility to the investigation and the families to only release information that has been corroborated. And our primary motivation has always been to find the plane.
In the first phase of the search operation, we searched near MH370’s last known position, in the South China Sea. At the same time, it was brought to our attention by the Royal Malaysian Air Force that, based on their primary radar, an aircraft – the identity of which could not be confirmed – made a turn back. The primary radar data showed the aircraft proceeding on a flight path which took it to an area north of the Straits of Malacca.
Given this credible data, which was subsequently corroborated with the relevant international authorities, we expanded the area of search to include the Straits of Malacca and, later, to the Andaman Sea.
Early this morning I was briefed by the investigation team – which includes the FAA, NTSB, the AAIB, the Malaysian authorities and the Acting Minister of Transport – on new information that sheds further light on what happened to MH370.
Based on new satellite information, we can say with a high degree of certainty that the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was disabled just before the aircraft reached the East coast of peninsular Malaysia. Shortly afterwards, near the border between Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic control, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off.
From this point onwards, the Royal Malaysian Air Force primary radar showed that an aircraft which was believed – but not confirmed – to be MH370 did indeed turn back. It then flew in a westerly direction back over peninsular Malaysia before turning northwest. Up until the point at which it left military primary radar coverage, these movements are consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane.
Today, based on raw satellite data that was obtained from the satellite data service provider, we can confirm that the aircraft shown in the primary radar data was flight MH370. After much forensic work and deliberation, the FAA, NTSB, AAIB and the Malaysian authorities, working separately on the same data, concur.
According to the new data, the last confirmed communication between the plane and the satellite was at 8:11AM Malaysian time on Saturday 8th March. The investigations team is making further calculations which will indicate how far the aircraft may have flown after this last point of contact. This will help us to refine the search.
Due to the type of satellite data, we are unable to confirm the precise location of the plane when it last made contact with the satellite.
However, based on this new data, the aviation authorities of Malaysia and their international counterparts have determined that the plane’s last communication with the satellite was in one of two possible corridors: a northern corridor stretching approximately from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, or a southern corridor stretching approximately from Indonesia to the southern Indian ocean. The investigation team is working to further refine the information.
In view of this latest development the Malaysian authorities have refocused their investigation into the crew and passengers on board. Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, I wish to be very clear: we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path.
This new satellite information has a significant impact on the nature and scope of the search operation. We are ending our operations in the South China Sea and reassessing the redeployment of our assets. We are working with the relevant countries to request all information relevant to the search, including radar data.
As the two new corridors involve many countries, the relevant foreign embassies have been invited to a briefing on the new information today by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry and the technical experts. I have also instructed the Foreign Ministry to provide a full briefing to foreign governments which had passengers on the plane. This morning, Malaysia Airlines has been informing the families of the passengers and crew of these new developments.
Clearly, the search for MH370 has entered a new phase. Over the last seven days, we have followed every lead and looked into every possibility. For the families and friends of those involved, we hope this new information brings us one step closer to finding the plane.
Najib: No confirmation missing MH370 hijacked
Prime Minister, Datuk Ser Najib Tun Abdul Razak giving a press conference on missing MAS flight MH370 at Sama Sama Hotel on Saturday.
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SEPANG: Despite foreign media speculation that the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 may have been hijacked, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the possibility was, as yet, unconfirmed.
“I wish to be very clear, we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path,” he told a press conference at Sama-Sama Hotel, KLIA, Saturday.
Najib added that national security was second to the search for the missing plane.
“Based on new satellite information, we can say with a high degree of certainty, that the Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (Acars) was disabled just before the aircraft reached the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia,” he said.
Shortly afterwards, the aircraft transponder near the border between Malaysia and Vietnamese air traffic control was switched off.
From this point onwards, the Royal Malaysian Air Force primary radar data showed that an aircraft, which was believed but not confirmed to be MH370, did indeed turn back.
It then flew in a westerly direction back over Peninsula Malaysia before turning northwest.
“Today, based on raw satellite data which was obtained from the satellite data service provider, we can confirm that the aircraft shown in the primary radar data was flight MH370,” said Najib.
According to the new data, the last confirmed communication between the plane and the satellite was at 8.11am Malaysian time on Saturday, March 8.
Najib's update came as the hunt for MH370 entered its second week.
The aircraft’s communication with the ground was severed under one hour into its flight on March 8 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Wire services had earlier reported that the Boeing 777-200ER piloted by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53 and co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27 with 227 passengers and 10 other crew members could have been hijacked.
A Malaysian government official confirmed the investigators’ conclusion that one of the pilots or someone else with flying experience had hijacked the aircraft.
The official, who is involved in the investigation, said no motive had been established and it is not yet clear where the plane was taken.
According to reports, the official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media.
The official had said that hijacking was no longer a theory: “It is conclusive.”
Published: Saturday March 15, 2014 MYT 2:38:00 PM
Updated: Saturday March 15, 2014 MYT 5:13:09 PM
Updated: Saturday March 15, 2014 MYT 5:13:09 PM
Missing MH370: Hijacking not true, lead investigator
Azharuddin Abdul Rahman
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KUALA LUMPUR: The head of the investigation into the missing Malaysia Airlines plane has denied any evidence of hijacking, The Telegraph has reported.
Rather, hijacking is just one of a number of possible lines that they are looking at.
His comments came after a Malaysian government official told Associated Press that investigators had concluded that one of the pilots, or someone else with flying experience, hijacked the missing Boeing 777-200ER jet carrying 239 people.
The official said that hijacking was no longer a theory. "It is conclusive."
Refuting this claim, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, who is leading the MH370 investigation, told the Telegraph: "It is not conclusive. I'm heading the investigation and nobody is saying that. It's not true.
"We are looking at the possibility, we're looking at all possibilities. We're doing every profile of the passengers and crew but there is no firm evidence or leads so far." - The Straits Times/ANN
Rather, hijacking is just one of a number of possible lines that they are looking at.
His comments came after a Malaysian government official told Associated Press that investigators had concluded that one of the pilots, or someone else with flying experience, hijacked the missing Boeing 777-200ER jet carrying 239 people.
The official said that hijacking was no longer a theory. "It is conclusive."
Refuting this claim, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, who is leading the MH370 investigation, told the Telegraph: "It is not conclusive. I'm heading the investigation and nobody is saying that. It's not true.
"We are looking at the possibility, we're looking at all possibilities. We're doing every profile of the passengers and crew but there is no firm evidence or leads so far." - The Straits Times/ANN
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