Don't raise hopes too high on MH370 search, says Anwar

MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has cautioned all quarters not to harbour high hopes of finding answers to the disappearance ten years ago of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, after a modern robotics company said it could reopen the search.

A total of 239 people, including more than 150 Chinese and 50 Malaysians, were onboard the aircraft when it disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, in what is considered one of aviation's most haunting mysteries.

Days before the tenth anniversary this month, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that a new search for the wreckage could be launched by US firm Ocean Infinity.

Speaking to German press agency dpa in Hamburg, Anwar said that a decision would likely be taken in the coming weeks, after reviewing the proposal by the Texas-based company.

Bernama reported him as cautioning relatives of the missing that they should not expect any breakthroughs.

"I don't want to give them a false hope that we can secure an answer," Anwar said in an interview with dpa during his current visit to Germany.

"But I want to convince them that we are doing everything possible," he added, stressing the government is willing to do so even if it costs "substantial funds."

The premier, who was leader of the opposition in 2014, said he himself was mystified by the plane's disappearance.

"I can't understand, in this day and age, how a huge steel facility like that can just disappear," Anwar was reported as telling dpa.

Earlier this month, Loke had said at a 10th anniversary remembrance event in Subang Jaya that his ministry was inviting seabed exploration firm Ocean Infinity to give a briefing on its latest proposal to look for the plane based on a “no find-no fee” basis.

He promised to make every effort to get cabinet’s approval to sign a new contract with Ocean Infinity to start the search for the plane as soon as possible.

He added that new developments in research and new technology that have been introduced will hopefully be used in the new search. – The Vibes, March 16, 2024