[UPDATED] MH370: Loke promises to exhaust all options to resume search

SUBANG JAYA – Transport Minister Anthony Loke has assured that he will exert every possible effort to secure the cabinet’s approval to resume the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aircraft MH370. 

Making a promise to the families of passengers aboard the ill-fated plane, Loke said that discussions will be held with marine exploration company Ocean Infinity (OI) on the proposal of continuing search efforts.  

The ministry, Loke said, has invited Ocean Infinity to discuss a “no cure, no fee” proposal to resume the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. 

“The Malaysian government’s position is consistent – we will consider a further search operation when new information and credible evidence are obtained. 

“(Depending on discussions with OI), I promise that I will do anything possible to get cabinet’s approval to sign an agreement with OI for the search to resume as soon as possible,” he said. 

Loke said this when speaking at an event in the NU Empire Shopping Gallery today to commemorate a decade since the MH370 disappeared from tracking radars, taking along with it 239 lives.

On March 8, 2014, Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing vanished from radars after just two hours of flying.

Following that, massive search operations involving several countries were conducted in the southern Indian Ocean, but neither the plane nor its wreckage were ever found.

Speaking to the media after the event, Loke said that cost is not a concern for the Malaysian government, as it remains steadfast in its commitment to solving the mystery of the missing MH370 flight.

“Of course, any contractual obligation needs (cabinet) approval because there will be financial implications, (but) we don’t foresee financial costs being a problem.

“As far as the government is concerned, cost is not a consideration for us. If a party can locate the plane, then the associated costs are simply a burden that the government will have to bear,” he said.

He added that although the government has not taken this step yet, it intends to engage with Australian authorities once OI finalises and presents its proposal to see how the nations can strategise search efforts.

Loke also added that the government is receptive to reviewing proposals from other parties interested in undertaking the challenge of unravelling the mystery of flight MH370.

In June 2022, OI held a meeting with Loke’s predecessor, Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, with the company sharing its readiness to resume the search operation for MH370 based on a “no cure, no fee” deal. 

The revived talks came after the government, in October 2017, began discussions with OI on its search attempts, following which the company started a search in January 2018.

The search ended in June, the same year after the OI failed to locate the aircraft despite searching more than 112,000 sq km of the ocean floor over three months.

MH370 passengers’ next of kin cautiously optimistic

Meanwhile, in an immediate reaction to Loke’s announcement, 21-year-old Hareez Dani Junaidi said he hopes that the minister will keep his promises to provide closure to families whose loved ones were on the MH370 flight. 

Hareez, who was only 11 years old when his cabin crew father, Junaidi Mohd Kassim, disappeared while onboard the flight, said that it will be a waiting game until the government approves OI’s proposal to resume search operations.

“It’s been 10 years now, and many promises have been made over the years. We’ve been fighting for information, and we still don’t have much to go on,” he told reporters at the event. 

“I hope (Loke) keeps his promise and we find something substantial (explaining what happened to flight MH370); maybe we won’t find anything today or tomorrow, but soon, God willing.”

Separately, Intan Maizura Othaman, 43, said that while she has moved on from the loss of her husband, MH370 cabin crew Mohd Hazrin Mohamed Hasnan, questions on the incident linger in her mind, as do the thoughts of families affected by the tragedy. 

“It’s human nature that when we lose someone, we want to know what happened to them. I believe the whole world wants answers (on what happened to MH370). 

“It’s such a major incident in the aviation field,” she added, noting that the annual event held in remembrance of the missing flight is an opportunity for affected family members spanning countries to gather under a common cause.

The event today saw several performances and presentations by MH370 passenger and crew members’ relatives, some of whom had travelled from China and Australia to attend the gathering. – March 3, 2024